Survey of World Civilizations II: 1500 to Present

History 1112-02                 Monday, Wednesday  5:30-6:45 PM        Pafford 206

 

Instructor:  Teresa Leslie                      

Office:  TLC 3101

 

Office Hours:  Mondays 11-12, and by appointment.  See me before or after class, or contact me by email to arrange a meeting.

 

Email Address: tleslie@westga.edu      

This is the most reliable and easiest way to contact me.  I check my email frequently and reply as soon as possible.

 

Course Description and Learning Outcomes

            This introductory course is a survey of the major developments and themes in world history from 1500 to the present.  We will look not only at individual societies, but also at cross-cultural interactions between societies, which play a crucial role in shaping the course of human history.  We will explore how historians develop their understanding of the past, including the way concepts and theories from other academic disciplines enrich our understanding of history, and the impact of current concerns and trends in scholarship on our interpretations of the past.

            You will learn to analyze and interpret information from both primary and secondary sources.  You will develop map skills and an appreciation for the impact of geography on history.  You will further develop your critical thinking and communication skills as well.

 

There will always be a connection between the way in which men contemplate the past and the way in which they contemplate the present.

                                                                                                Thomas Buckle

 

 

Text:

            Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters:  A Global Perspective on the Past, Vol. 2:  From 1500 to the Present.

                       

Grades:

            First Exam        Feb. 8th                                               25%

            Second Exam   March 15th                                           30%

            Final Exam       Monday, May 8th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.         30%

            Written Assignments                                                     15%    

                        And Take-Home Chapter Quizzes                   

 

Not to know what took place before you were born is to remain forever a child.    

                                                                                    Cicero

 

Written Assignments and Take-Home Chapter Quizzes

            Several times during the semester, you will have written homework based upon assigned readings from primary sources.  Primary sources are works written in the period under study.  There will be at least two such written assignments but no more than four.  On occasion, you will be assigned take-home, open-book quizzes covering textbook chapters which we will not have time to cover in class.  There will be at least two but not more than six quizzes. 

There will be no more than one homework assignment (quiz or primary source reading) per week, and some weeks we will not have an assignment.  These assignments will normally be due a week from the date they are assigned.  You are responsible for keeping up with homework assignments even if you are absent when the assignment is made.  The average for the grades from the source readings and chapter quizzes will make up 15% of your total grade for the semester.

 

Attendance and Behavior Policy

            I do not give grades for attendance or reduce grades for non-attendance.  However, students who do not attend class regularly have traditionally done poorly in the class.  The tests are drawn directly from my lectures and class discussions.  If you miss a class at which I hand out a homework assignment, you are responsible for arranging to get the assignment and the due date for that work will NOT be adjusted.  Deductions ARE made for work turned in late.

            Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.  This includes talking in class, habitually entering class late or leaving early, doing work for other classes, and any other behavior that is distracting to the instructor and/or other students.  Repeat offenders will be asked to leave the class and dropped from the roll.

            Cheating will not be tolerated.  All students should familiarize themselves with the university’s policy on academic honor and academic dishonesty, found on the web at www.westga.edu/documents/catalogs.php.   If you are caught cheating or helping someone else to cheat on an exam, you will receive a 0 for that exam and may be subject to additional disciplinary actions from the instructor or the university, including but not restricted to removal from the class

 Make-up Work and Late Assignments

Make-up exams will be scheduled ONLY in rare cases, for medical or other emergency.  The instructor reserves the right to require written confirmation of this emergency (such as physicians note for illness or police report for accident).  If you have a conflict with a scheduled exam that does not fall into this category, please see me as soon as possible PRIOR to the exam to discuss the possibility of arranging to take an early alternative exam.