History 1: History of Western Civilization I

Section 2337 Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:45 to 5:05 pm Room HSS 104 Spring 2014 Professor Christopher Stiles O!ce: HSS 312 O!ce hours: TTh 5:15 to 6:15 and W 4:30 to 6:30 email: stiles_christopher@smc.edu
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Course Information"

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Course Description: This course surveys the development of Western Civilization from its beginnings in the valleys of the Tigris#Euphrates and Nile Rivers to Europe of the 16th century. It addresses cultures of the Near East, Greece, and Rome; the medieval period; the Renaissance; and the Reformation, introducing the social, economic, political, intellectual, and artistic transformations that shaped what came to be known as the West. Required Text: ! A History of Western Society, Volume I, " " " from Antiquity to the Enlightenment, 11th edition " " " by John P. McKay, et al. Bedford St. Martins ISBN 1#4576#4222#7 " " " Technology Requirements: To access the syllabus, study guides, handouts and other material for this class, youll need access to eCompanion. eCompanion tutorials are available at www.smconline.org Course Requirements and Grading: Your nal grade in the course will be determined by the total number of points you earn during the semester. Assignments and their point values will be as follows: Exams: There will be three exams given during the course of the semester, worth 100 " points each, covering material from both the text and lectures. The rst two exams " will include sections that will ask you to dene and explain the historical signicance " of certain periods, events, or people, and also to compose in#class essays on selected " topics. The third exam will be multiple choice. Ill distribute a study guide to help " you prepare for each of the exams given in class this semester. Final Exam: The nal will be a cumulative multiple#choice exam, and will also be worth a " possible 100 points. For exam dates, please see the semester calendar Semester Grades: The lowest of your four exam scores $including your nal exam, " if its your lowest% will not count toward your semester grade. Since each exam will " be worth a possible 100 points, that means there will be 300 total possible points " this semester.

Your grade in the course will be gured on a standard percentage basis, as follows: " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " 90& to 100&"$270 to 300 points% " 80& to 89& " $240 to 269 points%" 70& to 79& " $210 to 239 points% " 60& to 69& " $180 to 209 points% " 0 & to 59& " $ 0 to 179 points% " =A =B =C = D" =F

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O"ce Hours: My o!ce is in HSS 312 $third oor, approximately above our classroom%, and my o!ce hours this semester are: Tuesdays # 5:15 to 6:15; Wednesdays # 4:30 to 6:30; Thursdays # 5:15 to 6:15 I encourage you to come to o!ce hours with any questions you have about the course material or assignments, or if you have a special circumstance that you feel needs to be brought to my attention. Im happy to help you if I can, but theres often not much I can do to assist you if problems are left until the end of the semester.
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Class Policies""

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Email Policy: My email address is: stiles_christopher@smc.edu Because I have around 250 students enrolled in my classes every semester, email can pile up very quickly. To help keep the lines of communication open, and to make sure you get a timely response, please review the following email guidelines. Check the course syllabus before emailing me, as most common questions about the " class schedule, exams, and grading policies are answered there. I will not " respond to email with questions that can be answered by simply reading the syllabus. Reasons for emailing me might include notifying me that youll be absent or that youre " dropping the course, or to ask for a clarication of class policy not covered in the " syllabus. Keep if brief. More involved questions about course content, your standing " in the class, or specic assignments should be addressed during o!ce hours. Any email must include the following information in the subject heading: " your name " the class in which youre enrolled, and the course number " the purpose of your message " " " " So the subject line of your email might look something like this: Hildegard von Bingen / History 1 / Section 2337 / about my absence It doesnt have to look exactly like this $and since your name almost certainly isnt Hildegard von Bingen, it probably wont%, but please make sure all of the requested information is there. If its not, I reserve the option of not responding.

Make#up Policy: Since I drop your lowest exam score and will count any missed exam, including the nal exam, as your low score for the semester, no make up exams will be given. Exceptions will only be made for exams missed due to a documented religious holiday. Extra Credit and Grading Policies: Please be aware that there will be no extra credit assignments o'ered in this class and that the published grading scale will be strictly adhered to at the end of the semester. If you want me to review a graded exam, you must meet with me before the next exam is given; in other words if you have questions about your grade on the rst exam, come see me during o!ce hours sometime before the second exam. Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Lectures and other classwork will not be recreated for individual students. You are responsible for notifying me in advance of any absence or scheduling conict via email, and you may be dropped from the class if you miss more than two consecutive classes without notifying me. Although I retain the right to drop you for lack of attendance, it is nevertheless your responsibility as a student to withdraw from class if you do not intend to complete it. Students must not expect faculty to initiate withdrawal procedures for them. If you wish to drop this class, you may do so through Corsair Connect. Students may process a drop for themselves through 75& of the class, which is through the 12th week in a regular semester. Data regarding the withdrawal parameters for each class are provided within each students individual Corsair Connect account. Academic Honesty: In fairness to all members of the class, cheating in any form will not be tolerated and I will report any incident of academic dishonesty to the College Disciplinarian. SMC has a clearly dened Honor Code, to which each student agrees during the enrollment process each semester. The Honor Code may be found at: http://www.smc.edu/StudentServices/HonorCouncil/Pages/Honor#Code.aspx " Classroom Conduct: Out of courtesy to me and your classmates, please avoid personal conversations and unscheduled breaks during lecture. All cell phones should be turned o' or silenced before class begins. Please note that the use of recording devices in class is prohibited without the consent of the instructor. Laptops and tablets may be used for note taking only, at the professors discretion. Incompletes: A grade of Incomplete may only be granted at the very end of the term, when 90& of the coursework has been satisfactorily completed by the student, but an unforeseen event or illness prevents the student from completing the class requirements.

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Student Learning Outcomes"

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Students enrolled in History 1 will be expected to work toward mastering the following Student Learning Outcomes. By the end of the semester, you should be able to: 1. " " " " " " 2. " " 3. " " 4. " " " " " 5. " " 6." " 7. " " 8. " " " Describe and discuss, orally and/or in writing, the emergence of Western culture and civilization from paleolithic and neolithic societies through Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Levant, and Persia; Ancient and Hellenistic Greece; the Roman Republic and Empire; and the origins and development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Europes Middle Ages; Crusades; demographic and urban change; the Renaissance; and the Reformation. Demonstrate factual and chronologically accurate knowledge of key events, issues, trends, and people of the relevant time period and geographic region. Compare and contrast major events, trends, themes, people, etc. related to the above topics and discuss their historical signicance. Demonstrate the ability to interpret historical information by applying analytical skills used by historians such as synthesizing evidence from both primary and secondary sources, comparing and contrasting multiple perspectives, contextualizing information, and/or identifying causes and e'ects of change and continuity to the course content. Critically examine historical material, including primary sources, attentive to such concepts as historical agency, context, perspective, and multi#causation. Appraise the value of historical knowledge for understanding more recent and/or comparable issues, events, and trends. Demonstrate understanding of history as a discipline characterized by the application of critical analysis to factual evidence. Draw connections between di'erent time periods and regions in the history of Western Civilization, including the present, and discuss the value of historical study for understanding change and continuity over time.

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Semester Calendar "

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The semester calendar is subject to change at the professors discretion. Any changes or updates will be announced in class and posted on eCompanion, and it is your responsibility to be aware of these changes. Primary source materials from the McKay text to be covered in class each week are listed in the topics column after the abbreviation PS. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Reading Week of Topic ! ! ! ! Assignment
Feb 18 Feb 25 Mar 04 Mar 11 Mar 18 Mar 25 Apr 01 Apr 08 Apr 15 Apr 22 Apr 29 May 06 May 13 May 20 May 27 Jun 03 Jun 10 Introduction to Course Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt PS 1.2 $Gilgamesh% Ancient Israel, Assyria, and Persia PS 2.2 $Yahweh + the Hebrews% Ancient Greece PS 3.3 $Athenian Acropolis% 3/18 # No Class Meeting Hellenistic World PS 4.3 $love spell% First Exam # Chapters 1 through 4 $3/25% Rome: Republic to Empire PS 5.5 $Ciceros letters% Late Antiquity: Empire & the Decline of Rome PS 6.1 $Augustus% Spring Break The Early Middle Ages and Islam PS 8.2 $Capitulary de Villis% Second Exam # Chapters 5 through 8 $4/29% The High Middle Ages PS 9.4 $An Arab View of the Crusades% The Late Middle Ages PS 11.2 $The Trial of Joan of Arc% The European Renaissance PS 12.4 $Thomas Mores Utopia% The Reformation PS 13.1 $Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty% Third Exam # Chapters 8 through 13 $6/03% Final Exam # June 10th, 3:30pm to 6:30pm Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapters 9 + 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapters 5 + 6 Chapters 6 + 7

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Other Information

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Students With Disabilities: I encourage students requesting disability#related accommodations to contact Disabled Student Services as soon as possible. I will work with you and the Center for Students with Disabilities to provide appropriate and reasonable accommodations. An early notication of your request for test#taking and/or other accommodations is necessary to ensure that your disability#related needs are addressed appropriately; testing accommodations cannot be applied retroactively. The DSPS o!ce is located in the Admissions/Student Services Complex, Room 101, and the phone numbers are $310% 434#4265 and $310% 434#4273 $TDD%. Emergency Preparedness: The safety of students at SMC is a priority. Please note that emergency procedures are posted in this classroom and every classroom. Also, procedures for various emergencies are delineated on the SMC website.