History
310: The Ancient World
Tuesdays and Thursdays,
1:00-2:15 p.m., in the
Instructor: Dr. Michael Perri Office: 903-223-3194. Home: 903-792-1304
Office:
229F E-mail: michael.perri@tamut.edu
Course
description: A
survey of Mediterranean civilizations to the fall of the Roman Empire with
emphasis on the histories of
Text: D. Brendan Nagle, The Ancient World: A Social and Cultural History
Handouts.
Course objectives:
1. To further the student’s
understanding of the social and cultural history of the Ancient World.
2.
To improve skills in historical analysis.
3.
To enhance knowledge of the discipline of history.
Each student will be
expected to carry out the following tasks:
Grades: 500 points; 90 - 100 = A, 80 - 89 = B, 70 -79
= C, 60 -69 = D, 59 or less = F
In accordance with
departmental policy, grades will not be posted nor reported over the telephone
or e-mail.
Class assignments: 200
points
Examinations: 300 points
(100 each)
Examinations: Three examinations worth
100 points each. The examinations will be
in a short answer and multiple-choice format.
Makeup examinations: Students should make
arrangements for missed examinations in advance of their absence or promptly
thereafter. The deadline for
arranging a makeup examination is the first class period following the
scheduled examination day, although the examination may be taken later. Students who do not adhere to this deadline
may receive a grade of “F” for the examination.
Make-up examinations may be essays.
Tardiness for examinations: Any student who enters
class after the first test-taker has left may be required to take a make-up
examination.
Class assignments and attendance: Approximately once a week,
students will be given an assignment.
Such assignments will most often comprise composing a list of questions
regarding a primary document. Other
possible assignments include group presentations and writing answers to short
questions given in a handout or listed by the professor. Most assignments will be worth 10
points. Although official attendance
will not be taken, students are responsible for regularly attending
class. Absenteeism should be avoided. If a participatory in-class assignment is
missed due to an absence, there will be no opportunity to make up that
particular assignment. However,
missing one assignment should not trigger alarm or despondency. Over the course of the semester, students
will have the opportunity to earn at least 210 points, although only a maximum
of 200 points ultimately will be counted towards the final grade. In other words, a student can miss at least
one in-class assignment without damaging their grade. Missing several assignments, however, will
most likely lower a student’s class-assignment grade. Moreover, frequent absences might cause the
student to be dropped from the course.
“Students who consistently have not attended class and are not making
satisfactory academic progress in a course may be involuntarily dropped from
the course at the request of the instructor” (TAMUT Catalog 18).
Course
reading: Students should
read judiciously if they wish to do well in the course.
Office
hours: My office hours are 11:00-12:00 a.m. on Mondays and
Wednesdays, and 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Other times can be arranged. To arrange an appointment, see me in class,
or reach me by telephone or e-mail. E-mail:
mperri@tamut.edu. Office phone: 903-223-3194. Home phone: 903-792-1304.
Cheating and plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses.
Cheating on an exam or plagiarizing a writing assignment will result in
an “F” for the concerned exam or assignment.
Students can avoid plagiarism by citing their sources properly. If there is any uncertainty in how to
document a source, the student should reference Watkins and Dillingham's Practical English Handbook, or a variety
of reference websites addressing how to cite sources. Some helpful websites are as follows: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html
http://www.mrs.umn.edu/library/citing.php
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/cite/works_cited.htm
Opportunities for Enriched
Study
Students have the option of contracting
enriched-study projects. The purpose of
this option is to enrich the learning experience by enabling students to study
areas that are of particular interest to them.
Enriched-study projects also provide students with a means to improve
their course grade. Most projects will
probably improve a student’s course grade, although there is no guarantee of
this. The projects will be evaluated,
and a low grade on a project will yield minimal benefit. Moreover, if a student fails to submit a
contracted project, the instructor will subtract one-tenth the value of one
examination from the student’s total score for the course.
The number of points contracted through
enriched-study projects will correspondingly increase the total possible points
for the course. For example, the final
grade of a student who contracts to complete a project worth 100 points will be
calculated from a possible total of 500 points. (90% of 500 = 450; 90% of 400 = 360.)
The evaluation of projects is by its
nature subjective. The following are
tentative criteria that are intended to be general guides to evaluation. Student initiative in working with the
instructor will improve the process of evaluation. The student should seek guidance and
evaluations from the instructor throughout the semester. The student should keep written records of
the teacher’s suggestions and the student’s responses to those
suggestions. The student should not wait
until the due-date, submit the project, and then be surprised by a lower grade
than anticipated. The instructor will
help the student to do her or his best work.
The instructor will evaluate the work fairly to the best of his ability.
The last class period prior to the first examination
is the deadline for the instructor to approve projects.
Study
Options
1.
With the instructor’s assistance and approval,
an interested student may contract to read one or more books. The books may be scholarly studies in
history, culture, society, or biography.
The student may write an essay or a critique. Students who choose to write an essay will
meet with the instructor when the book is approved to discuss the topic. The student will write the essay in the
testing center. A student who chooses to
write a critique will get a guide from the instructor. The instructor will evaluate the essay or
critique on the quality of the analysis, the quality of the writing, and
adherence to guidelines. Typically,
students choose to have their work evaluated on the basis of 100 or 150 points.
2. Students may choose to form
a colloquium for extra-credit reading.
Three to five students may choose to read books on the same
subject. Each will then write a critique
of her or his book and make an oral presentation to the others in the
group. The instructor will provide a
guide for writing the critique and making the presentation. He will evaluate the critique on the quality
of the analysis and the writing. He will
evaluate the oral presentation on the quality of organization, analysis, and
presentation. Typically, students choose
to have their work evaluated on the basis of 100 or 150 points.
3. A student may choose to view
one or two films related to the course material and answer a discussion
question (or questions) pertaining to the film.
Students will write their responses in the testing center. The instructor will evaluate the papers on
the quality of the analysis and the thoroughness of the response. Typically, students choose to have their
essays evaluated on the basis of 50 points.
The student should obtain a copy of the discussion questions before
viewing the film. The student may find
it convenient to view the film in a group where the questions could be
discussed following the viewing. The
instructor will help to organize such a viewing session and help the student to
respond to the questions.
4. A student may choose to do
an oral history. The instructor will
provide the student with an oral history guide.
He will teach an oral history workshop if students express an
interest. The student will write a
paper which summarizes and evaluates the
project. The instructor will evaluate
the project on its adherence to the criteria in the oral history guide. Typically, students choose to have their
project evaluated on the basis of 150 points.
5. A student may wish to do a research project. The instructor will provide a research guide and work closely with the student on a tutorial basis. The project will be evaluated on its adherence to the criteria in the research guide. Typically, students choose to have their research paper evaluated on the basis of 300 points.
Class Schedule
August
24: Introduction. ˝ of documentary, Tales
of the Human Dawn.
August 26:
August
31:
September 2:
September
7: LABOR DAY.
September
9:
September
14:
September
16: Examination 1.
September
21:
September
23: Documentary, The Greeks, Vol. I.
September 28:
September
30: Documentary, The Greeks, Vol. II.
October
5:
October
7:
October
12:
October
14:
October
19:
October 21:
Examination 2.
October
26:
October
28:
November
2:
November
4: Documentary:
Hail Julius Caesar.
November
9:
November
11: Documentary: Hail Augustus
November
16:
November
18:
November
22: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS
November
24: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS
November
29:
December
1: Documentary: Hail
December
6: Nagle, 13
December
8: Nagle, 13.
December 13: FINAL EXAM