HIST 107 – CONTEMPORARY WORLD HISTORY
|
Professor: Dr. George Reklaitis (“Dr.
George”) Semester: Spring 2012 Meeting Time: Online, Distance Ed Course Meeting Location:
N/A |
Office: MAN 117e (Social Sciences
Division) Office Hours: By Appointment Office Phone: 732.224.2940 Email: greklaitis@brookdalecc.edu |
Course Description:
This
course investigates the progress of Modern World History from 1945 to the
present. This course is not designed to be a comprehensive and cumulative
examination of all history since 1945, but rather we will focus on a number of
key historical developments over the last 50 years in Africa, the Middle East,
Latin America, Asia, Europe, and North America which were both important and
exceptional in their own right, but also were instrumental in shaping the
course of the world today.
Course
Objectives:
The
study of history is the study of humanity. Much like the choices we make
everyday effect the course of our lives, the events of
the past have very much shaped the world we live in today. Therefore, while we
will devote a considerable amount of our time in this course toward examining
specific time periods and events in world history, we will always be reflecting
on the
broader significance of these historical people, places, and events.
Moreover, as a general education course, the discussions and assignments are
designed to sharpen and improve student’s critical reading, thinking, and
writing abilities. The following Core Competencies will be addressed: Communication,
Critical Thinking, Creative Expression, Information Literacy, Technological
Literacy, Historical/Societal Analysis.
Attendance:
In an online course, attendance
has a different meaning than for classes held in real time and in a real place.
But it’s still important for you to “attend” on a daily basis so that you don’t
fall behind in your work. Since you have weekly assignments and responsibilities,
if you fall behind, or don’t participate in the discussion forum on a regular
basis, or fail to take the tests on time, you will not pass this course. Also,
the scope of the course is very broad and the content in many cases unfamiliar.
Attendance will be “taken” each week through your postings and quizzes, and
will be a component of the grading system. Note:
This is not a “work at your own pace” course. Many of the quizzes and
discussion questions will be released at regulated pace. This means you need to
be actively engaged in the course every week. Making up work doesn’t happen in
this course. Once the deadline for the assignment has passed that opportunity
is gone. Our “week” begins Wednesdays
and ends Tuesdays (all work due for that week by Tues. night).
College Policies:
For information regarding: Brookdale’s
Academic Integrity Code, Student Conduct Code, and Student Grade Appeal
Process, please refer to the Student Handbook and BCC Catalog.
Notification for Students with
Disabilities:
Brookdale
Community College offers reasonable accommodations and/or services to persons
with disabilities. Students with
disabilities who wish to self-identify, must contact the Disabilities Services
Office at 732-224-2730 or 732-842-4211 (TTY), provide appropriate documentation
of the disability, and request specific accommodations or services. If a student qualifies, reasonable
accommodations and/or services, which are appropriate for the college level and
are recommended in the documentation, can be approved.
TEXTBOOK:
v The following books are available at the College
Bookstore and are REQUIRED:
o
The Twentieth Century
and Beyond: A Global History, Goff, Moss, et.
al. (7th edition)
Brief statement on reading: This is a
college history course. Reading is an essential part of the course. If you take
a math class you can expect to do math problems; if you take a history course,
expect to read history! The quickest way to fail the course (other than by
being rude and disruptive (see requirement #2 below)) is to not do the reading.
Course assignments (particularly the quizzes and exams) will be based BOTH on
the readings and the lectures and discussions. Reading is required not
optional!
Course Requirements:: There are 5 graded components for the course.
1) Online Quizzes: During the course of the
semester you will take 9 (nine) online quizzes worth 10 points each.
Quizzes will cover material from the textbook, documents, and Discussion Posts.
They will be in multiple-choice, identification, and short-answer format.
Quizzes are timed and can only be taken once. In general quizzes for each week
will become available on Wednesday and must be completed by Tuesday.
2)
Map
Quizzes: There will be 5 (five) map quizzes. The map
quizzes will resemble the online quizzes, as they will also be timed and based
on the particular region we study. Map quizzes are also worth 10 points.
3)
Exams:<span
style='font-weight:normal'> There will be 2 (two</span>threethre)<span style='font-weight:normal'>
exams, both take-home. Each may consist of document questions and
essays. Each exam is worth 75 points, and IS NOT comprehensive. Exams will be graded on the following
criteria:
- Questions: How well did you
answer the questions? Your grade will be determined on how many of the
specific questions you answer and how well you do so utilizing course
materials.
- Reading: Did you use the
readings? Did you recite the readings or did you explain them in your own
words?
- Writing: Was your writing
clear, organized, and error-free?
v An “A” answer will
consist of specific examples from the readings and the course discussions. If
there are any direct references (quotes or paraphrasing) of sources, they will
be properly referenced by source and page number (ex. Document 13 OR Goff, p. 188). The answer will be
mistake-free, meaning it will be clearly written, without typos, and exhibit
proper grammar and spelling. The answer will address each of the questions
listed.
v A “B” or “C”
answer will have some reference to the readings and course discussions with
proper citations, and will be relatively free of mistakes. The number of
specific references and mistakes, and the number of the specific questions that
are answered, will determine whether a “B” or “C” is merited.
v A “D” answer will have
little or no use of specific course materials, will only answer a few of the
questions listed, and will be full of grammatical mistakes and typos.
v An “F” answer will
consist of no specific course materials, will just be a general answer about
the topic, and will be written without any attempt at focus, grammar, or
clarity. An “F” grade will also result if there is any evidence of
plagiarism (see course syllabus for definition and examples), if information
from the internet (other than the course website) is used in the paper, if
material is copied from an Encyclopedia or other non-course sources, or if
there is evidence that the work is not original or similar to that of another
History 107 student(s). DO YOUR OWN WORK! All papers will be submitted to
turnitin.com for originality verification.
v Providing
generalized answers without addressing the specific questions listed or using internet sources will result in automatic failure.
4) Online Posts: A key component of this online distance learning course is posting to the discussion board.
Each week I will post questions on our website for which you will be required
to post answers and or responses to the comments of others. The purpose of this
requirement is to have you engage the readings critically and present your
views and analysis in an organized and effective manner, as well as offering
responses to the opinions of others. You will make 7 (seven) posts during the course of the semester, each worth 10
points. Please view the Discussion Guidelines for
specific instructions on how to post and how your posts will be graded.
5) Civil Rights Project:
Toward the latter half of the semester you will complete a project on the
American Civil Rights Movement. This will entail reading and responding to
questions on a set of primary source documents on the Civil Rights Movement,
watching a feature film based on the this period in history (on your own), and
then completing a short essay and discussion post on what you read and watched.
More details will be available to you in the near future. The project will be
worth 40 points.
9 Quizzes x 10 = 90
5 Map Quizzes x 10 = 50
7 Discussion Posts x 10 = 70
1 Project x 40 = 40
2 Exams x 75 = 150
Total: = 400
A
= 369-400, A- = 360-368 B+= 348-359, B = 320-347, C+= 308-319, C = 280-307, D =
240-280
NOTE:
I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus and course requirements as
circumstances might necessitate. I will make every effort to make the class
aware of such changes at the earliest possible time and with all due
consideration.