Fall 2016
Angelina College
Liberal Arts Division
History 2311: Western Civilization I
General Syllabus
I.
BASIC COURSE INFORMATION:
A. COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural,
religious, and intellectual history of Europe and the Mediterranean world from
human origins to the 17th century. Themes that should be addressed in Western
Civilization I include the cultural legacies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome,
Byzantium, Islamic civilizations, and Europe through the Middle Ages,
Renaissance, and Reformations.
B. INTENDED AUDIENCE: This course is designed for a diverse student body
and is required of all students seeking an Associate of Arts or Science degree or
who plan to transfer to a four-year school.
C. INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Tom McKinney, Ph.D., MLS
Office Location: SC206A
Office Hours: By appointment
Phone: (936) 633-4522
Email: [email protected]
II.
INTENDED STUDENT OUTCOMES:
B.
A. Core Objectives Required for this Course
1.
Critical Thinking: to include creative thinking, innovation,
inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.
2.
Communication: to include effective development, interpretation
and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual
communication.
3.
Personal Responsibility: to include the ability to connect choices,
actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
4.
Social Responsibility: to include intercultural competence,
knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage
effectively in regional, national, and global communities.
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural,
and global forces on this period of United States History.
III.
ASSESSMENT MEASURES OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
A. Assessments for the Core Objectives
1. Critical Thinking: Students will write a three- to five-page, typed,
double-spaced paper on a historical topic approved by the instructor. The
paper must introduce the topic, exhibit knowledge and comprehension of
the issues surrounding the topic, and summarize the information obtained
through researching the topic. The Angelina College Critical Thinking
Rubric will be used to assess communication skills.
2. Communication: Students will write a three- to five-page, typed, doublespaced paper on a historical topic approved by the instructor. The paper
must introduce the topic, exhibit knowledge and comprehension of the
issues surrounding the topic, and summarize the information obtained
through researching the topic. The Angelina College Communication
Rubric will be used to assess written, communication skills.
3. Social Responsibility: Students will write a paragraph connecting
personal responsibility with social responsibility. Students will address
becoming better citizens, global responsibility, and ways to improve
societal issues.
4. Personal Responsibility: Students will design a Personal Responsibility
Contract based on the information found in the syllabus, course calendar
dates, and other information provided by the instructor during the first
week of class.
B. Assessments for the Exemplary Objectives Specific to the Course
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to create an argument through the
use of historical evidence by writing weekly analytical discussion posts.
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and interpret primary
and secondary sources through exams and other classroom assignments.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze the effects of historical,
social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of
United States History through discussion posts, classroom discussion
and other assignments.
C. Assessments for the Objectives Specific to the Course – N/A
D. Assessments for the Objectives of the Course as determined by the
Instructor – N/A
IV.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:
A. Required Textbooks, Materials, and Equipment – Spielvogel, Jackson J (2014)
Western Civilization: A Brief History (Eighth Edition). Boston, MA.:
Wadsworth. ISBN: 978-1-133-60676-5
B. Assignments – See Course Calendar.
C. Course policies– (This course conforms to the policies of Angelina College as
stated in the Angelina College Handbook)
Academic Assistance – If you have a disability (as citied in Section 504 of the
rehabilitation Act of 1973 or Title II of the American with Disabilities Act of
1990) that may affect your participation in this class, you should see Karen
Bowser, Room 208 of the student center. At a post-secondary, you must self-
identify as a person with a disability; Ms. Bowser will assist you with the
necessary information to do so.
Additional Policies Established by the Individual Instructor
Email etiquette – When sending an email, please include your full name, course
number and the days and time of your class in every email correspondence.
CLASS CONDUCT – THIS IS A COLLEGE CLASS. AS AN ADULT
ASSUMING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION, YOU
SHOULD ACT APPROPRIATELY. THIS MEANS TREATING FELLOW
STUDENTS AND THE INSTRUCTOR WITH RESPECT. IN RETURN, YOU
WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. RESPECT MEANS ALLOWING
OTHERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITHOUT INTERUPTION. IT
ALSO MEANS ALLOWING THE INSTRUCTOR TO PRESENT MATERIAL
TO THE CLASS WITHOUT INTERUPTION. VIOLATION OF THESE
POLICIES MAY RESULT IN REMOVAL FROM THE CLASS.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY - Academic integrity is a responsibility of all
university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in
multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as
well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism.
Definition of Academic Dishonesty - Academic dishonesty includes both cheating
and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to
use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a
class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on
an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of
cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another
person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an
assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work
of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained
from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or
ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit.
DO NOT CHEAT. I HAVE A ZERO TOLERENCE POLICY AND WILL
FAIL YOU IN THE CLASS IF YOU ARE CAUGHT CHEATING.
PLAGERISM IN ANY FORM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED EITHER.
Exams – Three exams – See Class Calendar for dates. All makeup exams
must be taken BEFORE THE NEXT EXAM! There are no exceptions to this
rule, and you must have a valid excuse for missing the exam to take a makeup
exam.
V.
COURSE CONTENT:
A. Content/Topics – A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and
intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil
War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-
Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and
the Civil War/ Reconstruction eras.
Date
August 24
August 25
August 26
August 27
August 28
August 29
Fall 2016 – Course Calendar
Assignment
First Class Day
Introduce Yourself Discussion Post Opens at 8:00 AM
Personal Responsibility Contract Assignment Opens at 8:00 AM
Faculty/Staff Professional Development – 9:00 AM– 12:00 PM
Introduce Yourself Discussion Post Closes at 11:59 PM
Personal Responsibility Contract Assignment Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz One Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post One Opens at 8:00 AM
Personal Responsibility Contract Assignment Due at 11:59 PM
August 30
August 31
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
September 5
September 6
September 7
September 8
September 9
September 10
September 11
September 12
September 13
September 14
September 15
September 16
September 17
September 18
September 19
September 20
September 21
Core Project Topic Due at 11:59 PM (Email to Instructor)
Quiz One Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post One Closes at 11:59 PM
Labor Day Holiday
Quiz Two Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Two Opens at 8:00 AM
Official Census Day
Quiz Two Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Two Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Three Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Three Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Three Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Three Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Four Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Four Opens at 8:00 AM
September 22
September 23
September 24
September 25
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30
October 1
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 7
October 8
October 9
October 10
October 11
October 12
October 13
October 14
October 15
October 16
October 17
October 18
October 19
October 20
October 21
October 22
October 23
October 24
Quiz Four Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Four Closes at 11:59 PM
Test One (Chapters 1 – 4) Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Five Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Five Opens at 8:00 AM
Test One (Chapters 1-4) Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Five Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Five Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Six Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Six Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Six Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Six Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Seven Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Seven Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Seven Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Seven Closes at 11:59 PM
Test Two (Chapters 5 – 7) Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Eight Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Eight Opens at 8:00 AM
Test Two (Chapters 5 – 7) Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Eight Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Eight Closes at 11:59 PM
Mid-Semester
Quiz Nine Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Nine Opens at 8:00 AM
October 25
October 26
October 27
October 28
October 29
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
November 5
November 6
November 7
November 8
November 9
November 10
November 11
November 12
November 13
November 14
November 15
November 16
November 17
November 18
November 19
November 20
November 21
November 22
November 28
Quiz Nine Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Nine Closes at 11:59 PM
Test Three (Chapters 8 – 10) Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Ten Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Ten Opens at 8:00 AM
Test Three (Chapters 8 - 10) Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Ten Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Ten Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Eleven Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Eleven Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Eleven Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Eleven Closes at 11:59 PM
Core Project Assignment Opens at 8:00 AM
Core Project Assignment Closes at 11:59 PM
Thanksgiving Break Begins at 9:40 PM
Classes Resume at 8:00 AM
Quiz Twelve Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Twelve Opens at 8:00 AM
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
Quiz Twelve Closes at 11:59 PM
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 12
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
VI.
Discussion Post Twelve Closes at 11:59 PM
Quiz Thirteen Opens at 8:00 AM
Discussion Post Thirteen Opens at 8:00 AM
Quiz Thirteen Closes at 11:59 PM
Discussion Post Thirteen Closes at 11:59 PM
Final Exams Start
Test Four (Chapters 11 - 13) Opens at 8:00 AM
Final Exams
Final Exams
Final Exams
Test Four (Chapters 11 – 13) Opens at 11:59 PM
Final Exams End
Final Grades Due in Records Office at 10:00 AM;
Christmas Break Begins at 3:00 PM
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
A. Grades will be determined by scores on exams, quizzes, and discussion posts.
The instructor reserves the right to offer extra credit opportunities, but do not ask
for extra credit. More than likely extra credit will not be offered.
A word of advice: I suggest you do you work in a timely and in an organized
fashion. Once you get behind it will be difficult to catch back up to the class.
Please do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it. I am more than happy to help
you with any questions or issues you may have in this class.
Please do not expect sympathy from me if you wait until the final weeks of the
semester to get help. Generally speaking, it will be too late by then. Please,
please, get help when you need it!
Your final grade will be determined using the following formula:
(Quiz Average + Discussion Average)/2+Assessment Average/2 =
Final Grade
B. Determination of the final grade – Your final grade will be calculated in the
following way:
89.1 – 100 = A
79.1 – 89 = B
69.1 – 79 = C
59.1 – 69 = D
00.0 – 59 = F
The instructor may modify the provisions of the syllabus to meet individual class needs by
informing the class in advance as to the changes being made.
Communication and Critical Thinking Project
In this class you are to write a three- to five-page, typed, double spaced paper on a historical
topic (See below for examples). Your topic must be approved by you instructor. Your works
citied page must have properly written citations and does not count as one of your pages. Your
essay should use one inch margins, 10-12 point font size.
The paper should introduce the selected topic and exhibit knowledge and comprehension about
the issues surrounding the topic, as well as summarizing the information researched. In sum, you
should write about the views that people have by summarizing their arguments and then present
your own opinion on the topic. You must support your opinion by using facts from the sources
you have chosen and use facts to explain why you disagree with the other points of view.
In order to write this paper you will have to gather a minimum of five sources. At least two of
them have to be print sources. Wikipedia or any other encyclopedia type information; Jr. High
type sites such as Whitehouse.gov, non-credentialed blogs; textbooks; or instructor notes should
not be used in this paper.
You must have a clearly labeled Sources Cited (call it Sources Cited) list at the conclusion or
attached to the essay/Power Point. Use MLA, Turabian, Chicago, or APA notation styles. You
must be consistent with your citations.
The assessment tool for this project will be the Angelina College Institutional Rubrics for
Communication and Critical Thinking. The full rubrics can be found on the Angelina College
webpage, but are also attached for your convenience. Please refer to the rubrics to fully
understand how your paper will be assessed.
Please see the course calendar for due dates.
Example Topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
American involvement in World War One.
Spies and spycraft during the Cold War
The religious beliefs of Ancient Egypt.
The Punic Wars.
The Rise of the United States as a world power.
Revolutions during the age of colonization.
Winston Churchill
Life in Medieval Europe.
Other topics can be chosen as long as they are approved by the instructor.
Personal and Social Responsibility Contract
First of Semester: You will design a Personal and Social Responsibility Contract for use in
this class (it could also apply to other courses). Thoroughly read the Syllabus and any other First
Week Information supplied by your instructor. The State of Texas requires that Four Core
Objectives be assessed for Government courses--Communication, Personal Responsibility,
Social Responsibility, and Critical Thinking. This contract will assess for Personal
Responsibility and Social Responsibility.
Your Contract must be CLEARLY organized in the following manner:
I: Introductory Biographical Paragraph— describe yourself, your college experience, and
future goals
II: Contract Paragraph--After reading the rules of your instructor, design a contract.
The Contract must include ALL of the following (as addressed by individual instructors)
1. Paraphrase rules regarding Collusion, Copying, Plagiarism, Cut and Paste, Quotations
without quotation marks, and cheating in any manner
2. Paraphrase rules regarding quiz/test submissions and written work, including due dates,
time frames, and secure internet connections
3. Paraphrase rules regarding respect for peers and instructor, including use of electronic
devices (when and where use is appropriate), working on assignments for other classes,
absences, and late entry
4. Paraphrase rules regarding appropriate documentation when documentation is called for
(both parenthetical references and a clearly labeled Sources Cited section are required for
research papers)
III: Concluding paragraphs:
(1) Paragraph on *Personal Responsibility in classroom conduct within today’s society,
using the Angelina College Instructional Rubric below: Close your essay with an analysis
section on why rules such as these are necessary. (a) Address why these issues are so prevalent
in today’s classrooms and what can and should be done to alleviate cheating and respect issues
(b) How Personal Responsibility will be expected in your future vocation.
*Personal Responsibility –The Angelina College Instructional Rubric assesses the following
areas:
Ethical Issue Recognition: Exemplary analysis of the ethical issue at hand and ability to fully
synthesize complex relationships within the issue
Commitment: Fully demonstrates the ability to complete tasks in a timely manner
Accountability: Accepts responsibility for actions, understands and accepts resulting
consequences, and follows directions
(2) Paragraph on *Social Responsibility, using the Angelina college Instructional Rubric
below: (a) How can Personal Responsibility help in our quest to be better citizens within the
United States? (b) How can Personal Responsibility help in our quest to be better global
citizens? (c) What is the most pressing, single issue (such as poverty or hunger) the United
States faces in terms of global responsibility? (d) In what way are we as Americans better than
other countries at being good global citizens? (e) In what ways can we improve the issue you
chose in (c)—give specific ideas for improvement on the issue chosen
*Social Responsibility—The Angelina College Instructional Rubric assesses the following
areas:
(Intercultural Competencies) Recognizes specific commonalities and differences
among/between cultures
(Civic Responsibility) Demonstrates specific ability to apply knowledge to improve the quality
of life in a community through political or non-political processes
(Engages in Communities) Demonstrates effective engagement in communities
Checklist for Personal and Social Responsibility Contract (The rubrics and related
material on the Blackboard Toolbar will help you be successful with your contract
_____ One inch margins and 10-12 font, double-spaced
_____ No use of second person (you), or text-type lingo. Use standard, appropriate, Collegelevel English
_____ Furnish appropriate documentation using MLA, Chicago, or Turabian formatting (per
individual instructor) if any research is used
_____ Proofread for organization, flow, spelling, and grammar
_____ Submit to Blackboard Discussion Board (individual instructors may require a hard copy)
_____ Contract has met the standards of the Angelina College Instructional Rubrics for
*Personal Responsibility
_____ Contract has met the standards of the Angelina College Instructional Rubric for
*Social Responsibility