HISTORY V101
Section 002
Dr. Powers
Fall, 2009
COURSE
INTRODUCTION
I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
It is the purpose of
this course to assist you in gaining familiarity, to a degree, with the history
of Western Civilization to the mid-seventeenth century or so. You will learn of
the roots and development of many of the factors ‑‑ political,
economic, social, cultural, religious, intellectual, etc. ‑‑ which
have gone into making that civilization, including its American component, what
it is. You will also discern possible alternatives to those developments, and
render judgments on why those alternatives remained roads not taken. The
primary focus of the course will be on those ideas which have had the
greatest effect in shaping the culture of Western Civilization.
In the process, you will develop an awareness of the
nature and uses of history and of the historical development of European culture
during the period under study, and of its relation to the present. More
specifically, you will be expected to demonstrate the ability to…
·
Understand
the construction of history and how history is written
·
Understand
broad outlines of history and make accurate connections between developments
separated in time and place.
·
Recognize
the contribution of historical antecedents to the understanding of current
personal, social, and political situations and developments.
The
course is further designed to aid you in the development and exercise of the
following particular academic skills:
1.
ABSORPTION
and RETENTION of new material;
2.
COMPREHENSION
of what you have absorbed;
3.
COLLATION ‑‑
the ability to assemble and arrange data into a pattern which facilitates
understanding;
4.
ANALYSIS of
collected and collated material;
5.
The ability
to draw your own CONCLUSIONS from the material you have analyzed, and to make valid
and logical INFERENCES therefrom;
6.
EXPRESSION
of your conclusions and concepts in a clear, comprehensible, and convincing
fashion, complete with adequate support; and,
Attainment of these objectives and
proficiency in these skills, as well as demonstration of knowledge of content,
are among the conditions for satisfactory completion of the course and the
receipt of academic credit for it.
You
should retain your understanding and your learned skills long after this course
is completed, and be able to apply them in other courses and outside the groves
of academe.
Again,
remember that developments in European historical and cultural evolution have
helped to shape the historical experiences of the
II. EXPECTATIONS
You are
expected to read the assigned material before coming to class. You are
responsible for all material assigned, even if it is not discussed in class.
Classroom time is NOT intended for simple repetition of material which is
available in the texts, but for discussion and explanation of the assigned
readings and for elaboration of material given inadequate attention elsewhere.
You are
encouraged strongly to participate in class discussions, (insofar as the size
of the class permits) and to raise questions concerning material in the
readings which you have not understood or which has received, in your judgment,
inadequate attention. The only stupid question is the one which is never asked.
If you have knowledge or understanding which might aid the rest of the class or
the instructor in improving comprehension of the topic, please share it.
You
must be able to use a computer. I use e-mail regularly. There is a course
website. Some of your assignments will be on the internet. An essential element
of the course is available only through BLACKBOARD. Help on all these things is
available. For now, see the document entitled “Course Materials Available
Through Computers”. If you have no computer, or have a computer but without
internet access, you should become familiar with the USC Sumter computer lab,
and schedule some of your time to visit it.
III. ATTENDANCE
A
record of attendance will be kept, but there will be no premium for perfect
attendance, nor will there be a specific penalty for cuts; HOWEVER,
(1)
Work missed because of absences may NOT be made up unless arrangements have
been made in advance of the absence. In rare cases involving genuine and
demonstrable emergency conditions beyond the control of the student, a make‑up
MIGHT be permitted. Tests are scheduled well in advance, so no one should have
any reason to miss one save for legitimate emergencies.
(2)
Anyone absent from class obviously will be unable to participate in class
discussions and therefore will be unable to gain credit or benefit from them.
(3)
The Veterans' Administration, the Air Force, and other agencies which provide
financial assistance to students often have their own attendance regulations.
Students should check for appropriate guidelines if they receive funds from
such a source.
(4)
Further information on the University's attendance regulations is contained in The
University of South Carolina at Sumter Bulletin. Note that by University
policy, absence from 10% of the meetings of a class is considered reasonable
grounds for failure of the course.
(5)
STUDENTS WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE IN CLASS AND IN PLACE ON TIME. There is
much material to be covered, and there is little enough time in which to cover
it. Classes begin promptly!
The
following policy covers instructor tardiness:
(1)
If I'm not in place on time, wait.
(2)
If I haven't arrived by ten minutes after the scheduled start of class, one
student will go to my office (Schwartz 103) and see if I have been detained
therein, or if there's a message for the class on the door.
(3)
If no message for the class has been posted on my office door and if I'm not in
my office or visibly on the way to class, and if I haven't arrived by the time
the student messenger returns from my office, take control of the class
yourselves and use your time in such productive manner as your best judgment
shall indicate.
IV. TESTS AND GRADING
There will be three
tests and a final exam. Each test is worth 20%, while the final exam is worth
30%.
Each test (and the
final exam) on which you are graded is given a point value corresponding to its
relative weight in determining your end‑of‑semester grade. (For
example, a test worth 20% of your total grade will have a value of 20 points.)
On each such item,
your grade will be assigned and expressed as a percentage of that point value,
with 60% constituting a D; 65%, a D+; 70%, a C; 75%, a C+; 80%, a B; 85%, a B+;
and 90%, an A. (Thus, an A on that 20‑point test would be 18.00 or
better, while a B would be between 16.00 and 16.99.)
There will also be one
pre-class comprehension quiz for each chapter of the textbook. These quizzes
will be administered and taken on BLACKBOARD, and each must be completed before
the beginning of the class at which the relevant chapter is scheduled to be
discussed. (The system is set to remove automatically each quiz after the
deadline, so it will not be available after that. If you haven’t taken it by
that time, you’ll receive a zero for that quiz.) BLACKBOARD will grade these
quizzes automatically. You may have access to your textbook while taking the
quiz, but once you have submitted a quiz, you may not take it again. Success is
best achieved by reading your textbook carefully before taking a quiz.
Altogether, the comprehension quizzes will count 10% of your grade.
At the end of the
semester, all grades received during the semester will be added together. The
sum will be your semester's grade, and will be translated into a letter grade
by applying it as a percentage of a 100‑point table. (So if your total is
87.75, you'll get a B+, etc.)
You will also receive
a grade for your daily performance in class. Your average daily classroom grade
will be ADDED after your other grades are computed; thus, it will serve as a
form of extra credit for those who participate regularly, while those who
choose to remain silent will not be penalized. The daily classroom grade will
be based upon the following factors:
1.
Participation. (The very act of contributing will gain
you SOME credit.)
2.
The depth of knowledge and understanding which your
contribution reveals.
3.
Originality of thought.
4.
Demonstration of reasoning ability.
5.
Contributions toward the understanding of others,
especially the instructor.
The final exam will be
cumulative, and will consist solely of essay questions. Most questions will be
very broad in scope, requiring you to think about the entire course, in some
cases up to and including current events.
Essay questions, for
the tests as well as for the exam, are designed to elicit thought and
consideration as well as regurgitation of memorized matter. For this reason,
you may see questions about something you haven't studied at all. To answer
such questions, you must use material which you HAVE covered, and you must use
your brain. However irrelevant some questions may seem at first glance, all
will be tied to the material assigned, and all will be possible to answer
through thoughtful use of that material.
Please be aware that
you are responsible for all material assigned. Just because something isn't
covered in class doesn't mean it won't show up on a test. If you have questions
about something you've read, ask in class.
Tests and exams will be
keyed not only to specific content, but to the objectives and academic skills
mentioned at the beginning of this document.
To submit another's
work as your own is plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. For more
detail on the kinds of things that constitute plagiarism, goto http://www.uscsumter.edu/~tpowers
and page down until you see a link to an essay on plagiarism. Read, learn, and
apply.
V. TEXTS
The
following textbook is required for this course:
Spielvogel,
Western Civilization. 7th ed. Vol. I.
Also
required are varied readings to be found on the internet. Most, if not all, of
these will be found on the “
VI. FINAL NOTE
The way
to do well in this course is to read, to write, and, most especially, to think.
It also helps to relax and enjoy it. After all, History is Fun!!