Download HIST 111 A World History to 1500

HIST 111 A
World History to 1500
Spring Session 15-54
Monday, March 21, 2016 - Saturday, May 14, 2016
Course Description
This course surveys the major developments that have shaped the human experience from
the earliest civilizations to 1500 CE. The course will examine overall patterns of early global
history, characteristics of the world’s major pre-modern civilizations, and the relationships
and exchanges among these societies. Major themes include humans and their environment,
culture, politics and government, economics, and social structures. The course offers insight
into the historical roots of many of the world’s major cultural traditions.
Prerequisite: None
Proctored Exams: -- Final
Textbooks
Required: Robert W. Strayer, Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, with Sources, Vol. 1,
3rd ed., (MacMillan Higher Education, 2016). ISBN: 978-1-319-01841-2
Recommended: Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 8th ed.
(Bedford/St. Martins). ISBN: 978-1-4576-9088-4
Textbooks for the course may be ordered from MBS Direct. You can order
 online at http://direct.mbsbooks.com/columbia.htm (be sure to select Online
Education rather than your home campus before selecting your class)
 by phone at 800-325-3252
For additional information about the bookstore, visit http://www.mbsbooks.com.
Course Overview
HIST 111 approaches the history of the world from the Neolithic era to c1500 C.E. by
dividing the material covered into three periods:
o
Part 1, “Beginnings in History to 500 B.C.E” (Weeks 1 & 2) moves from the beginning
of history through the era of the first major civilizations (c.10,000 B.C.E. – 500
B.C.E).
o
Part 2, “Second Wave Civilizations in World History, 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.“ (Weeks
3, 4, and 5) covers the period of the Eurasian and East Asian classical civilizations
(c500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.).
o
Part 3, “An Age of Accelerating Connections, 500 C.E. – 1500 C.E” (Weeks 6, 7, and 8)
explores the acceleration of global connections in the period of the “third-wave” or
post-classical civilizations (500 C.E. – 1500 C.E.).
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The course emphasizes social, religious, intellectual, scientific, artistic, economic, and
political developments within particular civilizations, encounters between civilizations, and
the effects of such encounters.
Technology Requirements
Participation in this course will require the basic technology for all online classes at
Columbia College:
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A computer with reliable Internet access,
a web browser,
Acrobat Reader,
Microsoft Office or another word processor such as Open Office (papers must be
submitted in *.doc or *docx file formats).
You can find more details about standard technical requirements for our courses on our site.
Course Learning Outcomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Analyze and interpret primary sources from the period to 1500CE and use them as
evidence to support historical arguments.
Identify and describe the context and significance of major figures, ideas, and events
of world history to 1500CE.
Construct a historical essay based on primary documents.
Analyze other time periods and cultures to 1500CE with little or no ethnocentrism
or modern bias.
Grading
Grading Scale
Grade Weights
GRADE
POINTS
PERCENT
ASSIGNMENT
POINTS
PERCENT
A
900-1,000
90-100
Discussion (16)
200
20
B
800-899
80-89
Essays (3)
300
30
C
700-799
70-79
Quizzes (3)
300
30
D
600-699
60-69
Final Exam
200
20
F
0-599
0-59
Total
1,000
100
Schedule of Due Dates
WEEK
1
ASSIGNMENT
POINTS
Discussions 1
25
Discussions 2
Discussion 3
2
25
Discussion 4
DUE
Thursday/Sunday
Thursday/Sunday
Quiz 1
100
Sunday
Proctor Information
--
Sunday
2
Discussion 5
3
25
Discussion 6
Essay 1
100
Discussion 7
4
25
Discussion 8
Quiz 2
100
Discussion 9
5
25
Discussion 10
Essay 2
100
Discussion 11
6
25
Discussion 12
Quiz 3
100
Discussion 13
7
25
Discussion 14
Essay 3
100
Discussion 15
8
25
Discussion 16
Final Exam
200
Thursday/Sunday
Sunday
Thursday/Sunday
Sunday
Thursday/Sunday
Sunday
Thursday/Sunday
Sunday
Thursday/Sunday
Sunday
Thursday/Saturday
Saturday
Assignment Overview
Discussions: Your discussion posts are a core part of this course. To that end, your
instructor has posted two “Discussion Questions” for you to answer each week with a total
of four brief posts as follows:
First, you should write two substantive, Initial Posts, as your answers to each of the two
weekly Discussion Questions. Both Initial Posts should be posted before Thursday
midnight. Each Initial Post should consist of at least 200-300 words of thoughtful
prose and should include a properly written “Works Cited” statement. (The latter
almost always is nothing more than a simple, properly written, footnote citing the textbook,
its author, and page numbers you refer to in your initial post.)
Second, you need to write two Response Posts each week. One should be in response to a
fellow student’s Initial Post in one of the two Discussion Questions and a second Response
Post should be directed to a fellow student’s Initial Post in the second Discussion Question.
(In other words, avoid writing two Response Posts in one Discussion Question.) Response
Posts to each question should be at least 200 – 300 words and should include a “Works
Cited” statement. (Please avoid minimal “Good Post!” type responses! Engage! Discuss!)
Third, you need to plan on following the progress of the discussions at least three times each
week so that you can participate in ongoing discussions. Remember, both Initial Posts are
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due by midnight Thursday. Response Posts are due before Sunday midnight (with the
exception of Week 8, when response postings are due on the final Saturday).
Fourth, you need to carefully read the “Grading Criteria, Discussion Rubric” on Page 11 of
this syllabus to understand how your Discussion Posts will be graded. May I add that you
will likely find our weekly conversations fascinating as we discuss the two questions at hand,
and consequently, you may wish to make more than the four required posts. You are
certainly encouraged to do that. (Response Posts beyond the two required need not be 200
– 300 words.)
Discussion Posts are central to the success of this course, so be aware of the guidelines
below.
Discussions postings should respond to the relevant questions I have provided. Please do not
use long quotations. Effective discussion posts will present ideas in your own words.
Those that merely copy in text from the textbook or some other source will be much less
effective and will not receive high scores. Learn to paraphrase and summarize, and always cite
the source from which you are paraphrasing/summarizing. Paraphrasing--as opposed to
mere copying--shows me that you have understanding of the material.
Each response to your classmates should add to the discussion in a meaningful way by
bringing up an original and relevant point. It is not your job to tell other students that they
have not addressed parts of the discussion topics, although you are encouraged to express a
different interpretation or ask for additional information from other students on particular
topics. Aim to support each other, stay respectful, and be aware that electronic
communication can be read in ways you may not have intended. Note: in a college history
course, all institutions and traditions are held up to light for examination and discussion.
This may include institutions and beliefs to which you or your classmates are deeply
attached. Please respect that others may hold different perspectives. This course examines
traditions and institutions from a historical standpoint.
Be aware that each chapter is followed by a set of primary sources (sources from the actual
period), including art. I will be especially impressed by discussion postings that aim to bring
in some of those primary source materials. (Note that your textbook has a section on
“Working with Primary Sources”; see p. xlv.) I will also be impressed with postings that use
materials and resources found on the textbook's website or other reliable sources (do not
use Wikipedia). If you do use any source other that the textbook, please note within the text
of your discussion posting where you got the information.
Essays: You will write three essays in this course, due in Weeks 3, 5, and 7. All essays
are responses to questions based on your reading of primary source documents, but will
require that you understand the background material presented in the required textbook.
The essays must be a minimum of 700 - 900 words in length, double-spaced, completed in
either MS Word or saved in Rich Text Format, and submitted to the Dropbox. (Note that MS
Word has a word-count function.) Longer essays are allowed, but do not get extreme; learn
to self-edit. A longer essay is not a guarantee of a better grade. See “Writing Guidelines and
Grading Standards” for advice on essay composition. Be aware also that your textbook has a
section on “Working with Primary Sources” (pp. xlv-xlix). Be sure that your essay actually
points to evidence from the documents. Show me, don’t just tell me. Be sure to see the lateassignment policy for this course, below in the “Course Policies” section.
In responding to the questions in the discussions and on the essay, you may want to use
resources in addition to your textbook. This is encouraged, as it allows you to explore areas
of interest in more detail. I do caution you, however, to be aware of any biases that some
authors might have in dealing with the subject matter. Remember that Wikipedia is not an
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acceptable resource, as it is not refereed, and therefore not reliable. I recommend the
sources found in the databases available through the Columbia College library. Be sure to
document your sources properly using the Turabian (Chicago Manual of Style) format, which
is also covered by the Rampolla text. Please see the plagiarism tutorial within the course
website; essays that have any plagiarized material will receive zero points.
Quizzes: There will be three quizzes in this course in Weeks 2, 4, and 6. Quizzes will open on
Monday of each week, and must be completed before midnight Sunday of that week. You
should treat the quizzes as “closed-book, closed notes”; I will regard use of books, notes, and
web-searches during quizzes as unethical. The quizzes will consist of approximately 30-50
multiple-choice questions covering the assigned reading material. There will be a 20-minute
time-limit, set to where you should have ample time to answer the questions, but not enough
time to “look them up” in the book (or online) while taking the quiz. You will need to study
for the quizzes.
Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive and will consist of two main parts of
roughly equal weight. The first section will consist of around 50 multiple-choice questions,
and the second part will consist of a single essay. The final exam must be taken in a
proctored setting. (Please see the Proctor Policy for more information.)You will have two
hours to take the exam. This will be a closed-book exam. You will not be able to use your text
or other references or notes during the exam. You can post questions about the final in the
discussion forum that will open in Week 4.
Course Schedule
Week 1 – First Peoples & First Farmers
Readings: Prologue, “The Big Picture” (pp. 3-9) and Chapter 1, “First Peoples; First
Farmers: Most of History in a Single Chapter to 4000 B.C.E.,” pp. 11-57
Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 1: In the "Introductions" discussion, introduce yourself to your fellow
students. Please tell us a little about yourself, including your name and your major,
and discuss any special interests you may have in history. If you don't think you
have any interest in history (and this course aims to change that), think about any
books or movies you have read or seen that are set any time in the past. What
intrigues you about the book or movie's setting?

Discussion 2: The Agricultural Revolution marked a decisive and progressive
turning point in human history. What evidence might you offer to support this
claim, and what evidence might you use to argue against it? Use specific examples
from the reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive in making your
case.
Week 2– First Civilizations
Readings: Chapter 2, “First Civilizations: Cities, States, and Unequal Societies, 3500-500
B.C.E.,” pp. 59-95.
Proctor Information: Please submit your proctor’s information to the correct folder in the
Dropbox area by midnight Sunday.
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Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 3: Compare and contrast life in a Neolithic village to life in a city of one
of the First Civilizations. What has changed? Why? Use specific examples from the
reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive in making your case.
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Discussion 4: Early civilizations were largely held together by force. Do you agree
with this assessment, or were there other methods of integration as well? Use
specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive
in making your case.
Quiz 1: Covers material from Chapters 1, 2. Please complete in the Quizzes area by
midnight Sunday.
Week 3– Eurasian/North Africa Empires, 500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.
Readings: “The Big Picture” (pp. 98 – 103) Chapter 3: “State and Empire in Eurasia/North
Africa 500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.,” pp. 105-145.
Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 5: Which of the classical empires do you view as the most
successful? Why? What criteria are you using for assessing “success”? Why?
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Discussion 6: Are you more impressed with the “greatness” of empires or with
their destructive and oppressive features? Why? Do you think that the classical
empires hold “lessons” for the present, or are contemporary circumstances
sufficiently unique to render the past irrelevant?
Essay 1: Submit to the Dropbox by midnight Sunday. Examine the documents provided in
“Working with Evidence: Perceptions of Outsiders in the Ancient World (pp. 137-145). Your
essay must discuss any two of the three documents provided in that section and must
address one of the following bulleted question-clusters; your thesis statement should reflect
a response to the question you choose:
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Compare the perceptions of outsiders in these documents. Did authors notice the
same features of these societies? Did they focus more on what was exotic and
strange, or on what seemed familiar? Were they simply reporting what they
observed, or were they making judgments as well?
When considering these documents, to what extent do they reveal information
about the societies of those doing the reporting, as opposed to those being reported
on?
See the Course Contents/Resources area for helpful suggestions on essay writing. See the
syllabus for essay format and length requirements. Be aware of the essay guidelines found
in the rubric at the end of the course syllabus.
Week 4 – Culture, Religion, Society & Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa
500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.
Readings: Chapter 4, “Culture and Religion in Eurasia/North Africa 500 B.C.E.- 500 C.E.,” pp.
147-189 and Chapter 5, “Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa 500 B.C.E. – 500
C.E.,” pp. 191-227.
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Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 7: How would you define the appeal of religious traditions discussed in
Chapter 4? To what groups were they attractive, and why? Use specific examples
from the reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive in making your
case.
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Discussion 8: Let's pretend that somewhere you have read this statement: “The
cultural and social structures of civilizations are often more durable than the
political structures of states and empires.” Do you agree or disagree with this
statement? Why? Use specific examples from the reading to support your points, so
that you are persuasive in making your case.
Quiz 2: Covers material from Chapters 3, 4, 5. Please complete in the Quizzes area by
midnight Sunday.
Week 5 – American, African, and Pacific trajectories, 500 B.C.E – 1200
C.E.
Readings: Chapter 6, “Commonalities and Variations: Africa, the Americas, and Pacific
Oceana, 500 B.C.E. – 1200 C.E., pp. 229-271.
Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 9: The civilizations and cultures covered in this chapter are often left
out of public school education. Which of these cultures was the most surprising to
you, and why? Use specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that
you are persuasive in making your case.
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Discussion 10: The histories of Africa and the Americas during the second-wave era
largely resemble those of Eurasia. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why
not? Use specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that you are
persuasive in making your case.
Essay 2: Submit to the Dropbox by midnight Sunday. Examine the primary documents
provided in “Working with Evidence: Axum and the World (pp. 265-271). Your essay must
discuss at least 2 of the 4 documents provided in that section. Your essay must address one
of the two following bulleted question-clusters; your thesis statement should reflect a
response to the question-cluster you choose:
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Based on these documents, how would you describe Axum's various relationships
with the world beyond its borders?
What different perspectives can you notice between those documents written from
within Axum and those written by outsiders? How did the particular social role that
each author represents (missionary, monarch, and merchant) affect his view of
Axum?
See the Contents/Resources area for helpful suggestions on essay writing. Be aware of the
essay rubric found at the end of the course syllabus.
Week 6 – Commerce, culture, and East Asian connections, 500 -- c.1500 C.E.
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Readings: “The Big Picture” (pp. 272-279), and Chapter 7, “Commerce and Culture 5001500,” pp. 281-321 and Chapter 8, “China and the World: East Asian Connections 5001300,” pp. 323 – 361.
Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 11: Cultural change often derived from commercial exchange in the
third-wave era. What evidence from Chapter 7 supports this observation? Use
specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive
in making your case.
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Discussion 12: How did China influence the world of the third-wave era? How was
China itself transformed by its encounters with a wider world? Use specific examples
from the reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive in making your
case.
Quiz 3: Covers material from Chapters 6, 7, 8. Please complete in the Quizzes area by
midnight Sunday.
Course Evaluations: Please evaluate the course. You will have an opportunity to evaluate
the course near the end of the session. A link will be sent to your CougarMail that will allow
you to access the evaluation. Please note that these evaluations are provided so that I can
improve the course, find out what students perceive to be its strengths and weaknesses, and
in general assess the success of the course. Please do take the time to fill this out.
Week 7 – Worlds of Islam & European Christendom, 500 – c.1500 C.E.
Readings: Chapter 9, “The Worlds of Islam: Afro-Eurasian Connections 600 – 1500,” pp.
363-407 and Chapter 10, “The Worlds of Christendom: Contraction, Expansion, and
Division 500 – 1300,” pp. 409-455.
Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Sunday. Please note that in order to receive
full credit, you must post on three separate days.
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Discussion 13: In what ways might Islamic civilization during this period be
described as cosmopolitan, international, or global? Use specific examples from the
reading to support your points, so that you are persuasive in making your case.
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Discussion 14: In what respects was the civilization of the Latin West distinctive
and unique, and in what ways was it broadly comparable to other third-wave
civilizations? Use specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that
you are persuasive in making your case.
Essay 3: Submit to the Dropbox by midnight Sunday. Examine the documents provided in
“Working with Evidence: The Life of the Prophet” (pp. 399-407). Your essay must discuss at
least 3 of the 4 images in that section. Please be sure to read the section “Working with
Evidence” (found very early in the textbook), which offers important guidance about
interpreting primary-source images. Your essay must address one of the following bulleted
question-clusters; your thesis statement should reflect a response to the question-cluster
you choose.
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How might you describe the understanding of Muhammad these images present?
Do such images have any usefulness for knowing “what really happened,” as
opposed to grasping Muslim views of their prophet?
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What do these images reveal about Muslims’ understandings of their relationship to
earlier religious practices? What did they accept from the past, and what did they
reject?
What do these images add to the understanding of Islam you derived from the
narrative text of the chapter?
Be sure to base your responses on evidence and analysis of the images. See the Contents/Resources
area for helpful suggestions on essay writing. Be aware of the essay rubric found at the end of the
course syllabus.
Week 8 – The Mongol Moment and the Worlds of the Fifteenth Century
Readings: Chapters 11, “Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage: The Mongol Moment 12001500,” pp. 457-497 and Chapter 12, “The Worlds of the Fifteenth Century,” pp. 499-545.
Discussion Assignments: Please post your initial post by midnight Thursday and your
responses to at least two classmates by midnight Saturday. Please note that in order to
receive full credit, you must post on three separate days.

Discussion 15: Why have historians often neglected pastoral peoples’ role in world
history? In your view, does this chapter offer a “balanced” perspective on the
Mongols? Use specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that you
are persuasive in making your case.
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Discussion 16: What common patterns might you notice across the world of the
1400sCE? And what variations in the historical trajectories of various regions can
you identify? Use specific examples from the reading to support your points, so that
you are persuasive in making your case.
Final Exam: The exam may be taken any time during Week 8. You will have two hours to
complete the exam. No notes or textbooks are allowed at the proctored final exam. You can
post questions about the final in the discussion forum that will open in Week 4.
Course Policies
Student Conduct
All Columbia College students, whether enrolled in a land-based or online course, are
responsible for behaving in a manner consistent with Columbia College's Student Conduct
Code and Acceptable Use Policy. Students violating these policies will be referred to the
office of Student Affairs and/or the office of Academic Affairs for possible disciplinary
action. The Student Code of Conduct and the Computer Use Policy for students can be found
in the Columbia College Student Handbook. The Handbook is available online; you can also
obtain a copy by calling the Student Affairs office (Campus Life) at 573-875-7400. The
teacher maintains the right to manage a positive learning environment, and all students
must adhere to the conventions of online etiquette.
Plagiarism
Your grade will be based in large part on the originality of your ideas and your written
presentation of these ideas. Presenting the words, ideas, or expression of another in any
form as your own is plagiarism. Students who fail to properly give credit for information
contained in their written work (papers, journals, exams, etc.) are violating the intellectual
property rights of the original author. For proper citation of the original authors, you should
reference the appropriate publication manual for your degree program or course
(Chicago/Turabian, APA, MLA, etc.). Violations are taken seriously in higher education and
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may result in a failing grade on the assignment, a grade of "F" for the course, or dismissal
from the College.
Collaboration conducted between students without prior permission from the instructor is
considered plagiarism and will be treated as such. Spouses and roommates taking the same
course should be particularly careful.
All required papers may be submitted for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the
detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers may be included in the Turnitin.com reference
database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. This service is subject to the Terms and
Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.
Non-Discrimination
There will be no discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual
orientation, religion, ideology, political affiliation, veteran status, age, physical handicap, or
marital status.
Disability Services
Students with documented disabilities who may need academic services for this course are
required to register with the Coordinator for Disability Services at (573) 875-7626. Until the
student has been cleared through the disability services office, accommodations do not have
to be granted. If you are a student who has a documented disability, it is important for you
to read the entire syllabus before enrolling in the course. The structure or the content of the
course may make an accommodation not feasible.
Online Participation
You are expected to read the assigned texts and participate in the discussions and other
course activities each week. Assignments should be posted by the due dates stated on the
grading schedule in your syllabus. If an emergency arises that prevents you from
participating in class, please let your instructor know as soon as possible.
Attendance Policy
Attendance for a week will be counted as having submitted a course assignment for which
points have been earned during that week of the session or if the proctoring information
has been submitted or the plagiarism quiz taken if there is no other assignment due that
week. A class week is defined as the period of time between Monday and Sunday (except for
Week 8, when the week and the course will end on Saturday at midnight). The course and
system deadlines are all based on the Central Time Zone.
Cougar E-mail
All students are provided a CougarMail account when they enroll in classes at Columbia
College. You are responsible for monitoring e-mail from that account for important
messages from the College and from your instructor. You may forward your Cougar e-mail
account to another account; however, the College cannot be held responsible for breaches in
security or service interruptions with other e-mail providers.
Students should use e-mail for private messages to the instructor and other students. The
class discussions are for public messages so the class members can each see what others
have to say about any given topic and respond.
Late Assignment Policy
An online class requires regular participation and a commitment to your instructor and your
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classmates to regularly engage in the reading, discussion and writing assignments. Although
most of the online communication for this course is asynchronous, you must be able to
commit to the schedule of work for the class for the next eight weeks. You must keep up with
the schedule of reading and writing to successfully complete the class.
Course Evaluation
You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course near the end of the session. A link will be
sent to your CougarMail that will allow you to access the evaluation. Be assured that the
evaluations are anonymous and that your instructor will not be able to see them until after
final grades are submitted.
Proctor Policy
Students taking courses that require proctored exams must submit their completed proctor
request forms to their instructors by the end of the second week of the session. Proctors
located at Columbia College campuses are automatically approved. The use of Proctor U
services is also automatically approved. The instructor of each course will consider any
other choice of proctor for approval or denial. Additional proctor choices the instructor will
consider include: public librarians, high school or college instructors, high school or college
counseling services, commanding officers, education service officers, and other proctoring
services. Personal friends, family members, athletic coaches and direct supervisors are not
acceptable.
Additional Resources
Orientation for New Students
This course is offered online, using course management software provided by Desire2Learn
and Columbia College. The Student Manual provides details about taking an online course at
Columbia College. You may also want to visit the course demonstration to view a sample
course before this one opens.
Technical Support
If you have problems accessing the course or posting your assignments, contact your
instructor, the Columbia College Helpdesk, or the D2L Helpdesk for assistance. Contact
information is also available within the online course environment.
[email protected]
[email protected]
800-231-2391 ex. 4357
877-325-7778
Online Tutoring
Smarthinking is a free online tutoring service available to all Columbia College students.
Smarthinking provides real-time online tutoring and homework help for Math, English, and
Smarthinking also provides access to live tutorials in writing and math, as well as a full range
of study resources, including writing manuals, sample problems, and study skills manuals.
You can access the service from wherever you have a connection to the Internet. I encourage
you to take advantage of this free service provided by the college.
Access Smarthinking through CougarTrack under Students->Academics->Academic
Resources.
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Grading Criteria
Discussion Rubric
Criteria
Description
Points
Content: Initial
Post—the
Response to the
Question
You are to write two Initial Posts each week, one post for each of the two
weekly Discussion Questions. Your Initial Posts should be substantive
(200-300 words), containing either an impressive, accurate summary of
information or an in-depth, accurate analysis of any part of the discussion
topic. You are encouraged to explore the topic by accessing reliable web
sites, reading scholarly articles or books, or analyzing topics of interest.
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Content:
Response Posts—
a Response to a
Colleague
You are to write two Response Posts each week, one Response Post for
each of the two weekly questions. Response comments are helpful and
informative additions to the discussions. Raise questions, expand the topic,
or debate points raised by other students (in a constructive, polite way). At
least one of those responses should be substantive (200-300 words).
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Level of
Participation
You have submitted at least four significant postings, including two Initial
Posts and two Response Posts as follows: (a) one initial post before the
Thursday midnight and another before Sunday midnight, and (b) at least
two response posts. Response Posts are due Sunday at midnight except
during Week 8 when all posts are due Saturday at midnight. (See
“Assignment Overview,” pp. 4 & 5 for posting details.)
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Style basics
Postings are written in clear, concise English, with rare spelling or
grammatical errors. All sources are properly referenced.
5
Total
25
Essay Rubric
Criteria
Description
Points
Focus
A well-developed, specific, defensible, and relevant thesis is
articulated. The thesis statement thoroughly and completely
addresses the question posed. The thesis statement is
highlighted in bold or italicized lettering.
20
Support
Details in support of the thesis are well-chosen, explained,
and connected to the argument. They are presented in a
well-organized and lucid argument.
30
Subject
Knowledge
Student demonstrates an understanding of the primary
source document and its place in the history of Western
civilization.
20
Format
A brief introduction and conclusion offer helpful summaries
of the argument. An appropriate “Works Cited” element is
included.
10
Mechanics
Essay is the appropriate length (700-900 words), double
spaced, and submitted in Word or Rich Text Format.
10
Style
basics
Grammar, spelling and writing style is appropriate to college
level work.
10
12
Total
100
13