Tom Scheinfeldt
History 100: The History of Western Civilization, Fall 2005
(http://chnm.gmu.edu/staff/scheinfeldt/history100/)
Wednesdays 10:30-11:45 a.m.
Robinson A245

IN THIS COURSE we will examine the history of Western civilization from its early beginnings in Egypt, the Middle East, Greece, and Rome right up to the present day. Because that leaves us with nearly three thousand years of history to investigate in only 15 weeks, our approach will be highly selective. Unlike other history courses you may have taken, this course does not survey these events in a linear progression. We will not be memorizing lots of names and dates. Instead, we will take a thematic approach that focuses on a number of the most important developments during the three millennia we will cover. We will focus our attention tightly on certain essential trends that one can discern in the history of the West -- trends that resonate in the present in addition to being vital to our understanding of the past.

By the end of the semester you will know a lot more than you do now about each of these trends, and you will be able to apply that knowledge not only to the events of European history, but also to many other areas of scholarly investigation. I am sorry to say that you will not have an encyclopedic knowledge of the names, dates, battles, treaties, kings, queens, artists, and philosophers. If memorization of these pieces of information is what you crave, you'll be better off in another section of this course.

Below you will find general information about the course, including notes on attendance, grading, and office hours. You will also find schedules for writing assignments, out-of-class activities, and class meetings. Please note that for each class meeting I have prepared a separate page of introductory materials and instructions, and you should be sure to visit these pages BEFORE the class in question, when you will be responsible for any reading, web assignments, and other information you find there.

* Week 1 (August 31, 2005) - Never the Twain Shall Meet?
* Week 2 (September 7, 2005) - Historical Thinking
* Week 3 (September 14, 2005) - Roman Transformations
* Week 4 (September 21, 2005) - Iberian Encounters
* Week 5 (September 28, 2005) - The Cold War
* Week 6 (October 5, 2005) - Frankenstein, Part I
* Week 7 (October 12, 2005) - Practical Mathematics
* Week 8 (October 19, 2005) - Collections & Exhibitions
* Week 9 (October 26, 2005) - Power
* Week 10 (November 2, 2005) - Frankenstein, Part II
* Week 11 (November 9, 2005) - Ancient Civic Legacies
* Week 12 (November 16, 2005) - The French Revolution
* Week 13 (November 23, 2005) - Off
* Week 14 (November 30, 2005) - The Individual
* Week 15 (December 7, 2005) - The Community

In addition to attending class and completing your reading, web, and writing assignments, you are required to attend the following events outside of class. If you know right now that any of these dates will be a problem you must inform me by September 10, and we will work out alternative arrangements for you:

* September 17, 2005 - Field Trip: National Gallery of Art
* October 6, 2005 - Movie Night: Frankenstein, 1931
* November 3, 2005 - Movie Night: Frankenstein, 1994
* November 5, 2005 - Field Trip: Holocaust Museum

Aside from these events, there are several other events around campus and around town that are related to the topics we will disucss this semester:

Please talk to me in advance if you would like to attend one of these events and write a short essay for extra credit. I'm also happy to entertain other ideas for extra credit if you find a performance, lecture, exhibition, or other event that fits with the aims of the course. Extra credit essays should be one page in length and will be worth one letter grade on your final writing assignment.

1. September 15, 2005 - Summary Essay due
2. September 22, 2005 - Descriptive Essay due
3. September 29, 2005 - Narrative Essay due
4. November 17, 2005 - Research Paper due
5. December 9, 2005 - Opinion Paper due

Required Materials: The textbook for this course is Lynn Hunt, et al., The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History, which is avabile for purchase in the bookstore. It is essential that you buy the textbook, which will provide you with the basic narrative of events, brief biographies of key players in those events, and other supporting materials such as maps, charts, and so on. (I will spend some time in class during the first two sessions helping you to become a more effective user of a textbook, so don't be daunted by the number of pages assigned!)

You also will be responsible for watching a set of video lectures prepared by the Department of History and Art History for this course. You may purchase the full set of video lectures at the bookstore, watch them on local area cable television, or view them in the library using a set placed on reserve. Please be aware that the Johnson Center library has only two full sets on reserve, and there are close to 1,500 students signed up for this course this semester. If you decide to purchase the videos be sure to ask around to see if you can buy a used set from someone. More than 2,000 sets have been sold in the past several years, and the campus bookstore does not take returns on the videos (they refuse to take returns on any electronic media for any reason), so someone should have a set for sale cheap. Ask around.

Finally, you should purchase a copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which is also available at the bookstore for less than $10.

Attendance: Because this course covers several thousand years in just one semester, attendance is absolutely necessary if you want to keep up. The University mandates that attendance cannot be required, but because a full fifth of your grade is predicated on your participation in the discussions that take place in class, if you fail to attend class, your grade will certainly suffer. I expect everyone to talk, but for those of you who are shy or have other reasons for not wanting to talk a lot, please be assured that it will be the quality of your participation, not the quantity, that counts most.

Contact Information and Office Hours: My office is located in Pohick Module Room 3, and I will always be available on Thursday afternoons between 1:00-3:00 to talk to you about the course. I am in my office most days of the week, however, and you should feel free to stop by anytime. I can't promise I'll be there, but I'll be happy to see you if I am. You can also always call me on my office phone (703-993-4213) or e-mail me at jscheinf@gmu.edu.

Linked Course: This course is linked with your English 101 class. Several of the assignments you complete for this course will also be handed in to your professor in English 101. Each of us grades these assignments according to our own expectations and requirements, so don't be surprised if you receive different grades for the same assignment from your two different professors.

Grading: Everyone is always very concerned about grades. Grades are important, but I guarantee you that you will get a good grade if you participate enthusiastically in all of the readings, writings, trips, and class discussions. Still, I'm sure you want to know exactly how I'll calculate grades at the end of term, so here it is:

Class participation - 20%
Weekly online exercises - 10%
Summary essay (due 9/15) - 10%
Descriptive essay (due 9/22) - 5%
Narrative paper (due 9/29) - 5%
Research paper (due 11/17) - 20%
Opinion essay (due 12/9) - 10%
Final Exam 20%

Medical and Other Excuses: Every semester someone is forced to miss either an examination or the due date for an assignment as the result of an illness or a family emergency. If you find yourself in this situation, fairness to all students in the class requires proper documentation, without which your excuses will not be accepted. If you need to know more about this process, please consult me as soon as the emergency is taken care of.

Late papers: Late papers will be accepted. However, for each day a paper is late, one-half of a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade for that paper. In other words, a paper that would have received an A-, but was two days late, would receive a B- instead. No matter how late your paper is, it must be handed in, even if it has already reached the F level: Unless all assignments are completed by the last day of the semester, you will fail the course. Similarly, you must complete all of your online exercises before class, and late entries will be graded down according to the same scheme.

Plagiarism and Cheating: I will not tolerate cheating or plagarism. When you are cheating, you are not learning, and you are here to learn. If you have any questions about what is expected of you in this regard, please review the George Mason University Honor Code. Note that penalties for academic dishonesty are severe, including failing the assignment, failing the course, many hours of community service, suspension or even expulsion from the University.

Food, Drink, Tobacco: Soft drinks are permitted in class, but food and tobacco are not. Eat, smoke, or dip before you come to class.

ADA: Any student who requires special arrangements should obtain appropriate verification from the Disability Resource Center and contact me to make necessary accomodations.