Western Civilization to 1650 (42.125)
M.
Hickey Old Science Hall Office 130
389-4161 mhickey@bloomu.edu
Navigation links for this syllabus
Brief Course Description Grade Scale Required Texts
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
LINK TO FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
OTHER IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Warning re. plagiarism!!!! How to use endnote citation form
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. Technical matters, such as grammar and proper citation form, will account for a portion of your exam grades.
"Make-up" and late assignments: I will give "make-up" quizzes or grade late papers only if the student has had an excused absence.
Absence Policy: "Excused" absences mean medical, family, or university-related events (etc.) that the student has discussed with me in advance and/or that are documented by the university administration.
Regarding Cheating and Plagiarism: Please read the linked warning re. plagiarism. I will give you a failing grade on the assignment for the first incident, and I will fail you in the courses if there is a subsequent incident.
Regarding disruptive behavior: Please read the linked statement regarding disruptive behavior in the classroom.
Grade Scale
Required Texts: The following books are required.
Lynn Hunt, et al., The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Volume 1, To 1740 2nd Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005).
Participation (15 percent of course grade)
Much of our time will be spent discussing the readings. That means your participation is of critical importance to making the class "work" as planned. So participation is a portion of your grade.
I will base your participation grade on the quality and not simply the quantity of your contributions to class discussions. Also, you can not participate if you are not in class, so your grade will fall in direct ratio to your unexcused absences.
How can you prepare for class participation? Here is how...
Every class "unit" will require between 40 and 80 pages of reading in the Hunt textbook The Making of the West and between 10 and 20 pages of reading in the Lualdi documents book Sources of the Making of the West. There are discussion questions for each unit (linked to the units in the weekly schedule). You must answer these questions in writing in your readings notebook. After the first week of class, you should complete the reading and your readings notebook for each week/unit before class on that Monday. Bring your readings notebooks (and your course books) to class every day for reference during our discussions.
Take notes in class!!!!! Don't just assume that everything you wrote in your notebook is correct your notebook contains everything you need to know! Take notes on my mini-lectures and comments in our discussions, and take notes on what other students say in discussions. You will find these very useful when you take your mid-term exams!
Readings Notebook (15 percent of course grade):
Again, every class unit requires between 40 and 80 pages of reading in the Hunt textbook The Making of the West and 10-20 pages of reading in the Lualdi documents book Sources of the Making of the West. There are discussion questions for each unit (linked to the units in the weekly schedule). You must answer these questions in writing in your readings notebook. Complete the reading and your readings notebook for each Week/unit before class on that Monday. Bring your readings notebooks (and your course books) to class every day for reference during our discussions.
You will use your notebooks for your quizzes and tests and in class discussion, so keep them in good order!
Your reading notebook can be handwritten or typed (you might find it easier to cut and paste the linked discussion questions into MSWord and then type your answers. Either way,
Write your name and the unit number clearly on the first page of your notes for each new unit (example--Holly Smith, Unit 2).
Write down the number of the question before you write your answer (example--Hunt, # 1).
Write the answer in your own words. Don't just copy the words in the textbook or document. The point is to understand, not to parrot!
It is ok to write on both sides of the paper!
If you are writing on loose-leaf paper, staple the pages of a unit together when you finish. If you are typing, print a paper copy and staple the pages. If you keep notes in a ring binder, you will need to pull out and staple units when you hand them in.
I am going to collect sections of your notebooks three times during the semester. The first two times I will simply check to make sure that you are doing the assignments and I will make comments to help guide you if you are having trouble. The third time I will grade the entire notebook.
I will base your readings notebook grade on whether you completed the assignments. If you answer all of the questions for a unit, you will get credit for that unit. If you answer all of the questions for all 15 units, you will receive full credit. If you complete 90 percent of the units, you will receive 90 percent credit, etc.
WARNING: If you commit plagiarism in your reading notebook at all (e.g., copy text verbatim without quotation marks and page numbers or copy from another student), you will fail the entire assignment. Again, see On Plagiarism.
Quizzes (15 percent of course grade):
You will have at least five quizzes. These will be based on the the lists of "Key Terms" in the Hunt textbook The Making of the West. The linked study questions for each unit give you the page numbers for the lists of Key Terms.
Quiz questions on key terms will require that you identify each term and explain its meaning on the basis of information in the Hunt textbook, in 2-4 sentences. You can use your readings notebooks for the quizzes.
Your identification must provide specific information on the time period and location for that term (example, Augustus Caesar, Emperor of Rome at the beginning of the first century CE). It also must explain the meaning and/or importance of the term based upon information in the Hunt textbook.
DO NOT look these terms up in dictionaries, encyclopedias, or websites! You are being quizzed on how well you understand the information in your required readings, so base your answers on what is written in the Hunt textbook!
Your grade for each quiz will be based on the following criteria: if you identify the term correctly and completely (if you correctly summarize the basic information on that term in the Hunt textbook), you will get full credit. If you identify the term correctly in general but are too vague or do not provide a complete identification, you will receive half credit. If you are incorrect, you will receive no credit.
I will base your semester quiz grade on the average of all your scores.
WARNING: If you commit plagiarism on a quiz (e.g., copy text verbatim without quotation marks and page numbers or copy from another student), you will fail the assignment. Again, see On Plagiarism.
Mid-Term Exam: (25 percent of course grade.)
This will be a take-home mid-term exam. You will get two questions, one from the "Big Questions" in the linked discussion questions on Hunt for each unit, and one from the "Big Questions" in the linked discussion questions on Lualdi for each unit.
This exam will cover units 1-7.
Every student will get different questions, so you all will be writing different exams.
You will write a 1-2 page typed essay on each of these two questions.
The exam must be typed in 12 point Times Roman font, with one inch margins. Type your name in the top right hand corner of the first page. All pages must be numbered. Staple papers in the top left hand corner. Do not "double-skip" between paragraphs! All quotations must be placed in quotation marks (except in the case of bloc quotations). All quotations, paraphrases, and direct summaries must be accompanied by endnotes in proper form. See On Plagiarism and On Endnote Form.
Your answers must be based on detailed analysis of the evidence in the Hunt textbook and the Lualdi document reader. You must refer to specific evidence that supports your answer. If you directly quote or closely paraphrase the textbook or a document, you must cite the source using endnotes (see linked directions for endnotes).
Since the questions are taken directly from the linked study questions, and since you are required to answer these questions in your notebooks, you should already have notes taken to answer the questions. But do more than just copy what is in your notebook! Consider what we discussed about "your" questions in class sessions. And review the actual reading assignments before you write your answer, to make sure you are doing the best possible job answering the questions.
You will get the questions on a Friday and turn them in the following Monday.
In grading your exams, my primary concern will be the accuracy, clarity, and logic of your answers, which will account for 90 percent of your grade. I also will base 10 percent of your grade on use of proper grammar, punctuation, and endnote form.
WARNING: If you commit plagiarism on your exam (e.g., copy text verbatim without quotation marks and page numbers or copy from another student), you will fail the assignment. Again, see On Plagiarism.
Final Exam Paper: (30 percent of course grade)
You will write a short paper (4-5 pages typed) using as your main source John Abreth, The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, A Brief History with Documents (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005).
Your exam must be typed in 12 point Times Roman font, with one inch margins. Type your name in the top right hand corner of the first page. All pages must be numbered. Staple papers in the top left hand corner. Do not "double-skip" between paragraphs! All quotations must be placed in quotation marks (except in the case of bloc quotations). All quotations, paraphrases, and direct summaries must be accompanied by endnotes in proper form. See On Plagiarism and On Endnote Form.
You will have a choice of questions, each of which requires that you use documents from Abreth, The Black Death. You will answer "your" question using background material from the Hunt textbook and from the narrative sections in the Abreth book, but focusing primarily on the analysis of relevant documents in Abreth, The Black Death. Your essay must present detailed analysis of evidence in the documents. In other words, you are going to do what historians do--use primary sources to answer a question about the past.
When you quote, paraphrase, or summarized information from the any of the assigned readings (including Albreth), you must use endnotes (see linked directions for endnotes).
Do not use any "extra" essays, books, websites, etc. to answer the exam question! The exam is testing how well you analyze the material assigned for the class, so using "outside" material defeats the purpose of the exam.
You will get the exam questions at our last Tuesday class session. They will be due at our final exam session.
In grading your exam, my primary concern is the accuracy, clarity, and logic of your answer, which will account for 90 percent of your grade. I also will base 10 percent of your grade on use of proper grammar, punctuation, and endnote form.
WARNING: If you commit plagiarism on your exam (e.g., copy text verbatim without quotation marks and page numbers or copy from another student), you will fail the course. Again, see On 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: 17/19 Jan. Unit 1: Pre-History and the Foundations of Western Civilization.
Week II: 22/24/26 Jan. Finish Unit 1. Unit 2: Near Eastern Empires and Archaic Greece.
Collect reading notebooks.
Week III: 29/31 Jan/2 Feb. Finish Unit 2. Unit 3: The Greek Century.
Collect reading notebooks.
Week IV: 5/7/9 Feb. Unit 4: The Hellenistic World.
Week V: 12/14/16 Feb. Unit 5: The Roman Republic.
Week VI: 19/21/23 Feb. Unit 6: The Roman Empire.
Week VII: 26/28 Feb/2 March Unit 7: The Christianized Roman Empire.
I will hand out your exam questions this Friday.
Week VIII: 5/7/9 March Unit 8: Rome's Successor States.
Midterm Exam due Monday.
Week IX: 19/21/23 March Unit 9: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Near East.
Collect reading notebooks.
Week X: 26/28/30 March Unit 10: Medieval Europe.
Collect reading notebooks.
Week XI: 2/4 April Unit 11: The Medieval World View.
Week XII: 11/13 April Unit 12: Medieval Europe in Crisis.
Begin reading Abreth, The Black Death.
Week XIII: 16/18/20 April Unit 13: The Renaissance.
Week XIV: 23/25/27 April Unit 14: The Reformation.
Week XV: 30 April/2 May Unit 15: The Wars of Religion and the Dawn of a New World View.
Final collection of reading notebooks on 2 May.
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Week XVI: Final Exam DUE