HIST 1010 Western Civilization I

Dr. Raffaele Florio

Office: Knight Campus 3102

825-2451

Rflorio1@ccri.edu

http://faculty.ccri.edu/rflorio1

Text: Houghton Mifflin Bundle (available at bookstore only)

Course Overview:

A study in Western Civilization is a grand undertaking to say the least.  It provides us with a basic understanding of how our current civilization has come to be.  It allows us to draw connections to our past and hopefully conclusions regarding our future.  A true Western Civilization course is far more than just a history course; it includes exposure to many other facets of the humanities, including technology, art, literature, philosophy, ethics, and religion.  This course will provide a survey of the major themes while providing an historical framework to hold these themes in place. 

As a survey course in Western Civilization, the course has another important task to address.  The student should gain insight into the field of history in general. To   accomplish this, some work outside of the classroom is required by the students.  These assignments are not the “busy work” that they may appear to be at first glance.  There is a lesson to be learned in each and the conscientious student should read the syllabus carefully to discern that lesson in order to receive the maximum benefit of each one.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will have demonstrated mastery of the basic skills of the discipline of history including the ability to:

       Distinguish between primary and secondary sources, and between scholarly and non-scholarly articles

       Use the library (Helen catalog and subscription databases) to locate and retrieve these materials.

       Find a thesis and dissect supporting arguments in a scholarly article.

       Create an annotated bibliography for a research paper that contains a valid research question and proposed thesis.

       Properly cite sources and assemble a bibliography in the prescribed style -- Chicago Manual of Style.

       In addition to skills in the historical craft students will be able to:

       Demonstrate (final exam) a familiarity with the major events and turning points in Western Civilization I (from the ancient Hebrews and Greeks to the Renaissance) and knowledge of intellectual and cultural movements that have shaped society, culture, and politics of the western world.

       Demonstrate (objective tests) a mastery of words and terminology appropriate to the study of Western Civilization.

Assignments:

I will not accept hard copies of assignments (with the exception of Primary source work).  They must be turned in on the date they are due IN THE WEBCT ASSIGNMENT MODULE.  Late submissions will result in reduced grades (5 points for each day).   If you are absent I still expect to receive the assignment in WebCT on the day it is due unless your absence is excused (e.g. you turned in the appropriate request form). IF YOU HAVE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY (UPLOADING ASSIGNMENTS, LOGGING IN, ETC.) do not email me.  Please call the Help Desk at X1112.

Primary Source Work-

A major part of a historian’s work is getting back to the sources.  It is very easy to rely upon the work of other historians who have translated, read, and interpreted original documents but it is not the best practice.  Secondary sources are very important to historians but in order to draw original theses and support them, it is necessary to refer to the original sources.  Primary source documents from the Perry Reader will be assigned coinciding with the theme in discussion.  Students are responsible for reading the document, answering the questions that follow, discussing them in class. Students must turn in a typed copy of their answers on the due date.  There will be NO LATE submissions. If the student is absent on the due date, the document should be emailed prior to class meeting time on that due date.

Evaluating Secondary Sources-      

It is very easy to get inundated with reading when studying history.  Secondary sources should be chosen carefully.  A good historian can critically inspect a source and determine its usefulness without wasting time.  The student’s task is to find an article on a topic that is of interest to him or her in one of the following scholarly journals: Essays in Medieval Studies, Mediaeval Studies, or Reformation & Renaissance Review: Journal of the Society for Reformation Studies.  The articles can be located on the Academic Search Premier database in the CCRI library.  The student must then locate the thesis of the article, three points that substantiate the thesis, and one opposing point that the author alludes to.  Finally he or she should critique the effectiveness of the author’s conclusion.  Does it tie everything together? What kinds of thoughts does it leave the reader with?  Does it allude to the potential for further research? Lastly, the student must give and overall impression of the material and determine whether this article will be useful for the annotated bibliography due at the end of the semester (why or why not?). Articles must be attached to the assignment.  Grading consists of the following criteria: Is the article from an academic journal?  Is it relevant to the course?  How substantial is the article (2 page review vs. 25 page thesis paper)? Has the student followed and understood the argument?  Has the student fairly considered the article as a potential source for the research project?  Does the assignment follow the prescribed format (see sample)?

Research and Writing-

Perhaps the most important role of the historian is to research a topic and report on it in the form of a thesis which answers a particular question about the topic.  Each student must find an interesting period in history and read a bit about it.  Some questions will undoubtedly arise in the mind of a conscientious student.   The task will be to answer that question by conducting research on it.  Each student must use at least 3 books and 2 scholarly articles to answer the question. The assignment will consist of an annotated bibliography.  The research question should appear at the top of the page, followed by the proposed thesis.  Lastly, the student will list relevant sources in an annotated format (see Chicago Style Guide p. 71).

Evaluations

There will be one test per section (Classical Antiquity, Medieval, Renaissance). It will consist of objective questions that come from the reading. If a student misses the test without my authorization, IT CANNOT BE MADE UP!  You may fill out an excused absence request form.  If your request is approved, you may make up the exam (Do not assume that all requests are approved).  Forms are located on my faculty page.

Final Exam-

The Final Exam will be cumulative and it will cover both reading and lectures.  It will consist of brief outlines and terms from the 6 terms lists available on the course website.

Attendance- You must attend class to be successful.  Your attendance will count for a grade which will be averaged in with your others.  (For example, if the class is scheduled to meet 15 times and you missed 3 you will receive a 12/15 for you attendance grade which equates to an 80.)  If you miss more than 25% of the course you will not receive a passing grade regardless of your overall average. 

Lateness- If you are more than 20 minutes late, you will be considered absent but are still encouraged to participate.

Grading:

The following grades will be averaged together:

       Scholarly Article Evaluation

       Annotated Bibliography

       Test 1

       Test 2

       Test 3

       Participation

   Homework

   Attendance

   Class discussion

       Final Exam

Basic Rules-

If you miss class, please refer to the syllabus and download the appropriate lecture.   PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ME TO ASK IF YOU MISSED ANYTHING! Everything is laid out in the syllabus and at the website.   In addition, it may be wise to have the phone number of someone in the class so you can discuss assignments and notes.

Please do not contact me with technical difficulties (getting into WebCT, uploading files, etc.).  The Help Desk (X1112) is better equipped to answer you quickly and accurately.  They are who I call.

Cell Phones- If you expecting an important phone call, let me know in advance.  Otherwise do not answer the phone in class or leave the class to answer it! If you are caught text messaging in class (or IMing from a lap top), or being generally disruptive, you will receive an X in my grade book.  Upon the 3^rd X, your final grade is lowered one letter grade.  All work (except the Final) must be typed.

Make-up work- If I allow a particular assignment to be made up, it must be turned in prior to the exam.  I will not accept any assignments between the day of the final and the day grades are due!

Late assignments will only be accepted during the first week after it was originally due unless a previous arrangement was made with me. 

Recording the Lecture- You are not allowed to record lectures unless appropriate arrangements have been made through the disabilities office at CCRI.

Proper citations and documentation.  I REQUIRE that in all writing assignments, students use the form that is explained in Chicago Manual of Style.

Plagiarism- WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! Result will be a failing grade and disciplinary action. Any material that you use from another source, even if it is the text book, must be appropriately cited.  Papers that are copied directly from the internet will be turned into the Dean. I use turnitin.com to detect plagiarism.

Course Outline (subject to change)

Guidelines and Samples

Sample Final Outline Questions

Q:  What are the three social classes in medieval society that were discussed in chapter 10?

A:

I. The three social classes were those who worked, those who prayed, and those who fought.

            A. Those who worked were the peasants who lived on the manor

                        1. The serfs worked the land to provide food for the others

2. They owed the lord a certain number of labor days in exchange for his protection

            B. Those who prayed were the nuns and monks

                        1. Usually lived in monasteries and convents

2. Daughters and non-eldest sons of the nobility found religious life to be a viable alternative

            C. Those who fought were the nobles

                        1. Were vassals to the rulers and owed them military service

                        2. Knights were of the noble class

Sample for Secondary Source Evaluation

Author:  Bob Smith

Title of Article: “Nostradamus- a Fake”

Title of Journal: Bogus

Volume: 1

Number/Issue: 5

Page: 56-79

Thesis: Nostradamus was not a mystic who could foretell the future.

Supporting Arguments:

1- Nostradamus’ predictions are not discernable until after the events happen.

2- The language used in his quatrains is very ambiguous.

3- He lived at a time when negative social commentary was forbidden and punishable by death.

Opposing argument:  Nostradamus was a prophet whose writing can be compared to St. John’s Apocalypse 

Conclusion:  He did a poor and unimaginative job wrapping up his argument. 

Overall comments:  After reading the introduction and conclusion, and skimming the body of this article, I have decided that it would not contribute to my knowledge base on the subject of the authenticity of Nostradamus’ prophesies.  I will not use it when I write my essay.