Heartland Community College
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Course Syllabus for Students Fall 2013
Course Prefix and number: HIST 101
Course Title: Western Civilization to 1500
Section: 91
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS:
LECTURE HOURS: 3
LABORATORY HOURS: 0
Class Meetings: Online
This course covers the main stream of Western civilization from the first millennium B.C.
to 1500. The course considers religious, economic, and cultural trends and
developments as well as the major political events of the period. The focus of the
course is on Europe but the great Middle Eastern civilizations and cultural contributions
are considered as they impact Europe and help shape the West. Special attention is
given to individuals and their contributions as well as to the rise of nations.
This is a fully online course that will be completed through Blackboard. Please
familiarize yourself with the Blackboard site immediately. If you experience difficulties
accessing Blackboard, please contact the friendly Heartland Tech Support staff.
Instructor Information
Erin Parish-Meyer
Office: ICB 2102 (in the Social and Business Sciences Office, ICB 2100)
E-Mail Address: erin.parish-meyer@heartland.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Textbooks
Required: Spielvogel (2014) Western Civilization: A Brief History, Vol. 1: To 1715, 8th
edition, Cengage Learning
Required: Gregory, Candace (2006) Documents of Western Civilization, Volume I: To
1715, Cengage Learning
*The textbooks are available at the Heartland Bookstore. Please, do NOT use an old
version of the textbook – it has changed considerably!
**All other readings are available in the "Documents" area on Blackboard.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to log into Blackboard, complete and submit assignments, and
participate meaningfully in the Blog at least once each week. I will monitor your
participation in class and your completion of assignments each week. Be aware that
failure to pursue completion of the course requirements will negatively affect your
permanent academic record (unless the class is retaken at a later date) and may
negatively affect your financial aid (if you receive financial aid).
*Please note that the week for this course is Monday through Sunday to help
accommodate those of you who work full-time Monday through Friday (and those
who like to have all weekend to complete assignments).
Grade Inquiries
If you inquire about your grades for this course, I will refer you to the Grade Center (My
Grades) available through Blackboard.
Course Withdrawal
I will NOT withdraw any student from this course. If you wish to withdraw from the
course, you will need to complete the withdrawal. Remember that the deadline for
withdrawal with a refund is Friday 30 August. The deadline for withdrawal without a
refund is Wednesday 6 November.
Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transferability
This course fulfills 3 of the 9 semester hours of credit in Social Sciences required for the
A.A. or A.S. degree. This course should transfer as part of the General Education Core
Curriculum described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative to other Illinois colleges and
universities participating in the IAI. However, students should consult an academic
advisor for transfer information regarding particular institutions. Refer to the IAI web
page at www.itransfer.org for more information.
IAI GEC Code - S2-902
Course Objectives (Learning Outcomes)
Outcomes
Distinguish between Primary
and Secondary Sources as
the foundation of modern
historical scholarship from
the 1st millennium B.C. to
1500.
Interpret Primary Sources
critically by analyzing their
historical contexts.
Formulate historical
interpretations, both in
discussion and in writing,
and defend them critically
with reference to Primary
and Secondary Sources.
Incorporate into historical
interpretations, both in
General Education
Outcomes
Problem Solving 1:
Students can solve
problems based on
examples and frameworks
provided by instructor.
Range of Assessment
Methods
Exam, Research Paper,
Other Methods
Critical Thinking 3:
Students generate an
answer, approach, or
solution through an
effective synthesis of
diverse sources and
arguments and provide a
rationale.
Communication Learning
4: Students are selfreflective of the
communication process.
Exam, Research Paper,
Other Methods
Critical Thinking 3:
Students generate an
Research Paper, Other
Methods
Research Paper, Other
Methods
discussion and in writing, an
understanding of historical
causation reflecting a)
knowledge of important
figures and events and their
chronological relationship to
each other and b) an
awareness of the contingent
relationships.
Demonstrate orally and in
writing an understanding and
appreciation of diverse
cultures and shared
humanity.
answer, approach, or
solution through an
effective synthesis of
diverse sources and
arguments and provide a
rationale.
Diversity Learning 3:
Students reflect upon the
formation of their own
perspectives, beliefs,
opinions, attitudes, ideals,
and values.
Research Paper, Other
Methods
Required Writing and Reading
This course requires approximately 30-40 pages of reading per week or 500 per
semester. A minimum of 15 pages of college level writing is required in this course.
Writing will include the Papers (one short paper and two drafts of one longer research
paper), assignments of various lengths, and essay questions on the exams.
Your readings include chapters from the textbook (Western Civilization: Beyond
Boundaries) as well as selections from the documents book (Documents of Western
Civilization) and primary sources and short articles available on/through
Blackboard. You are required to complete ALL of the assigned readings.
You will be required to employ proper citation styles in much of your written work for this
course. I will accept Chicago Style (Humanities or Sciences) or MLA Style, as long as
they are correct and consistent. If you need help with MLA, the library has Noodle
Tools, which can walk you through the process (available through the Library tab in
MyHeartland). If you wish to use/learn Chicago Style, there are a few examples on the
stylebook's website (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html), or you can
consult a paper copy of the manual. I also provide you with examples in the extended
Research Paper Guide. If you have trouble finding what you need, please ask me, and I
can help you!
Course Outline(Please see the weekly schedule below for details.)
The Civilization of the Ancient Near East
Hellenic Civilization
The Roman World
The Byzantine Recovery and the Challenge of Islam
Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire
The High Middle Ages
The Crusades
The Late Middle Ages
The Renaissance
Methods of Evaluation
Assignment
Mid-term Examination
Final Examination
Research Paper
Short Essays (12)
Puzzle Pieces (5)
Blogging (6)
Video Activity
Grading Scale
90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
Below 60 = F
Percentage of Final Course Grade
15%
15%
25%
20%
10%
10%
5%
Mid-term Examination
The mid-term exam will cover material from weeks 1-4. You will be examined on
material presented in your textbooks and supplemental readings. Exam questions will
be objective. This exam is worth 15% of your final course grade. Please see the Weekly
Schedule for the dates during which this exam will be available.
Final Examination
The final exam will include questions covering material from the entire term. You will be
examined on material presented in your textbooks and supplemental readings. Exam
questions will be objective. The final exam is worth 15% of your final course
grade. Please see the Weekly Schedule for the dates during which the exam will be
available.
Research Paper
You are expected to write a 5-page Research Paper for this course. You will be
expected to submit a Paper Topic selection before you begin working on your
research. You will then complete the paper and submit it via SafeAssign through
Blackboard. The details of the Research Paper are explained in the Research Paper
Guide located on Blackboard. The Research Paper Project is worth 25% of your final
course grade.
Short Essays
The Short Essays will be responses to questions posed by the instructor regarding
reading material for the week. You will be expected to write at least half a page per
essay. The essays will be submitted in the Blog 101 area of Blackboard. The Short
Essays will be worth 20% of your final course grade.
Puzzle Pieces
As part of the regular reading for this course, we will complete collections of
supplemental readings. All members of the class will be expected to complete ALL of
the readings. Five times during the semester (the weeks are indicated in the Weekly
Schedule), you will be required to answer a series of questions about one of the primary
source readings. These questions will be due by the end of the day on the date
designated in the class schedule (typically Sunday of the week on which we will
cover that reading). This activity is intended to improve your understanding of the
periods of history we will be covering as well as to help you develop your analytical and
communication skills, and help you to better understand your own beliefs and
values. The answers to these questions are worth 10% of your final course grade.
Blogging
For each week following the submission of Short Essays, you will be required to
respond to one other student’s essay in the Blog 101 area. Your remarks must be
substantive and relevant to the material the student is writing on and her/his
response. The essay you choose may be on any of the topics for the week: you do not
need to respond to an essay on the same topic you chose to post on (unless you would
like to). The Blogging will be worth 10% of your final course grade.
Video Activity
There will be one video activity during the semester. You will view a video or segments
of a video, and you will respond to a series of questions regarding that video’s content
and how it relates to what you have learned in this class. The answers to these
questions are worth 5% of your final course grade.
Philosophy of Grades
The Heartland Community College grading philosophy grows out of our vision of
educational excellence. This common philosophy provides a framework for each
academic division and instructor as they establish their own individual course grading
system, evaluation methods and course policies using the shared general rubrics for
letter grades given below. Letter grades serve as a vehicle to promote meaningful
evaluation of student achievement, to inform students of academic progress, and, as
necessary, to improve student performance, habits, and practices. Using a letter grade
as a prerequisite for subsequent courses means we believe that the grade was
assigned through a conscious judgment about a student’s readiness to proceed to more
advanced study.
At Heartland, students’ academic achievement is measured by their mastery of course
objectives and content. We challenge students to meet these recognized standards of
achievement and we assign grades based on their success in doing so. Simply stated,
we believe that the responsibility for academic achievement rests with the student and
that holding students responsible for their learning promotes their academic growth.
Letter Grade Rubrics
A (4.0) This grade represents consistently outstanding performance that demonstrates
superior understanding and skillful use of important course concepts.
Performance at this level signifies that the student is extremely well prepared to
continue with more advanced study of the subject.
B (3.0) This grade represents performance significantly beyond the level necessary to
achieve the course objectives. Work is of high quality but not consistently at an
outstanding level. Performance at this level signifies that the student is well
prepared to continue with more advanced study of the subject.
C (2.0) This grade represents an acceptable achievement of the course objectives.
Performance at this level signifies that the student is reasonably well prepared to
continue with more advanced study of the subject.
D (1.0) This grade represents less than adequate performance. It signifies questionable
readiness to proceed with more advanced study of the subject.
F (0.0) This grade reflects unacceptable performance. The student is not yet ready to
proceed with more advanced study of the subject, and must repeat the course
successfully to receive credit.
*Explanations of grading scale can be found in Heartland Community College’s 20122014 Catalog & Student Handbook, page 186.
Deadlines
All assignments MUST be submitted on or before the due-dates. As your paper
assignments must be submitted through the course Blackboard site, there is no reason
that missing a day of class should prevent you from submitting a paper on time.
Late Policy: Under ordinary circumstances, I will accept late work. However,
there will be penalties for not submitting your work on time unless you have a
documented emergency! (Emergencies do not include oversleeping or going to
work.) Point deductions will be on a percentage basis according to the following
schedule:
-5% if submitted the day after the due date
-2% for every additional day your work is late
Student Conduct
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community
College and is essential to the credibility of the College’s educational programs.
Moreover, because grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their
academic work violate the right of their fellow students. The College, therefore, views
any act of academic dishonest as a serious offense requiring disciplinary measures,
including course failure, suspension, and even expulsion from the College. In addition,
an act of academic dishonesty may have unforeseen effects far beyond any officially
imposed penalties.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or
suborning cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation
of data, falsification of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to
computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Definitions of these
violations may be found in the college catalog.
Code of Conduct
Heartland Community College recognizes its students as both citizens and members of
the academic community. As citizens, students have freedom of speech, assembly,
association and press and the rights of petition and due process as guaranteed by the
state and federal constitutions. As members of the academic community, students have
the right and responsibility to participate in formulating and reviewing all College
regulations and policies directly affecting them.
Upon enrolling at HCC, each student assumes an obligation to act in accordance with
generally acceptable standards of responsible adult behavior, which include respect of
other students and other members of the College community. If this obligation is
neglected or ignored, the College must take appropriate disciplinary action in order to
function effectively.
Upon committing or attempting to commit any act of misconduct on the College campus,
whether in class, at an activity, function or event sponsored or supervised by the
College, or elsewhere with a direct relationship between such act and the College, a
student may be subject to disciplinary action.
Acts of misconduct include, but are not limited to:
1. Academic dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism, etc.;
2. Knowingly furnishing false information to the College;
3. Forgery, alteration or any misuse of College documents and records;
4. Conduct which significantly interferes with the College’s teaching, administration or
other responsibilities;
5. Conduct which endangers the health, safety or well-being of members of the College
community or visitors to the campus, including but not limited to, unauthorized and/or
illegal possession, use or distribution of controlled substances, look-alike drugs, alcohol
or unauthorized/illegal use or possession of firearms or any other weapon;
6. Violation of specific College rules and regulations, including those regarding campus
parking, equipment, facilities and telecommunications/Internet;
7. Failure to comply with directions of College officials acting within the scope of their
duties;
8. Any conduct which constitutes a violation of a federal, state or local law. College
officials will cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in any investigation of
such violations.
Students remain subject to federal, state and local laws; violation of these laws may
lead to prosecution by agencies or persons, in addition to disciplinary action of the
College.
(Heartland Community College Code of Conduct, 2012-2014 Catalog & Student
Handbook, 184)
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a
paper, create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that
all the work, except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own.
Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
 Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
 Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
 Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own.
 Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source.
 Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic as if it were
your own.
 Using another person’s project or another person’s work as if it were your own.
[Adapted from the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009:51-61]
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism. The penalties for
plagiarism may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular piece of work, failure in
the course or expulsion from school in extreme cases.
Many plagiarism problems can be remedied by citing the sources of the original work.
When in doubt, cite the source according to the style your instructor directs. Usually this
is APA or MLA Style. Don’; ; t be daunted by citing sources which are not books. You
can cite everything – including pamphlets, maps, cereal boxes, telephone
conversations, movies, television shows, Internet and world-wide web sites. Most cases
of plagiarism arise from carelessness or haste. Violators often attempt to excuse
themselves by saying that they were not told of the nature of plagiarism. You have been
told. You must not include either the phrases or ideas of another writer in your papers
without acknowledgment. Otherwise, you are stealing. Plagiarism is dishonest. It is
cheating and is subject to severe penalties. It may endanger your whole career. Don't
do it.
Syllabi Disclaimer:
The schedule may change if circumstances demand it. I will announce any necessary
changes on Blackboard and/or in class.
Remember that the week in this course will be Monday through Sunday!
DWC=Documents of Western Civilization
WCiv=Western Civilization
All other readings are included in the “Documents” area on Blackboard.
Week/
Reading
Assignment(s) Due
Date
Week 1: Introduction to Class and Sources for Studying History
Monday 19 –
Sunday 25
August
“How to Read a Primary
Source Document,” DWC,
xi-xiv.
DUE by Sunday 25 August, 11:59 P.M.:
Blackboard Assignments
Week 2:The Ancient Near East: The Earliest Civilizations (The Civilization of the Ancient
Near East)
Monday 26 –
Sunday 1
September
WCiv, chapter 1; DWC
1.1-2, 1.4, 2.1; articles on
Earliest Musical
Instruments, Neolithic
Community Centers, and
Ancient Egyptian Hair Gel
DUE by Sunday 1 September, 11:59
P.M.:
Short Essays 1 & 2
Week 3:The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires (The Civilization of the Ancient
Near East)
*Deadline to Withdraw with Refund: Friday 30 August
College closed Monday 2 September for Labor Day
Classes are not in session
Tuesday 3 –
Sunday 8
September
WCiv, chapter 2; DWC
2.2-2.3; Readings on
Solomon, and Herodotus
on the Customs of the
Persians
DUE by Sunday 8 September, 11:59
P.M.:
Puzzle Piece 1
Short Essays 3 & 4
Blogging
Week 4: The Civilization of the Greeks (Hellenic Civilization)
Monday 9 –
Sunday 15
September
WCiv, chapter 3; DWC,
2.4-3.4; excerpt from
Aristophanes’ Lysistrata
DUE by Sunday 15 September, 11:59
P.M.:
Research Paper Topics
Blogging
Week 5: The Hellenistic World (Hellenic Civilization)
Monday 16 –
Sunday 22
September
WCiv, chapter 4; DWC
4.1-4.4; excerpt from
Aristotle’s Politics
DUE by Sunday 22 September, 11:59
P.M.:
Puzzle Piece 2
Short Essays 5 & 6
Week 6: The Roman Republic (The Roman World)
Monday 23 –
Sunday 29
September
WCiv, chapter 5; DWC,
5.1-5.4; excerpt from
Sallust on the Catilinarian
Conspiracy
DUE by Sunday 29 September, 11:59
P.M.:
Short Essays 7 & 8
Blogging
Week 7: The Roman Empire (The Roman World)
Monday 30
September –
Sunday 6
October
WCiv, chapter 6; DWC,
6.1-6.4; article on
Gladiator School
DUE by Sunday 6 October, 11:59 P.M.:
Blogging
Week 8: Mid-Term Examination
Monday 7 –
Sunday 13
October
Mid-term Examination
DUE by Sunday 13 October, 11:59 P.M.:
Mid-term Examination
Week 9: Late Antiquity and the Emergence of the Medieval World (The Byzantine
Recovery and the challenge of Islam)
Monday 14 –
Sunday 20
October
WCiv, chapter 7; DWC
7.3-8.3
DUE by Sunday 20 October, 11:59 P.M.:
Short Essays 9 & 10
Puzzle Piece 3
Week 10: European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750-1000 (Charlemagne and
the Carolingian Empire)
Monday 21 –
Sunday 27
October
WCiv, chapter 8; DWC
8.4-9.3; Readings on
Hagia Sophia; article on
Viking Burial
DUE by Sunday 27 October, 11:59 P.M.:
Blogging
Week 11: The Recovery and Growth of European Society in the High Middle Ages (The
High Middle Ages)
Monday 28
October –
Sunday 3
November
WCiv, chapter 9; DWC
9.4; 11.1-11.4
DUE by Sunday 3 November, 11:59
P.M.:
Short Essays 11 & 12
Puzzle Piece 4
Week 12: The Rise of Kingdoms and the Growth of Church Power (The High Middle
Ages; The Crusades)
Monday 4 –
Sunday 10
November
WCiv, chapter 10; DWC
10.1-10.2; Philip
Augustus Expels French
Jews; Letters of Saint
Dominic
DUE by Sunday 10 November, 11:59
P.M.:
Blogging
*Deadline to Withdraw without Refund: Wednesday 6 November
Week 13: Research Paper and Video Activity
Monday11 –
Sunday 17
November
None
DUE by Sunday 17 November, 11:59
P.M.:
Research Papers
Video Activity
Week 14: The Later Middle Ages: Crisis and Disintegration in the Fourteenth Century
(The Late Middle Ages)
Monday 18 –
Sunday 24
November
WCiv, chapter 11; DWC
13.1-13.4
DUE by Sunday 24 November, 11:59
P.M.:
Puzzle Piece 5
Week 15: Recovery and Rebirth: The Age of the Renaissance (The Renaissance)
Monday 25
November –
Sunday 1
December
WCiv, chapter 12; DWC
14.1-14.4; Nicolo Nicoli,
“A Humanist’s Passion for
the Classics”
None
Week 16: Review for Final Examination
Monday 2–
Sunday 8
December
None
None
Final Exam: Available Monday 9 – Friday 13 December, ONLINE via Blackboard.
The Final Exam will cover material from weeks 9-16 and it will include cumulative
questions.
If there is any reason you cannot take the final exam during the scheduled
availability time, you MUST contact me NO LATER THAN Sunday 1 December.