HIST 2311 CRN 79117 Western Civilization I
Fall 2015 TR 11:00 to 12:30 pm
Houston Community College Southwest-West Loop Campus, Room C252
Instructor: Dr. Rogan Ellen Brunet
Email: rogan.brunet@hccs.edu
Website: http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/rogan.brunet
Office: C256, Phone: 713-7188024
Course Description: History 2311 is a survey of Western Civilization from the Neolithic Revolution
to the Renaissance. It will focus on the evolution of the economic, social/cultural and political
institutions which define the development of Western Civilization and its people. Although this
course is built around historical events and processes, it is much more than a simple recitation of
facts. Students will learn and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills and will work with
historical documents, maps and economic and demographic models.
Prerequisites: Must be placed into college-level reading and college-level writing.
Learning Objectives: The objective of this course is to enable the student to gain a clearer
understanding of Western Civilization by examining the social, political, and economic factors that
influenced the West from the beginnings of civilization to the Renaissance. Included topics are
the Ancient World, Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. 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 eras studied.
This is a working syllabus and remains flexible. I reserve the right to modify this syllabus during
the course of the semester. Students who miss a class are responsible for enquiring about any
changes that are made to this syllabus. Please feel free to ask questions and remember that
participation is highly encouraged (and welcome) in class.
Texts: Recommended-The Western Heritage, v. I, 9th ed., Kagan, Ozment, Turner
Required-The Great Mortality, John Kelly
Buying a text book is not required in this class. If you feel the need to have one, the
recommended text book is The Western Heritage. Please make sure that you buy Vol. 1 of the
text. This course is lecture intensive…reading the text book will not replace your lecture notes.
Use your text as a back-up to the information given each day in class.
Exams: There will be two in class exams in this class based on the lecture notes. These exams
will consist of a series of essay questions. These exams will be posted on my Learning Web site
and are done at home. Ten points are deducted for every class period the exam is late. I DO NOT
accept exam submission by email. Please read the plagiarism statement in the syllabus very
carefully. You will fail the class if you plagiarize.
Reading Assignments: The reading assignments for this class are listed above. The first is a web
assignment and the readings will be available on the class website (the Learning Web). The Kelly
book will not be available for purchase in the HCC book stores. Instead, it will have to be
purchased online (through Amazon or another retailer) or in a bookstore in town, such as HalfPrice. There will be a book quiz on each of these monographs. Just like the exams, these quizzes
are take home assignments. Again, ten points are deducted for every class period your paper is
late. No papers are accepted by email. And you will fail the class if you plagiarize. Please refer to
the academic dishonesty statement below.
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 new resource.
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
an essay on each exam. 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 two exams (200 pts) and reading exams
(200 pts), divided by the total number of points possible (400 pts). 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 Dec 18. Please note that there will be no curving of
grades in this class.
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 phones rings during class, I
reserve the right to deduct one point from your final class average. In addition, students will be
required to put away their cell phones during exams.
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.
Attendance will be taken at every class meeting. If, in the course of the semester, any student
misses more than six classes, then that student WILL BE ADMINISTRATIVELY DROPPED. 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. The final date for withdrawal is Oct 1. 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. If you are not in class when roll is called you will not be counted present for that
day.
The final date to drop this class is October 30.
Please be aware of the fact that you are limited to six withdrawals over your college career when you are
considering dropping the class.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are
prohibited by HCC policy and by the rules of this class.

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.
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 (712 718-7909) 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.
Caveat: The College purges students who have not paid their tuition or 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.
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)
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.
Course Schedule:
Aug 25
Introduction to the class
Aug 27
Topic One: The Origins of Man
Sep 1
Topic Two: The Neolithic Revolution
Sep 3
Sep 8
Topic Three: The Earliest Civilizations, Mesopotamia and Egypt
Sep 10
Sep 15
continue Topic Three
Sep 17
Sep 22
Topic Four: Bronze Age Civilizations
Sep 24
Due date: Creation Myths Essay
Sep 29
Topic Five: The 13th Century Crisis and Aftermath
Oct 1
Oct 6
Topic Six: Classical Greece
Oct 8
Oct 13
Topic Seven: Alexander and the Hellenistic World
Oct 15
Oct 20
Topic Eight: ROME (enough said, bring extra paper and caffeine)
Oct 22
Midterm Due
Oct 27
continue Topic Eight
Oct 29
Nov 3
Topic Nine: The West in Transition or Vandals, Mongols and Huns, Oh My!
Nov 5
Nov 10
Topic Ten: Late Antiquity or the Early Middle Ages
Nov 12
Nov 17
Topic Eleven: The High Middle Ages
Nov 19
Nov 24
Topic Twelve: The Really Horrible, Terrible, Not-So-Great 14th Century
Nov 26
Thanksgiving Holiday/ Due Date: The Great Mortality
Dec 1
Topic Thirteen: The Late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance Europe
Dec 3
Dec 8
FINAL EXAM Due 11:00 am Tuesday