A number of elements of this course change every semester. Others stay the same! If you've seen an earlier syllabus and it looked similar, don't assume that you know how things will work THIS semester. I tweak assignments and tests every semester and sometimes throw out the old bits entirely.
I have two overarching goals for the course: the first is to give you the ability to describe world history since 1500 in terms of its main eras or periods. Many of you can do this for US history, for example. You probably know periods like the Colonial and Revolutionary Era; Early Republic and Ante-Bellum Period; Civil War; Gilded and Progressive Age; Great Depression and World War II; Cold War and the Great Society, etc. And you might be able to describe some of the specific historical events and trends within those periods. You might even be able to make a similar list for the history of Western Europe. By the end of this class I aim for you to be able to describe the main eras of world history and to be able to name some of the critical events that lead historians to assign those labels.
The second goal is to give you an understanding of the reasons why history is multi-centric. There is no single region, not even Western Europe, that can be seen as the single driving force in world history. I'll ask you to explain how environmental factors, cultural contact, and economic forces explain the changing role of different regions [China, Europe, the Middle East, etc.] in world history. The Chinese historian Robert Marks and the religious historian Karen Armstrong will introduce us to the idea that civilization was not invented in Europe and that there was nothing inevitable about the great global power held by the U.S. and its Western European allies at the beginning of the 21st century.
There are two more things you need to know about the course. One is that it is focused on active learning. That is, I believe you learn a lot more by making and explaining things, than by merely watching and listening to me. Although there are lectures, quizzes, and two exams, I will ask you to complete projects using tools like PowerPoint, GoogleEarth, Screencastle, and other widely available programs.
The second is that the course has an option for students who are considering teaching in the Texas public high school system. You can chose to do your class project based on “Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies,” a document that lists 81 intellectual tasks a high school student should be able to complete after completing a one-year course in world history.
After successfully completing this class, students will be able to:
In terms of your computer equipment, I highly recommend that you have broadband access. The course lectures are delivered in streaming format and most weeks you will need to view as much about 90 minutes of these lectures.
You will also need a reasonably powerful computer, especially if you choose to do your project on Google Earth. You can find the minimum and recommended hardware specifications for Google Earth on http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/.
I also require you to submit files in a PowerPoint format that I can read on my computers, which are all PCs. Though I will help you with some of the specific software, including Google Earth, you are on your own with any technical problems, including the speed of your internet connection or the processing power of your computer.
When it comes to class projects you will be able to pick from a list that will determine some of the software you will need for the course.
At the end of the semester, students who have accumulated 900 or more points will receive a "A"; 800 to 899 is a "B"; 700 to 799 is a "C"; and 600 to 699 is "D". Less than 600 points is a failing grade.
| Assignment | Points |
|---|---|
| Syllabus quiz | 50 |
| 10 weekly quizzes @10pts | 100 |
| 8 weekly discussions @12pts | 96 |
| 2 ShowNTells @77 | 154 |
| Project draft | 75 |
| PowerPoint1 | 75 |
| PowerPoint2 | 150 |
| Project | 150 |
| Final exam | 150 |
| TOTAL | 1000 |
We’ll start this course with a multiple-choice quiz over the course syllabus documents and policies. Like all our quizzes, you can take it twice and keep the highest score.
On a weekly basis, you’ll read our 3 books and watch on-line lectures in screencast format. Some of the lectures will review important or difficult elements of the reading, but most will go deeper into historical topics. You’ll have around 90 minutes of screencast lectures to watch every week, with a weekly quiz on the content. You’ll be able to take each quiz twice within a 9-day window. Your highest score will count.
Also known as "Show'N'Tell'N'Discuss". The fundamental idea of the discussion board is to get a better understanding of the historical era that we are studying that week. For each week of the semester there will be up to 4 people who have signed up for a "Show'N'Tell'N'Discuss" assignment. Each person will do this assignment twice during the semester. The idea is to find "cool" materials on the internet that illustrate one or more aspects of the historical era that we're currently studying, post them for the class and start discussion. Here are the 4 categories: historical image, graph or map, primary source, or video. Everyone else will join the discussion. I expect you to make at least two postings a week to the discussion board. These discussion boards are your best way to study for the final exam.
A few weeks into the class you’ll make a PowerPoint file with about a dozen slides about the first two chapters of Karen Armstrong’s History of Islam. These slides will answer a specific question tied to the overall goals of the course. You’ll use images and text to illustrate the following template sentence: “Some people think ________ about _________. But Karen Armstrong says __________.” I’ll provide each student with specific feedback about his or her project and you'll turn in another PowerPoint file on a different question near the end of the semestser. I'll provide a more detailed assignment description later. Deadlines are in the class schedule, below.
A couple of weeks into the semester you’ll complete a draft of your project. I'll return it with comments and you'll turn in the final version at the end of the semester. Deadlines are in the class schedule, below. You have three options for the project.
At the end of the semester, you’ll take a final exam, based on the material covered in the weekly on-line discussions. This will consist of two or three essay questions based on materials posted on the discussion boards. For each question I'll give you one or two of the materials [image, map, graph, video, primary source] we've discussed and ask you to describe the historical era related to that material. You'll also need to explain what aspect of the historical era is illustrated by those materials.
"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2)
It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.
I realize that you may not clearly understand what plagiarism is depending on your previous academic experiences. Please ask me for clarification if you have any questions after reading the following paragraph.
Plagiarism occurs when you present someone else's words or ideas as your own. Avoid plagiarism in all class assignments, including on-line discussion boards, and Google Earth placemarks, as well as more traditional papers and projects. When you copy paragraphs, sentences, and phrases from someone else, from the Internet, from encyclopedias, or from other works you are committing plagiarism. What you may not realize is that paraphrasing (copying a sentence and changing a few key words) is also plagiarism. Avoid plagiarism by always explaining ideas in your own language. If you must reproduce someone else's words, use quotation marks and give that writer credit in a footnote or endnote.
I adhere to the UTA policies for academic integrity which you can find on this page: http://www.uta.edu/studentaffairs/conduct/saiconstitutes.html
Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.
The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at http://www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364.
The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.
See the university policy in the UTA catalog.
Each of our 11 units starts on a Monday and goes until midnight Wednesday the following week. So the unit that starts on M 6-06, ends on W 6-15 at midnight. This means you have 10 days to complete each unit quiz and post your discussion.
| Unit | Start date | Topic | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M 6-06 | Intro to World History | Syllabus quiz; regular quiz on lectures |
| Read Burke 3-8; Marks 1-16 | |||
| Disc board: Introduction; Sign up for 2 ShowNTells | |||
| 2 | M 6-13 | Era 4: Interregional Unity | Read Burke, 37-44; Marks 21-39 |
| The World Circa 1450 | Take lecture quiz; participate in discussion board | ||
| 3 | M 6-20 | Era 5: The Great | Burke, 45-52; Marks: 43-64; quiz; disc. board |
| Global Convergence, | Review project instructions on Blackboard | ||
| 1400-1800 | Email Dr. G. about project choice | ||
| 4 | M 6-27 | Era 5: The Great | quiz; disc. board |
| Global Convergence | Armstrong, 3-37 and 39-77; | ||
| 5 | M 7-04 | Era 5: Convergence | Marks 67-92; review Burke, 45-52; |
| in the Americas | quiz; disc. board; PowerPoint1 due Fri 7-08 | ||
| 6 | M 7-11 | Era 6: The Age of | Burke, 53-62; Marks, 95-119 |
| Revolutions, 1750-1914 | quiz; disc. board | ||
| 7 | M 7-18 | Era 6: The Age of | Marks 123-151 quiz; disc. board; |
| Revolutions, 1750-1914 | Project draft (review instructions) due Fri 7-22 | ||
| 8 | M 7-25 | Era 7: A Half-Century of | Burke, 63-70; Marks 155-194 |
| Crisis, 1900-50 | quiz; disc. board | ||
| 9 | M 8-01 | Era 7: Crisis | Armstrong, 115-140 |
| quiz; disc. board; Project Due Fri 8-05 | |||
| 10 | M 8-08 | Era 8: Paradoxes of | Burke, 71-79; Marks, 199-207; quiz; disc. board; |
| Global Acceleration | Armstrong, 140-187 | ||
| 11 | M 8-16 | Final Exam | PowerPoint2 due Tues 8-17 |
Date: 2011-05-19 21:37:40 CDT
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