Students

MHIX1001 – Forging the West: A World History of Europe, 1215-1788

2025 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Clare Monagle
clare.monagle@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

In 1215 CE, a Mongol army led by Genghis Khan conquered the Chinese city of Zongdhu (present-day Beijing), creating the basis for the largest contiguous land empire in human history. That same year, leaders of the Latin Church met for the Fourth Lateran Council in Rome at the other end of Eurasia, establishing western European Christian doctrine for the next three centuries. These civilizations soon came into contact as the Mongol Empire enabled commerce and cultural exchange between east and west Eurasia. This unit explores how the increasingly complex network of connections that linked Europe and the wider world between the High Middle Ages and the eve of the modern era helped to create the particular society and culture that we today frequently refer to as “the West.” We focus on the historical contingency of this creation and the ways in which both European and non-European influences and factors forged the idea of the West. From medieval encounters between Christianity and Islam to eighteenth-century encounters between Pacific Islanders and Europeans, from the thirteenth-century Eurasian economic world system to the truly global economy that emerged after 1500, from the horseback empire of the Mongols to the martime empires built by European states, we explore the transformation of the premodern world. The unit considers these processes from both European and non-European perspectives.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Understand and explain the ways in which religion, trade, and empire connected the premodern world.
  • ULO2: Read, evaluate, and ask questions of a variety of historical sources, locating them in their appropriate contexts.
  • ULO3: Analyze and assess the impact that various events, movements and ideas had on the creation of the premodern world, producing a complex picture of this world.
  • ULO4: Synthesise primary and secondary sources to develop clear, specific, evidence-based arguments in response to historical questions.

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Reflective Essay 50% No 06/06/2025
Document Exercise 30% No 04/04/2025
Weekly Quiz 20% No Weekly, weeks 3-12

Reflective Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 06/06/2025
Weighting: 50%

Reflective essay
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain the ways in which religion, trade, and empire connected the premodern world.
  • Read, evaluate, and ask questions of a variety of historical sources, locating them in their appropriate contexts.
  • Analyze and assess the impact that various events, movements and ideas had on the creation of the premodern world, producing a complex picture of this world.
  • Synthesise primary and secondary sources to develop clear, specific, evidence-based arguments in response to historical questions.

Document Exercise

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 04/04/2025
Weighting: 30%

Primary source analysis
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain the ways in which religion, trade, and empire connected the premodern world.
  • Read, evaluate, and ask questions of a variety of historical sources, locating them in their appropriate contexts.
  • Synthesise primary and secondary sources to develop clear, specific, evidence-based arguments in response to historical questions.

Weekly Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Weekly, weeks 3-12
Weighting: 20%

Short weekly quiz
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain the ways in which religion, trade, and empire connected the premodern world.
  • Read, evaluate, and ask questions of a variety of historical sources, locating them in their appropriate contexts.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures will be available on Ilearn on Echo360

Tutorials will take place in Discussion Forums

Class readings will be available on Ilearn via Leganto

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.01R of the Handbook