PRESENTATION
COLLEGE – ABERDEEN, SD
WORLD CIVILIZATION I (HS253-IN)
Three Semester Hours
Blackboard
FALL 2012
Welcoming
people of all faiths, Presentation College challenges learners toward academic
excellence and, in the Catholic tradition, the development of the whole person.
Instructor: Dr. Brad Tennant, Associate Professor, Department of Arts &
Sciences
Office Hours: C333 MWF 7:00-8:45 am, 11:00-11:50
am; TR 7:00-11:50 am CT
(or by
appointment).
(605) 229-8577 or
1-800-437-6060 ext. 577
E-mail: brad.tennant@presentation.edu
Text: Western Civilization – A Brief History,
Volume I: To 1789 (10th Edition) by Marvin Perry. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2009.
ISBN: 9781111837204
Course Description:
WORLD CIVILIZATION I (HS253) is a
general survey of the historical, cultural, and political highlights of
civilized society from the beginnings of civilization up to circa 1500. Particular emphasis is placed on the development
of western (European) history. World Civilization I fulfills the
requirements for a social science/human culture core elective.
Applicable Presentation College General Education Course
Goal and Outcomes for HS253:
|
3. Culture and Social Heritage - Graduates will
develop a critical understanding of human cultures and their creative
achievements. |
3a. Analyze historical events, ideas, and societies from a
multi-cultural perspective. 3b. Understand interrelationships of individuals and societies in
their historical/cultural contexts. 3c. Demonstrate understanding of the concepts and conversation
common to a particular humanities discipline. 3d. Critically analyze creative ideas and works in the humanities
from a contextual perspective.
|
Instructor Goals:
1) To gain a broad
understanding of the people and events that shaped the course of world history.
2) To learn more about the
social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the development of
civilizations.
3) To gain a better
understanding of the complex diversity of human experiences included in the
history of today’s world.
Instructional Techniques:
This is designed entirely as a Blackboard course. Assignments involve reading the text or a
website and responding to questions.
Check each assignment on a regular basis for individual due dates. Discussion boards will be used to post your
thoughts or questions about the various topics.
Please feel free to ask questions or make comments.
ADA Statement:
Presentation
College is committed to ensuring equal learning opportunities for all students
and provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in
accordance with the College’s procedures.
If you are a student requiring accommodations or services, please
contact the Office of Disability Services at 1-800-437-6060, Ext. 581.
Assessment and
Grading:
Students should also be familiar with
Presentation College's policies regarding academic integrity. These are found in the college catalog under
"Academic Policies."
CHAPTER QUESTIONS: You will be given a selection of essay
questions for each chapter from which you may choose THREE to address. Each essay should be no longer than 1-2
paragraphs and will be marked 0/3/5 points.
All written work should be paraphrased
from the readings as opposed to copied word for word. The odds of two people using exactly the same
wording in their responses are not that great.
DO YOUR OWN WORK. These should be
submitted through the Presentation College email as Microsoft Word attachments.
DISCUSSION POINTS – For each set of chapter
questions, you will write a paragraph with your thoughts or questions related
to the chapter topics. These can be
about any topic mentioned in the chapter.
These will be posted on the Discussion Board under “your thoughts.”
0/3/5 points for each posting.
PAPER: The paper topic is “Life as a common person
in . . .”. You
will research and write a paper focusing on the life of a common person in
ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, or the Middle
Ages. The paper should be typed in 12-14
font Times New Roman, double-spaced, and 5-6 pages in length. A bibliography should also be included.
Student assessment will be based on the following:
3 questions x 5 points x 9 chapters = 135
“Your thoughts” 5 pts x 9 chapters = 45
Paper =
30
210
points possible
The
following grading scale will be used based on the highest total number of
points earned by any student in the class.
96% and above = A
90-95% = A-
87-89% =
B+
83-86% = B
80-82% = B-
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
59% and below = Failing
Rubric
for assessing chapter questions:
The
following rubric will be used for assessing the paper.
·
Advanced (30/28 points “A/A-”): Student includes accurate and specific
information in the appropriate historical context with only minor mistakes.
·
Above Average (26 points “B”): Student uses relevant and accurate
information but
either has minor mistakes or lacks specifics.
·
Average (23 points “C”): Student provides a general understanding of
the topic but is
limited in specifics
or contains a significant mistake.
·
Below Average (20 points “D”): Student demonstrates a vague or poorly
developed
understanding of the
topic with several significant mistakes.
·
Unsatisfactory (0 points “F”): Student did not submit a paper.
Attendance:
As
stated in the Presentation College catalog, "Students
are expected to attend every class session and be on time. Online students report their attendance by
participating in their online course(s) as designated by the instructor. If for any reason students must be absent
from class, the responsibility of making up work rests entirely upon the
students." It is your responsibility as the student to
stay on task with the assignments.
-
This is a survey of the history of civilization to circa 1500. It will require a great deal of reading and
writing.
-
Assignments and postings are due by 12:00 noon (CT) of the scheduled date. Please allow me two to three days to respond
to your work, although I will try to reply by the end of the day. I will not be in a rush to correct work that
is submitted late.
-
Two points will be deducted after
12:00 pm (noon) each day an assignment is late.
-
You may work ahead if you so desire.
Although I will try to reply as soon as possible, I may not correct your
work until it is closer to the actual due date.
-
I do not give “incompletes.”
Schedule:
Assignments are posted online for each chapter. Due to the number of students enrolled in the
course, the due dates are based on your
last initial (A-K and L-Z).
Tuesday,
August 28 - Classes Begin
Tuesday,
September 4 - A-K:
Lesson 1
Tuesday,
September 11 - L-Z:
Lesson 1
Tuesday,
September 18 - A-K:
Lesson 2
Tuesday,
September 25 - L-Z:
Lesson 2
Tuesday,
October 2 - A-K: Lessons 3 and 4
Wednesday October
10 - L-Z:
Lessons 3 and 4
Tuesday, October 16 -
*A-Z: Lessons 5 and 6
Tuesday,
October 23 - *L-Z:
Lesson 7 (note change in order)
Tuesday,
October 30 - *A-K: Lesson 7 (note
change in order)
Tuesday,
November 6 - L-Z:
Lessons 8 and 9
Tuesday,
November 13 - A-K:
Lessons 8 and 9
Tuesday,
November 20 - No
Assignment Due – Work on Final Paper
Tuesday,
November 27 - A-Z:
Final Paper Due