Perspectives: World 1500 to 1800
H108 (C660)

Course Description
This course is a survey of World history from 1500 to 1800. Students who enroll in this course should have a background in the knowledge of World Civilizations from the origins to 1500. The objective of this course is to acquaint students with different cultures, not exclusively Western cultures, considered from their indigenous perspective as well as in the global context. The format of teaching is primarily lecture although slide presentations, video displaying, and student discussion will be incorporated. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions and to ask questions whenever they feel necessary.

Requirements

1. Regular class attendance and class participation (10%).
2. Two quizzes (2@10%). Quizzes will be given in the discussion sections.
3. Two inclass exams (there will be no final exam). The midterm exam (20%) includes materials (readings, lectures, and discussions) covered from the beginning of the semester. The second exam (20%) includes materials covered since the previous one.
4. One paper (30%). Topics will be distributed in class. The paper should be 5-7 pages double-spaced, typewritten (preferably using a word-processing program).

Schedule of Exams and Paper
Midterm: October 11.
Quizzes: TBA
Term exam: December 11.
Paper: due on December 4.

Books [available at the University bookstore. Each student should purchase and read according to the schedule dates the books required]
All required readings for the course are available at the bookstore and I suggest you purchase all the recommended books. I strongly recommend that you read the sections assigned at least twice before coming to class. Make notes in your texts or on a separate sheet of paper and highlight or underline the specific passages you want to discuss.

Class Attendance
Students are required to attend class on a regular basis. They should come to class on time and keep any scheduled appointment. Students who for extraordinary reasons cannot meet a deadline or come to class should discuss the situation with the instructor beforehand. An assignment turned in after the due date will incur a grade cut of one point for every late day.

Class Participation
The classroom is an environment of learning par excellence. Not only do students learn from the instructor and by their own critical analysis of the material but they also learn from fellow students. It is, of course, an intimate and ever-changing space where students are constantly asked to share opinions and critically analyze the issues as they are being presented by the instructor and fellow students. Participation in class discussions is instrumental in the student’s ability to analyze and assimilate information. Do not feel shy to ask a question, raise an issue or interject a thought. There are several ways to get prepared for class discussions. Here are some tips on how students can enrich discussion of the course materials: (1) Spend time before each class preparing for discussion by making notes in your texts or on a separate sheet of paper pertaining to specific passages from the readings that you want to discuss. (2) During class discussions, when raising a question or point about the assigned readings, make specific references to texts, authors and page numbers in question. (3) Listen carefully to an interlocutor’s question and position before responding and making your own comment. Try not to make assumptions about your interlocutor’s intentions or motivations based on his/her gender or origin. Never hesitate to ask your interlocutor to clarify or restate her/his position.

Paper Grading Policy
I believe that a grade is less a reward for or a penalty against the student’s intelligence than a reflection of the student’s proficiency to write clearly and persuasively a paper on a given topic. Organization and pertinence of ideas, as well as grammar and clarity, are among some the chief criteria I use in grading a paper. With this in mind I give the following grades:

Here is my grading chart:

Here are some writing tips:

1. "Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style" (Matthew Arnold).
2. "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity" (George Orwell).
3. When writing a paper, do not make unsupported assertions. Try to present the most convincing case for your argument. Think carefully and thoroughly about the evidence you will use to support your position. Always anticipate opposing critiques of your position and opposing arguments. Try to answer or address opposing positions as you present your own position. This will demonstrate that you are aware of alternative viewpoints and that you are capable of proposing and defending a thesis.
4. Your paper should not be a first-draft presentation and organization of your thoughts. Give yourself ample time to read the assigned materials and to consult appropriate sources before making final decisions about your thesis statement and the supporting evidence, which will provide structure for your argument and conclusion. For example, you might begin writing your final paper by making very strong statements about a point you aim at defending. However, in consulting the works of scholars in the field, you may see the need to modify your original thesis, or you may be compelled to abandon it altogether. This is to be expected in scholarly research and writing. You should not feel reluctant to change your argument if your reasons for changing it are more convincing than your original reasons for posing it.
5. Please take advantage of all the resources available to you when planning to write your paper. Never hesitate to ask reference librarians for help in trying to locate scholarly sources. Never hesitate to ask me for extra help in thinking through your ideas for the paper. Discussing a topic before researching and writing can help you think of new ideas and new approaches and sources. It can also save time.
6. Always use page numbering and a 12 inch-font. Do not hesitate to use footnotes I you think they might clarify your demonstration. A bibliography should always figure at the end of your paper. Double-spacing is a requirement. Please, staple your paper; do not join pages with a paper clip.
7. Last but not least, always proofread your paper before you hand it in to be graded. Not only does proofread help rid your paper of any grammatical errors and typos that can make its content less comprehensible and appealing, but it also helps to consider re-wording a sentence or improving an existing idea. Proofreading can make a difference in your grade.

pla.gia.rize \vb –rized; -riz.ing vt [plagiary] (1716)
: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
: use (a created production) without crediting the source ~ vi : to
commit literary theft: present as new and original an idea or product
derived from an existing source — pla.gia.riz.er n

We’ve entered an age where the amount of information generated and the technology available to retrieve it have made it easier for anybody to take verbatim words and ideas belonging to somebody else, without the author’s permission, without reference to the authorship, and by passing them as his or her own. This is unacceptable, especially in the academic environment where copyright laws are supposed to be known and respected by all. Please always abide by the following rules:

1. Never use and idea that you have borrowed, without referring to the authorship.
2. Figures, when not your own, should always be referenced.
3. There is nothing wrong in inserting quotes in your work, but always give the source (author, work, date and place of publication, publisher and page number)

While it’s hard for some of us to assimilate that words and ideas are also property and as such are subject to copyright laws, we should always remember the Golden Rule.
(Also refer to the Indiana University Bulletin, 1998-2000: School of Liberal Arts, p. 20-21)