History 151 Section 001 CRN13135
World History: To 1500
University of Hawai’i at Hilo
Fall 2013 Semester
Class:TR 9:30 – 10:45 am
Classroom: UCB 118
Instructor: Jeff Smith
Office: UCB 349
Tel.: 974-7745
Email:
Office Hours:TR 8:00-9:15am, TR 2:00-3:15pm, and by appointment
Course Information
Course Application: Students registered for History 151 may apply this course to the World Cultures OR Social Sciences Area requirement as part of the General Education Requirement. Certain academic programs (for example, Business, Nursing, Teacher Education) may require this course but it is NOT a graduation requirement at UH-Hilo. If you are unsure whether you are required to take History 151, consult with your advisor.
Required Texts:
- Bentley, Ziegler, and Streets-Salter. Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History. Volume I: To 1500.2nd Edition (but any edition will do)
Do not delay in purchasing this book. The bookstore begins to return remaining textbooks after the first 4 to 6 weeks of classes. If the book is not available at the bookstore, please contact me as soon as possible.
- Discussion packets available for viewing, download, or printing on Laulima through the MyUH portal.
Course Objectives: This course is designed to help students gain an overview of world history, cultures, and civilizations from prehistoric origins to 1500 C.E. Through the examination of both primary and secondary sources, including written documents, maps, and images, students are encouraged to develop their ability to analyze these sources and critically assess their importance. By comparing a variety of sources across periods and cultures, students can begin to identify similarities and differences that provide a broad context within which to interpret their own history and culture. From a General Education standpoint, this course will help students to become familiar with the development of a variety of different societies, their histories and their contributions to world cultures.
History 151 Student Learning Outcomes:The readings, discussion, essays, papers, and examinations required in History 151 (World History to 1500) will provide students with the ability to:
- understand and describe general concepts of social organizations, including belief systems, as they intersect with technology and economics in historical development;
- think clearly, logically, and critically about major historical processes, e.g., cultural interactions, exchanges, and development through time, and express these thoughts effectively in written and oral form;
- locate, comprehend, and utilize information regarding key events in history to 1500;
- describe societies and their environment, including physical, political, and cultural geography in writing;
- identify and describe connections between the contemporary world and historical processes and events in writing.
Adding Classes: Students may add classes via Internet registration during the first week of classes. After the second week, they may not add classes.
Dropping Classes:To avoid a “W” (withdrawal) on your record, you must drop a course by September 16, 2013. The last date to withdraw from courses(you will receive a “W” on your record) in the College of Arts and Sciences is October 18, 2013. After that, students may drop all of their courses, but not one or two.
Norms for Classroom Behavior: Students are expected to come to class on time. While before, during, and after class students should be respectful and courteous to each other. Please turn off all cell phone and pager ringers. Please do not text, check Facebook, watch videos, or “play” on the internet during class. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior will be dealt with according to the rules of the institution, with consequences ranging from removal from the classroom to more drastic measures. If you have any questions, concerns, or special needs it is important to communicate them to me as soon as possible.
Student Accommodation:Any student with a documented disability who would like to request for accommodations should contact the University Disability Services Office in Hale Kauanoe A Wing Lounge, 933-0816 (V), 933-3334 (TTY), as early in the semester as possible.
UH Hilo Sexual Assault Policy: UH Hilo provides confidential assistance for victims of sexual assault. Counseling Services on campus and the YWCA Sexual Support Servicesoffer guidance regarding medical and emotional help and can discussoptions for reporting sexual assaults to law enforcement. Allconversations are private and confidential. The UH Hilo Sexual Assault
Policy can be found at:
For assistance during the day, contact UH Hilo Counseling Services at(808) 974-7399; or, after hours and on weekends, contact the YWCA SexualAssault Support Services at(808) 935-0677.
Office Hours:My office hours are listed above. I encourage all students to visit me in my office with any questions or comments regarding this course or the university in general. If these office hours are inconvenient for you, please contact me to make an appointment.
Advising Statement:Advising is a very important resource designed to help students complete the requirements of the University and their individual majors. Students should consult with their advisor at least once a semester to decide on courses, check progress toward graduation, and discuss career options and other educational opportunities provided by UH-Hilo. Advising is a shared responsibility, but students have final responsibility for meeting degree requirements. All professors in the History Department welcome your questions and comments.
History Study Space:The History Department maintains a student resource room in the University Classroom Building (UCB 333-Third floor – to the left as you exit the elevators). This room is open to all history students for individual study or group work. Please take full advantage of this study space resource.
Quizzes & Examinations: Three quizzes and one final examination have been assigned. The quizzes will be completed within the scheduled class periods. Make-up quizzes will not be given, except under the most extraordinary circumstances. The final in this course will take place in this classroom on Thursday, December 19 from 9:40 – 11:40am. The three scheduled quizzes will consist mostly of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions, but they may also contain other sorts of questions. The final examination will take place in the classroom and will combine essay, short answer, and multiple choice questions. These tests are designed to evaluate your grasp of the factual material as well as the general concepts that should help you to make some sense of world history over the period covered by this course.
Short Essays:Two short essays have been assigned. These 3 page essays will ask you to answer a specific question that deals with the readings, lectures, and discussions in the course at the time of the assignment. The dates upon which each essay is due are clearly indicated in the course schedule, and more detailed information (ex. format, content, etc.)is located at the end of this syllabus. No late essays will be accepted.
Class Participation: This course is designed to include active student participation, including student discussion, comments, and questions. In order to do well in this course, you must complete the reading assignments beforeclass and be ready to discuss them.
Academic Dishonesty: Students are expected to maintain an honor code of ethics. Any form of academic dishonesty – cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, etc – will result in a “0” for that element of the course in addition to possible further punishment.
Grade Percentage Breakdown: Your grade in this course will depend upon the following assignments:
Short Essay #110%
Short Essay #210%
Quiz #110%
Quiz #220%
Quiz #320%
Final30%_
Total100%
Grade Scale: Your overall class grade will be determined off the following scale:
A=100% - 90%
B=89% - 80%
C=79% - 70%
D=69% - 60%
F=59% - 0%
August27:Introduction to class
29:“Out of Eden” (Video and Discussion)
September03:The Foundations of Complex Societies (Bentley Chapter 1)
Was Sumerian Civilization Exclusively Male Dominated?
(Laulima Packet)
05:Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations (Bentley Chapter 2)
Early Societies in South and East Asia (Bentley Chapter 3)
10:Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania (Bentley Chapter 4)
Did Environmental Factors Cause the Collapse of Maya Civilization?
(Laulima Packet)
12:Quiz 1 Review / Discussion
16:***Last Day to Drop Class (No “W” on Transcript)***
17:Quiz 1
19:The Empires of Persia (Bentley Chapter 5)
The Unification of China (Bentley Chapter 6)
24:State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India (Bentley Chapter 7)
Does Alexander the Great Deserve His Reputation? (Laulima Packet)
26:Mediterranean Society under the Greeks and the Romans
(Bentley Chapter 8)
Were Internal Factors Responsible for the Fall of the Roman Empire?
(Laulima Packet)
October 01:Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads (Bentley Chapter 9)
Did Christianity Liberate Women? (Laulima Packet)
03:Quiz 2 Review / Discussion
08:Short Essay 1Due
10:Quiz 2
15:The Christian Commonwealth of Byzantium (Bentley Chapter 10)
17:The Expansive Realm of Islam (Bentley Chapter 11)
Does the Modern University Have Its Roots in the Islamic World?
(Laulima Packet)
18:***Last day to withdraw from class (“W” on transcript)***
22:The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia (Bentley Chapter 12)
Was Zen Buddhism the Primary Shaper of the Samurai Warrior Code?
(Laulima Packet)
24:India and the Indian Ocean Basin (Bentley Chapter 13)
29:Quiz 3 Review / Discussion
31:Quiz 3
November05:Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration (Bentley Chapter 14)
07:States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa (Bentley Chapter 15)
12:Christian Western Europe during the Middle Ages (Bentley Chapter 16)
14:“Crescent & the Cross” (Video and Discussion)
19:Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania (Bentley Chapter 17)
Did Christopher Columbus’s Voyages Have a Positive Effect on World
History? (Laulima Packet)
21:“Conquest” (Video and Discussion)
26:Reaching Out: Cross Cultural Interactions (Bentley Chapter 18)
28:NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Holiday)
December03:Did China’s Worldview Cause the Abrupt End of Its Voyages of
Exploration? (Laulima Packet)
Did the West Define the Modern World? (Laulima Packet)
05:“Into the Tropics” (Video and Discussion)
10: Final Review / Discussion
12:Short Essay 2 Due
19: Final (9:40 – 11:40 am)
History 151 Short Essay Instructions
No Late Papers Will Be Accepted
Prompt:
Answer only in the affirmative or negative one of the questions from one of the titles to the Laulima reading packets.
Short Essay #1 (Due October 8) pool of possible Laulima reading packets to choose from:
- Was Sumerian Civilization Exclusively Male Dominated?
- Did Environmental Factors Cause the Collapse of Maya Civilization?
- Does Alexander the Great Deserve His Reputation?
- Were Internal Factors Responsible for the Fall of the Roman Empire?
- Did Christianity Liberate Women?
Short Essay #2 (Due December 12) pool of possible Laulima reading packets to choose from:
- Does the Modern University Have Its Roots in the Islamic World?
- Was Zen Buddhism the Primary Shaper of the Samurai Warrior Code?
- Did China’s Worldview Cause the Abrupt End of Its Voyages of Exploration?
- Did Christopher Columbus’s Voyages Have a Positive Effect on World History?
- Did the West Define the Modern World?
Format:
Typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, default margins, etc.
Must have a cover page
3 pages long not counting cover page or bibliography / references cited
Run spell and grammar check
Plagiarism is bad, so cite your sources clearly and consistently (i.e. beware the internet)
Endnotes or footnotes are fine.
Bibliography / references cited page(s) do not count towards your page minimum
No header, but sub headings are fine
No lame folders, just staple the paper
Content:
Have a one to two sentence thesis that is stated clearly and early on in your paper
Write your thesis in bold font
Everything relates, examines, and/or references your thesis, so stick to your thesis
Arguing one side does not mean ignore the other
Not a full blown research paper, as you should have enough material from packet and textbook
No right or wrong answers, just poorly written ones
Do not just string together large quotes
Doing an outline never hurt anyone (I strongly suggest you make one.)
I will review drafts, but please give me enough time to get them back to you
See me or send me an e-mail if you need help
***This syllabus can be revised at any time***
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