History
121 Dr. George Vascik
Western Civilization to 1500 572 Mosler Hall
Tuesday/Thursday 785-3272
The objectives of this class are
three-fold: to encourage historical thinking and awareness; to help the student
think critically about the past and its impact upon our present lives and
institutions; and to stimulate the student to view the study of history as
fertile ground for life-long learning and personal enrichment. Making sense of over 5000 years of recorded
history is a daunting task - some important people, trends, societies and
events can be discussed, others will remain unmentioned. Every instructor must pick and choose among
unlimited possibilities in such a way that he or she can present human history
as a coherent whole. To accomplish that
task, I have decided that this course will concentrate upon three interwoven
threads of human development: 1) how people lived their lives in the past; 2) what sort of structures of governance
various societies have developed and how the individual related to those
structures; and 3) humanity's confrontation with the infinite - how men and
women understood the universe, their place within it, and the religious
institutions they created.
We will be
using one textbook and four supplemental texts for this course:
McKay,
Hill, Buckler, A History of Western Society (HWS).
Gilgamesh. A verse narrative.
Steven Pressfield, Gates
of Fire.
Einhardt and Notker, Two
Lives of Charlemagne.
Machiavelli, The
Prince.
Assigned readings from these texts should
be completed prior to the class in which they will be discussed. If you don't read, you will be unable to
follow the lectures. To that end, we
will have weekly quizzes on the assigned texts.
You cannot expect to successfully complete the class without completing
the reading. To profit the most from
this class, students should plan on reading the textbook twice, once (rather quickly) prior to the lecture in which the
relevant topic will be discussed, and a second (more thorough) time after
lecture, to insure comprehension. If you
underline or highlight, it would be best to do so during the second reading.
You will be
able to access this syllabus, study guides and other materials relevant to this
course in two locations. I suggest that
you try first at a site linked to my home page, http://www.ham.muohio.edu/~vascikgs/HST121.html.
Grades
Student's
grades are derived from two sources: the individual student's comprehension of
the material covered in lectures, and the assigned reading material. A
passing grade will require mastery of both.
All grades will be determined in the following manner:
5
of 7 textbook quizzes 10%
Gilgamesh
quiz 10%
Pressfield
quiz 10%
Einhard
quiz 10%
Machiavelli
quiz 10%
midterm
examination 25%
final
examination 25%
There will be no curve. Students must take all exams at the scheduled
time. If for any reason you can not make
an exam, you must contact me before the exam in given. Otherwise, a make-up will only be possible
with a doctor's or mechanic's excuse.
According to the Student Handbook, a student may
withdraw from a full-semester course through the ninth calendar week of the
semester. After the end of the ninth
week, a student may NOT withdraw from a course unless a petition is approved by
the Interdivisional Committee of Advisors.
For the full policy, see:
www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/
Office Hours
I will be holding office hours on
Monday and Wednesday from 1:00-4:00, and on Tuesday and Thursday from
1:00-2:15. If these hours are not
convenient, I’m glad to arrange an appointment at another time. My office phone (785-3272) is equipped with voice
mail, so if I am not in the office or the line is busy, you can always leave me
a message. You are also welcome to call
me at home at 523-9990, or e-mail me at vascikgs@muohio.edu.
Course Outline
8/23 Course Introduction
8/25 Film: “The Birth of Civilization.” HWS,
pp. 1-9.
The Near Eastern Roots of Western
Civilization
8/30 Ancient
9/1 Mesopotamian Civilization, HWS,
pp. 10-15.
9/8 Quiz and discussion of Gilgamesh
9/13 Bronze Age
9/15 Greek
Society, HWS, pp. 60-70. Quiz
9/20 Greek Government.
9/22 The Persian Wars. HWS, pp. 70-93. Quiz
9/27 Alexander and Hellenism, HWS,
pp. 95-123.
9/29 Quiz
and discussion of Pressfield Gates of Fire.
10/4 Roman Society. HWS, pp. 125-130
10/6 The
10/11 The Roman Civil War, HWS, pp. 142-161.
10/13 The Pax Romana. HWS, pp. 167-175.
10/18 Christianity and the Classical
Tradition, HWS, pp. 161-167, 191-206.
10/20 Midterm examination
The Making of
10/25 Constantine the Great. HWS,
pp. 175-189. Quiz
10/27 The "Fall" of
11/1 The
11/3 Quiz
and discussion of Two Lives of Charlemagne
11/8 Life in Feudal
11/10 Church and Society HWS, pp. 318-329. Quiz
11/15 Anglo-Saxon
11/17 Norman England & the Medieval
State, HWS, pp. 331-345. Quiz
The Age of Discovery and Expansion
11/22 The Revival of Towns and Trade, HWS,
pp. 346-375.
11/24 Thanksgiving holiday
11/29 The Crisis of the 14th Century, HWS,
pp. 379-392.
12/1
12/6 The Renaissance World, HWS,
pp. 413-451.
12/8 Quiz
and discussion of The Prince
Grading scale
|
97-100 |
A+ |
77-79 |
C+ |
|
94-96 |
A |
74-76 |
C |
|
90-93 |
A- |
70-73 |
C- |
|
87-89 |
B+ |
67-69 |
D+ |
|
84-86 |
B |
64-66 |
D |
|
80-83 |
B- |
60-63 |
D- |
Under
59
|
F
|
||
Grade Calculation Chart
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Test |
Grade |
Conversion |
Points |
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1st text quiz |
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(drop 2 lowest) |
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2nd text quiz |
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grade x 1 = |
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3rd text quiz |
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grade x 1 = |
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4th text quiz |
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grade x 1 = |
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5th text quiz |
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grade x 1 = |
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6th text quiz |
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grade x 1 = |
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7th text quiz |
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grade x 1 = |
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Gilgamesh |
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grade x .10 = |
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Pressfield |
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grade x .10 = |
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Charlemagne |
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grade x .10 = |
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Machiavelli |
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grade x .10 = |
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Midterm |
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grade x .25 = |
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Final |
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grade x .25 = |
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Total grade |
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