Instructor: Dr. Kenneth Osgood
Office: HU 151
Office Hours: M, W 1-3 (and by appointment).
Phone: (561)
297-2816
Email: kosgood@fau.edu
Instructor’s Web Site: http://www.fau.edu/~kosgood
Course Web Site: http://wise.fau.edu/~kosgood/WOH2012/home
Teaching Assistants
(with links to email): Adam Dobrick and Roger Flynn
Course Description:
This course examines themes and developments in world history from the emergence of the first human civilizations through the 15th century. As we look at civilizations from different times and different places, we will see things that seem strange and distant to us; but we will also discover that the peoples of these ancient (and not-so-ancient) civilizations established patterns and practices of human behavior that remain with us still. This may be a long time ago, but it is not exactly a galaxy far, far away.
Thus our goal in this class is to place human history in its
global context, seeking out the forces for change and elements of continuity
across distance and space. Since
this course fulfills the “Gordon Rule” requirement, it also has a significant
writing component. Thus a
secondary goal of the course is to develop your skills as writers as well as historians. Most importantly, you will become
“active historians.” Using primary
sources (the building blocks of history), you will write your own interpretive
histories of major themes in world civilization.
Course Requirements:
This class is designed as a reading, writing, discussion,
and lecture course. To do well, you must study the readings carefully and
consistently, work diligently on writing assignments, participate actively in
class discussion, and attend class regularly. For
lecture and readings schedule, click here.
The grade breakdown is as
follows:
Short Papers: 20%
Long Paper 1: 20%
Long Paper 2:
20%
Midterm Exam I: 10%
Midterm Exam II: 10%
Final Exam: 10%
Discussion Section (attendance + participation): 10%
Required Readings:
Important Dates:
September 23: Midterm Exam I
October 7: Long Paper I due
November 4: Midterm Exam II
November 27: Long Paper II due
December 6: Final Exam
For due dates on the short papers, see the schedule.
About the Readings:
One of the objectives of this course is to introduce you to
the various kinds of primary sources that historians use to write history: sculptures, artwork, private letters,
public speeches, official documents, works of fiction, oral histories, plays,
archaeological evidence, poetry, etc.
Throughout the course, you will be asked to analyze these sources as sources. What kinds of information can be gleaned from them? What sorts of things are left out? To whom are the sources addressed? What are the benefits and limitations
of different kinds of sources?
Compared to other courses, there is not a tremendous volume
of reading for this class.
However, the readings will be quite challenging. For you to succeed in this course, it
is essential that you study the primary sources (“evidence”) from the Discovering
book very closely. You will use
these sources for your essays; you will discuss these sources in class; and you
will see these sources on the exams!
You will most certainly need to read them more than once! For each chapter of Discovering,
I suggest that you read the “Background,” “Questions to consider,” and
“Epilogue” sections first, and then read the sources in the “Evidence”
section. Please make sure you have completed each
week’s reading before your discussion section meets on Fridays!
Exams:
Two short midterm exams plus one cumulative final
exam will test your knowledge of the major developments covered in lectures,
readings, and discussion sections.
The exams will be objective, not essays, but there may be some writing
component. Note that the exams
comprise only 30% of your course grade (10% each). The essays and discussion will account for the majority of
your grade (70%)!
Study Guides:
Study guides will be posted periodically on the course web site. These guides are intended to help you prepare for the exams, to guide you through lectures, and to aid your reading of the text (Civilization Past and Present). Study questions for the readings in Discovering the Global Past are contained within each chapter of the book, and the short essay questions will provide additional guidance.
The study guides are not intended to act as a substitute for
attendance of the lectures or completion of the reading. Indeed, the guides by themselves will
not be particularly helpful.
You may find it useful, however, to print up the study guides at the
beginning of each section of the course and consult the study guides and
lecture outlines as I lecture.
Keep checking the web site for new additions to the study guides. Links to the study guides will be added
to the schedule,
but you can also click here to go to the study guides.
Essays and Writing:
If you looked at the grade breakdown above, you will have noticed that more than half of your course grade is based on the essay assignments: This reflects the emphasis in WOH 2012 on the importance of writing to historians, as well as Florida’s Gordon rule requirement. Although many students associate writing with English classes, good writing is not the exclusive province of English majors! It is a skill sorely needed in the professional world and it is an essential part of the historian's craft.
You will be asked to write several papers over the course of
the semester: ten short (1-2
pages) essays, and two longer (4 pages) essays on important historical themes
using the primary sources in the readings. In everything you write, you should develop an argument that includes a strong
thesis statement supported by evidence. Click
here for a detailed explanation of the essay assignments.
Discussion:
Discussion is an integral part of the course. Every Friday, you will meet in
individual sections to discuss the readings and course themes. It is essential that you complete all
of the required reading for the week by Friday. Your participation (and attendance) in discussion section
counts for a sizable portion of your grade. For almost every week, you will be required to write a short
one-page paper
based on the readings. These
papers will serve as springboards for discussion. Be prepared to share your
essay with your classmates at least once during the semester (and
possibly more than that)!
Your teaching
assistants for the discussion sections will be:
Section #0842, AL 342, F 800-850: Adam Dobrick
Section #0846, AL 344, F 900-950: Adam Dobrick
Section #0844, AL 240, F 900-950: Roger Flynn
Section #0850, AL 240, F 1000-1050: Roger Flynn
The syllabi for your TA’s will be posted here: Adam Dobrick and Roger Flynn
Grade Disputes:
Your Teaching
Assistant, acting under guidance from me, will grade your work. If you feel like your work has been evaluated
unfairly, you may appeal your grade, but you must follow this procedure: (1) Write a letter explaining why you
believe your work was incorrectly graded; (2) Give this letter and the work in
question to your TA; (3) Meet with your TA to discuss the issue. If you have followed all of these
steps, and are still unsatisfied, you may further appeal your grade by
submitting the letter and work to me.
However, you must follow these steps first!
Announcements and Online
Syllabus:
Please note that there may be changes to the course schedule, and there will be regular updates to the essay portion of the online syllabus. Please check the web site regularly. Note especially the announcements page: here I will post any announcements made in lecture.
Miscellaneous:
1.
Please arrive early for lectures.
When you arrive late, it distracts your fellow students (and me!).
2.
No late work! Please read
and take note of the late policy posted on the essay guidelines.
3.
Please do not cheat or plagiarize. All cases will be prosecuted to the
fullest, according to FAU policy.
4. If you miss class, check the announcements page online to find
out if you missed any class news.
5. Questions are encouraged. If you do not hear or do not understand
something that is said during lecture, please interrupt me.
6. Feel free to visit me during office
hours: I am here to help.
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Osgood’s Home Page