Course 21a.561 - Syllabus

21a.561 Decline of Empires
M, W 11-12:30
Room 12-102
Arthur Steinberg (arthurs@mit.edu, 617-253-6956)

Details of the syllabus will be worked out at the first class meeting on Weds. Sept. 5.

Readings:

• 21a.561 Reader (available at MIT Copy Technology Centers, 11-004, e52-045, w20 1st floor))
  

• Wm. McNeill, A History of the World. This is intended to help create a context for the course.
  

• Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. This will be focused on at the end of the term.

Both books are available at the Tech Coop.

Requirements:

• A paper on an empire of your own design, due last day of class. (Instructions will be posted on this website on PAPERS page.)
  

• An oral report in class on a historical empire of your own choosing. (This will require some research.)
  

• An oral report in class on some theoretical aspect of imperial decline. (Topics will be in Reader.)

Grading

• A -- attendance in high percentage of classes; active participation in discussions; good performance on oral reports-- thoroughly researched and knowledgable about material; excellent final written project, including clear and concise writing.
  
  
• B -- less strong performance than for an A: more reticent about participation; good but not outstanding oral reports; good final project.
  
  
• C -- lackluster performance in all respects.
  

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

9/5,10,12

Introduction: what are we going to do?
An overview of empires.

9/17 is a holiday.

9/19,24,26

A detailed look at one empire and its decline
What is the 'life' of an empire?
Some student reports on why empires exist and decline (Papers by Strachey; Weber, Structures; Strachey, Hobson-Lenin; Cohen; Wesson; Doyle, Defining empires; Cippola, in Reader).

10/1,3,10,15,17

Ancient Near Eastern Empires (Paper by Yoffee in Reader)
Athens (Papers by Finley, and Doyle, the Athenian Empire in Reader)
Rome (Papers by Doyle, Rome; Tainter, Weber in Reader)

10/8,9 is a holiday.

10/22,24,29,31

Student reports on historical empires.
China

11/5,7

Student reports on how empires work, and why they decline. (Papers by Tainter, Understanding Collapse; Yoffee and Cowgill; Kaufman; Doyle, Hypotheses; Hsu, Literati, in Reader)

11/12 is a holiday.

11/14,19,21

19th-20th century imperialism. Is it different?
Discussion of Kennedy book.
Papers in Reader by Abernethy, Fieldhouse, Grimal, Sweezy.

Thanksgiving holiday.

12/3,5,10

Student reports on their final papers.

12/12

What have we learned?