Goals and Approach:

Obviously with a task so large at hand and only one semester to work with, we will need some organizing principles and main themes to guide us. The most central concept in this course is that of culture. Rather than nations or peoples (though we will use these terms as well), this course emphasizes thinking about societies in terms of what people at all levels of all societies have done and do every day to get on. Thus while we must not and cannot ignore events, we will look at events in the context of a culture's development, rather than simply studying the events for their own sake. To understand past cultures in this course we will do two things: 1) look at how they developed practices and institutions to sustain themselves (traditions) and 2) examine their response to problems and their relationships with other cultures and peoples (i.e. their place in the world). Though we will quite literally cover the world in this term, we will give most of our attention to the places where most of the world's peoples were interacting: Eurasia and Africa.

In addition to learning about past societies and how they worked, the purpose of this course is also to teach you some skills that historians (and many who are not historians such as lawyers, doctors, and computer scientists) use all the time: critical thinking and critical reading; writing and effective oral communication; and interpretation.

To see the CU General Education Skills this course emphasizes click on the hypetext in this sentence.

Textbook & Reader:

Robert E. Strayer, Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, vol. 1, To 1500 (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009) [Required]

World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader, second edition, edited by Peter Stearns (New York: NYU Press, 2008) [Required]

Primary Sources and Other Materials:

Stewart Gordon, When Asia was the World: Traveling Merchants, Scholars, Warriors, and Monks Who Created the "Riches of the East" (Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press, 2008) [Required]

Online secondary and primary sources linked to the online syllabus that will be necessary for the reaction papers or other class activities [Required]

On-line Reference Books and Helpful Resources: If you have questions that the readings, lectures, and class activities do not answer I recommend using the online resources you can access by clicking on the hypertext in this sentence.

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Requirements:
Course work consists of four categories of graded elements: participation, 3 reaction papers, 3 quizzes, and 1 comprehensive, essay-based final examination.

Participation (100 points):

a. Discussion (50 points): Participation in discussion is required.  I will gauge your discussion grade by your performance on particular days indicated with a *** in the schedule of assignments and readings.  On these days you can earn up to 5 points.

b. Informal Writings (50 points): There will be 5 short thinking exercises of 1 to 2 type-written pages in length that prepare you for the source papers you will write this term or allow you to explore course material further.

c. Base Points: Each of you starts with 20 points' worth of participation credit.  This is equivalent to missing two Informal Writings or four discussion days.  Thus, if you have out-of-class activities, these points will allow you to miss several days' of discussion or miss an informal writing or two without hurting your participation mark.

d. Credit for Participation: A perfect scorce in participation is 100 points, meaning that an A requires 90 points, a B 80 points, a C 70 points, a D 60 points, with anything below that an F.

Source Paper 1: A Collection of Mesopotamian Laws
Source Paper 2: Women's Worlds (follow the instructions for Paper #2d)
Source Paper 3: Paper #3:Defining Your Own Intercultural Zone (follow the instructions for Paper # 4c)

Quizzes (120 points):  There will be 3 online quizzes that you will take via the course's  Blackboard module that are closed notes, closed book, and during which you may not consult any other websites, each of which is worth 60 points. The quizzes, which will entail analytical thinking and writing, will prepare you for the final examination.  I will drop the lowest of your three quiz scores and you will be allowed two attempts on each quiz, with the highest of those two scores being counted.  You will be automatically enrolled in the Blackboard module for the course, which you can access as you would other Blackboard-based courses.  For those unfamiliar with how to access Blackboard see the following web-page: http://www.cameron.edu/online/blackboard_faqs.html.

Final Examination (180 points): There will be a comprehensive final examination consisting of short-answer and essay components.

Grading Breakdown:

General Policies:

Classroom Environment: Talking to your classmates or others outside the context of classroom activities is rude and will not be tolerated.  Reading outside materials, listening to music, taking telephone calls on your cell-phone, and similar non-class related activities are equally unacceptable.  I expect all students to be respectful of one another's right to speak and express opinions.  Disagreements and different viewpoints are welcome, but debates should not involve insults.  Finally, food and drink are permitted in class as long as courtesy is observed; e.g. if you haven't quite finished your cup of coffee, do bring it along to class, but turning the classroom into a cafeteria is not permissible.  

Late Informal Writings: No late informal writings will be accepted, so don't ask.

Missed Quizzes and Examinations:  There will be no make-ups for quizzes.  I will, however, drop your lowest quiz score, so if you happen to miss a quiz, I will only count the scores on the other quizzes that you do take.  Make-ups for the final examination are granted to the student at the instructor's discretion and only with a legitimate (e.g. a medical emergency) and documented reason.

Academic Dishonesty: The following statement encapsulates university policy on academic misconduct: "Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach.  Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty¦ will be subject to disciplinary action."  Additional information is provided in the Cameron University Code of Student Conduct at: http://www.cameron.edu/student_development/student_conduct

Among the most serious offenses a student can commit is plagiarism, which is the representation of the work of another as your own. In all of the writing you do for this course you must make clear to me which ideas in a paper are your own and which come from someone else. This is especially important for any formal essays you write. In such essays you must cite all primary and secondary sources you use in accordance with the proper conventions.  Instructions on the basics of citation may be found under the general guidelines for papers and can and should be consulted before any formal essays come due.  If for some reason you do not choose to examine this page, know that you will not be exempt from following its guidelines.  In cases of plagiarism, the Department of History and Government at CU follows the policy for academic dishonesty in the CU Code of Student Conduct.  Penalties for plagiarism as defined by the Student Code of Conduct include:

a. The student may be required to perform additional academic work/project not required
of other students in the course;
b. The student may be required to withdraw from the course with a grade of “W” or “F”;
or
c. The student’s grade in the course or on the examination or other academic work affected
by the dishonesty may be reduced to any extent, including a reduction to failure.

Website for this office:

http://www.cameron.edu/sss/disability.html#1727