History 1100 Extended Syllabus
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History 1100 Extended Syllabus Foundations of Western Civilization, Ancient and Medieval UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Dr. Robert J. Mueller Fall Semester 2017 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A: General Course Information 1. Required Reading . 3 2. Course Content & Outcomes . 3-4 3. Course Organization . 4 4. Discussion Grade. 4 5. Quizzes . 4-5 6. Writing Assignments . 5-6 7. Grade Breakdown . 6-7 8. Office Hours . 7 9. Academic Dishonesty . 7 10. Sexual Harassment . 7-8 11. Students with Disabilities . 8 12. Reading Assignments & Schedule . 8-9 SECTION B: Advice for Writing 1. The Essay . 11-15 2. Mueller’s Pet Peeves . 16 3. Proper Footnoting . 17-18 4. Plagiarism . 19 SECTION C: Unit Outlines and Word Lists Weeks 1 to 15 . 21-35 SECTION D: Maps 1. Suggestions for Map Identifications . 37 1 History 1100 Extended Syllabus Section A General Course Information 2 UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY HISTORY 1100: FOUNDATIONS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL Fall Semester 2017 Wednesdays, 5:15-7:45PM INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Bob Mueller OFFICE: USU, Tooele Regional Campus – Office 180 OFFICE PHONE & VOICE MAIL: (435) 797-9929 OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 3:00-5:00PM and by appointment. E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] (This is the best way to get hold of me.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. REQUIRED READING: McKay, Hill, Buckler, Crowston, Wiesner-Hanks, Western Society: A Brief History, (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010). [ISBN 978-0-312-68732-8] The History 1100 Reader (found on Canvas under “Course Materials”) 2. COURSE CONTENT & OUTCOMES: History 1100 is an introduction to the history of Western Civilization from the first appearance of urban settlements on the Eurasian continent to the upheavals of famine, plague and war in the Late Middle Ages. It covers the creation of a unique civilization -- one that combined traditions of the Near East, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe -- from the birth of those traditions, through their combination and to the beginning of their transportation to the Americas, Asia and Africa. This course also emphasizes the examination of primary sources as a method of developing the important skill of analysis. In discussion, in papers and on your quizzes, you will be asked to reach general conclusions through careful use of specific evidence. The lectures, readings and discussions for each week will concentrate on a particular society or societies designated in the syllabus, with an emphasis on comparing political, religious and social institutions to those of societies previously examined. By comparing and contrasting the same aspects of each society, you should be able to trace the development and transformation of ideas and institutions which we have come to identify as "Western," as well as to demonstrate a sound understanding of the fundamentally unique characteristics of each society you study. There will be four main outcomes when you finish this course: 1) You will become a stronger writer. I do not use midterms and finals to test how well you understand the lectures and readings. Instead I ask you to write a series of three term papers and take short quizzes. In Section B of this syllabus there is a detailed discussion about writing strong papers. 2) You will become a more critical thinker. The papers and terminology quizzes require you to use and develop the skill of analysis. Analysis is the ability to reach into a mass of material and pull out only what is relevant for a certain project or assignment. You will learn to have informed opinions backed up by evidence. 3) You will understand important facts about the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Greeks, Romans and Europeans which will show why they are considered to be the foundation cultures of western civilization. 4) You will understand how societies change over a period of time. Western customs, religion, government, warfare, art and civil society changed dramatically between the time of the Mesopotamians and that of the Europeans. 3 3. COURSE ORGANIZATION: This course is a mixture of lecture and discussion. It is vitally important that you have the material assigned for the week done by our class meeting. Always bring your course reader, the History 1100 Reader, to class each week, because I will lead a discussion of certain primary source documents during the lecture. This is also a writing-intensive class; you will have to demonstrate the analytical skills you practice in the discussions on your writing assignments and your terminology quizzes. Remember that this is an Interactive Video Conferencing (IVC) course. We handle discussion a bit differently in such a class. I will ask questions of different sites during the lecture. Yes, this means I will occasionally ask you to talk, but I’m such a fun (and humble) guy that this should always be a distinct pleasure. If you are not at the site that is being questioned, please hold off answering unless I throw open the question to the whole class. Don’t worry, I’ll give all sites the chance to participate. Likewise, if you have a question during the lecture, I want you to ask it. But please wait for a pause in my lecture (I stop a lot to sip my coffee) and then ask away. Always remember to announce the following things when you address me or the class: 1) Your name 2) Your site This way I can keep track of who is talking and it gives our video technology time to turn on and focus on you. Yes, a camera will be on you when you speak in class. In this way I can see who is talking. 4. DISCUSSION GRADE: Ten percent (10%) of your grade will be based on your participation in the discussions in this class. That does not mean simply asking a question or two. I expect you to answer questions and make substantive comments in our weekly discussions, most of which will be based on the readings we do. I keep track of all the substantive comments you make on a control sheet, so make sure you clearly state your name and site before you make your comment. That will give me time to find your name and mark it. If you contribute regularly, you will earn a good discussion grade. If you do not contribute, you could lower your overall grade by as much as an entire grade level (meaning that a B+ grade on the rest of the course assignments could become a C+). The take-away message here is to take part in the discussions. To be able to do this effectively you need to keep up on the readings, especially the primary sources in the History 1100 Reader. 5. QUIZZES: There are seven quizzes worth a total of 300 points (or 30% of your total grade): two map quizzes and five terminology quizzes. Each map quiz is worth 25 points and each terminology quiz 50 points. The purpose of the quizzes is to see how well you are studying the course materials. I expect you to rely on your memory alone when taking these quizzes. You may not use any books, class notes or external websites when taking the quizzes. If you are found using any of these to assist you in taking a quiz you will be guilty of cheating and could fail the course. The two (2) map quizzes will be given in class. On each quiz I will give you a blank map of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea and ask you to find ten locations. Why do I do this? It is because maps are crucial to understanding the history of the ancient and medieval worlds. I want you to learn the location of two kinds of places. First, you need to know basic geographical features (such as, major rivers, mountains, islands, bodies of water and regions). Second, I want you to know how to locate important kingdoms, cities, regions and other political units. Maps of these geographical features and 4 places can be found in the textbook. A list of the possible locations I might ask on these quizzes is at the end of this syllabus. Check the “Grade Breakdown” section of this syllabus for the dates of the map quizzes. The five (5) terminology quizzes will focus on important terms taken from the lecture outlines/word lists in Section C of this syllabus. The quizzes are taken on Canvas and are each timed for 15 minutes, so make sure you do your studying before the quiz. You may take the quizzes any time over a particular one or two day period but you only get one chance to take the quiz. I will not grant any extensions or do-overs for any reason. Please consult the “Grade Breakdown” section below for the days on which each quiz may be taken. Quizzes are computerized and cannot be made up, so please make sure you take them on the days they are available. Remember that quizzes are supposed to be done from memory. Do not make use of any course materials or internet web sites when taking the quizzes. And you may not cut and paste into the quiz answers which you may have written before the quiz began. 6. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: There are three (3) term papers required for this course. Each of the papers will be worth 200 points (20% of your overall grade) and must be on the respective topics below. For each paper you will be expected to write an essay of no less than 1500 words (about 5-6 full pages). You may write more (to a maximum of 2250 words), but papers of less than 1500 words will adversely affect your grade.