History 2312 CRN 61174 Western Civilization II
Spring 2011, 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.swc.hccs.edu/members/rogan.brunet
Office: F17 in the Student Success Center, Phone: 7137188195
Class Goal: 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.
Texts:
The Western Heritage, v. 2, Kagan, Ozment, Turner (recommended)
The Making of the West, v. 2, Hunt, Martin, et. al.(recommended)
The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio (required)
Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe (required)
Faust,pts 1 and 2, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (required)
Purchasing a textbook is optional. If you want a textbook for this class, two choices are The Western Heritage,
v.2 or 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.
Exams: There will be three exams given during the course of the semester. 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.
Readings: There are three selected readings for this course. You can find links to these readings on my website
or they are free to download at www.gutenberg.org. They will not be available at the bookstore. Assignments
over the readings will be done outside of class.
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 .
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.
Your final grade will be derived from the sum of your exams (300 pts), and book assignments (200 pts),
divided by the total number of points possible (500 pts). Houston Community College now charges higher
tuition rates for students who repeat a class for the third time (or more). 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 20. 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 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.
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 Hairy (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.
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, 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 April 21. 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.
Please be aware of the fact that you are limited to six withdrawals over your college career when you are
considering dropping the class.
The last day for drop/add/swap is January 19. The final date to drop this class is April 21.
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.
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 Calendar:
Week One
Jan 18
Jan 20
Introduction to the course, start reading selections from The Decameron
Topic One: The Renaissance
Week Two
Jan 25
Jan 27
Topic Two: Mercantilism, Exploration, Colonization
Week Three
Feb 1
Feb 3
Topic Three: The Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
Week Four
Feb 8
Feb 10
Topic Four: The Age of Conflict
Essay on The Decameron due, start reading Marlowe’s Faustus
Week Five
Feb 15
Feb 17
Topic Five: Absolutism vs. Constitutionalism
Week Six
Feb 22
Feb 24
Topic Six: The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment
Week Seven
Mar 1
Mar 3
Topic Seven: Enlightened Monarchies
Week Eight
Mar 8
Mar 10
Topic Eight: The Age of Revolutions
Essay on Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus due, start reading Goethe’s Faust
Mar 14-18
SPRING BREAK
Week Nine
Mar 22
Mar 24
Topic Nine: Napoleonic France and the Congress of Vienna
Week Ten
Mar 29
Mar 31
Topic Ten: The 19th Century and “-isms”
Week Eleven
Apr 5
Apr 7
Topic Eleven: Revolutions, Part Deux
Week Twelve
Apr 12
Apr 14
Topic Twelve: The Great War
Essay on Goethe’s Faust due
Week Thirteen
Apr 19
Apr 21
Topic Thirteen: A World Shattered
Week Fourteen
Apr 26
Apr 28
Topic Fourteen: The “Post-Modern” World
Week Fifteen
May 3
May 5
Catch-up
Catch-up
May 10
FINAL 11:00 a.m., Tuesday