World Civilization I

Course of Study

HIS 111--World Civilization I, Fall, 2008 John Barnes
9:30-10:45 TT, Room 649 & Elluminate

HIS 111 & 112 (3CR) (3CR) Surveys Asian, African, Latin American, and European civilizations from the ancient period to the present. History 111 covers from the ancient period to the Renaissaince. History 112 covers from the Renaissance to the present.

Developmental Prerequisites: ENG 01 & 04 Developmental Corequisites: ENG 03 & 05

This is a web-enhanced lecture course using web pages and programs such as BlackBoard and Elluminate to provide handouts, quizzes and exams, course notices, and online class sessions and office hours. Class attendance is required because much of the course content is still provided in live or online classroom activities. Information about these elements will be provided during the first class session or by contacting John Barnes. John's contact information is available from his home page.

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS:

This course will introduce you to the study of history as a professional social science discipline. Lessons and generalizations will be drawn from history and whenever possible applied to others eras. The course will present an outline of the nature of "historical-mindedness"--of the historian’s perspective on human behavior.

For many of you, this survey of World History will likely be the start of a fundamental reshaping of historical insights and attitudes. To accomplish this, critical and imaginative thinking is far more important than even total recall of every name and date in the textbook. History treated as rote memory can be deceptive; inherent patterns of reasoning may escape the uninitiated completely. They may see only facts that must be learned. You are expected to mature to the point where you will read between the lines and see social forces in action, the complexity of causation in an event, the strands of continuity, and the relevance of the past to the present. You will be encouraged to acquire the critical perspective and other skills of the historian through classroom activities, reading assignments, and research and writing projects.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGIES:

The course instructional procedures include reading, writing, discussion, lecture, audio-visual presentations, research, testing, homework, group projects and individual conferences with me. To a great extent, classroom activities will be independent of the text and other readings. I will not attempt to "cover" or duplicate reading assignments in class. You are expected to complete all reading and related homework assignments before we cover a topic in class so you can better understand classroom activities and participate meaningfully in them. It is important that you take good notes of classroom activities to use as you prepare for quizzes and exams. You should make arrangements for someone to tape class and/or provide you a copy of their notes for any classes you must miss since you will be responsible for all material covered.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES:

EXAMINATIONS--There will be two examinations, a mid-term and a final exam. The mid-term will cover material for the first half of the term and the final will cover material for the second half of the term. Each of these exams will count for twenty percent (20%) of your course grade. The exams will consist of questions taking from the tests for each half of the course plus essay questions which will be provided in advance on a study sheet, which will contain all the possible essay questions. The exams and tests will be taken in a proctored environment.

TESTS-- The remaining sixty percent (60%) of your course grade will be the average of your test scores. There will be about six tests during the term. Each test will consist of multiple choice, true-false, and short answer questions. They will be based on the reading assignments plus notes from classroom material. After the tests are graded, a score for the test will be entered in the Bb grade book. We will go over each test in class and it is important that you take good notes on this review because some of the test questions will also be on the exams.

No make-up tests are permitted. If you have a compelling reason for missing a test, you must communicate it to me before the test is scheduled, unless that is manifestly impossible to do. If I agree to excuse the test, you will take a special mid-term or final exam that will count as both an exam grade and for the missed test, or some other assignment that I determine will substitute.

Two Test Grades will be entered for class participation (therefore, you will have approximately eight test grades). Class participation includes attendance, and all other assignments and projects. I assume you registered for this course intending to master the content and earn credit for the class. To accomplish this will require a significant investment of time and effort on your part. If your personal circumstances won’t allow this level of effort, perhaps you should reconsider your decision to enroll at this time.

The key to success is to attend every class session (much of the information you will need for quizzes, homework and examinations will come only from classroom activities), take good notes, study all assigned readings, thoroughly prepare for each test and examination, and successfully complete all writing assignments, projects, and homework on time. Take advantage of my office hours and study sessions, as well as the services of the Achievement Center, to get all the individual help you need.

Classroom Conduct--Students must assume a great deal of the responsibility for maintaining a good teaching/learning environment in the classroom. Your contribution needs to include:

1. Arrive on time and don’t leave until class ends;

2. Remain awake, alert, participate, and arrive prepared;

3. Don’t carry on side conversations, pass notes, or induce other distractions including beepers, cell phones, irrelevant computer activities, and text messaging;

4. Don’t bring children to class.

The grading scale is: Below 60%=F; 60-69%=D; 70-79%=C; 80-89%=B; 90%+=A.

OFFICE HOURS:

My office is located in Room 654, ACC. A copy of my class schedule with office hours marked is posted there and one my Social Sciences Home Page. Please feel free to call or email me if that’s more convenient.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY:

Withdrawal from the class with no penalty may be made up to the end of the eighth week of regular class, Thursday, October 30 2008. You will be allowed to withdraw from the course with a grade of W after this date only if you have a documented mitigating circumstance. Initiating a withdrawal is your responsibility. I will not initiate the Administrative Withdrawal procedure.