Professor Charles Evans
Office hours (room 308): TF (1100-1215) and by appointment
Office phone: 703.450.2520
Division phone: 703.450.2505
Division fax: 703.404.7368
Phone mailbox at NOVA Online: 703.323.3713#0846
NOVA Online fax: 703.323.3392
E-mail: cevans@nvcc.edu
Home page: novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/default.htm
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES: This course
reviews the general history of the West from its beginnings around 3000
BCE to approximately 1600 CE and allows students to reach a basic understanding
of the roots and characteristic features of the West. The course also helps
students to develop an understanding of the academic discipline of history
and supports the general educational goals of historians and the college.
Grading in the course is based on written assignments and on class work
that demonstrates critical thinking. It is expected that students possess
college-level writing skills. It is recommended that students should have
already taken (or be taking) English composition.
BOOKS: The text for the course is
Perry, Western Civilization (Volume 1), which comes shrink-wrapped
with Rand-McNally, Historical Atlas of the World. There are a number
of short paperbacks required: Gilgamesh; Song of Roland;
Chaucer, Canterbury Tales and Machiavelli, The Prince. (Any
editions are acceptable).
ONLINE ITEMS: The web site for this course is
novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/campus/HIS101/syllabus.html. All
of the class materials and assignments are available on that site. Please note that
this course is closely
linked to the NOVA Online version of HIS 101,
novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS101/Index.html.
Try not to get lost!
ACCOMMODATION: If there is any student
in this class who has the need for some form of classroom accommodation, please feel free to
discuss this with me or one of the college's counselors.
PLAGIARISM: Any student caught plagiarizing
or cheating in this course will be subject to appropriate disciplinary
action. Please read and understand my plagiarism policy.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
| Week 1 |
24 August, Tuesday: Course Introduction
27 August, Friday: Navigating the Web
What to do before class:
- Check out these interesting websites:
- Review the sample document and Hammurabi
analyses
What we will do in class:
- Students will alternate
going to the Waddell building, room 226, for instruction on how to log on to
the NVCC LAN and to access their official student email.
- Detailed review of the course syllabus
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 2 |
31 August, Tuesday: What is history?
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss Guizot and
conceptions of civilization in small groups (10 points)
- Write your first history papers in a small group (25 points)
- Questions and comments
3 September, Friday: Ancient Near East
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss Gilgamesh and the Ancient Near East
- Answer the Gilgamesh
study sheet questions (16 points)
- Group work on a draft Gilgamesh paper (25 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 3 |
7 September, Tuesday: Judaism
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 2
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Check the specific writing requirements of this
course as explained in
Charlie's History Writing Center
- Write
the Gilgamesh
paper and bring
the completed paper to
class. Do not try and participate in the online discussion described in
the NOVA Online course. If you are not in class, you may e-mail me the paper
before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Read
the Genesis excerpt.
- Extra Credit: Answer the Genesis
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
What we will do in class:
- Discuss Genesis and the emergence of Judaism
- Group work on the Genesis paragraph (25 points)
- Questions and comments
10 September, Friday: Discussion of the Gilgamesh papers
What to do before class:
- Relax
- Extra Credit: Write a one-page paper (maybe
two pages if they are exceptional) that provides a detailed comparison of
Gilgamesh and Genesis (You may wish to read more
of Genesis for your comparison.) and email to me before the start of class for an additional 25-50 points
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 4 |
14 September, Tuesday: Athens
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 3-4
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Read
the Pericles Funeral Oration
- Complete the
Pericles paragraph assignment and bring to class
- Extra Credit: Answer the Pericles
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 14 points
- Extra Credit: Read Plato's
Allegory of the Cave and write a one-page paper (In your own words explain the
allegory and indicate why it is important.) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to
me.
- Extra Credit: Read the "Melian Dialogue" from the
Greek historian Thucydides. In a one-page paper, assess the relevance of some of the issues
touched on in the "Dialogue" to recent (last 25 years) international politics
for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to
me.
- Extra Credit: Read the documents
associated with the
Trial of Socrates,
including Plato's Apology. In a one-page
paper (maybe two pages), note and explain the main points of Socrates' defense
for a maximum of 25 points. Email your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Ancient Greece (Bring your Pericles paragraph to class)
- Group work on the
Pericles paragraph or other assignment (25 points)
- Questions and comments
17 September, Friday: Rome
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 5-7
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Print out the Rome study sheet and bring to class
- Review my instructions for
Electronic Submission of assignments
- Read the online news article,
Employers Urge Workers to Improve Writing
- Extra Credit: Read Cicero's essay
"On Duties" (De officiis), sometimes called "On Moral Duties" (www.constitution.org/rom/de_officiis.htm)
and write a one-page
paper (What would you conclude was Cicero's world view or
philosophy of life?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Read excerpts from Julius Caesar's
Commentaries on the Gallic Wars (either the MIT
or UVA version) and write a one-page
paper (What would you consider to have been Caesar's strengths as a military
commander?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Read some of Plutarch's biography of
Julius Caesar and his
account of Caesar's assassination and write a one-page
paper (What were the main motivations of the assailants who killed Caesar?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Read excerpts from the Meditations of
Emperor Marcus Aurelius and write a one-page
paper (What were some of the principles of the Roman philosophy of stoicism reflected in these Meditations?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Ancient Rome
- Watch a video clip from Spartacus
- Watch twenty-seven minute Art of the Western World: Rome
- Complete the Rome study sheet (12 points), which you will then email to me before the
start of the next class
- Review my instructions for
Electronic Submission of assignments
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 5 |
21 September, Tuesday: Christianity
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 8
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Read the
Sermon on the Mount (Prepare for
surprise quiz in class)
- Review the
Christianity paragraph assignment
- Extra Credit: Answer the Christianity
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: Explain, in a short one or
two-page paper, the specific construction techniques used by the Romans in the
building of the Pantheon for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Read St. Augustine's
Confessions and
write a one-page paper (Why did it take Constantine so long to
accept Christianity? What was the main sin that Augustine felt he
could not overcome?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: In a short paper (one or two pages) compare and
contrast the first (Genesis) and last (Revelation) of the Christian Bible (New American
Standard Bible) for a
maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
24 September, Friday: Library Research (0930
CLASS WILL START AT 0945)
What to do before class:
- Review the article abstract assignment
- Extra Credit: As head of the city of Rome, besieged by the
barbarian Huns, in a short paper (one or two pages)
write a description, as detailed as possible, of your dinner with Attila the Hun as you try to negotiate a solution that
will save the city from being pillaged, for a
maximum of 25 points. Email your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Presentation on library resources by Ms. Jennifer
Reynolds for this and other
history assignments
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 6 |
28 September, Tuesday: Extra Credit Class Presentations
What to do before class:
- Write the article abstract
paper and email the completed paper to me
before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
What we will do in class:
1 October, Friday: Exam Preview
What to do before class:
- Read the appropriate textbook pages on Russia,
Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire (198-204)
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Read the
Primary Chronicle excerpts
- Review the requirements of the midterm exam
- Extra Credit: Answer the Primary Chronicle
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: In a one-page paper (maybe two pages),
summarize the main issues of the Iconoclasm dispute that took place in the eighth
century, using such sources as
the Catholic Encyclopedia,
John of
Damascus, the
Decree of the Second Council of Nicea,
or any other sources you wish to use, for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Read the
short version of the Russkaia pravda (the
earliest Russian law code) and write a one-page paper (Compare and contrast this
early Russian law code with
other law codes that we have noted in class, such as Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments,
etc.) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Early Rus'
- Discuss the midterm exam
- Group work to brainstorm ideas for the essay on the
midterm exam (20 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 7 |
5 October, Tuesday: Midterm Exam
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Complete the midterm exam. You will not
need to follow the NOVA Online procedures explained on the linked page. You will bring the completed test essay to class, and
take the remaining parts of the exam in class. (150 points)
8 October, Friday: Exam Review
What to do before class:
What we will do in class:
- Discuss the midterm exam
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 8 |
12 October, Tuesday: NO CLASS
15 October, Friday: Islam
What to do before class:
- Read the appropriate
textbook pages on the development of Islam (204-08)
- Check the Questions to Consider
and study the Key Terms
- Read the
Hadith selections
- Review the
Islam paragraph assignment
- Extra Credit: Answer the Hadith excerpt
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 6 points
- Extra Credit: Find three reputable
websites that contain useful information about the early history of Islam. In about
one page, summarize the information contained on each website and explain why that website
is both useful and credible for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Early Islam
- Group work on the
Islam paragraph (25 points)
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 9 |
19 October, Tuesday: Charlemagne
What to do before class:
- Read the appropriate textbook pages on Charlemagne and the Carolingian
empire (215-20)
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Review the short
background information
on the Song of Roland
- Read the Song of Roland
- Check the
study sheet questions
- Extra Credit: Answer the Song of Roland
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 24 points
- Extra Credit: Read Einhard's
Life of Charlemagne and
write a one-page paper (How did Charlemagne use the church to his advantage during his reign?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Using such sources as
The Vikings,
Vikings by the BBC,
Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga or
Vikings (and any other sites you may wish to consult),
write a one-page paper (maybe two pages), in which you argue either that the
Viking excursions were (a) beneficial or (b) harmful to the development of
Europe. Maximum of 25 points (maybe more). Email your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Charlemagne
- Group work on a draft Roland paper (20 points)
- Questions and comments
22 October, Friday: Church-State Conflict
What to do before class:
- Write
the Roland
paper and bring
the completed paper to
class. If you are not in class, you may e-mail me the paper
before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Review the Cathedral study sheet; you may
wish to bring a printed version to class
- Extra Credit: In a short
paper (one-page maximum) explain how much it cost to build a medieval
cathedral and what were some of the usual ways that the church raised money to pay for
construction. Remember to cite sources. Maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Watch Cathedral
- Complete the Cathedral study sheet (18 points), which you will then email to me before the
start of the next class
|
| Week 10 |
26 October, Tuesday: Feudalism
What to do before class:
- Read the appropriate textbook pages on the
post-Charlemagne age (chapter 10 and the remainder of chapter 9)
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Read
the Feudal Document
- Review the
feudalism paragraph assignment
- Extra Credit: Answer the Feudal Document
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: In a short
paper (one-page maximum) identify some of the key points of
chivalry and explain when and how chivalry emerged in Western Europe. Remember to cite sources. Maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Feudalism
- Group work on the
Feudalism paragraph (25 points) Class will have
LW226 available for group work
- Make choice for Friday's class
- Questions and comments
29 October, Friday: Crusades
What to do before class:
- Read the short excerpt "Arab Views of the
Crusades" that is on reserve in the
Loudoun campus library for HIS 101. You could also
check the online excerpt, which is slightly different,
Usmah ibn Munqidh
- Extra Credit: Read
Pope Urban's speech
at Clermont (There are several versions.) that started the Crusades. For 10 points, explain in a
paragraph or so what you found most amazing about the Pope's remarks. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Answer the Crusades
study sheet (refers to reading on reserve)
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 20 points
- Extra Credit: The capture of Jerusalem by the
crusaders on 15 July 1099. Good day or bad day for the Pope? One page maximum. Remember
to cite sources. Maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Remarks on the Crusades?
- Watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- Questions and comments
|
| Week 11 |
2 November, Tuesday: England and France
What to do before class:
- Write the website evaluation
paper and email the completed paper to me
before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Read
the Magna Carta
- Check King John and the Magna Carta (and other linked articles on that page)
- Extra Credit: Answer the Magna Carta
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 20 points
- Extra Credit: Having watched the
Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie and considering that the movie is a satirical comedy,
write a one-, or two, page paper (What aspects of life in the Middle Ages were well
portrayed in the film?) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Guest Lecture on Medieval England
- Extra Credit: Volunteer needed to clearly explain the
genealogical basis of William's claim to the English throne (25 points)
- Extra Credit: Volunteer needed to clearly
explain the course of the Hundred Years' War (25 points)
- Questions and comments
5 November, Friday: CLASS PROGRESS CONSULTATIONS
What to do before class:
- Total your course points so far
- Sign up to meet with me for five minutes to discuss your
course progress
- Extra Credit: Read
Cantar 1 of the Cid poem (Rose
and Bacon translation (The
Robert Southey translation from 1637 is also available.);
if you find another version on the web, please let me know; write a
one-page comparison of Muslim-Christian relations as depicted in the Song of Roland, the
"Arab Views of the Crusades" reading and the Cid poem for an additional 25 points
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 12 |
9 November, Tuesday: Life in the Late Middle
Ages
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapters 11-12
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Review the
short background
information on Chaucer
- Read the Canterbury Tales (Only those tales included in the
Dover Thrift paperback edition: General Prologue, Knight's Tale, Miller's Prologue,
Miller's Tale, Wife of Bath's Prologue and the Tale of the Wife of Bath)
- Check the
study sheet
questions
- Extra Credit: Answer the Chaucer
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 15 points
- Extra Credit: Read Dante's
Inferno and comment upon his use of allegory and the medieval conception of
the universe in a one-page paper for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
- Extra Credit: Medieval judicial procedures were
quite amazing. Write a short, one-page paper and comment upon some of the
different kinds of "trial by ordeal" practiced in the Middle Ages. Remember
to cite sources. Maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on the Middle Ages
- Group work on a draft Chaucer paper (25 points) (GROUP WORK WILL
BE DONE IN WADDELL ROOM 226)
- Questions and comments
12 November, Friday: Extra Credit Class Presentations
What to do before class:
- Write
the Chaucer paper and email the completed paper to me
before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
What we will do in class:
|
| Week 13 |
16 November, Tuesday: Renaissance (Pink Day)
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 13
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Review the short
background information
on the Machiavelli
- Read Machiavelli, The Prince
- Check the
study sheet questions
- Extra Credit: Answer the Machiavelli
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 16 points
- Extra Credit: Write a one-page paper in which you
assess the significance of the
Medici family for Renaissance
Florence for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on the Renaissance
- Group work on a draft Machiavelli paper (25 points)
- Questions and comments
19 November, Friday: Renaissance
What to do before class:
- Write
the Machiavelli
paper and email the completed paper to me
before the start of class to avoid grade penalty. (50 points)
- Review the Renaissance study sheet; you may
wish to bring a printed version to class
What we will do in class:
- Watch Art of the Western World
- Complete the Renaissance study sheet (14 points), which you will then email to me before the
start of the next class
|
| Week 14 |
23 November, Tuesday: Reformation
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 14
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Read Luther's
95 Theses (surprise
quiz or group work?)
- Write
the special project
paper and email the completed paper to me
before the start of class to avoid grade
penalty. Paper is NOT OPTIONAL. (50-100 points)
- Extra Credit: Answer the Luther
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on the Reformation
- Quick quiz on the 95 Theses (10 points)
- Questions and comments
26 November, Friday: NO CLASS
|
| Week 15 |
30 November, Tuesday: Exam Preview
What to do before class:
- Read the textbook chapter 15
- Check the Questions to Consider
and
study the Key Terms
- Read
the Columbus Journal
excerpts
- Review the requirements of the final exam
- Extra Credit: Answer the Columbus
study sheet
questions and email to me before the start of class for an additional 10 points
- Extra Credit: Before the start of class, email me the names of
Columbus' three ships on his original voyage to the Americas and the date on which
he finally found land for an additional 5 points.
- Extra Credit: See the new Hollywood blockbuster film about
Alexander the Great (Alexander opens on November 24th). Before the start of class,
email a one-page paper assessing the historical accuracy of the film (and your
recommendation) for a maximum of 25 points. Email
your paper to me.
What we will do in class:
- Some remarks on Columbus
- Discuss the final exam and the entire course
- Group work to brainstorm ideas for the essay on the
final exam (20 points)
- Questions and comments
3 December, Friday: STUDY DAY, NO CLASS
|
| Week 16 |
7 December, Tuesday: Final Exam
What to do before class:
- Study for the final exam
- Write the essay for the final exam. You
will bring your completed essay with you to class.
What we will do in class:
- Complete the final exam. You will not
need to follow the NOVA Online procedures explained on the linked page. You will bring the completed test essay to class, and
take the remaining parts of the exam in class. Please bring a completed course evaluation with you
to the exam. (250 points)
|
ATTENDANCE: Optional.
GRADES:
-
200 points, four book papers (one-page papers)
-
50 points, article abstract (one-page paper)
-
50 points, website evaluation (one-page paper)
-
150 points, midterm exam
-
250 points, final exam
-
250 points, everything else (short paragraphs, classwork,
surprise quizzes and group work)
-
50 points, special project (two-page paper)
-
1000 points total (plus possible extra credit)
Final course grade is based on the following scale:
-
1000-900: A
-
899-800: B
-
799-700: C
-
699-600: D
-
599-000: F
HOW TO EARN POINTS:
- Point values for specific assignments are indicated on
the tentative syllabus above
- Point values for specific class activities are also
on the syllabus
HOW TO EARN MORE POINTS:
- Attendance at each class is worth five (5) points.
- Bring to class a relevant question that deals with the
course content/assignment for the day (textbook, reading, etc.) is worth 1 point. Your question should be written on
a slip of paper with your name. Maximum of three questions per class per person.
- Find any course typo, spelling error or broken link is worth one (1) point. You should
email to me any of these mistakes for extra credit.
- Take a rough draft of a paper assignment to the
campus writing center for help is worth three (3) points; make sure that the writing center
notifies me.
- Resubmit a graded paper after making the corrections that
I noted is worth three (3) points; paper must be resubmitted the class immediately after
I return the graded paper to you.
- Give an extra-credit class presentation on one of the designated
days. Each report, devoted to a specific historical figure, usually lasts ten to
fifteen minutes. Students must schedule the report with me at least one week
in advance. Possible fifty (50) points.
- Create a website dealing with any specific topic within the
boundaries of this course. Topic must be approved by me first. Some of the style requirements for
this website can be found on my Web Module Creation page, which is for
my HIS 135 course. Also check my New Web Design Center. Possible point total negotiable.
PLEASE NOTE THAT PROPER GRAMMAR, SPELLING
AND STYLE ARE AN INHERENT, AND NECESSARY, PART OF EACH ASSIGNMENT IN THIS
COURSE.
You may wish to review
my Writing
Style Rules and History Paper
Guidelines. Please also check the Sample
Writing Style Mistakes. After receiving a graded paper, you can check for an
Explanation of Comments on
Assignments. This is all part of Charlie's History Writing Center.
NOTE THAT ANY ASSIGNMENT NOT HANDED IN
ON TIME WILL BE REDUCED BY FIVE POINTS PER CALENDAR DAY.
REMEMBER that technical support
information for college students is available at www.nvcc.edu/ithd/.
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