History 2311: History of Western Civilization

Trinity Valley C= ommunity College Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Marianne Leeper

Required Text= book:

Western Civilization = 7ed by Jackson J. Spielvogel, ISBN: 0495741655=

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Course Descri= ption:

A goal of this course is to help students learn about the present by exploring the past. Spielvogel’s chronological narrative weaves the political, economic, religious, and cultural aspects of history into a grea= t story that is both memorable and instructive. This course will introduce students= to the most important events, individuals, and ideas in the history of Western Civilization from its beginnings to roughly 1500. We will focus on a number= of important issues including: the development of Hebrew monotheism; the rise = of citizenship and philosophy in ancient Greece; the rise and decline of the R= oman Empire; the evolution of Christianity; medieval culture and society; and the Renaissance and the birth of the modern age.

Core Curricul= um Intellectual Competencies:

· = Analyze a= nd interpret a variety of printed materials – books, documents and artic= les – at a college level.

· = Use techn= ology to gather and interpret historical information.

· = Possess sufficient literary skills of writing and reading – at a college leve= l.

· = Think and analyze at a critical level.

Course Requir= ements:

This course is based on a series of readings, quizzes, exams, = and Internet Activities. To be successful in the course, it will be neces= sary for you to complete the Internet Activities and exams before the posted deadlines and keep up with assigned readings. It is extremely importa= nt that you have constant access to a reliable (primary and backup) computer w= ith Internet access. Having technical problems, especially last-minute technical problems, is no excuse for submitting assignments after the posted deadline= s. The exams may consist of multiple choic= e, true/false, matching and/or short answer identification questions. If you h= ave questions about the exam format, please feel free to ask. You will have a <= b>two hour time limit on each exam. ALL EXA= MS MUST BE TAKEN IN A TESTING CENTER. It your responsibility to contact your testing center to make exam arrangement= s. Please make arrangements with your testing center at least one week before you take your exam. Each exam has a deadline date. Please refer to the Exam Deadlines section below for specific dates.

The only TVCC testing facility that allows the use of outside aides is the Athens Testing Center= . For students who are intending to take advantage of the opportunity to use textbooks on exams, you must test in the Testing Center in Athens during th= eir normal business hours (8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. – however, you MUST arrive no later than 3:30 p.m. to begin testing). Should a student choose to test at an alternate testing site (at all LRC/Libraries), they will NOT be allowed to use their textbooks or any outside aides.

Please DO NOT wait un= til the last minute to complete assignments. However, if you choose to wait until the last min= ute, please understand that unexpected events which arise at the last min= ute will not be accepted as excuses for completing exams or submitting assignments a= fter the posted deadlines. Exams and/or assignments submitted after the posted deadlines will not be accepted.

Each Internet Activity is worth 50 points. At least ten points will be deducted each day the Internet Activity is late. If it (Inte= rnet Activity) is submitted five days after the deadline, it will not be accepte= d.

There are 13 multiple= choice quizzes that you are required to take. Each quiz is worth 15 points. Each c= orrect answer is worth 1 point. Total quiz points possible are 195.

**Quizzes are due when corresponding Unit Exams are due. For example, Unit I covers chapters 1-4. = Exam 1 deadline dates are TBA. Quizzes 1, 2, 3, and 4 are due by TBA. Unit II co= vers chapters 5-7. Exam 2 deadline dates are TBA. Quizzes 5, 6, and 7 are due by TBA. Unit III covers chapters 8-10. Exam 3 deadline dates are TBA. Quizzes,= 8, 9, and 10 are due TBA. Unit IV covers chapters 11-13. Exam 4 deadline dates= are TBA. Quizzes 11, 12, and 13 are due by TBA. **

To access online quiz= zes from the homepage, click on “Course Content”. Then click on the link that corresponds with the correct chapter.

(FYI) You should do the chapter crossword puzzles and flash cards. You may see some of this information on your unit exams.

Please do not wait until the last minute to complete assignmen= ts or take exams. If you have problems accessing WebCT, please contact me earl= y in the week at my personal e-mail address (mleeper@tvcc.edu). Please do not send assignments to my personal e-mail address. My personal e-mail address should ONLY be used when you have difficulty access= ing WebCT. Internet assignments and other course-related e-mail should be sent through WebCT. <= o:p>

If you have a question, please type the word “question” in the subject box. Questions will always receive priority over other e-mail. It is yo= ur responsibility to make sure all assignments are sent correctly. It is als= o your responsibility to log in daily to check for e-mail and any updates. If your name has changed (as a result of marital status, for example), please notify me immediately. If you feel that you will not be able to abide by the course requirements, you should reconsider taking the course.

For Your Information: The last day to drop this class with a grade of “W” is TB= A. It is your responsibility to drop this course if the need arises.

= Exam Deadlines

ALL exams must be com= pleted before 11:00 p.m. (check with the testing center for times of availabili= ty) on the dates listed below. Remember, ALL exams MUST be taken in a testing center, and it your responsibility to make arrangements with the testing center at least a week in advance= .

Exam #1 MUST be compl= eted by 11:00 p.m. on TBA.<= /span>

Exam #2 MUST be compl= eted by 11:00 p.m. on TBA.<= /span>

Exam #3 MUST be compl= eted by 11:00 p.m. on TBA.<= /span>

The Final Exam MUST be completed by 11:00 p.m. on TBA= .

Gradin= g System

To= determine your seme= ster grade, add your four exam grades, plus the total number of points you recei= ved from the Internet Activities plus total quiz points plus 5 extra bonus poin= ts, which I am giving you for your participation on the discussion board, and divide by seven. The Internet Activities count collectively as 100 points. = The quizzes count collectively as 195 points.

100-90&nb= sp; A<= /o:p>

89-80&nbs= p; &= nbsp; B<= /o:p>

79-70&nbs= p; &= nbsp; C

69-60&nbs= p; &= nbsp; D<= /o:p>

below 60 F

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Course Outline

EXAM #= 1 will cover (Chapters 1-4)

I. &nbs= p; The Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations (Chapter 1)

II. &nb= sp; The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires (Ch.2)

III. &n= bsp; The Civilization of the Greeks (Ch. 3)

IV. &nb= sp; The Hellenistic World (Ch. 4)

EXAM #2 (Chapters 5-7)

V. &nbs= p; The Roman Republic (Ch. 5)

VI. &nb= sp; The Roman Empire (Ch. 6)

VII. <= /span>Late Antiquity and the Emergence of the Medieval World (Ch. 7)=

EXAM #3 (Chapters 8-10)

VIII.    European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750-1000 (Ch.8)

IX.    &nb= sp; The Recovery and Growth of European Society in the High Middle Ages (Ch. 9)

X.    &nbs= p;   The Rise of Kingdoms and the Growth of Church Power (Ch. 10)<= /p>

FINAL EXAM (Chapters 11-13)=

XI.    &nb= sp; The Later Middle Ages: Crisis and Disintegration in the 14th Century (Ch. 11)

XII.     <= /span>Recovery and Rebirth: The Age of the Renaissance (Ch. 12)

XIII.    Reformation and Religious Warfare in the Sixteenth Century (Ch. 13)

Course Goals/Objectives:

1) To provide the basic facts about the evolution of Western Civilization from its origins through the Renaissance with an emphasis on showing how change occurs over time.

2) To enable students to use facts in making coherent arguments abo= ut the past.

3) To enhance students’ capacity to grapple with difficult te= xts through reading assignments.

4) To develop students’ ability to communicate in written form through class discussion and written assignments.

Academic Dish= onesty

Trinity Valley Community College’s official policy is that academic dish= onesty is unacceptable and will not be permitted.= Any student caught in an act of scholastic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with TVCC’s regulations and procedures (see TVCC 2008-09 Catalog, pp. 56-57 under “Student Conduct”). =

Please ask for help when you need it. How else will you learn?

Discussion Bo= ard

Five bonus points will be given to you for your introduction to oth= er students on the discussion board. Go into the discussion board and click on “Create Topic”. You will type in your name for the title and in the description field, you = will give at least a paragraph of information about yourself. =