History 2312 CRN 34416 Western Civilization II
Spring 2013, 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: C256, Phone: 7137182084
Course Description: 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.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Students will be able to create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. Students will be able to analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. Students will be able to analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, and cultural
forces on this period of U.S. history.
4. Students will be able to understand the importance of chronology and how earlier ideas and
events shaped later events.
Texts:
The Western Heritage, v. 2, Kagan, Ozment, Turner (recommended)
The Making of the West, v. 2, Hunt, Martin, et. al.(recommended)
The Great Mortality, John Kelly (required)
The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Goethe (required)
Selection of WWI Poetry, various authors (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.
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.
Exams: There will be two 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. Assignments over the readings will be done
outside of class. These books will not be available in the bookstore, but they can be purchased at bookstores
in town or links to the readings will be provided on my learning website.
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.
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 (200 pts), and book assignments (300 pts),
divided by the total number of points possible (500 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 May 17. 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.
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.
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 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. 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 13th. The final date to drop this class is April 1.
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 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 15
Jan 17
Introduction to the course, start reading The Great Mortality
Topic One: The Renaissance
Week Two
Jan 22
Jan 24
Topic Two: Mercantilism, Exploration, Colonization
Week Three
Jan 29
Jan 31
Topic Three: The Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
Week Four
Feb 5
Feb 7
Topic Four: The Age of Conflict
Week Five
Feb 12
Feb 14
Topic Five: Absolutism vs. Constitutionalism, start reading Sorrows of Young Werther
Essay on The Great Mortality due
Week Six
Feb 19
Feb 21
Topic Six: The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment
Week Seven
Feb 26
Feb 28
Topic Seven: Enlightened Monarchies
Week Eight
Mar 5
Mar 7
Topic Eight: The Age of Revolutions
Midterm
Mar 11-15
SPRING BREAK
Week Nine
Mar 19
Mar 21
Topic Nine: Napoleonic France and the Congress of Vienna
Week Ten
Mar 26
Mar 28
Topic Ten: The 19th Century and “-isms”, start reading World War One Poetry
Essay on Sorrows of Young Werther due
Week Eleven
Apr 2
Apr 4
Topic Eleven: Revolutions, Part Deux
Week Twelve
Apr 9
Apr 11
Topic Twelve: The Great War
Week Thirteen
Apr 16
Apr 18
Topic Thirteen: A World Shattered
Week Fourteen
Apr 23
Apr 25
Week Fifteen
Apr 30
May 2
May 7
Topic Fourteen: The “Post-Modern” World
Essays on World War One Poetry due
Catch-up
FINAL 11:00 a.m., Tuesday