History 1B – Survey of Western Civilization

Interactive Syllabus

The Interactive Syllabus must be completed by the end of the first week of class and sent to the instructor using the form below.

Complete the  box by entering your name, email address, postal address and phone number.  Send the information to your instructor by clicking on the "Submit Answers" button at the end of the interactive syllabus.

Name: (Always use your real name in this box)
Email: (Enter your exact email address)
Postal Address: Number & Street Telephone Number:
  City, State, ZIP
Course CRN #:

Last four numbers of student ID:

User Name and Password:  

You must use a user name and password after the first week of class. Without these words you will not be able to access the course materials. The format of your username and password are clearly posted on the main page of your course. If you still need assistance with your username and password please go to this page and read the instructions: http://www.bcconline.com/orient/password.htm, to receive further assistance.
 

In the box below please explain your understanding of user names and passwords, including how you expect to receive your user name and password for this class:

Materials Required:

Textbook: Western Civilizations (Latest Edition) by Judith G. Coffin, Robert C. Stacey

In the box below please type, I have my textbook for HIST 1B or I will have it by the end of the first week of class.

Email Updates

One of the primary methods of contact in an online course is email. Your college is capable of extracting student names and email addresses from our registration system. The purpose of extracting this information is two fold. The information will be used by the instructor to remain in contact with the class in order to provide information necessary for the students' academic success. The information will also be used to send emails to the students from the college administration. The emails sent by the college administration will consist of links to course surveys which will be used to improve our online courses, important announcements for students, and links to college surveys, which will be used to satisfy requirements placed on the college by the California Community College Chancellor's Office. The college will not use this information to advertise any products and will not share student email addresses with any other organization.

In the box below type the following information:

As a student I understand it is my responsibility to ensure my email address is up to date in the registration system, and that failure to do so can seriously impact my ability to successfully complete my courses. Further, I consent to receive email communication from my instructor and from the college administration. This consent will remain in force until it is revoked in writing or I am no longer taking classes with the college. Upon submitting the syllabus, I agree to enter the registration system, check my email address and change it if necessary. I understand a tutorial is available to assist me with this procedure. I also understand I can contact 760-252-2411 x7236 to receive additional assistance if I encounter any difficulties when attempting to change my email address.

 

Course Description:

Political, cultural and philosophical development of Western Civilization from the Renaissance to the present. UC/CSU.

Objectives:

During the course of the semester, the student will:

  1. Gain a historical perspective of the 20th century through knowledge of preceding centuries as measured by a passing grade on a written examination.
  2. Acquire the historical background needed to understand the ideological warfare of the 20th century as measured by a passing grade on a written examination.
  3. Synthesize the philosophic assumptions and events of the past in order to help understand the present as measured by a passing grade on a written examination.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Define Learning Outcomes of this Course:

Students will be able to understand and explain the value of Western Civilization from the Renaissance to the present.

Students will specifically be able to:

1. Decide if Joan of Arc was a witch, a saint, or just plain crazy.

2. Define the Renaissance and discern what were the intellectual, cultural, artistic, and political accomplishments of the age.

3. Compare and contrast the ideas of Luther, Calvin, the Anglican church and the Catholic Reformation.

4. Judge if the Thirty Years War should be considered a religious war.

5. Discuss the development of Absolutism in Europe.

6. Differentiate between the major philosophical currents of the Age of Reason and the Enlightenments.

7. Analyze the causes of the French Revolution.

8. Debate the different views of Napoleon and review his accomplishments and failures.

9. Review the different stages of Industrialization.

10. Examine the rise of radicalism and its major ideas and movements.

11. Consider the positive and negative aspects of 19th century Imperialism.

12. Evaluate the causes of WWI and decide if war could have been prevents.

13. Consider the major events of WWI and discuss how the allies were able to achieve victory.

14. Judge the causes of WWII and trace the events leading to war.

15. Trace the major events of WWII and decide if unconditional surrender and the use of the atomic bomb were mistakes.

16. Decide if the Cold War could have been prevented and how Containment defeated the Soviets.

17. Understand the significance of women and diverse ethnic groups and their contributions to the course of history.

In the box below please type the objective that interests you the most as well as one reason you took this class.

Activities to achieve objectives:

In the box below please type, I understand and agree to abide by the activities listed above.

Methods of evaluation:

Substantial writing assignments, including essay exams.

Grading standards:

Grading standards: Midterm and final exams will consist of essay questions. Each exam is worth 100 points, for a total of 200 points. Topic questions, fifteen in all, are worth 10 points each, for a total of 150 points. The entire course is thus worth 350 points.

Grading Criteria:

Grade

Criteria
A

The answer shows a superior understanding of the topic.

The written response:

  1. Presents factors of central significance and explains them with substantial factual detail.
  2. Clearly shows how these factors operate
  3. Has structure and mechanics that serve content
 
B

The answer demonstrates an accurate grasp of the topic.

The written response:

  1. Presents important factors and explains them with appropriate specifics
  2. Shows less synthesis than the A paper
  3. Has structure and detailed knowledge and mechanics which usually serve content
 
C

The answer demonstrates an acceptable but common place understanding of the topic.

The written response:

  1. Presents important factors but explains them with only the most obvious specifics
  2. Delineates only the most obvious implications
  3. Has structure and mechanics which may cause the reader minor distractions
 
D

The answer demonstrates only limited understanding or partial misunderstanding of the topic.

The written response:

  1. May use unimportant factors or may explain important factors or their significance with little coherence of specificity
  2. May make a number of serious factual errors
  3. Has structure and mechanics which sometimes impede the reader's understanding
 
F

The answer demonstrates little or no grasp of the topic.

The written response:

  1. May significantly misstate facts or misinterpret them
  2. May fail completely to justify the choice of factors
  3. May be a string of generalizations
  4. Has structure and mechanics which may cause the reader significant difficulty.

The grade for each exam is as follows:

The grade for each topic question is as follows:

The grade for the entire course is as follows:

Retype the following statement in the box below:

I understand the grading standards for this course.   I realize that the midterm and final exams are worth 100 points each and that topic questions are worth 10 points each. I also understand that grades for the course will be based on the point structure listed on this syllabus.

Test Requirements:

Tests will be taken before a proctor. The exam instructions will be sent to the proctor via email. The results will be sent to you by email. Your tests will be graded and returned to you as soon as possible. Each test will consist of four essay questions from which you will choose one to answer. The test questions will be taken from the topic questions you have received prior to each test. The final exam is not comprehensive and will cover the topics after the midterm. Consequently, your answers to the topic questions are your study guides for the midterm and final. The tests are closed book and closed notes, and should take about one hour to complete.

In the box below please type, I understand the test requirements and agree to abide by them.

Topic Questions:

Your answers to the topic questions will be sent by email to my address: mcauble@bcconline.com. Your grade for each of your answers will also be sent back to you by email. You will have a topic question for each of the topics covered in the course.

Answers to topic questions should be at least 200 words. Answers that are less than 200 words will be dropped one grade. Topic questions are due the week of the assignment. Late work will be dropped one grade.

A minimum length requirement to receive an “A” in this course is 1500 words per topic. The minimum length requirement to pass this course is 200 words per topic. Please note that this length could result in a “C” or “D” grade.

In the box below please type, I understand and agree to abide by the requirements for the topic questions.

Discussion Board

You will post your topic questions on the discussion board. You are to also post a response of at least one hundred words to another student's answer to the topic question.  Posting your answer to the topic question and responding to another student's answer to the topic question is part of your topic question grade. If you fail to post your question or your response you will receive an automatic "F" for the topic question.

 Students have the option of writing an extra-credit paper. The topic and thesis must have my approval. The paper is due at the time of the final exam. It must be at least ten typed pages, have at least ten notes, and a bibliography of at least five sources. You may earn up to ten extra points.

The grade for the extra-credit paper is as follows:

A=9–10, B=8, C=7, D=6, F=0–5

In the box below please type, I understand and agree to abide by the requirements for the discussion board and understand there is an optional extra-credit paper.

ON-LINE INSTRUCTIONS:

YOU MUST FILL OUT THIS SYLLABUS IF YOU INTEND TO TAKE THE COURSE!

It is your responsibility to make sure the instructor has the all the contact information stated at the top of this syllabus by the start of classes!! It is your responsibility to email the instructor if you have any problems or do not understand this syllabus. 

It is your responsibility to confirm your enrollment either via the Internet at https://bcregweb.barstow.edu/  or by calling (760)252-2411 x7236 if you are having problems accessing the course material.  After you have confirmed your enrollment go to http://www.bcconline.com/orient/ and read the password link.  Following this procedure will ensure you are helped in the fastest manner possible.

By enrolling for this class, the assumption is that you possess the necessary skills to read at the college level, to enter and perform research on the internet, to email using proper email etiquette and to post to the discussions.

When emailing your instructor: (mcauble@bcconline.com) include your full name. Send all email with the name of the course in the subject line and Lesson No. or the words: problem, question or comment. Many times I receive email with no name in the body of the email.  Sign all email with your name as registered at school, or else you will not receive a reply and your assignment will not be graded.

You must explain the problem in the subject line, i.e., HIST 1B -- no research available. Email without an appropriate subject line will be deleted and will not be read. With the current high incidence of viruses and unsolicited email I automatically delete all email without appropriate subject lines.

Remember I do not answer email on the weekends, so 48 hours response time do not include Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. If an email stating problem, help, or question in the subject line is sent on Monday through Thursday you can expect a response within 24-48 hours.  If an email stating problem, help, or question in the subject line is sent on the weekends there will be a longer turn around time, but the email will be answered by Tuesday of the following week. 

Email assignments will have a one week turnaround time, and you should not expect an answer to a successfully submitted and completed assignment before the end of the one week turnaround time period.  Receiving graded assignments or answers to your questions before the above stated timelines have passed does not guarantee that you will receive replies that quickly in the future. 

Online classes are NOT conducted via instantaneous transmission.  Just as I am giving you a NINE day period to complete your work, I am to be given SEVEN days to reply to your assignments.  In addition, the above stated timelines apply to ALL students and ALL responses to your questions and concerns. 

I appreciate your understanding of the above stated timelines and will respond to ALL questions and concerns about this class within the timeframes stated above.

A posting place at the top of the discussion page indicates the instructor’s message board to you. Be sure to check this each week so that you don’t miss messages and clarifications; remember that sometimes no instructor posting will have been made.  Students are not to post in the instructor's posting area.  Should you have a concern with your class please email me your question.  It is not appropriate for students to post their concerns in the instructor's posting area. Students who post in the instructor's posting area will receive a warning and their posting will be deleted unanswered.  Students who ignore the warning and post again to the instructor's posting area will be dropped from the class. 

At the conclusion of the class students may find out their grades by going on the Internet at https://bcregweb.barstow.edu/.  I do not email or post student grades and will not respond to inquiries about grades at the conclusion of the course. 

In the box below type, I understand and agree to abide by the online instructions written above.

 

Disclaimer Statement

A syllabus is not a contract between instructor and student, but rather a guide to course procedures on attendance, requirements, grading and objectives. The instructor reserves the right to amend the syllabus when conflicts, emergencies or situations arise that necessitate a change. Students will be notified of any changes.

In the box below type: I understand the course schedule and agree to abide by it. I realize that a syllabus is not a contract between and instructor or student, but rather a tentative outline of the course material.

Disability Statement: 

If you have a disability which may impact your success in this course, you may contact the Office of Student Support (OSS) office to arrange any reasonable accommodations and supports to which you are entitled.  It is the responsibility of the student to initiate these procedures. The OSS department can be contacted by calling 760-252-2411 x7225 or 760-252-6759 TTY/TDD or emailing oss@bcconline.com.

In the box below type: I understand that if I have or suspect I have a disability I can contact the OSS program at the number or email address listed above and request reasonable accommodations. Further I realize it is my responsibility to contact the OSS department.

 

After filling out this form, copy the confirmation page and send it via email to mcauble@bcconline.com.
Click here to go to the class home page click here to email the instructor Click here to go to the discussion group