Submitted: September 7, 2011
For Senate meeting:September 20, 2011
Committee Name:Liberal Studies Committee
Chair:Mark Paulsen
Subject:Liberal Studies credit for HS 105
LSC recommends that the Senate take action to:
Delete HS 105 from the list of approved courses for Division IV (Foundation of Social Science) and add HS 105 to the list of approved courses for Division II (Foundation of Humanities)
Rationale: For many years, HS 104: The Third World in Historical Perspective was an approved Division IV course. During the 06-07, academic year, a course proposal was approved by CUP and the Senate to replace HS 104 with a revised course HS 105: World History. While HS 104 was designed to focus on 19th and 20th century history in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, the new course, HS 105, looks at these same regions but focuses on the changing patterns of interaction among the peoples of the regions from ancient times into the modern era. At the time the revised course was approved, it retained the Division IV approval previously awarded to HS 104. However, as the course has been taught the last several semesters, it has become clear to the instructors of the course as well as the Department of History that in addition to the change in topics in HS 105 versus HS 104, there has also been a change in how topics are approached. In particular, a division IV course should emphasis a social science approach to the material and train students in using a scientific approach to the study of the social universe. HS 104 emphasized political and economic history and thus was well suited to a social science approach. HS 105 no longer emphasizes this approach and so its inclusion in Division IV is no longer warranted.
As indicated in the application submitted to the Liberal Studies committee (see Appendix B), HS 105 does address the student outcomes approved for Division II. Because the course is organized by theme, it is specifically designed to address how peoples in different times and places and cultures deal with common human needs and concerns which is one of the goals of the Division. Through its focus on the varying role of religion in different cultures and times, this course enhance the students’ ability to study the individual human condition, needs, values, and potentials and achievements within the multiplicity of cultural values that shape it which is another goal of Division II. Among the primary sources used in the course are religious and philosophical texts as well as works of literatures. The uses of these types of primary sources,are clearly consistent with the objectives of Division II. It should be noted that HS 105 (like HS 104 before it) was also approved for World Cultures credit when it was created and no change in that status is being recommended.
Effects on other Departments: no effects on other departments are expected
Costs:no costs are associated with this proposal
Implementation Date: Fall 2012
Appendix A: Sample course syllabus for HS 105
History 105
World History
Alan Scot Willis: Cohodas 208DDCoffee Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12:15 - 2:30
Extension 1228Available by appointment
Course Description:
The course in World history focuses on the changing patterns of interaction among the world’s peoples from Ancient times into the modern era. The course examines these interactions in terms of trade, ideas and religion, and politics. The World History course aims to provide a framework for understanding the historical developments as interrelated phenomena and to explain the apparent disparities in today’s world in terms of their historical roots.
Course Objectives:
Students will come to understand Time and Chronology as Western concepts central to the study of history and the difficulties of imposing Western periodization on the rest of the world.
Students will improve their ability to analyze material, evaluate evidence, and offer arguments regarding historical epochs and events.
Students will improve their critical thinking and writing skills.
Students will gain an improved understanding of causal relationships regarding the consequences of events, decisions, actions, and trends in world history.
Students will gain an improved understanding of the study of history as a conceptual framework for understanding the past and the present as opposed to a mere accumulation of events, dates, and discrete facts.
Liberal Studies Division IV Objectives (will be replaced by appropriate objectives for Division II)
- Ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively
- Ability to evaluate various forms of evidence and knowledge
- Ability to engage in analytical reasoning and argumentation
- Ability to see across disciplinary boundaries
- Understanding the world as a diverse and interrelated community
- Understanding the relationship of the individual to society and its culture and institutions
- Understanding the role of the fine and performing arts and the humanities in shaping and expressing a culture’s values and ideals
Required Texts:
Upshur, et. al. World History
Erdman, Nine Hills to Nambonkaha
Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel
Stearns, Childhood in World History
Other readings will be provided via EDUCAT or in class
General Course Policies:
The student is responsible for knowing what the assignments are and when they are due.
Adding the course late in the semester does not exempt students from early assignments.
The student is responsible for making absolutely sure that they have successfully completed and submitted all work for the course.
If you do not get a paper or test back that you expect to get back, you should notify the professor immediately, not at the end of the semester.
Please turn off the ringers/beepers of all cell phones and pagers.
Students are expected to come to class on time and stay through the entirety of the class
Students with Disabilities
University Statement:
If you have a need for disability-related accommodations or services, please inform the Coordinator of Disability Services in the Disability Services Offices at 2001 C. B. Hedgcock (227-1700; TTY 227-1543). Reasonable and effective accommodations and services will be provided to students if requests are made in a timely manner, with appropriate documentation, in accordance with federal, state and university guidelines.
My Statement:
I am happy to work with you and with the Disability Services Office; however, you need to notify me of the situation as early in the semester as possible. I will not lower standards or eliminate assignments as these are not reasonable accommodations.
Assignment Policies:
Students are expected to turn in papers on time. Problems must be dealt with prior to the due date; Papers will not be accepted by e-mail or in any other electronic form.
Students are expected to properly document their papers and to use the sources available to them via the assigned readings, EDUCAT, class handouts and class discussions. Students are not, for this class, expected to do additional research, though they are not forbidden to do such research. Nevertheless, they should be well aware that much of the information available on the internet is worth roughly what it costs to serf the net on a computer at the public library: nothing.
Papers in History:
Writing is one of the central activities of intellectual work regardless of the discipline. Writing is also one of the things which you will be doing virtually regardless of what career path you choose. Nevertheless, it does vary from one discipline to the next; therefore, I have prepared a style guide for this course.
Since the “Writing in the Survey” has been provided to you through EDUCAT, I assume that you will examine it. It contains a section on acceptable and unacceptable English for history papers—which may be slightly different from what you have been exposed to in other disciplines—and a section on common errors. While I believe you should work at writing for the mere purpose of becoming a better, more versatile writer, you may find that your motivation for following the style guide comes from the realization that failure to do so will result in a lower grade on your papers.
EDUCAT
EDUCAT does not replace the class period in any way; looking at EDUCAT is a good idea, but coming to class remains an absolute necessity.
Reading Updates and Assignment instructions will be posted on EDUCAT in as timely a manner as possible.
You are invited to, but certainly not required to, engage in discussions on EDUCAT (it will NOT influence your participation grade either way; I generally do not read the discussion postings).
Participation:
Participation means, perhaps obviously, regular attendance in class. It also requires regular and informed participation in class discussion.
Assignments, Grades, etc…
Students generally worry about grades far too much. Were it entirely up to me, there would be no grades in this or any other class. It is not, however, entirely—or even somewhat—up to me, as NorthernMichiganUniversity will expect me to assign each of you a grade at the end of the semester. All of us will be much happier people if you give grades the minimal due they are worth – your grandchildren simply will not care what you got in this course, if you even remember after graduation. Still, because I have to give grades, I offer the following rough breakdown of points:
Your grade will be based primarily on the several brief (one page, single spaced) essays due during the semester. The specific assignment will be made in class and posted on EDUCAT with instructions. These assignments will generally be made two or three days prior to their being due. Each essay is graded according to a rubric which allows for a possible total of 15 points. Since students usually want the numerical score translated into a letter grade, the following scale applies:
A=13-15
B=11-12
C=8-10
D=6-7
F=0-5
This scale is slightly more generous than the standard “10 percent” scale often employed. However, I calibrated this rubric based on actual grade samples from papers collected over the last two years in HS 105 and find that it accurately represents the quality of the work. It also accounts for the point deductions called for in the rubric without making it impossible to pass the class.
Your final grade will be the result of the weighted averages of the three components:
Essays: 40 percent
Tests:50 percent
Participation:10 percent
Special Note on Grades, Grading, and Cheating:
You must complete all of the essays to pass the class regardless of your numerical scores.
You should keep all returned papers at least until grades are mailed out. You may wish to keep them forever, but that is up to you.
The grade of incomplete will be granted only in the case of serious and prolonged medical absence. It will not be granted in cases of serious and prolonged procrastination.
Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. There are several possible responses to cheating and plagiarism:
Automatic failure for the entire course
The above, plus a letter to the dean
The above with a recommendation you be expelled from the university
Identifying Plagiarism
A student will have plagiarized if they use three or more words in sequence from a source without both quotation marks and a full citation. A student will also have plagiarized if they paraphrase two or more sentences without a full citation. Furthermore, any unique word or sequence of words, no matter the length, must be enclosed in quotation marks and given a citation else their use will constitute plagiarism. Extended paraphrasing in successive paragraphs is unacceptable even with a citation.
Plagiarism also includes the borrowing of ideas without proper citation even if the wording is altered.
If you are unsure if your actions constitute plagiarism, you should ask before handing in the work. Once the work is handed in, a plea of ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse and the appropriate penalties will be invoked.
All papers are subject to random checking for plagiarism. This may include, but will not be limited to, checking for key phrases through various internet search engines and the searching of professional “paper writing” services. If I discover that you have purchased a paper, I will not only recommend immediate expulsion from NorthernMichiganUniversity, I will suggest the revival of various medieval torture techniques.
Remember, if you are borrowing a paper from a friend (plagiarism in and of itself), that friend might have downloaded if from an internet cite! I have caught many-a-plagiarizer in such a manner.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Most obviously, write your own papers!
Get a sufficient start on the papers that you do not feel pressured as the deadline approaches. This will be much easier to do if you stay current with the readings and class discussions.
Seek help from the professor as soon as you sense trouble.
Tentative Schedule
The course approaches World History in five epochs:
The Silk Road System
The Indian Ocean System (sometimes called the 2nd Silk Road System)
The Atlantic System
The Industrial Empires
Modern Globalizations
Appendix B: Liberal Studies application form
Division II – Foundation of Humanities
Course Name: World History
Course Number: HS 105
Department: History
Frequency of Offerings: Fall Winter Summer------Annual Semi-annual
Last Offered: Winter 2011
Taught by Multiple Faculty? YesNo
Credit Hours:4
Faculty Member Submitting Information: Alan Scot Willis
Is the course also seeking World Cultures credit?YesNo
(World Cultures credit requires the submission of the World Cultures document)
This application is to move HS 105 from Division IV to Division II; the course already receives World Cultures Credit.
Goals
Please indicate below which Abilities and which Understandings will be met by the course.
Abilities
__x__ Ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively
__x__ Ability to evaluate various forms of evidence and knowledge
__x__ Ability to engage in analytical reasoning and argumentation
____ Ability to engage in quantitative analysis
____ Ability to engage in scientific inquiry and processes
__x__ Ability to see across disciplinary boundaries ***
Understandings
____ Understanding cultural diversity within the United States
__x__ Understanding the world as a diverse and interrelated community
__x__ Understanding the relationship of the individual to society and its culture and institutions
__x__ Understanding the role of the fine and performing arts and the humanities in shaping and expressing a culture’s values and ideals
____ Understanding natural phenomena and the physical world
____ Understanding multiple problem-solving perspectives+++
100-level courses must meet at least three (3) goals, including one of the performance objectives and one of the understandings goals.
200-level courses must meet at least five (5) goals, including one of the performance objectives and one of the understandings goals.
300-level and 400-level courses must meet at least seven (7) goals, including two of the performance objectives and two of the understandings goals. One of the performance objectives must be the ability to see across disciplinary boundaries (***) and another must be understanding multiple problem-solving perspectives (+++).
Please explain how this course will fulfill the selected performance objectives and understandings.
Outcomes
How does this course broaden the students’ understanding of the human experience?
Since history is the record of human experience, all history courses, at their core, address the human experience. HS 105 provides students with a broad view of the major religious/ ideological, scientific, social, economic, and political transformations which have shaped the human experience and the world in which we live. Furthermore, HS 105, because of the broad view, the different religious and political responses to such things as the small pox pandemic by viewing how Christians in Rome offered similar or different responses than Buddhists or Taoists in China. Similarly it explores the ways in which the Chinese of the Taiping Rebellion and the Maya of Yucatan War both incorporated and appropriated Christian ideas to resist European imperialism.
How does this course enhance the students’ ability to study the individual human condition, needs, values, and potentials and achievements within the multiplicity of cultural values that shape it?
World history examines interactions across cultures. In this sense, one of the core questions it poses is how various cultures borrow from each other—sometimes consciously and knowingly, sometimes unconsciously, and sometimes while in the process of outright denying the borrowing. So, for example, the course would entertain the question as to why the religious outlook and experience of Chinese Buddhists is so dramatically different from Indonesian or Cambodian Buddhists (part of the answer lies in the mingling of Buddhist and Taoist ideas in China, but the mingling of Buddhist and Hindu ideas in both Cambodia and Indonesia, and then – in Indonesia – the later arrival of Islam as a significant force). The course clearly examines human achievements (and—let us be honest—failure).
How does this course enhance the students’ ability to examine, using critical thinking strategies, how peoples in different cultures, times and places deal with common human needs and concerns?
At once “World History” makes a claim to study all cultures, but—of course—that is impossible in the course of a single semester. Nevertheless, it begins with the agricultural transformation and the formation of the first cities, and ends (we routinely hope, and occasionally achieve) with the early 21st century (we certainly hope—if nothing else—to at least get to 9/11). As a result, we study a lot of different places at a lot of different times. Many of the issues—security, prosperity, affection—are common concerns. As an example, during the last semester two issues which were repeatedly examined across the course of the semester were the experience of childhood and the nature of religious toleration. Both of these were traced from the ancient to the modern.
How does this course enhance the students’ ability to review and evaluate, using critical thinking techniques, the intellectual, spiritual and ethical concerns of the human experience as recorded in literature, philosophy, religion, history or other similar areas?