World History Dual Enrollment Fall 2014
Class Info
M. Shea Collier
mary.collier@stpsb.org
Course Description
Text: Western Civilization: A Brief History
By Jackson J. Spielvogel
During a visit to Great Britain, where he studied as a young man, Mohandas Gandhi, the leader of the effort to
liberate India from British colonial rule, was asked what he thought of Western civilization. “I think it would be a
good idea,” he replied. Gandhi’s response was as correct as it was clever. Western civilization has led to great
problems as well as great accomplishments. Any complete understanding of today’s world must take into account
the meaning of Western civilization and the role Western civilization has played in history. Despite modern
progress, we still greatly reflect our religious traditions, our political systems and theories, our economic and social
structures, and our cultural heritage. Western civilization assists student in learning more about the past as well
as the world in which they live.
One goal of this course is to strike a balance between the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural
and military aspects of Western civilization, until 1715. It will also integrate some of the latest research on social
and women’s history. Finally, it will attempt to put the story back in history. That story is an exciting one. As such,
this course will use narrative history as a tool to transmit knowledge of the past, while balancing that narrative
with the kind of historical analysis that makes students aware that historians often disagree on interpretations of
the past.
Course Objectives
 To gain a command of important specific phenomena – names, dates, people, and events – in the history of
Western civilization.
 To develop an awareness of the broader trends, themes, and patterns in which those phenomena occurred.
 To build an appreciation of the historical inter-relationship of social, political, economic, and cultural
phenomena.
 To understand why specific phenomena and broader patterns matter, both historically and in our daily lives.
 To cultivate the ability to place oneself and one's society in a broader historical, social, and cultural perspective.
 To improve the capacity for precise and articulate communication.
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World History Dual Enrollment Fall 2014
 To use technology and a variety of multi-media tools to enhance our exploration and understanding of the past.
 To think fearlessly about complicated questions with complicated answers.
Course Materials
The readings and assignments for this course will center on a unique set of materials. These consist of a textbook
(listed above) as well a number of other learning tools including maps, primary source readings, videos, and other
media I will supply.
Course Requirements
 ATTENDANCE: Attendance is imperative to your participation in the class.
 PARTICIPATION: We learn best when we learn together. This will require the active and thoughtful
participation of all, students and instructor alike. Each member of the class bears the responsibility not merely
to attend, but to think and speak in class. This can be incredibly rewarding, not to mention a lot of fun.

ASSIGNMENTS: In addition to the readings for the course, each week you will be expected to complete and submit
various types of assignments such as:
o Critical Thinking Activities: These assignments will present you with a map, primary source
document, or another small prompt and ask you to reflect critically on the issue at hand through a short
series of questions. If you answer incorrectly, you will be offered additional information and get the
chance to try to answer again; I will accept the average grade from these attempts.
o
Chapter Quizzes: Occasionally, you will be asked to complete and submit a quiz covering the material
over an entire chapter. These quizzes are designed in a multiple choice or short-answer format. They
assess how successfully you understand the material, and they provide an opportunity for you begin to
consider why the topics we cover matter beyond the class.
o
Reflection Activities: These assignments pose to you a single question based on the readings of the
week, and invite you to provide a brief, essay-style response. Your response should raise three specific
points relating to the question (approx. 500 words).
 EXAM: There will be a cumulative final exam. It will be a mixture of short answer and essay. This is designed
to require a basic organization of the historical facts we have considered, and, more important, for you to
assess those facts and think critically.
 ESSAY: There will be one essay in the middle of the semester as a mid-term assignment. The essay will be
based on a prompt provided by the instructor during the semester, asking you to explore and assess a
particular historical issue we have been discussing. Written assignments submitted late will be penalized by
one-third of a letter grade for every day.
Assessment, Computation of Grades, and Grading Weights
Details of the various components of your final grade (exams, essays, assignments, and participation) can be found
above. Each component will be weighted as follows:
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World History Dual Enrollment Fall 2014
Extra Assignments:
Midterm Essay
Final Exam
Attendance/Participation
Tests
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
College Academic Policies
COLLEGE HONOR CODE
The relationship between instructors and students requires cooperation and trust in maintaining the ideals
and spirit of an honor code. This ensures that a high level of integrity and honesty will be maintained
within the academic programs. More information on the College Honor Code can be found in the Honor
Code Handbook.
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
I expect that you will adhere to ethical academic practices in the writing and reporting of your work.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism can result in and F for the assignment, an F for the course, or
dismissal from the institution. If you have some question about how to reference material please do not
hesitate to ask.
Week 1: The First Civilizations August 4-8
 Topics: The Beginning and Mesopotamia; Egypt, and Comparisons to Mesopotamia
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 1, pages 1-22
Week 2: The Ancient Near East August 11-15
 Topics: Other Early Empires; the Early Hebrews
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 2, pages 23-39
Week 3: Ancient Greece August 18-22
 Topics: The Greek Golden Age; The Hellenistic Era
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 3, pages 40-58, Chapter 4, pages 60-76
Week 4: The Roman Republic August 25-29
 Topics: Early Rome; The Roman Republic and Military
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 5, pages 76-95
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World History Dual Enrollment Fall 2014
Week 5: The Roman Empire September 1-5
 Topics: How to Build an Empire; the Rise of Christianity
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 6, pages 96-113
Week 6: The Fall of Rome? September 8-12
 Topics: Third Century Crisis; The Transformation of the Empire
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 7, pages 115-127
Week 7 and 8: The Early Medieval World September 15-26
 Topics: The Byzantines and the Rise of Islam; The Carolingians
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 7, pages 127-135; Chapter 8, pages 138-146
Week 9: The High Middle Ages September 29-October 3
 Topics: Towns and Country; The Medieval Mind
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 8, pages 137-155; Chapter 9, pages 157-174
Week 10: Political Structures in the High Middle Ages October 6-10
 Topics: Medieval England; Medieval France
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 10, pages 175-183
Week 11: The Medieval Church October 13-17
 Topics: The Church; The Crusades
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 10, pages 183 – 195
Week 12: Middle Ages in Crisis October 20-24
 Topics: The Black Death; The Hundred Years’ War
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 11, pages 196-206
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World History Dual Enrollment Fall 2014
Weeks 13 and 14: Recovery October 27- November 7
 Topics: Dissent in the Church; the Renaissance
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 11, pages 206-213; Chapter 12, pages 236
Weeks 15 and 16: Early Modern Conflicts November 10-21
 Topics: The Reformation; Thirty Years’ War
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 13, pages 237-256; Chapter 15, pages 280-283
Week 17: Early Modern Politics December 1-5
 Topics: England and Constitutionalism; France and Absolutism
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 13, pages 253-255; Chapter 15, pages 280-301
Week 18: The New World December 8-12
 Topics: The Impact of the New World; European Expansion
 Prepare: Spielvogel, Chapter 14, pages 258-278
EXAMS
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