History 2312 CRN 92721 Western Civilization II
Spring 2016, TR 11:00 to 12:30 p.m.
Houston Community College Southwest-West Loop Campus
Instructor: Dr. Rogan Ellen Brunet
Email: rogan.brunet@hccs.edu
Website: http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/rogan.brunet
Office: C256, Phone: 7137182084
Learning Objectives: This course will enable the student to gain a clearer understanding of Western
Civilization by examining the social, political, and economic factors influencing the West from the
Renaissance to the aftermath of World War 2. Included topics are the religious Reformations, the
various national, technological and economic revolutions, the two World Wars, and the Western World
after the political realignment of Eastern Europe. Students will gain a clear perspective on how these
issues form an interconnected and continuous web of history. Furthermore, students will increase
their critical thinking skills and their writing ability through the use of essay exams. In addition,
students will read/assess primary source documents on the internet, expanding their computer skills,
and their knowledge of the historical era studied.
Learning Outcomes:
a. To create an argument through the use of historical evidence
b. The ability to analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents
c. The capability to analyze the effect of historical, social, political, economic, cultural and
global forces on different eras of history
d. To explain the importance of chronology and how earlier concepts and actions shaped later
events
Texts:
Recommended: The Making of the West, v. 2, Hunt, Martin, et al
The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Wolfgang Goethe (required)
The New Sorrows of Young W, Ulrich Plenzdorf (required)
The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell (required)
Purchasing a textbook for this class is not required. If you want a textbook for this class, a good choice is The
Making of the West, v. 2. This course is lecture intensive however and reading a textbook will not replace
lecture notes. Any textbook should be used as a supplement to the information presented each day in class. In
addition, lecture outlines are available on my Learning Web site. Please have them in class on the day of the
appropriate lecture.
This is a working syllabus and remains flexible. Please feel free to ask questions and remember that
participation is highly encouraged (and welcome) in class. The instructor reserves the right to modify
the syllabus at any time, with notification to the students.
Maps: Western Civilization is not confined to one geographical area, but is instead spread out over Europe,
Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. In addition, as the history of Western world progresses, borders shift, nations
are created, disappear and reappear, and populations migrate. It is important to understand that this class
“jumps” from different regions and that the student may be learning about topics that occurred in different
regions simultaneously. Please refer often to the maps included in your lecture outlines or on the Learning Web
site.
Exams: There will be two exams given during the course of the semester, a midterm and a final. All exams
consist of essay content and will be done outside of class. Please see the statement on academic dishonesty.
If you miss the deadline to turn in an exam, I do NOT accept email assignments. Complete your work in a timely
fashion. If you do NOT turn in your exams by the deadline, 21 points will be deducted from your grade.
Readings: There are three selected readings for this course. Assignments over the readings will be done
outside of class and are essay in content. These books will not be available in the HCC bookstore, but they can
be purchased at bookstores in town, or on online websites. Again, late assignments will have 21 points
deducted from the final grade.
Grades: Your grades in this class are a reflection of your critical thinking skills, how well you analyze the data
presented to you and how you organize this data into educated opinions. You will do this by writing essays. The
purpose of an essay is to present your point of view about a given topic. In this class, an essay is the vehicle to
demonstrate your mastery of the subject and your organization of these facts into a logical conclusion that
states your opinion of the given subject. You will be graded on content AND grammar.
Houston Community College now charges higher tuition rates for students who repeat a class for the third time
(or more).
Your final grade will be derived from the sum of your exams and book assignments.
Reading Assignments: 25% each x 2 = 50 %
Midterm: 25 %
Final: 25%
The grading scale is as follows:
A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59-0
Final Grades will be available to students by May 16. There is no curving of grades in this class.
Extra Credit: I do not give extra credit assignments so do not ask for special consideration. If you have
time for extra credit assignments, then you have time to do the work to pass the class.
Free Online Tutoring: HCC has implemented a free online tutoring program for all HCC students. The
web address is www.hccs.askonline.net. You will need to enter your email address, choose a
username and password and to know your HCC student ID number (the one that starts with a W).
Please take advantage of this resource.
Incompletes: If you experience an unexpected hardship or personal matter during the course of the
semester, you may be able to take an incomplete for the class. The requirements for an incomplete
are as follows: you must have a passing grade for the class and you must have completed at least
75% of the classwork. Remember that any incomplete work must be finished within a semester or the
“I” will change to an “F”.
Open Computer Lab: There are several open computer labs available on the West Loop Campus that
will provide students with access to the internet and email. You can also purchase a printing card to
use the printers in these labs. Please see the instructor for more information if needed.
Computers and Tape Recorders: If you wish, you may use tape recorders and computers to facilitate
note taking in class. Note that if you use a computer to play games or surf the web in this class, it is a
distraction to others in the class and I will have you dropped from the class.
Cell Phones: Cell phones are highly disruptive in class. All students are required to either turn their cell
phones to vibrate or power them off. In the case of a student expecting an important phone call,
please inform me of the situation before class. If your cell phone rings during class, I reserve the right
to deduct one point from your final class average. Students receiving or sending texts during class will
be asked to leave. If texting in class is continual, I will drop that student.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited by
HCC policy and by the rules of this class.
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Plagiarism is the use of the ideas or words of another person (either whole or in part) without
crediting the source and constitutes the theft of another person’s intellectual property. It is
the most common form of academic dishonesty. If you are unclear as to what constitutes
plagiarism, you should seek clarification before beginning an assignment.
Cheating involves fraud and deception for the purpose of violating legitimate testing rules.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to: copying from another student’s test paper, using
during an exam materials or resources not authorized by the instructor; collaborating with
another student during a test; knowingly using, buying, selling whole or part of an
unadministered test.
Academic dishonesty constitutes a severe violation of HCC policy and rules and is subject to
stringent penalties. Violations of these policies will result, at a minimum, in the automatic
failure of this course. Severe violations could result in suspension or expulsion from HCC.
Attendance Requirements: Attendance will be taken at every class meeting. I cannot stress enough the
importance of attending classes. Excessive absences will negatively affect your grade. If you wish to drop this class,
please inform me that you intend to do so. It is your responsibility to drop this class if you so desire. HCC mandates
that students who miss more than six hours of instruction time can be dropped by the professor. I sometimes take
the liberty of dropping students who miss more than five classes, unless the student has extenuating circumstances.
The final date for withdrawal is April 5. If you do not feel you will pass the class, you must take the
responsibility to withdraw on yourself. International students, students receiving financial aid and veterans must be
enrolled full time (12 hours) in order to maintain their status. Please keep this in mind if you decide to drop this
class. The HCCS History Department has mandated that NO ‘”W” will be changed to an “F”. Also, make an
effort to arrive in class on time. You will not be penalized if you are late, but excessive tardiness will be noted.
The final date to drop this class is April 5.
Please be aware of the fact that you are limited to six withdrawals over your college career when you are considering
dropping the class.
Students with Disabilities: I will make every effort to accommodate those students with disabilities.
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who
needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Support Service Counselor,
Dr. Becky Hauri (713 718-7909) at the beginning of the semester. Faculty members are authorized to
provide only the accommodations requested by the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS).
Students who are requesting special testing accommodations must first contact the office.
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System: At Houston Community College,
professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is necessary to improve teaching and learning.
During a designated time, you will be asked to answer a short online survey of research-based
questions related to instruction. The anonymous results of the survey will be made available to your
professors and division chairs for continual improvement of instruction. Look for the survey as part of
the Houston Community College Student System online near the end of the term.
Title IX Statement: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires that institutions have policies
and procedures that protect students’ rights with regard to sex/gender discrimination. Information regarding
these rights are on the HCC website under Students-Anti-discrimination. Students who are pregnant and
require accommodations should contact any of the ADA Counselors for assistance.
It is important that every student understands and conforms to respectful behavior while at HCC. Sexual
misconduct is not condoned and will be addressed promptly. Know your rights and how to avoid these
difficult situations.
Log in to: www.edurisksolutions.org . Sign in using your HCC student e-mail account, then go to
the button at the top right that says Login and enter your student number.
FERPA Statement: All communications between the Professor and his/her class are subject to the
Federal Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA). The Professor may not discuss specific grades or
attendance with anyone other than the student and selected HCC administrators (e.g., department
chair). The Professor is not allowed to discuss grades over the telephone, as privacy cannot be
guaranteed. Likewise, discussion of grades over email is prohibited except over a) an official HCCS
email address or b) within the Eagle Online LMS environment.
I will NOT respond to ANY emails sent from non-HCC accounts. Emails must be sent from your
student.hccs.edu account. This is to comply with FERPA and other relevant state laws (e.g. Open
Records Law)
Caveat: The College purges students who have not paid their tuition or who have some other glitch with their
registration every weekend. However, it does not inform those students who have been dropped from their
classes. It would be in your best interests to pay your tuition on time and ensure that you are still enrolled in
classes by the 12th class day, by midterm and before finals. I cannot re-enroll students who have been dropped
by administration, no matter what their class standing might be. Please take care of any registration problems
promptly.
Course Calendar:
Week One
Jan 19 to 21
Introduction to the course, start reading Goethe/Plenzdorf
Background: the Renaissance, Humanism, Mercantilism and Colonization
Week Two
Jan 26 to 28
Topic One: The Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
Week Three
Feb 2 to 4
Topic Two: The Age of Conflict
Week Four
Feb 9 to 11
Topic Three: Absolutism vs. Constitutionalism
Week Five
Feb 16 to 18
Topic Four: The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment
Week Six
Feb 23 to 25
Topic Five: Enlightened Monarchies
Week Seven
Mar 1 to 3
Topic Six: The Age of Revolutions, start reading Fussell
MARCH 1st, READING EXAM DUE: GOETHE/PLENZDORF
Week Eight
Mar 8 to 10
MARCH 10th, MIDTERM
Mar 14 to 18
SPRING BREAK
Week Nine
Mar 22 to 24
Topic Seven: Napoleonic France and the Congress of Vienna
Week Ten
Mar 29 to 31
Topic Eight: The 19th Century and “-isms”,
Week Eleven
Apr 5 to 7
Topic Nine: Revolutions, Part Deux
Week Twelve
Apr 12 to 14
Topic Ten: The Great War
Week Thirteen
Apr 19 to 21
Topic Eleven: A World Shattered
APRIL 19, READING EXAM DUE: FUSSELL
Week Fourteen
Apr 26 to 28
Topic Twelve: The “Post-Modern” World
Week Fifteen
May 3 to 5
Catch-up
May 10
FINAL 11:00 a.m., Tuesday