Course Syllabus – SPRING 2016
HIST 1111 - Sec 03 (20136)
Survey of Pre-Modern World History
U 420 / TR 11:15am – 12:30pm
Dr. Andrew Kurt
Office: Arts & Sciences 105-G Tel.: (678) 466-4880 Email:
[Note: I do NOT use e-mail within GAView/Desire2Learn, nor the D2L pager]
Office Hours: M & W 10am – 12pm / T & Th 10 – 11am / and by appt.
Course Description: Survey of Pre-Modern World History - 3.0 semester credit hours
A survey of world history from the earliest civilizations to the voyages of discovery of the sixteenth century. Social, religious, and political history will be emphasized.
The main theme for the course is regions, religions, and culture. We will thus explore a number of major regions of the world in specific historic contexts, with a particular view to their cultures and to a major element in every human culture, religious belief. It is religion and its associated thought systems which often leave on world regions a formative stamp that is still apparent today. It also has much to do with the shaping of other aspects of societies. Forms of reasoning, religious customs, language, literature, and art – what can be called intellectual culture – will be our primary focus, with less emphasis devoted to political history. Although we will favor a selective study instead of a comprehensive survey of ancient societies, our chronology will range from some of the earliest civilizations up to about 1600 in order to incorporate a few trends of extraordinary interest, including the rise of unprecedented global interchange in the ‘Age of Discovery’.
Goals
Your aim in this course should be multifold: to gain a solid understanding of several major world cultures up to the early modern era; to appreciate ways in which knowledge of past civilizations helps us to understand our world today; to widen your perspective on life and on human culture by a careful consideration of words from people who lived centuries ago; to become more capable of evaluating ideas on some perennial themes with which people from long ago have dealt; to develop your ability to critically sift historical evidence; to improve your writing skills, which necessarily entail habits of clear thinking.
You should leave this course more aware of how we who live in the present can approach the past. How do we know what people distant in time were like and how they got that way? History is to ask good questions of the past and know how to get good answers in order to understand. HIST 1111 will give you an understanding of how knowledge in history is created and how it can be interpreted. Also, knowledge of one’s roots and one’s place in the stream of human history allows the development of both a self-identity and a sense of shared community.
History is a classic humanities discipline. The core humanities courses should make you more proficient in the following skills: 1) To engage in articulate expression through effective speaking or writing; 2) To think critically and creatively; 3) To locate, evaluate, and use information effectively.
If you develop these skills you will be well prepared in the working world!!
Prerequisites: Learning Support students who are required to take ENGL 0099 and/or READ 0099 must exit the requirement(s) before they can enroll in this course.
Required Texts and Materials:
1) Albert M. Craig, et al., The Heritage of World Civilizations, vol. 1: to 1700, brief 5th edition (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2012) [ISBN 978-0205835485]
2) Philip F. Riley et al., eds., The Global Experience: Readings in World History, vol. 1: to 1550,
5th edition (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005/2006) [ISBN 978-0131178175]
Other Materials: Assigned readings posted on D2L or emailed; occasional handouts.
*Read and bring The Global Experience (GE) pages to class on days for which GE is assigned.
Important Dates:
March 4 (Fri.) Last day to withdraw without academic penalty (final grade of W)
March 6-13 NO CLASS (Spring Break)
May 2 Last Day of Class
May 5(Thurs.) Final Exam (10:15 a.m.)
Mid-term Progress Report: Will be issued on March 2 and will reflect approximately 30% of the entire course grade. Based on this grade, students may choose to withdraw from the course and receive a grade of "W." Students pursuing this option must fill out an official withdrawal form, available in the Office of the Registrar, or withdraw on-line using the Swan by March 4. Instructions for withdrawing are provided at this link.
Disability: In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Clayton State University honors all requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contactthe Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255, 678-466-5445,
Computer Use in This Course: Students are required to have reliable access to a notebook computer that that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program and can utilize Desire2Learn (D2L)/GeorgiaView. D2L will be the primary forum for posting assignments and other materials for the course as well as grades. For further information on CSU's Official Notebook Computer Policy: http://www.clayton.edu/hub/itpchoice/notebookcomputerpolicy.
You can gain access to D2L by signing on to the SWAN portal and selecting “GaVIEW” on the top right side. If you experience any difficulties in Desire2Learn, please email or call The HUB at or (678) 466-HELP. You will need to provide the date and time of the problem, your SWAN username, the name of the course that you are attempting to access, and your instructor's name.
Computer Skill Prerequisites:
· Able to use the WindowsTM operating system
· Able to use Microsoft WordTM word processing
· Able to send and receive e-mail
· Able to use a Web browser.
· Able to access GeorgiaView
NOTE: Because typing on a computer has been shown to be a very ineffective form of note-taking, laptop use during class is highly discouraged. In addition, surfing the internet, checking social media and playing games are distracting to others in the class. Students who engage in these activities or who earn less than 75% on the first quiz will not be allowed to continue using laptops in the classroom. Laptop use must pertain solely to this course.
Assessment of Student Learning:
Assignments: Two brief assignments of 10% each are designed to help you in thinking out and articulating in writing an answer to a focused question from the history covered in this course. The first assignment, concerning a topic from ancient Greece which is relevant today, calls for a length of two pages of text maximum; the second deals with pre-Columbian MesoAmerica and calls for a maximum of 2 ½ pages of text (12-pt Times New Roman font or equivalent, double-spaced text, 1” margins). Because this is an exercise meant to assess and improve your writing skills, careful preparation and editing are essential. Only hard copies will be accepted. Staple all pages; printing on both the front and back sides of the page is encouraged.
Quizzes: Three quizzes of 10% each will be given in this course in order to assess mastery of the course material including lectures and assigned readings. They may include multiple choice, matching, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, short answer or identifications. Students must bring a Scantron answer sheet to class for the quizzes. Students may not leave the room for any reason during a quiz. It is also important to arrive on time. Once the professor has called for the class to hand in the quizzes, any quiz not handed in will not be accepted. NOTE: Cell phone use for any reason during a quiz will result in a zero for this grade. If you leave a quiz or test without permission you may not return to work on it.
Make-up quizzes will be given for valid and documented absences only. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule make-up exams within 24 hours of a missed exam and supply the instructor with required documentation. NOTE: Although make-up exams cover the same material, they may have a different format than the original test.
Mid-term Essay Exam:A typed and careful response to one of the questions posted on D2L approximately one week ahead of the due date. The length should be as close to 2 ½ pages of text as possible (see ‘Assignments’ above for physical requirements). The purpose is similar to that of the assignments, though the mid-term questions are broader in scope in order to gauge a general understanding of the history covered in the course to that point.
Participation: The participation grade rests primarily on active participation in discussions and occasional participation at other times, as well as on your attendance. Attendance is expected for every class except when excused. Each unexcused absence will adversely affect your participation grade, and six absences will automatically result in a failing grade for the course. Exceptional participation can win extra points at semester’s end. (Excused absences require written documentation from a physician or other competent authority.) It is the responsibility of individual students to obtain any information or materials from missed classes.
NOTE: Arriving late, leaving early, using cell phones (including text-messaging), surfing the web or sleeping during class will also count toward absences.
Final Exam: Format TBA. This will be a comprehensive testing of course material. An exam review guide will be provided.
Grade Components:
Quizzes (3 x 10%) 30%
Assignments (2 x 10%) 20%
Mid-term Essay 15%
Participation 10%
Final Exam 25%
Late policy: 5% deduction for writing assignments handed in after class begins and before it ends; a 15% deduction for assignments handed in within one weekday late (hard copy to my mailbox by 4pm the next weekday, M-F, with date & time written on top by the administrative asst. of the Humanities Dept.); no later work accepted unless excused.
Extra Credit: Available per instructor’s guidelines, usually with a possible 2% semester credit each for acceptable completion of an extra credit activity; see also D2L. Maximum extra credit to be added to the final semester average is 6% for the course.
University System of Georgia Grading Scale:
A = 90 % or higher(Excellent) B = 80-89 % (Good) C = 70-79 % (Satisfactory)
D = 60-69 % (Passing) F = below 60 %(Failure)
Course Policies: Students must abide by all policies in the Clayton State University Student Handbook, and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities.
University Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi. Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades and upon students' ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades.
Classroom Conduct: As a courtesy to others, please turn off all pagers and cell phones before entering the classroom. Once class has begun, students may not read newspapers, send or receive text messages, hold private conversations, or engage in any activities that might be disruptive to others. University policy prohibits students from bringing food into the classroom.
NOTE: The permission of the instructor is required for audio taping of course lectures or discussion.
Disruption of the Learning Environment: Behavior which disrupts the teaching–learning process during class activities will not be tolerated. While a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples include belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior. A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class. A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal. If found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF.
Academic Honesty: Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and will result in failing the particular examination or assignment and/or the course based on the judgment of the instructor. Cheating includes using unauthorized notes or copying another student's answers on a test.It also includes copying someone else’s homework, which will result in penalties for both parties involved. Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own, without proper citation. This includes direct copying or paraphrasing information from other sources, including the internet. Clayton State University Judicial procedures are described at: http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/
General Education Outcomes: Along with historical content, HIST 1111 is also designed to help develop and promote certain logical and analytical skills that every college graduate is expected to have. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia mandates that every college graduate must be able to think or to reason critically, and this course is intended to help teach students to learn to think analytically, contextually, and diachronically regardless of your major or future vocation. Among the skills that you will acquire and/or develop this semester are:
· Reading comprehension: The ability to identify the ideas in something you have read and differentiate the "thesis" or major theme being presented from the evidence supporting it.
·Listening comprehension: The ability to listen to what someone has to say and identify what is important. The sources for this are the instructions given by the instructor.
·Identifying evidence: While it is one thing to see evidence when it is clearly labeled in a lecture or text, it is something else to analyze primary sources in which evidence is not clearly indicated. The source for this evidence will be primary documents used in the course.
·Selectivity: This skill includes examining relevant material(s) and leaving out extraneous information. You will do this whenever you take notes or answer a question on an exam.