Download HIS 1163

Summer 2015
HIS 1163
Instructor: Trevor Smith
E-Mail: [email protected]
World History I
Phone: 228-896-2515
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: Silvers, Peter. Patterns of World History. Volume I to 1600 with Sources. 2nd Ed. Oxford University Press, 2014.
Hardback ISBN 9780190271596. Paperback ISBN 9780199399789
Course Description: This course is a general survey of world history from ancient times to the 1500s.
Learning Outcomes:
Unit 1: Explain the significance of the agricultural revolution.
Unit 2: Explain why Egypt is the “gift of the Nile” and Mesopotamia is the “cradle of civilization.” Identify the major
developments during Egypt’s Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. Determine why civilizations developed in Mesopotamia.
Identify cultural contributions of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Amorites, Hebrews, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and
Persians. Recognize the geographical determinism of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Unit 3: Recognize the geographical determinism of Greek civilization. Analyze the development of democracy in Greece.
Determine the importance of the Persian Wars. Explain the rivalry among Sparta and Athens and how it destroyed
Greece. Describe the major cultural contributions of Greeks in philosophy, literature, drama, art, architecture and
medicine. Compare the Hellenistic empires with the Greek city-states.
Unit 4: Identify the origins of the Roman Republic. Recognize how Rome evolved from a republic to an empire. Trace Rome’s
period of the “Five Great Emperors” (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius). Explain the political,
social, economic, moral, and military conditions that caused the collapse of Rome. Outline the development of
Christianity and how it contributed to the fall of Rome. Classify the relationships among the patrician and plebian orders
in Roman society.
Unit 5: Describe the founding of Islam and identify the five great pillars of Islam. Explain how the Muslim empire developed
under the Abbasids. Identify the cultural contributions of Islam in science, medicine, and mathematics. Trace how the
Franks established the first Christian kingdom in Western Europe. Explain how Charlemagne unified Europe into the
Holy Roman Empire. Determine the causes, major events, and results of the Crusades.
Unit 6: Determine the causes and effects of the Renaissance. Identify Renaissance contributions to art, literature, scientific
inquiry, and exploration. Trace the events and circumstances of the Protestant Reformation and the Counter
Reformation. Determine Martin Luther’s importance to the Reformation.
Unit 7: Trace the population of the western hemisphere and the migration of humans throughout the Americas. Identify factors
that led to the development and demise of the great states in the Americas. Summarize the importance of the tribal
structure in the Americas.
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Instructional Techniques:
This course will include posted notes, reading assignments from the text, and discussion forums.
Methods of Evaluation:
Evaluations will include six at-home quizzes, two proctored exams, and twelve discussion forums. The exams and quizzes will
consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The discussions will be graded by participation.
Grading:
The grading scale is as follows:
90-100% = A 80=89% = B 70-79% = C 60-69% = D Below 60% = F
The instructor does not round up grades
Each assignment weight is as follows:
Quiz 1 = 8%
Quiz 2 = 8%
Quiz 3 = 8%
Quiz 4 = 8%
Quiz 5 = 8%
Quiz 6 = 8%
Exam 1 = 20%
Exam 2 = 20%
Discussions = 12% total
Testing:
Each quiz will consist of twenty questions and will have a twelve minute time limit. The two exams will contain a variety of
question types, and must be taken at a proctor center. Exams and quizzes are not open note or open book. Students may only
use the contents of their brains. The discussions will be graded as either zero credit (zero participation), half credit (minimal
participation), and full credit (full participation).
Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to follow the academic honesty policies of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the Mississippi
Virtual Community College. Students that found guilty of academic dishonesty will receive a zero on the pertinent assignment(s)
and, at the instructor’s discretion, a zero in the course. Additional action may be taken by MSVCC or MGCCC.
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Attendance:
Students are expected to log in daily, read all announcements, and complete all assignments. Students that miss two essays, two
discussions, or the first Exam will be dropped from the course.
ADA Statement:
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the
Americans with Disabilities Act. Information regarding disabilities, voluntarily given or inadvertently received, will not adversely
affect any admission decision. If you require special services because of a disability, notify the ADA Coordinator at Jefferson Davis
Campus, or the Dean of Student Services at Jefferson Davis Campus. This voluntary self-identification allows Mississippi Gulf
Coast Community College to prepare appropriate support services to facilitate your learning.
The information on this syllabus and the course material is subject to change
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