Fall 2012 Western Civ to 1650

Western Civilization to 1650 (Hist. 125) Fall 2012

Sections 03 and 04 (T-Th 12:30-1:45, and T-Th, 3:30-4:45)

Instructor: Professor Michael C. Hickey

Office: Old Science Hall Office 125

Phone: 570-389-4161 email: mhickey@bloomu.edu

Office Hours: T-Th. 2:00-3:30; Weds 3:00-5:30; or by appointment

Syllabus Shortcuts:

Course Policies

Directions for Graded Assignments

Weekly Schedule

Link O n Plagiarism

Link to the "Verification Document" Form

Course Description: This course provides an introductory survey of the history 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, then focuses primarily on the history of Europe in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods.

Course goals: This course will help students build their knowledge about the history of Western Civilization and introduce them to interpretive frameworks for understanding that history. We also will examine the interrelationship between cultures and the study of history itself. Students will engage in the historian’s craft by reading and analyzing historical evidence—narratives presented by historians, and also original historical documents—and then will use this evidence to answer questions about the past. Therefore, the course should help students develop their skills in critical reading, reasoning from evidence, and communicating through writing.

Student Learning Objectives:

Identify and distinguish between important historical developments and movements, events, and actors relevant to the regions and periods covered by this course.

Relate historical developments and movements (etc) to their historical contexts (political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual contexts, etc.) in the regions and periods covered by this course.

Interpret historical evidence (from secondary and/or primary sources) regarding regions and periods covered by this course.

Compare and contrast different forms of evidence regarding the geographic and periods covered by this course.

Formulate and compose clear and logical arguments that answer significant historical questions regarding the regions and periods covered by this course.

Methods: This is a lecture course. I will present material in lecture format, and we also will hold large and small group discussions of lecture material and of reading assignments.

Topics covered:

Factors contributing to the rise of early civilizations in the "Near East" and the "West"

The interrelationship between religious, state, and economic systems in ancient

civilizations

The roles of warfare and trade in the transfer and spread of ancient cultures and

technologies

The evolution of civic and political institutions in Greece

The centrality of law and of imperialism in Roman society

The creation of hybrid cultures (culture sharing/culture transfer) in the Greek and Roman

worlds

The origins and evolution of monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)

The collapse of Roman hegemony and the rise of post-Roman successor states

The centrality of religion in Medieval cultures

The emergence of a commercial economy and new forms of civic association in the "Late

Medieval" and "Early Modern Period"

The emergence of "national monarchies"

The roles of trade and warfare in shifting the balance of power between "East" and

"West"

The impact of Humanism and the Renaissance on the arts and scholarship

The impact of the Reformation on popular religious belief and power politics

The relationship between religious conflict and the emergence of nation states

Graded Assignments:

The instructions and grading criteria for each assignment are explained later in this syllabus.

Class attendance (5 percent of the grade): Because missing classes will limit your learning, I will use various methods of tracking attendance. Perfect attendance will result in full credit; points will be deducted in ratio to the number of your unexcused absences. (See the sections on attendance and excused absences under “course policies.”)

Quizzes (total of 30 percent of grade): to measure your acquisition of factual knowledge (information about the past) based upon assigned readings.

Mid-term Examination (30 percent of grade): to measure your acquisition of factual knowledge, your skill at setting historical evidence to historical context, and your ability to build a coherent argument based on factual information and evidence.

Final Examination (35 percent of grade): to measure your acquisition of factual knowledge, your skill at setting historical evidence to historical context, and your ability to build a coherent argument based on factual information and evidence.

Course grade scale:

A = >920 A- = 919-900

B+ =899-880 B = 879-820 B- = 819-800

C+ = 799-780 C =779-720 C- = 719-700

D+ = 699-680 D = 679-600 F = <600

Required Text:

Coffin, Judith, et. al. Western Civilizations: Their History and Their Culture. Vol. 1. 17^th Edition. New York: Norton, 2011.

Course policies:

Verification that you have read the syllabus and course policies (mandatory):

I require that you sign a form verifying that you: a) have read this syllabus; b) are aware of course policies and procedures.

Follow this link to fill out the form: Link to the "Verification Document" Form

If you have questions about the syllabus, course policies, or assignments, it is your responsibility to ask those questions. It is my responsibility to answer those questions as clearly and directly as possible.

I will not grade any of your assignments until you have verified that you have read the syllabus and are aware of course policies and procedures.

Plagiarism Policy:

This course has a zero tolerance policy regarding plagiarism and other forms of cheating. For the definition of plagiarism as applied to this course, see the link on plagiarism.

If I determine that a student has cheated or plagiarized any assignment, I will strictly follow university guidelines: a) the student will receive a failing grade for the assignment; b) I may file a formal report with BU’s Student Standards Board, which can lead to the student’s academic dismissal; c) if a student is found to have cheated or plagiarized more than once in this course, that student will fail the course.

The University's Academic Integrity Policy and an explanation of the appeals process regarding violations of academic integrity can be found in the online version of the BU student handbook, The Pilot.

Attendance policy:

Attendance of all regularly scheduled sessions is mandatory, except in cases of excused absences (which are explained below).

Excused absences:

An excused absence refers to a case when a student misses class because of illness, a family emergency, or a University-related event, and has either informed the instructor in writing, in advance or provided the instructor with University-approved documentation excusing the absence after the fact.

Policy on disruptive behavior:

This course has a zero tolerance policy regarding disruptive behavior. This includes behavior such as text messaging or listening to music during class. If you violate this policy during a class session, I will mark you as absent for that session. Please read the linked statement regarding disruptive behavior in the classroom.

Some useful advice concerning this course:

*Understand that my minimal expectations are that you will:

attend every class session
complete all assigned readings
take notes on the readings and bring your notes to class
be prepared to ask as well as answer questions in class about the readings
take notes during the class sessions
ask as well as answer questions about/during lectures

*Do all of the assigned readings. You cannot pass the quizzes or exams if you have not done the reading.

*Take notes on the Coffin textbook readings:

Read carefully, even if it means that you have to read the same sections over several times. The point is that you must work to understand what you are reading.
Write down your notes in a notebook (the truth is that highlighting is useless for most people).
When taking notes, focus on understanding the key ideas (don't get lost in the details--you can go back and read again to catch those); write the notes in your own words.
As you read, answer the various focus questions that I will post on BOLT. Answer them in your own words.
Always take notes and answer questions in your own words! If you must quote, then make sure that you put the quoted words in quotation marks, and that you write down the page number for the quotation!

* Pay close attention in class during lectures and discussions.

*Take notes in class!

· Keep a separate notebook for the lectures, and use that for your notes. It is best to have separate notebooks for lectures notes and for reading assignments.

Pay attention to what I am explaining in class.
You should bring your “readings” notebook to class, and you might also bring your textbook, because there will be times that I will ask you to refer to a specific page in your textbook (or to your reading notebook). But unless I ask you to consult the book, do not "read along" in the textbook while I lecture. My lectures do not “repeat the textbook” (!), and it is your responsibility to read the book on your own time.
I often will give you a lecture outline (posted on Bolt and/or projected in class); remember that this is just an outline—it is not the lecture notes! It is your responsibility to take notes yourself.
Focus on understanding the main points and key ideas. Don't try to write down every fact that I mention in class. You can look that details up in the textbook!
During the lecture write out quick sentences to summarize the main points in your own words--don't try to quote me, and don't try to write down every word.
When I am discussing a document or presenting evidence to support an argument, write down the most important "facts" that I use to prove my main points.
After the lecture (don't wait too long!), use your notes to write out a more detailed summary of most important points made in class.
Take notes on in-class discussions--those are important, too.

Graded assignments:

Attendance (5 percent of course grade):

I will use various means to take attendance during class sessions.

*If you come to class late, after I distribute the attendance sign up sheet, you will be counted as absent.

*If you engage in disruptive behavior (including texting, reading non-course related material, doing homework, or listening to music), you will be counted as absent. (See the course policy on disruptive behavior.)

*If you sign in for another person, or if anther person signs in for you, both people involved will be counted as absent.

Your attendance grade will fall with each unexcused absence. (See the course policy on excused absences.)

Quizzes (30 percent of course grade):

You will have two quizzes every week. Your semester grade will be based on the average of all of your quiz scores for the semester, and will account for 30 percent of your course grade.

On Tuesdays each week on which classes meet, you will have quizzes be based upon study questions I will provide (on BOLT) for the Coffin textbook readings assigned for that week.
On Thursdays each week on which classes meet, you will have quizzes that cover the week's lectures as well as the readings for that week.
Quizzes can be in multiple choice, matching, "fill in the blank," or short answer (a paragraph or two) format.
The quizzes will all be weighed equally, no matter how many questions there are on each quiz.
If you add the class late, any quizzes that you missed in the days before you added the class will not be counted in your average.
Once you are enrolled in the class, any missed quizzes will count as zeros. The only exception is for excused absences.
On Tuesdays, quizzes will be given at the start of class. If you arrive late for class, while students are still taking the quiz, you will not be given extra time--you must turn in the quiz when the quiz time elapses. If you arrive late for class, after the quizzes have been collected, then you will not be allowed to take the quiz and will receive a grade of zero.
If you miss a class because of an excused absence, you must take a make up quiz before the next class session, unless I agree to some other arrangement; in any case, makeup quizzes will be given at times based upon my schedule.
The grade on each quiz will be based upon the percentage of correct answers.
The best way to prepare for the quizzes is to do all the assigned readings, attend all class sessions, and take notes based upon the directions in this syllabus.
You may use your notebooks to answer the quiz questions, but you cannot use the books themselves in class.
On any quiz that requires a short written answer, you must answer in your own words; the course policy on plagiarism will apply to quizzes.
In grading your quizzes, my primary concern will be the accuracy and (in the case of short answer quizzes) the clarity and logic of your answer.

Mid-Term Exam: (30 percent of course grade):

You will have a take-home Mid-Term Exam. The Mid-Term Exam will cover material from all lectures and assigned readings for the first half of the semester.

I will present you in advance with several exam questions, all of the same level of complexity. Each student will be randomly assigned one of the questions. I will email each student their individual question one week before the exam paper is due.

On the due date, the exams must be turned in via electronic submission (either on BOLT or as an email attachment) by 5 PM. Your essay must be typed in MS Word, or in a program compatible with Word, or as a PDF file.

Keep these general instructions in mind as you write the Mid-term Exam Paper:

· The essay must directly answer the question that I assigned you; failure to answer the assigned question will result in a failing grade.

· The essay must be well organized, with an introduction, body and conclusion.

· The essay must be composed of logically and organizationally coherent paragraphs.

· I will consider serious and recurrent errors in grammar, syntax, punctuation, or word usage as failure to provide clear and coherent explanations.

· The paper must accurately and logically answer the assigned question, and must be focused entirely on the question.

· Your essays must refer to specific evidence from the Coffin textbook and the course lectures only. I am testing you on how well you have learned and how well you can use material assigned for this class. Using any material from any outside source (be it in print form or online) will result in a failing grade.

· Whenever you quote, you must introduce the quotation in a way that indicates who is “speaking,” and the quoted passage must be in quotation marks.

· You must follow the course guidelines on quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, which can be found on the link on regarding plagiarism.

· You must indicate the source of all quotations, as well as the source of any paraphrased or summarized sentences, and the source of any specific factual information, using parenthetical citations. For example (Coffin, p. 145), or (Hickey, Week 3 lecture).

In grading your exams, my primary concern will be their accuracy, clarity, and logic. Be sure to read the warning regarding plagiarism.

Mid-Term Exam grading criteria:

Failure to submit the Mid-Term Exam essay on the assigned date, failure to answer the specific assigned question, failure to follow instructions for quotations and citations, and plagiarism all will result in a grade of F (<180 points)

A paper that presents clear, logical, and

at least partially accurate answer based on proper evidence will result in a grade

of D (180-209 points)

mostly accurate answer based on proper evidence and an accurate discussion of

historical contexts will result in a grade of C (210-239 points)

fully accurate answer based on proper evidence and an accurate discussion of historical

contexts will result in a grade of B (240-269 points)

fully accurate explanations based on proper evidence and an accurate discussion of

historical contexts, with an accurate comparison and contrast of evidence

will result in a grade of A (270-300 points)

Final Exam: (35 percent of course grade):

You will have a take-home Final Exam. The Final Exam will be comprehensive, with specific attention to material from all lectures and reading assignments since the Mid-Term.

On the due date, the exams must be turned in via electronic submission (either on BOLT or as an email attachment) by 5 PM. Your essay must be typed in MS Word, or in a program compatible with Word, or as a PDF file.

Keep these general instructions in mind as you write the Final Exam Paper: