MONTGOMERY
COLLEGE
A North Harris Montgomery Community College
Hist 2311 Western Civilization
Dr. J. Ross-Nazzal
Fall 2003
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
This course examines the history of Western civilization from the beginning of recorded history through the
Renaissance and Reformation. Its purpose is to provide students with an interpretive analysis of the social,
economic, political and intellectual dynamics that have shaped Western history since antiquity.
CREDIT:
3 hours, transferable to any 4-year institution. Many universities accept this class as meeting their cross or
multi-cultural requirements. For instance Western Civilization is accepted at the University of Houston - Main Campus as
meeting the Cultural Heritage requirement.
PREREQUISITES:
None
ADA STATEMENT
If you require reasonable accommodations because of a physical, mental, or learning disability, please notify the
instructor of this course within the first two weeks of class.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this course is to explore and analyze the exciting past of antiquity, the middle ages, and the
Renaissance and Reformation in the hopes that you will be able to begin understanding why we are the way we are
today by examining where we came from. We will learn certain historical facts, but it is more important that we
apply our ability to think and synthesize rather than to merely demonstrate our power to memorize and repeat.
COURSE OUTCOMES
In completing this course, you need to
1. Articulate and understand the concept and elements of what historians call “Western Civilization.”
2. Discuss the general cultural values of the Greco-Roman civilization.
3. Account for the process of "diffusion" and “synthesis" in history.
4. Trace the origins of the Middle Ages and access its contributions to “modern” life.
5. Evaluate, discuss, and define the concept of Renaissance during the birth of “modern” Europe.
6. Evaluate the positive and negative impacts of Western Civilization outside of Europe.
7. Explore the enormous influence of the past over the present.
8. Explain and give examples of the interaction between geography and history.
9. Explain the development and growth of the particularly Western idea of the separation of Church and State.
10. Examine the development of constitutionalism in Western Civilization.
11. Explain how/why women lost power over the period covered in this semester (in other words, be able to
explain why women were more powerful in the 3rd century BCE then in 1700 AD).
REQUIRED MATERIAL
Western Civilizations, Volume 1, 14th ed., W.W. Norton & Company; Coffin, et al.
Perspectives from the Past, Volume 1, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company; Brophy, et al
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING
In the case of plagiarism (claiming that words and ideas of others are your own and/or not indicating the source of
ideas), the instructor reserves the right to give the student a zero for the assignment. In the case of cheating during
the course of an in-class assignment or unauthorized collaboration on a writing project, the instructor reserves the
right to give the student or students a zero for the assignment.
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Web site:
J. Ross-Nazzal, Ph.D.
A220-B
MWF 0900-1100 and TuTh 1000-1130; or, by appointment
jrn@nhmccd.edu
http://ppl.nhmccd.edu/~jross-nazzal/
Course Description. This is an in-depth, intensive examination of ancient, medieval, and early-modern European
history. Major themes to be covered include the particularly Western idea of separating spiritual (religion)
institutions from temporal (civil government) ones; the development of Constitutionalism; and, the falling status of
women over time. Throughout, emphasis will be placed on techniques of historical reasoning, analysis and collegelevel writing.
Attendance. Life is too short to repeat in lecture what is available to you in the textbooks, thus relentless
attendance is required. If you miss a few days you truly miss a lot because the lectures are tightly integrated. In
other words, you will have a harder time understanding later lectures if you miss the earlier ones. In addition,
material covered in lectures is not available in your textbook and half of the material covered on the exams will
come from the lectures. You must be here to participate in our daily discussions because your participation grade is
worth 20% of your final grade. Finally, please be on time as the classes will start promptly. In the event a student
misses class, she or he is still responsible for all material covered in class.
Grading. There are five different types of graded assignments this semester and they include Exams, short Writing
Assignments, Reading Quizzes, Map Quizzes, and an Oral Presentation.
Exams. There are five exams this semester. The first exam covers the Ancient Near East (Chapters 1-3). The
second exam covers the Greek and Roman worlds (Chapters 4-7). The third exam covers the early Middle Ages
(Chapters 8-11). The fourth exam will cover the High Middle Ages (Chapters 12-15). The fifth exam covers Early
Modern Europe (Chapters 16-17) and will be taken during Finals’ Week. All make-up exams will be taken in my
office within one week of the regularly scheduled exam or you forfeit all points. It is your responsibility to
schedule the day and time of your make-up exam with me. There is, however, no make-up for last exam.
Each exam may consist of numerous sections to choose from such as Fill in the Blanks, Matching, and
Identifications that you do in class. There is also an essay. The essay is worth 50% of the exam and you will all do
the essay section out of class. Your essay will be typed and double-spaced. Not to worry, however, as I will hand
out the essay question before the exam. I will provide you with a study/review guide before each exam. As long as
you keep up with the reading, engage your colleagues and myself in meaningful discussions in class, take good
notes, and review them frequently you should be well prepared to do well (i.e., pass). The last exam will consist of
100 Multiple Choice questions. Each exam is worth 100 points. Thus exams (500 points) will be worth 50% of
your final grade.
With the exception of the first and last exams, I do not spend class time reviewing for exams. If you have
questions, concerns, or are in need of reviewing the material, then please take advantage of my office hours or
Open Door policy. Better yet, schedule an appointment with me to ensure that we have enough time to get you
ready for the exams. Time is very limited because I have nearly 200 students.
Writing Assignments. Using the Perspectives book, you will select one of the documents (see below) per exam and
type (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12) your thoughtful, meaningful, and complete answers to the questions
found at the end of each document (I expect at LEAST one full page of responses). You will bring your responses
with you when you take the exam. Each is worth twenty (20) points and you will turn in four (one per exam), thus
the writing assignment is worth 100 points or 10% of your final grade.
Reading Quizzes. Ten times this semester you will be given an in-class quiz that measures how well you performed
the day’s reading assignments from the textbook. Each quiz will consist of ten (10) multiple-choice
questions/statements and will be taken during the first five minutes of class. Thus, do not be late as there will be no
make-up reading quizzes. As you will note, the exact day for each quiz is not specified below. In other words, you
must do the readings each night and be prepared each time we meet to take a quiz. Each quiz is worth ten (10)
points. Thus, this part is worth 100 points or 10% of your final grade.
Map Quizzes. On the day before each exam you will take a short map quiz, which will consist of identifying cities,
regions, bodies of water, and other geographic items. You will be provided with a blank map and a list of place
names and features to better help you prepare for each quiz. Each map quiz is worth 20 points, thus taken together
this part is worth 100 points or 10% of your final grade.
Participation. I expect that you will read your daily assignments and come to class prepared to discuss the major
points. Please bring your Perspectives text with you to class because we will be discussing the daily reading. In
order to gain the participation points you must: 1) Attend class; and 2) Participate in our discussions on the
readings. This part is worth 200 points, or 20% of your final grade.
Late Work. All work is due when it is due. I do not accept late work.
Missed Exams and Quizzes. I do not offer make up quizzes and all missed exams must be made up in my office
within one week of the regularly scheduled exams. It is your responsibility to schedule the day and time of the
make up with me.
Extra Credit. Do not ask for extra credit. If you keep up with the assigned readings, prepare yourself for the
quizzes and exams, and faithfully hand in all assignments when they are due then you will not need any “extra”
credit. I do, however, present the class with a few extra credit options throughout the semester.
Grade Scale: Percentage
100-90
89-80
79-70
69-60
Points
1000-900
899-800
799-700
699-600
Grade
A
B
C
D
A final thought on grades – Getting good grades is easy. All you have to do is keep up with the readings, take good
notes in class, review your notes, and put forth your most concerted efforts in regards to the out of class
assignments. It also is in your best interests to take full advantage of my office hours and open door policy. Please
understand that no one has more control over your grades than you. You will do well (i.e., pass) if you decided that
studying is what is important and if you take the necessary steps to do well.
Take advantage of my office hours and open door policy. Take advantage of ELC seminars, such as those that
teach you to read a textbook, take notes during lectures, write papers, and prepare for exams. Finally, take
advantage of our peer tutors. We want you to succeed! If all else fails, follow directions.
Date
Topic/Assignment
Read/Due
I.
08/26
08/28
09/02
09/04
09/09
09/11
Ancient Near East
Introduction to and Origins of the West
In The Beginning . . .
Babylonian, Egyptian, Aegean Societies
Hebrews, Assyrians, and Persians
Exam Review
EXAM I: Ancient Near East
Perspectives p. 3
pp. 14-30; Perspectives p. 40
pp. 30-78; Perspectives p. 65
pp. 82-110; Perspectives p. 116
Map Quiz I
Chs. 1-3; Writing Assignment I
II.
09/16
09/18
09/23
09/25
09/29
10/02
Greece and Rome
Greece: Dark, Archaic, and Golden
Expansion of Greece and All Things Greek
Roman Republic
Roman Empire
Christianity and Rome
EXAM II: Greece and Rome
pp. 117-151; Perspectives p. 146
pp. 156-179; Perspectives p. 211
pp. 184-200; Perspectives p. 254
pp. 201-219; 224-232; Perspectives p. 268
pp. 232-254; Perspective p. 308; Map Quiz II
Chs. 4-7; Writing Assignment II
III.
10/07
10/09
10/14
10/16
10/21
10/23
10/28
10/30
11/04
Middle Ages
Byzantines and Muslims
Carolingians
Crusades
Knights, Nobles, and National Monarchies
Church Reform
Medieval Intellectual Revival
Death, Disease and Despair
Challenges to the Church and States
EXAM III: Middle Ages
pp. 262-283; Perspectives p. 333
pp. 283-298; Perspectives p. 344
pp. 302-323; Perspectives p. 350
pp. 323-342; Perspectives p. 397
pp. 344-363; Perspectives p. 405
pp. 363-380; Perspectives p. 432
pp. 382-394; Perspectives p. 418
pp. 394-420; Perspectives p. 490; Map Quiz III
Chs. 8-11; Writing Assignment III
IV.
11/06
11/11
11/13
11/18
11/20
From Medieval to Modern
Renaissance
Trade, Travel, and Colonialism
Reformation and Counter-Reformation
Religious Wars & State Building
Exam IV: High Middle Ages
pp. 452-483; Perspectives p. 563
pp. 426-450; Perspectives p. 522
pp. 486-516; Perspectives p. 596
pp. 518-550; Perspectives p. 649; Map Quiz IV
Chs. 12-15; Writing Assignment IV
11/25 Early Modern Europe
12/02 Absolutism
12/04 Exam IV Review
pp. 556-590; Perspectives p. 682
pp. 592-626; Perspectives p. 757
Map Quiz V
12/xx EXAM IV: Early Modern Europe
Chs. 16-17; Writing Assignment V