hgp 110 syllabus

HGP 110 Syllabus
Fall 2009

Edward R. Crowther, Ph. D., Professor
ES 329
719-587-7466
http://faculty.adams.edu/~ercrowth
click here for office hours

The Oracle at Delphi

HGP 110 is part of a two-semester course in World Civilization that comprises a major component of the general education curriculum at Adams State College. Unlike other Civilization courses you may have taken, this is not a survey course in which you master a wide range of facts (and forget them as soon as the examinations are over). Instead, you will encounter a variety of information about a topic and craft essays that demonstrate your thinking about the topic drawn from and defended by the evidence you marshall. Further, we have no textbook, but instead have posted a range of readings on the world wide web. It is the hope of the HGP Department that students will learn by doing history.

Students will craft five essays that, along with some daily quizzes, determine what grade is earned during the semester. The essays will be scored according to a rubric which is also posted on the web. To view the rubric, click here.

HOW DO I ACCESS COURSE READINGS AND THE RUBRIC? Go to the HGP Civilization Course WEBSITE: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php. Click on HGP 110. Enter your ASC login and password as prompted. Follow the instructions that appear on the course syllabus. You may download the readings for your use.If you are using Internet Explorer, you may encounter a message “There is a problem with this website's security certificate,” click on “Continue to this website.” (No worries) If you do not have an Adams State Username and Password then please contact Computing Services at: 587-7741.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will:

1. compose in class up to 5 essays (including the final) that accurately and plausibly argue a response to the question assigned. The student must craft a discernable thesis and marshal historically accurate evidence in support of the thesis. (See HGP Civilization Rubric.)

2. at instructor discretion, demonstrate and understanding of assigned class through daily or weekly quizzes or other instruments designed by the professor.

HOW DO I DO THE ESSAYS? During a fifty minute class period following each topic below, you must argue in writing a response to the questions posted below. The essay should have an introduction, a thesis, evidentiary paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your prose should conform to standard usages and, most importantly, make a compelling argument about the materials we have read and thought about, one hopes, in an insightful way.

-Rewrite Option: All students may rewrite their first in-class essay and turn it in along with the original essay within one week of receiving the original. The rewrite option allows students to rework their first paper in order to better recognize patterns of grammatical, spelling and stylistic errors so as to perform better on subsequent take-home and in-class essays. The rewrite option also enables students to improve their written argumentation skills and content analysis. A rewritten essay can add up to a Letter Grade improvement on their original score.. The quality of the rewrite will determine the number of percentage points added to the original score.

A	120-108	essays 1-4	20 pts. ea.
B	107-96	final essay	20 pts.
C	95-84	daily quizzes	20 pts. total
D	83-72
F	below 72	Max. total points	120 pts.

Student Ratings: During the last two weeks of the semester, you will have an opportunity to rate this class through a form on the campus network. Your responses are most helpful in improving the course and helping me improve as a professor. You do not have to rate the class, but I would encourage you to do so.

Class Attendance: During the semester, you will stand for daily quizzes. Your absence will therefore adversely affect your grade. But class attendance is more than avoiding adverse consequences. You need to be present to participate in and benefit from class discussion. By remaining in this class, you are affirming you commitment to do your best and to contribute to the quality of the class.

Portal: As an enrolled student at Adams State, you have a campus portal account which permits you to log in to the campus network. Your course syllabus is posted on portal. Further, I will use portal to communicate with each of you. By remaining in this class, you are indicating a willingness to utilize portal as an information and communcation tool for this class. You should check your portal e-mail and your portal link to this class regularly.

Powerpoints: For you convenience, I have loaded my powerpoints on the web. I would encourage you to print out the slides (use the notes form) and use them to help you take notes from class lectures and discussions. I usually modify the slides to keep them late in the week prior to our class.

UNIT ONE: HUMAN PREHISTORY AND THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(Origin of Civilization) (Ancient Egypt)

Essay One: September 14 You will need to be prepared to write an essay on the Origins of Civilization.

After surveying the governmental, social, and economic structures that evolved in Mesopotamia and Egypt, why are these cultures considered Civilizations? (N. B.: you must provide specific examples from Mesopotamia and Egypt.)

UNIT TWO: SINIC

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(China powerpoint) (Japan powerpoint)

UNIT THREE: HINDU

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(India powerpoint)

Essay Two:September 28 You will need to be prepared to write an essay on Sinic and Hindu Civilizations.

How does Confucianism and other Sinic philosophies shape the social and governmental systems of China and, to a lesser extent, Japan?

Unlike China, Hindu Civilization is defined by reference to a great world religious tradition. How did religion shape and fail to shape Hindu government and society?

UNIT FOUR: THE CLASSICAL MEDITERRANEAN

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(Classical Mediterranean)

Classical political philosophy and the historical memory of these philosophies in practice continually informed discussions about government in throughout the history of the Classical Mediterranean world. According to classical philosophy, what were the viable forms of government and what did philosophy and history illustrate about the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges faced by such governmental systems? (illustrate with specific examples.)

UNIT FIVE: ORIGINS OF WESTERN AND EASTERN EUROPE

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(Eastern Orthodox Civilization) (Medieval Western Europe) (Dynastic States)

Essay Three: November 9 You will need to be prepared to write an essay on the Classical Mediterranean, Eastern Europe or Western Europe.

Although heavily indebted to Greece and Rome for many ideas, values, and institutions, western Europe following the collapse of Rome did not attempt to create either Democratic or Republican institutions. Rather, kings, popes, and local nobles struggled with one another to create political order out of chaos. What governmental systems emerged out of this struggle and why was that so? (illustrate with specific examples.)

Like Western Europe, Eastern Europe struggled with producing governmental order and balancing the legacies of classical civilization with the demands of Christianity. What features in its governmental structure illustrate the order and balancing over time and how are these like and unlike the quest for order and balance in Western Europe? (illustrate with specific examples.)

UNIT SIX: AFRICA, ISLAM, AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(Islam Powerpoint) (Powerpoint Africa).

UNIT SEVEN: CIVILIZATIONS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

Readings: As assigned. See HGP World Civilization course website at: http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/dev_civ/dev_civ.php
(Precolumbian Western Hemisphere)

Essay Four: December 7 . You will need to prepare to write an essay on Islam and PreContact civilizations in the Western Hemisphere.

Islam attempted to create a social and political order based on a shared understanding of religious truth revealed in the Qur'an. Identify and examine these attempts. What stresses and tensions weakened these attempts and to what degree were the successive regimes successful in mediating these stresses and tensions in the Middle East and Africa? (illustrate with specific examples.)

How did the religious beliefs, geography, and economic activity shape the governmental and social systems of the Mexica, Maya, and Quechua (Inca)?

How did the religious beliefs, geography, and economic actitivity shape the social structures and governmental systems of North American Indians?

Final Essay: Base on surveying seven civilization and including specific examples from all seven, what forces drive governmental and social change in world civilization? How do you know. N.B.: Your final essay is scheduled for Monday, December 14, 2009, at 6:00 p. m.