Welcome to World History

COURSE SYLLABUS
WORLD HISTORY B: THE EMERGENCE OF THE MODERN WORLD

“The only thing new in this world is the history that you don't know”
Harry S Truman


Instructor: Dr. A.E. Pattiz

Required Materials: Textbook, notebook, pen or pencil. It is the responsibility of the student to come to class, every day, with the appropriate materials. This includes textbook, notebook, writing paper, and a pen or pencil to write with. Please come to class prepared.

Textbook: World History: Patterns of Interaction published by McDougal-Littell.

Course Description: This course is a survey of World History from the Age of Empire through the 20th Century.

Graded Assessments: During the course, students will participate in five types of graded assessments. Each assessment will be worth a fixed number of points except for the final exam, which is worth fifteen percent of the student’s final grade.

(1) Chapter Exercises: Students will be required to supplement their knowledge gained through lecture and class discussions by completing chapter reviews in their textbook. These exercises will consist of identification of terms, review questions, critical thinking questions, and graphic organizers designed to supplement in-class lectures and discussions.
(2) Reading Assignments: Students will be required to do reading assignments on a wide range of historical topics including analysis of primary and secondary source documents. Students will be given time in class to work on assigned readings. The instructor will be available to provide assistance if needed.
(3) Historical Research & Analysis: Students will become historians and will be required to do in-depth research on selected topics and to prepare written work in preparation for student presentations and other research-related assignments.
(4) Unit Tests: Students will have unit tests over the course of the semester. Each unit test will be worth one hundred points. If the student misses a unit test, it is his [her] responsible to request a make-up test.
(5) Final Exam: The student will take a final exam at the end of the semester that is cumulative and comprehensive.

Grading Policy: 100-90=A, 89-80=B, 79-71=C, 70=D, 69-0=F. The student’s end of course grade will represent the total points earned by the student divided by the total number of possible points. When the instructor returns work, students will receive a score [total points earned] and underneath that score will be the total points possible. For example, if a student received an assignment with a fifty over a seventy-five, this would mean that the assignment was worth seventy-five possible points and the student earned fifty of these points. Students should keep all of their work. If a student claims to have done an assignment that the instructor has no record of having received, the instructor will ask the student to produce the assignment in question. If, in fact, it was graded, the instructor will apologize to the student and enter the grade. If, on the other hand, the student does not have the assignment in question then the grade will remain a zero. If a student has a question or concern regarding a specific grade, he [or she] needs to meet with the instructor before or after class.

Why study history?

You really can’t understand the present or be prepared for the future unless you know something about the past. That means learning about both the great accomplishments of human beings and their evil or stupid acts. As George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Understanding the past will force you to understand and analyze information in a way that makes sense. This is one of the most valuable skills you can carry with you into college and into adult life. As an engineer or a surgeon or a teacher, you will be presented with massive amounts of information and will need to organize it into a coherent whole. This course will ask you to do that also.

Part of maturing is when you understand that your decisions have consequences, some of them very long lasting. Hopefully, you will be able to make better decisions after you have studied the decisions others have made in history.

The world is getting smaller all the time. A little more than five hundred years ago, the two hemispheres of the world didn’t even know of each other’s existence. Now we can communicate with almost any place in the world instantly and travel almost anywhere on earth in a few hours, and events that take place thousands of miles away affect our lives deeply. It is more important than ever to know about the globe, not just about your neighborhood or school or city or state or nation.

Communicating in this global village demands good writing skills. This isn’t just something you learn in an English course. The better you can write, the greater mark you can leave on the world. In another era those who mastered the bow and arrow held the highest power. Today, you have something far more powerful: the keyboard. This course will ask you to think and write clearly and will help you develop your ability to use this powerful tool for good.

Your responsibilities as a student:

Do your homework on time. Reading homework is just as important as written homework. Per the syllabus, the instructor does NOT accept late work or work without a name.

Prepare well for tests and other assignments. This means studying!

Stay alert and focused in class and participate in class discussions.

Ask for help when you need it. The instructor is available before school, during lunch, and after school to help any student who needs assistance. Do not wait until it is too late to seek assistance. If you encounter a problem or difficulty, seek assistance immediately.

Treat everyone in the room with respect.

Bring the following materials to class every day:

A notebook used only for history; this notebook should contain a pocket for handouts. Keep recent handouts there; they may sometimes be used in class.

A pen or pencil to write with since it is not the instructor’s job to keep you supplied.

When you’re absent:

It is your responsibility to learn what took place in class, find out assignments were given, and obtain any handouts that may have been distributed. Being absent is no excuse for not knowing your assignments or other responsibilities.

It is your responsibility to take the initiative to make up any work missed because of absences.

Academic Integrity:

Copying from another student is cheating, whether on quizzes, tests, exams, or homework assignments.

Talking or communicating with another student in any way during a test is prohibited.

Helping another student to cheat is itself a form of cheating. Do not give your homework assignments to anyone else. If they choose to copy the work you have given them, you are responsible. Studying together in groups is fine, but this is very different from passing work back and forth. The instructor will indicate if it is acceptable to work with a partner. Otherwise, understand that the work you turn-in should be your own.

“Cheat sheets” or bringing in information in any form during tests is prohibited.

Plagiarism is a very serious form of academic dishonesty. It means stealing the words or ideas of someone else. The most common form (but not the only form) of plagiarism is using someone else’s words without putting them in quotation marks and indicating the source of the quotation. It is your responsibility to understand what plagiarism is and avoid it. Ask the instructor before you turn in an assignment if you need to clarify this rule.

Classroom rules:

Be on time for class, and be seated with your notebook and pen on your desk by the time the bell rings.

Be respectful to everyone else in the room. Making fun of another student violates what our school stands for.

Be alert and focused in the class. You are not allowed to sleep or to put your head down on the desk.

Don’t leave paper or anything else on the floor or desk.

Your final grades will be based on the school’s overall grading system: A=90-100; B=80-89; C=71-79; D=70; F=below 70.

Tests:

Tests will always be announced at least ONE week in advance. You need to study, but should not wait until the night before if you expect to get a good grade.

A word on procrastination:

It’s part of human nature to put things off until later. Unfortunately, it’s not good for learning. Reading and studying consistently over several days is a lot better than just cramming the night before a test. The single most common piece of advice I give to students who perform poorly on tests is start studying early!

Policy On Late Work, Missing Work, Or Work Without A Name:

Assigned work is due on the date and at the time the instructor requests it. ALL ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES WILL BE POSTED. Also, the instructor will post assignment due dates on the class announcement section of mygradebook.com one week in advance so there should be absolutely NO reason why a student does not know what is due and when it is due. Do not bother turning-in late work since it will be counted as a zero.

If a student leaves work in his or her locker or in another class then the instructor will give the student permission to retrieve the work if he/she has an agenda to use as a hall pass. The instructor will not, however, grant permission if the student makes a habit of leaving work elsewhere. Work that is left at home will be counted as a zero.

There is NO extra credit. The instructor reserves the right to reward students with bonus points for a job that is very well done, but there are NO replacement assignments for work that students fail to turn in. This instructor does not believe in giving students, who do not do regular assigned work, extra opportunities when they have failed to take advantage of the opportunities already available.

Per standard mathematical conventions, all grades will be rounded-up at .5 and higher. Because of a transparent grade-book program, each student will receive the grade that he or she has earned. The instructor will make NO exceptions to this policy. It is therefore the responsibility of the student to do what is necessary to make sure that he/she succeeds. The instructor will provide assistance when requested, but each student must do their work and take responsibility for ALL work assigned during the semester.

WORK TURNED-IN WITHOUT A NAME AUTOMATICALLY RESULTS IN A ZERO. No name means no grade! If a student has a zero for an assignment he or she has done then it is the responsibility of the student to produce the assignment. Students are required to keep all of their work in a notebook. If a student is unable to produce a missing assignment with a grade on it then it is an automatic zero. The student does not get the benefit of the doubt so keep all of your work.