Western Civilization to 1650 (42.125)
Fall 2007
M.
Hickey Old Science Hall Office 130
389-4161 mhickey@bloomu.edu
LINK TO FINAL EXAM STUDY QUESTIONS
Navigation links for this syllabus
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
Weekly Schedule of Assignments
Brief Description: This course is a survey of "Western Civilization" to the mid-1600s. It begins with a brief examination of societies in the ancient Near East, moves on to the history of Ancient Greece and Rome, and then focuses on the history of Europe.
Here are some of the topics we will cover in the course:
The course will be organized around discussion of reading assignments and "mini-lectures."
The main course objectives are to help you:
Develop a solid, basic understanding of major themes in the history of Western Civilization to 1650
Develop a solid, basic understanding of the deep historical roots of modern Western culture
Develop familiarity with the process historians use in examining evidence and writing history
Develop your critical reading skills through analysis of historical evidence
Develop your ability to explain complex ideas clearly in writing
Grade Scale:
Your grade in this course is based upon:
The grades for your written work will be based on its accuracy, clarity, and logic. I will also consider technical matters, such as grammar and punctuation.
Grade Scale
Required Texts: The following books are required.
Thomas Noble, et al., Western Civilization: The Continuing Experiment. Volume 1, to 1715. Dolphin Edition. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2005. Study questions and ID questions on the Noble textbook
Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, Five Great Greek Tragedies. New York: Dover, 2004. Study questions on Five Great Greek Tragedies
The Song of Roland. New York: Signet Classics, 2002. Study questions on The Song of Roland
Assorted web-linked documents, which I will post on the website during the semester.
Participation (10 percent of course grade)
What will I expect of you in class?
I expect you to attend class regularly.
I expect that you will complete all assigned readings, including any web-based documents that I ask you to read during the semester.
I expect that you will be prepared to ask as well as answer questions about readings in class. That means that you have to take notes on the readings and bring them to class. We will spend much of our class time discussing assigned readings.
I expect that you will take notes during the class sessions.
I expect you to ask as well as answer questions about any lectures I present in class.
How should you take notes on the textbook readings?
Write down your notes in a notebook. (Study after study has shown that highlighting in the textbook without writing out notes is almost useless!)
Instead of trying to write out "all the facts," focus on the main points--what seems to be the most important point made in each section of a chapter and what information is most important to understanding that point?
Answer the study questions for each chapter in the Noble textbook. (These are linked to this syllabus).
Define the vocabulary terms for each chapter. (These also are linked to this syllabus).
Note that at least two of the study questions will appear as the "short essay" questions on your midterm exam.
Note that at least two of the study questions will appear as the "short essay" questions on your final exam.
Note that the IDs will be the basis of all of your quizzes.
Bring your notebooks and the Noble textbook to class with you--we will use these during class discussions.
How should you take notes on any web-based documents assigned during the semester?
Answer the following questions--write them down in a notebook:
Who wrote the document, where, and when?
Who was the author's intended audience?
What main point or idea was the author trying to get across?
What does the document tell you about the time and the society in which it was produced?
How should you take notes on Five Great Greek Tragedies and The Song of Roland?
Be sure that you read the linked study questions before you begin reading the plays/poem.
Either in the margins or in a notebook, mark or reference passages that you think relate to specific study questions.
When you finish reading, use your notebook to sketch out outlines for your answers to each of the study questions.
It is not a bad idea to actually write out a full answer to each question
You can be certain that at least one study question on the plays will be the "long essay" on your midterm exam
You can be certain that at least one study question on the poem will be the "long essay" on your final exam.
How should you take notes in class?
Instead of trying to write down every fact that we discuss in class, focus on the main points.
Write out a few sentences to summarize the main points of the lecture.
Summarize the most important evidence ("facts") you think will well you understand and remember the lecture's main points.
When we discuss readings, make notes on the discussion that you can use to supplement your own reading notes.
Your participation grade will be based upon your attendance and the quality of your contributions to discussions in class. You can not participate if you are not in class, so your grade will fall in direct ratio to your unexcused absences.
Quizzes (20 percent of course grade):
You will have at least five quizzes.
Quiz questions will be based upon the ID questions on your assigned textbook readings.
What needs to be in your answer?
Answer the following about the ID in 1-3 sentences:
whom or what
when
where
if a person, why was he or she historically important
if an idea or concept, what did it mean and why was it historically important
if an event, what was it and why was it historically important
How can you prepare for the quizzes?
Answer the ID questions for the assigned chapters in the Noble textbook. (These are in the study questions linked to this syllabus.)
I will ask two ID questions on each quiz.
I will grade each answer on a scale of 0-5. An excellent ID answer will receive a grade of "5"; a good answer will receive a grade of "3"; a very poor answer will receive a grade of "1." Not answering or giving an answer that shows that you have not read the assignment will result in a grade of "0"
You can not use your written notes during the quizzes, so you must review your notes before our class sessions.
Your semester quiz grade will be the sum of your quiz grades multiplied by 2.
Be sure to read the warning regarding plagiarism.
Mid-Term Exam: (30 percent of course grade.)
You will have an essay-format mid-term exam that covers the following:
What is the format for the exam?
How can you prepare for the exam?
In grading your essays, my primary concern will be the accuracy, clarity, and logic of your essays. Your total exam grade will be the sum of your grades on all three questions, multiplied by 3.
Be sure to read the warning regarding plagiarism.
Final Exam: (40 percent of course grade)
You will have an essay-format final exam that covers the following:
What is the format for the exam?
How can you prepare for the exam?
In grading your essays, my primary concern will be the accuracy, clarity, and logic of your essays. Your total exam grade will be the sum of your grades on all three questions, multiplied by 4.
Be sure to read the warning regarding plagiarism.
Weekly schedule:
Note: This is a provisional schedule--I may find it necessary to change the dates of some assignments during the semester, and I may at times run a bit ahead or behind the syllabus.
The reading assignments, discussion questions, and quiz info for each unit are all linked to the unit title.
Week I: (27-31 Aug.) The Ancient Near East and Egypt.
Readings: Noble, chapter 1
Week II: (3-7 Sept.) Western Asia, Ancient Israel, and Pre-Archaic Greece
Readings: Noble, chapter 2. Not a bad idea to begin reading Five Great Greek Tragedies.
Week III: (10-14 Sept.) Archaic Greece and Classical Greece
Readings: Noble, chapter 3. Get to work reading Five Great Greek Tragedies.
Quiz 1 (chs. 1-3)
Week IV: (17-21 Sept.) Alexander the Great and Hellenic Civilization
Readings: Noble, chapter 4. You should be finishing Five Great Greek Tragedies.
Week V: (24-28 Sept.) Royal Rome and the Roman Republic
Readings: Noble, chapter 5. You should begin reviewing for the exam.
Week VI: (1-5 Oct.) Imperial Rome
Readings: Noble, chapter 6. You should be reviewing for the exam with vigor.
Quiz 2 (chs. 4-6)
Week VII: (8-12 Oct.) Mid-term exam and the Collapse of the Roman World
Readings: Noble, chapter 7.
Week VIII: (15-19 Oct.) Early Medieval Europe
Readings: Noble, chapter 8. Start reading The Song of Roland.
Week IX: (22-26 Oct.) Europe in the High Middle Ages
Readings: Noble, chapter 9. You should be well into The Song of Roland.
Quiz 3 (chs 7-9)
Week X: (29 Oct.-2 Nov.) Medieval European Society and Culture
Readings: Noble, chapter 10. You should be finishing The Song of Roland.
Week XI: (5-9 Nov.) Late Medieval Europe
Readings: Noble, chapter 11.
Week XII: (12-16 Nov.) The Renaissance NO CLASS ON THURSDAY 15 NOVEMBER
Readings: Noble, chapter 12.
Quiz 4 (chs 10-12)
Week XIII: (19-23 Nov.) No class Thursday (Thanksgiving).
In class n Tuesday: The Renaissance, Part Two.
Readings: Noble, chapter 13. Europe, "Discovery," and Conquest Oversees
Week XIV: (26-30 Nov.) The Reformation
Readings: Noble, chapter 14.
Week XV: (3-7 Dec.) National Monarchies and Wars of Religion
Readings: Noble, chapter 14. Begin reviewing for the final exam.
Quiz 5 (chs 13-15)
_______________
Week XVI: 10-14 December Final Exam