HIST 150
Global History and Geography
MW 4:00-5:35
Professor Bruce Janacek
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday afternoons between noon and 3:30 by appointment. If these times are not convenient, we will meet at another time that works for both of us.
Office: 225 N. Loomis #11
630 637-5613
bnjanacek@noctrl.edu
This course is a survey of human history from its earliest moments on earth to the present. It is intentionally comprehensive and seeks to expose students to a macroscopic history of humanity. To accomplish this admittedly ambitious goal, we will focus on what has been called, “the four Cs of world history: context, change, comparison, and connection. Context refers to the larger frameworks within which particular historical figures, events, societies, and civilizations took shape. Change that occurred within and across major regions of the world will be another emphasis in the course. Comparison brings several regions or cultures into our field of vision at the same time and asks, “What is similar?” (Perhaps a fifth C is “Contrast” or What is different?) Finally, we will address connections, networks of communication and exchanged that shaped the societies and cultures engaged in them.
Students’ responsibilities will be to complete quizzes for each chapter, complete midterm and final exams, complete one paper, and contribute to the course with informed class discussion. Students are allowed two unexcused absences; more than two absences will affect the class participation grade.
Course Requirements
Informed Class Participation 10%
Paper 15%
Quizzes30%
Midterm20%
Final Exam25%
N.B. Failure to complete any of the above assignments will incur a failing grade for the class.
Grading Scale in Percentage
93 and above A
90-92A-
87-89B+
83-86B
80-82B-
77-79C+
73-77C
70-72C-
60-69D
Below 60F
Required Reading:
Strayer, Robert W. and Eric W. Nelson. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources.
4th edition. Bedford/St. Martin's; Fourth edition (2018)
Week 1
1/6 Introduction,
1/8 Discussion of chapter 1, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 2
1/13 Discussion of chapter 2, Ways of the World (quiz)
1/15 Discussion of chapter 3, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 3
1/20 Martin Luther King Day—No Class
1/22 Discussion of chapter 4, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 4
1/27 Discussion of chapter 5, Ways of the World (quiz)
1/29 Discussion of chapter 6, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 5
2/3 Discussion of chapter 7, Ways of the World (quiz)
2/5 Discussion of chapter 8, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 6
2/10 Discussion of chapter 9, Ways of the World (quiz)
2/12 Discussion of chapter 10, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 7
2/17 Discussion of chapter 11, Ways of the World (quiz)
2/19 Discussion of chapter 12, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 8
2/24 Review for Midterm
2/26 Midterm Exam
Week 9
3/3 Discussion of chapter 13, Ways of the World (quiz)
3/5 Discussion of chapter 14, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 10
3/10 Spring Break
3/12 Spring Break
Week 11
3/17 Discussion of chapter 15, Ways of the World (quiz)
3/19 Discussion of chapter 16, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 12
3/24 Discussion of chapter 17, Ways of the World (quiz)
3/26 Discussion of chapter 18, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 13
3/31 Discussion of chapter 19, Ways of the World (quiz)
4/2 Discussion of chapter 20, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 14
4/7 Discussion of chapter 21, Ways of the World (quiz)
4/9 Discussion of chapter 22, Ways of the World (quiz)
Week 15
4/14 Discussion of chapter 23, Ways of the World (quiz)
4/16 Professor Eric Nelson, co-author, Ways of the World: Zoom Presentation
Week 16
4/21 TBA
4/23 Course Evaluations and Review for Final Exam
Final Exam 4/30 Wednesday 4:00-6:00 PM
Teaching Philosophy and Course Goals
My philosophy of teaching this General Education course and the goals of this course is based upon my assumption that because history is a discipline within the Liberal Arts, no matter what topic we study, every assignment is designed to provide practical skills that will benefit every student in the course no matter what major or minor a student has chosen. The Liberal Arts teach students how to recognize a problem, analyze that problem and perhaps propose a solution or at least a resolution, and convey the analysis to others. The skills of recognition, analysis and communication are essential skills for every profession. We will be studying ancient Western civilization to sharpen all of these skills. Fundamental to these skills are the skills of reading and writing; this course is designed to sharpen both of those skills. Even though every student enrolled can read and write, both of those skills can be improved. When one focuses on sharpening any skill, one will continue to improve. Finally, speaking in public is another essential skill that individuals in every profession must master and that too will be a focus of our attention.
Assessment
Assessment, that is, grading, is far more complex than is often realized. A grade for a course is simply a photograph of a student at a moment in time, no more, no less. The degree of success is dependent upon numerous factors: the difficulty of the material itself, the skill levels a student possesses at that time, how much time is devoted to the course beyond the time devoted in a classroom—which is, it should be made clear—far more important than classroom time, how many hours a student may be working at a job, even a student’s personal life can often affect how well a student performs in a given class. The final grade that students earn in this course will be the result of the performance over the course of the entire term. Improvement over the course of the term will be considered. Indeed, that is my central concern in assessment: what was the level of improvement over the course of the term? A student with average or slightly above average reading and writing skills who works hard and earns a B- in the course is, in my opinion, more successful than the student who possessed A- skills in reading and writing and earned an A- for the course. While one student earned a better grade, such behavior—satisfied with where one is—may lead to an erosion of those skills. In the pursuit of excellence, there is no such thing as stasis; one is either moving forward or falling behind.
To ensure that papers are read as fairly as possible, exams and papers will be read anonymously. Instead of providing a name on the paper, students will be expected to provide their student number. This procedure ensures that the exams and papers of every student will be read as objectively as possible.
Grading Criteria
A An “A” is a grade that indicates “Excellence.” An excellent paper or exam will of course answer the question posed completely and of course will be written in virtually flawless English but that alone does not demonstrate excellence. An excellent paper or exam goes beyond the limits of the question. It probes beneath and beyond the obvious issues addressed in the question. Avoiding generalizations and embracing the unique issues that the period or issue presents, it proceeds to demonstrate sound analysis that is firmly grounded in the evidence all the while appreciating a complexity, a nuance of the material that other papers do not demonstrate. The argument of the essay will have an intangible but nevertheless clearly evident quality that distinguishes it from other essays in a given class. Unsurprisingly, excellence is rare.
B A “B” is a grade that indicates the essay or exam is “Very Good.” The essay has a thesis that is defended very well by the evidence. There may be some flaws in the reasoning or the connections between the evidence marshaled and the argument made but there is a genuine effort to analyze and not describe issues. There are some problems in the writing that cause confusion and a lack of clarity. It answers the question very well but it does not appreciate the complexity of the issues discussed.
C A “C” is a grade that indicates the essay or exam is “Good.” The essay may or may not have a thesis. A “C” paper that has a thesis does not defend the thesis convincingly or perhaps even adequately with the evidence available. More often, the essay does not have a thesis and therefore the work demonstrates little or no analysis and instead describes rather than analyzes the issues. The work demonstrates that the student may very well have read the material but perhaps not very well or very carefully. The writing is compromised by several, even numerous grammatical and stylistic errors and therefore the argument lacks clarity and cohesion. Still, overall, it is good work.
D A “D” is a grade that indicates the work is “Unsatisfactory.” There is no thesis and little evidence that the reading assignments addressed in the paper were even read. There is no analysis and even the description is inaccurate or so broad and expansive that it is meaningless. However, there is at least some indication that some effort was made to complete the assignment.
F An “F” is a grade that indicates the work is a “Failure.” Enough said.
Class Participation
Class participation is an essential component to success in this course. Attendance is taken and expected but perfect attendance will simply ensure a “C” for this expectation. Speaking in pubic is for many unnerving if not intimidating. However, there is not a position worth having that does not expect one to speak in public at times. This class will be a safe, comfort venue for all students to practice speaking in public. Some students may raise their hands every day. They may not get called on and instead, others who do not raise their hands may. However, by the end of the course, every student will have had a chance to practice and begin to conquer the anxiety that often attends public speaking.
Quizzes
Expect a quiz when a reading assignment is due that day—in other words, expect a quiz virtually every day. Each quiz will have five questions that are deliberately written to yield the highest scores possible. The grading scale is as follows:
5100%
490%
380%
270%
160%
At the end of the semester, I will drop 30% of the lowest grades and will then calculate an average grade based on the top 70% quiz grades for the semester. The questions are easy, the grading is generous—both of which are deliberate, to encourage class preparation. Excellent class preparation helps when writing and revising paper assignments and studying for the midterm and final exams. It is also an excellent habit to establish, for college, and for life.
Cell Phones
Students can keep their cell phones on and available if they meet the following criteria: They are a transplant surgeon, the patient is prepped, and they’re waiting for the call that yes indeed, the organ has arrived. Now I do not meet those criteria and I have yet to have a transplant surgeon enroll in one of my courses. If a student needs to use the bathroom in class, the cell phone must be left on the desk. Bathroom breaks are permitted. Cell phone breaks are not.
Academic Integrity
Since the invention of the university and the granting of degrees in the twelfth century, academic integrity has been a problem in higher education. (To this day the final oral examination of a doctoral candidate at Oxford University is called, “the vivre” which translates from Latin as “the living”. It is called that because one of the most important reasons why an oral exam is given is to ensure that the person being tested orally is the person who actually wrote the dissertation.) However, with technology at students’ fingertips, the temptation to compromise the integrity of an assignment has grown even more nationally. (This is not a problem unique to North Central College.)
The students whose dishonesty was caught have all given basically the same reason: “I ran out of time.” For years now I have addressed this problem with this solution: If you find yourself in a situation that will prevent you from completing the assignment to the best of your ability and with complete honesty and integrity, contact me. Call me. Email me. Catch me after class. Make sure that you let me know that things have gotten out of hand. I will work with you. I do not have a set formula. I judge each situation as I understand it. However, I will treat your situation with respect and with your and the class’s best interest in mind. I will not be interested in exacerbating the problem by making a student “feel bad”; instead, I am interested only in solving the problem. This does not mean that deadlines are unimportant. Deadlines are crucial. Crucial. I have them all the time and I meet them all the time. I expect my students to do so as well. However, problems usually surface when we least expect them and sometimes we make mistakes simply on time management and judgment. None of those reasons justify dishonesty. They justify discussions with me so that together we can resolve problem.
The other side of this is that given my willingness to work with any student at any time, if a student chooses to be dishonest and is caught, absolutely no leniency will be exercised. The Office of Academic Affairs will be involved immediately. In short, there are a lot of reasons to be honest and forthright. There are absolutely no reasons to be otherwise.
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)
Using Artificial Intelligence (“AI” e.g. ChatGPT or similar AI tools) might be a helpful way to generate ideas. However, introducing AI into the paper assignments of this course may stifle the development of your own independent thinking and creativity—one of the distinguishing differences between someone who has a college degree and one who does not. For this reason, and the fact that the purpose of this course is to practice working with other human beings collegially, I am not allowing use of AI in this course. Students who are discovered to have used AI in their assignments will be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Course Learning Outcomes
• Students should be able to identify the causes and consequences of the historical events and issues in world civilizations from antiquity to the present.
• Students should be able to identify primary sources. They should be able to describe the potential insights and limitations an historical document will yield for a given historical problem.
• Students should be able to identify secondary sources. They should be able to describe the thesis as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments.
• Students should be able to establish a thesis and defend their arguments using primary and/or secondary sources.