GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BATAVIA, NEW YORK
SYLLABUS: Western Tradition 2, Summer 2008
70972 HIS 105-54 TF 08:00am-11:45am 06/30-08/02 ARC 6
Office hours: Tuesday from 12:00-1:00
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Fred Schrock, Instructor Office: B265 Batavia Campus
Genesee Community College Telephone: (716) 913-6668
1 College Road E-mail: fcschrock[AT]genesee.edu
Batavia, New York 14020-9704 Web: fredschrock102.blogspot.com
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
We will examine the political, social, economic and intellectual development of Western society from 1500 CE to the present and explore how modern historical and cultural issues shaped the development of contemporary western thought and institutions. We will also emphasize developing and implementing the skills of the historian and a better understanding of the world around us.
TEXTBOOK: McKay/Hill/Buckler. A History of Western Society, Vol. II: From Absolutism to the Present; eighth edition.
PREREQUISITES: None.
COURSE POLICIES:
No work will be accepted late without permission from the instructor. The Research Paper and Final Project will lose one letter grade for every class day they are late. Major papers must be written in the Chicago ("Turabian") formatting style.
All assignments must be completed before class and typed, unless expressly stated otherwise. To encourage homework completion and expedite the attendance-taking process, the instructor will take attendance based on assignments handed in the day of class, such as homework, tests, or class work. Notify the instructor if you are not handing in an assignment to prevent being marked absent.
The instructor has created a web log to post pertinent class information. Students are encouraged but not required to visit the site regularly and post comments as they see fit.
Plagiarism or falsification of information on assignments results in a 0 grade for that assignment. Refer to the attached sheet for a more detailed description, as well as the GCC Library's website. Similarly, cheating on a test results in an automatic 0 for the test.
Cell phones, pagers, PDAs, calculators, computers, alarm watches, audio equipment, and similar electronic devices may not be used during the class. They must remain Off or in Silent Mode and out of view. Failure to adhere to this rule may seriously effect one's class participation grade and, during tests, be considered evidence of cheating.
All rules and dates are subject to change by the instructor. If you have questions, ask.
GRADING:
The final grade in this course will be a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) based on an average derived from the point system below. There are no + or - letter grades or extra credit. A percentage of 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 65-69 = D, and 0-64 = F.
Mid-term Exam
100 points
Final Exam
150 points
Video Project
100 points
Research Paper
200 points
Quizzes/Homework/Group Work
100 points
Class Participation
100 points
Oral Presentation
50 points
Mid-term Exam and Final Exam: These tests will consist of multiple choice questions, short answer (several sentence) questions and multi-paragraph essays. You will be advised what topics should be reviewed beforehand. Notes, books, and other information will not be available to you during the test.
Video Project: We will watch a documentary series on Western Civilization to enrich our semester studies. Handouts and other small assignments will be completed as the film is viewed, and reviewed in class immediately after viewing.
Research Paper: You will write a four-to-six page paper based on culturally significant information presented in a film agreed upon by you and the instructor. Using outside sources, you will discuss the film's accuracy and provide a clearer description of the aspects of Western Civilization presented on the screen. More information will follow.
Quizzes/Homework/Group Work: Quizzes will generally test your reading knowledge of a textbook chapter, outside reading, or geography. They usually consist of ten multiple-choice questions or short answers. Homework or group work usually involves writing or participating in small projects during the semester. Usually these assignments receive full credit on completion.
Oral Presentation: At the end of the semester you will find one current news article pertaining to modern Western Civilization and summarize it for the class in a three-to-five minute presentation. You will also demonstrate how your studies of Western Tradition contextualize the article.
Class Participation: Attendance counts as a part of the class participation grade. Missing classes does not automatically affect one's grade, but a student can expect to lose points after more than three absences. Students will receive high participation grades by coming to class alert, prepared, and able to engage in group work when necessary. If absent, the same students will procure missed notes and homework assignments so they may come to the next class without trailing behind. In class, all students are expected to interact with each other in a way that is academically productive, not socially disruptive. If any problems arise the instructor will warn the student before adjusting a participation grade. This grade starts at one hundred points and drops in ten point increments.
The following may affect your participation grade. See the instructor concerning necessary exceptions.
Multiple absences
Chronic tardiness
Sleeping in class
Interrupting/belittling others
Failure to bring class materials
Misuse of E-mail/phone/web log
Excessive dogmatism
Garrulousness
Poor hygiene/inappropriate dress
Preparing to leave class early
Immoderate obscenity
Not doing required readings
Refusal to interact
Arranging/reneging appointments
Presence of electronic devices
CLASS CANCELLATION PROCEDURE:
In the case of an instructor absence, a notice will be posted on the classroom door. The notice will give you assignments for which you are responsible. The class web log will also provide further information.
If weather causes the College to be cancelled, find out by listening to the following radio stations:
AM FM
WBTA--1490 Batavia WBTA--101.7 Batavia
WBEN--930 Buffalo WMJQ--102.5 Buffalo
WHAM--1180 Rochester WVOR--100.5 Rochester
WCJW--1140 Warsaw
SUPPORT SERVICES:
The GCC Library provides access to books, periodicals, media and reference materials and library instruction for all GCC students.
The Center for Academic Progress (in GCC Library) provides academic support for all students. CAP services include professional and peer tutoring, writing and math labs, and placement testing. CAP also has an assisted learning lab with Skills Bank software for math and language development, and other materials, and provides services for students with physical and/or learning disabilities. If you need support services, let me know.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Class Date Event
Tuesday 7/1 First Class
Tuesday 7/15 Midterm
Tuesday 7/22 Research Paper Due
Friday 7/31 Oral Presentations/Final Exam
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
We will examine one or two textbook chapters every class.
1. Absolutism and Constitutionalism in Western Europe
Absolutism in Eastern Europe to 1740
2. Toward a New World View
The Expansion of Europe in the Eighteenth Century
3. The Changing Life of the People in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Europe
4. The Revolution in Politics, 1775-1814
The Revolution in Energy and Industry
5. Ideologies and Upheavals, 1815-1850
Life in the Emerging Urban Society
6. The Age of Nationalism, 1850-1914
7. The West and the World
8. The Great Break: World War One and Revolution
The Age of Anxiety: Europe Between the Wars
9. Dictatorships and the Second World War
Cold War Conflicts and Social Transformations, 1945-1985
10. Revolution, Rebuilding, and New Challenges: 1985 to the Present
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the conclusion of the course, based upon extended writing, examination questions and classroom activities, students will be able to:
1.Evaluate three factors influencing the development of the Protestant Reformation.
2.Compare and contrast three distinct elements of the Protestant Reformation with the Catholic Counter-Reformation.
3.Assess at least four of the motives shaping the age of discovery.
4.Evaluate four factors contributing to the significance of the wars of religion.
5.Compare and contrast the development of absolutism in at least two western European nations.
6.Evaluate three issues related to the significance of mercantilism on the economic development of Europe.
7.Analyze four examples of the role of the scientific revolution on Western Europe.
8.Evaluate three examples of the significance of the Enlightenment on European cultural and intellectual developments.
9.Assess the impact of at least two philosophies on the intellectual development of Enlightened Despots in Eastern Europe.
10.Identify at least three factors influencing the wars of empire in the 18th century.
11.Compare and contrast three elements of the French and American revolutions.
12.Evaluate at least three effects of Industrial Revolution on European society.
13.Evaluate at least three effects of the Congress of Vienna on 19th century European developments.
14.Compare and contrast at least two elements of the unifications of Germany and Italy in the 19th century.
15.Identify at least three examples of European reform movements in the 19th century.
16.Compare and contrast at least three elements of 16th and 17th century imperialism with imperialism of the 19th century.
17.Identify at least three factors leading to World War I.
18.Analyze at least three effects of the Russian Revolution on 20th century European politics.
19.Assess at least three reasons for the rise of totalitarian states in the 1920's and 1930's.
20.Evaluate at least three impacts of World War II on the development of Europe.
21.Identify at least three reasons for the development of the Cold War.
22.Identify at least four reasons for the recovery and revival of Europe following World War II.
23.Evaluate at least three factors leading to the collapse of the communist order in Eastern Europe.
24.Demonstrate knowledge of the development of the distinctive features of Western Civilization through a set of questions investigating Western political, social and cultural development. *
25.Demonstrate the ability to relate the development of Western Civilization to other regions of the world by writing a 2-4 page paper investigating how a selected Western nation influenced other regions of the world and was transformed by its contacts. The paper will be based upon library research involving a minimum of three sources utilizing online full-text databases. *
* This course objective has been identified as a student learning outcome that must be formally accessed as part of the College's Comprehensive Assessment Plan. All faculty teaching this course must collect the required data (see Accessing Student Learning Outcomes form) and submit the required analysis and documentation at the conclusion of the semester to the Office of Assessment and Special Projects.
