Professor Charles Evans
Office hours (room 308): MR (8:30-9:30 AM, 11:00 AM-12:15 PM) 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
history of the world from about 3000 BCE to 1600 CE and allows students to reach a basic
understanding of the historical development of the world's major civilizations and their main
characteristics. The course also helps students to develop an understanding of the academic
discipline of history and supports the general educational goals of 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
Duiker/Spielvogel, World History to 1500 (Volume III). There are a
number of short paperbacks required: Gilgamesh; Confucius, Analects;
Ramayana;
Bartolomé De Las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (Any editions are acceptable).
ONLINE ITEMS: The www site for this course is
novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/campus/HIS111/syllabus.html.
All of the class materials, assignments and some of the very short readings are
linked at that site.
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.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
| Week 1 |
24 August, Thursday: Introduction
Assignment for class: Read the Textbook Introduction
|
| Week 2 |
28 August, Monday: The Geography of the Modern World; What is History?
Assignment for class: Read the Guizot excerpt on civilization. Please note that many of these links are to assignments/readings from
various NOVA Online courses. Use the "BACK" button on your browser to return to this syllabus. You may print out whatever
information you feel is necessary.
31 August, Thursday: Document Analysis
Assignment: read the sample
documentary
and Hammurabi analyses.
|
| Week 3 |
4 September, Monday: NO CLASS
7 September, Thursday: Electronic History
Assignment: Browse the web.
|
| Week 4 |
11 September, Monday: Near East Origins
Assignment for class: read the textbook chapter 1.
14 September, Thursday: Gilgamesh
Assignment for class: Review the short
background information on Gilgamesh; read
Gilgamesh and answer the study questions.
|
| Week 5 |
18 September, Monday: Classical Mediterranean
Assignment for class: read the textbook chapters 4 and 5;
read the Pericles Funeral Oration
and be prepared to write the required paragraph; review the general comments on
papers in this course; submit the
Gilgamesh paper. The Gilgamesh
paper is due by the start of class. If you are not in class, you may e-mail me the paper
before the start of class.
18 September, Monday: Discussion of first papers
|
| Week 6 |
25 September, Monday: Classical South Asia
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 2; Review the general comments on
papers in this course; submit the
Things Fall Apart paper;
read the Textbook chapter 30.
28 September, Thursday: Ramayana discussion
Assignment for class: Review the
short background
information on All Quiet on the Western Front, read Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front and
answer the study questions.
|
| Week 7 |
2 October, Monday: Mesoamerica
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 6; Review the general comments on
papers in this course; submit the
Remarque paper
5 October, Thursday: video: Popol Vuh
|
| Week 8 |
9 October, Monday: NO CLASS
12 October, Thursday: Classical China
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 3; view the general comments on
papers in this course; submit the
Remarque paper
|
| Week 9 |
16 October, Monday: Confucius discussion
19 October, Thursday: Byzantium and Eastern Europe
Assignment for class: Read the appropriate textbook pages on Russia,
Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire in chapter 12; review
some excerpts from Mao's Little Red Book
|
| Week 10 |
23 October, Monday: Midterm exam
26 October, Thursday: Discussion of midterm exams
Assignment for class: Read the Textbook chapters 37 and 41; review
some excerpts from Mao's Little Red Book
|
| Week 11 |
30 October, Monday: Islam and Empire
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 7.
2 November, Thursday: African Society
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 8; submit the
Article abstract.
|
| Week 12 |
6 November, Monday: South and East Asia
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapters 9 and 10.
9 November, Thursday: Japan
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 11; submit the
web site evaluation.
|
| Week 13 |
13 November, Monday: Charlemagne
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 12.
16 November, Thursday: Renaissance and Reformation
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapters 13 and 15.
|
| Week 14 |
20 November, Monday: Renaissance: video: Art of the Western World
23 November, Thursday: NO CLASS
|
| Week 15 |
27 November, Monday: Exploration
Assignment for class: Read the textbook chapter 14; browse.
30 November, Thursday: De Las Casas discussion
|
| Week 16 |
4 December, Monday: Final Review
Assignment for class: Extra
credit presentations
|
| Week 17 |
Final exam (8:30 a.m., Thursday, 14 December)
Assignment for class: Course Evaluation
|
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is expected.
It is also expected that students are prepared for class. Absences beyond
two (2) will result in a reduced grade for class discussion (five points
deducted from class discussion grade for each absence in excess of two).
Excessive late arrival will also affect class grade (every three late arrivals
will be counted as one class absence).
GRADES:
-
200 points book papers (4, one-page papers)
-
50 points article abstract (one-page paper)
-
50 points A HREF="Assignments.html#Evaluation">web site evaluation (one-page paper)
-
200 points midterm exam
-
200 points final exam
-
300 points class discussion (may include surprise
quizzes, papers and/or group work)
-
Total of 1,000 points (plus possible
extra credit)
NOTE THAT PROPER GRAMMAR, SPELLING
AND STYLE ARE AN INHERENT, AND NECESSARY, PART OF EACH ASSIGNMENT IN THIS
COURSE.
NOTE THAT ANY ASSIGNMENT NOT HANDED IN
ON TIME WILL BE REDUCED BY FIVE POINTS PER CALENDAR DAY.
|