Syllabus

Knox: HIST101

History of Western Civilization

Format

This is a completely online class. There is no classroom, except here. There is also no textbook to buy at the bookstore. Read why, and what it means.

It's worth stating again that this is not a Blackboard course.

The components of the course are:

Assignments

There's quite a bit of information here, so it's on its own page. There's a link to the Assignments on the Classroom page as well, for convenience. In brief, the assignments are:

Grading

Grading is 90%+ for an A, 80%-89% for a B, 70%-79% for a C, 60%-69% for a D.

There is no make-up work and no extra credit. You can read why if you wish.

I send progress reports twice during the semester--the first time around three weeks into the course and the second around mid-semester. Since you can do your own arithmetic on the essays, the progress report will mostly be about how you are doing in discussion.

Please do not ask what you must do to get an A, or what you must do to pass the course. These questions generally come to me when it's far too late. By that time, we're really talking about what ought to have been done and wasn't. I have tried hard to lay out in these pages what it is you need to do to get an A, or to avoid an F.

Final grades are available through BroncoWeb and will be official only there.

Discussion

You are required to have a minimum of three posts a week.

Total = 40% of final grade

I have a separate page on how I grade discussion. There you will find tips and advice, along with a rubric. Be sure to read it all.

Section essays

Three essays at 20% each. Total = 60% of final grade.

I don't have a page that talks specifically about grading essays, but the Study Guide contains several pages on Writing that together will give you a good indication of what I look for in an essay.

Content Covered

The course begins with ancient Greece. We go through Rome, then the Middle Ages, and we end around the middle of the 17th century. Our focus is squarely on Europe and we will not be touching on the Middle East or the New World, with a couple of exceptions.

Student Study Guide

This is several pages long. It covers computer topics, study tips, and advice on my courses in general. I will expect you to have read this before you do your first assignment. Note: because it is shared by all my courses, it has a different look.