History 1100 Online:

Western Civilization I: Ancient World through the Reformation

Instructor: Jennifer E. Forster
Office: B-2043
Phone: (440) 525-7199
E-mail: jforster@lakelandcc.edu
Office Hours: T.B.A.

Course Description

History 1100 is a survey of the social, political, economic, and cultural foundations of Western Civilization from the ancient world through the Reformation.

Required Materials

Required Textbook: Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization
Also Required: WebTutor Advantage Access Code (You will need this to access the course.)

Both textbook and the code can be purchased from the bookstore. If you buy a used textbook, you will need to purchase the code separately for a small fee. If you buy a new textbook, the code will be shrink-wrapped with the text. Purchasing the text and code online:

Accessing the Course for the First Time

To access Blackboard, go to http://bb.lakelandcc.edu. You can also access Blackboard through the Lakeland home page, at http://www.lakelandcc.edu, and then select Blackboard from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Once on the Blackboard page, select Login. You will be prompted to enter a User Name and Password. You will need your username and password whenever you want to log on to Blackboard. Do not enter your WebTutor Access Code here. Your WebTutor Advantage Access Code is a different code entirely. This is the 12-digit code that you either purchased separately as a folder or that came bundled with your textbook.

Once you have logged on to Blackboard, the first page you see will contain links to any course you are enrolled in that contains an online element. Click on the link for HIST 1100 Online Course. You will be taken to the home page of Western Civ I Online. Click on the course title to enter the class web site. Once on the web site, you will be prompted to enter your WebTutor code when you enter an area of the course that includes content provided by the textbook publisher. You will only have to enter this code once.

After you have entered your WebTutor Advantage Access code, you will be able to view the course’s contents. You will have been assigned a Lakeland student email account which you can locate on the registration confirmation you received when enolling in this course. You may choose to forward your student email account (click here to find out how to forward your student email) but it must have a viable e-mail address if you are enrolled as a student in this course. Where ever you forward your e-mail to, make sure that the filters are set in such a way that they permit group e-mails from Lakeland, especially if you are using a Hotmail or Yahoo account. If you normally use one e-mail address for work and one for personal use, or one for work and one for weekends, choose one and only one to use for this course. Please ensure that your mailbox is functioning throughout the duration of the course.

Student Support

If you encounter any technical difficulties during the semester, you may either notify me or contact the Lakeland helpdesk for assistance through e-mail (helpdesk@lakelandcc.edu) and phone (440-525-7000, ask for the help desk.)

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Assignments, Examination, and Grading Information

Since this is an online course, the means by which the subject matter will be delivered to you will be different from that which would normally take place in a traditional classroom setting. This means that lectures and discussions will not be face-to face in a room but rather “virtual.” The textbook will serve as your “lecture” and online discussions will take the place of classroom dialogue. Thus, it is very important that you keep up with your reading. We will cover approximately one chapter per week, during which time you will read the chapter, contribute to class discussion on the chapter, and, from time to time, answer a few questions related to a website.

Students must use Microsoft Word 2000 or above to compose written assignments for the course. Handwritten assignments or assignments composed with a word processor other than Microsoft Word are not acceptable. Students may turn in completed assignments before they are due. Late assignments are penalized. The dates for these and the materials to be covered are listed on the course calendar. All assignments must be submitted on time. Every day in which an assignment is late will be penalized with a grade reduction. After three days it will receive an F for a grade.

Written assignments should be delivered through the digital drop box feature on the website. You may also send them to me in an e-mail message; however, do not send them as an attachment. Cut and paste your assignment into the body of the e-mail message.

Student grades will be accounted for by the following assessment methods:

Discussion Boards 25%

Virtual class discussion is an important feature of the course. Students are required to participate in a bi-weekly virtual class discussion. During each two-week period, students will post at least four questions and at least four responses on the discussion boards. Full credit is based on the quality of the response, of which I am the judge. In other words, logging on is not enough. You must also post substantive responses and questions.

Reading Quizzes 20%

Students will take four reading quizzes over the course of the semester. Dates for the reading quizzes and the chapters they cover are listed in the course outline below. Students may take the quizzes (a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions) multiple times, but as with all work in the course, these are due by Sunday, midnight, of the week in question.

Midterm Examinations 25%

There will be two midterm examinations held over the course of the semester. The final exam will contain several comprehensive questions. By default, these exams are open note. Do not abuse this privilege by plagiarizing the textbook or any other source. The first instance of plagiarism is the last: if I catch you (and I will catch you), I will award you an “F” not just for the assignment, but for the course, and turn your name over to the proper authorities. So, use your own words!

Each exam, including the final, consists of a series of five essay questions posted under the “Assignments” link. To take the exam, answer four out of the five questions and submit them to me. Write in complete sentences and be as thorough as possible in your answers. Consult the guides in “External Links” for essay-writing tips.

Final Exam 20%

The final exam will contain several comprehensive questions. By default, these exams are open note. Do not abuse this privilege by plagiarizing the textbook or any other source. The first instance of plagiarism is the last: if I catch you (and I will catch you), I will award you an “F” not just for the assignment, but for the course, and turn your name over to the proper authorities. So, use your own words!

The final exam will consist of five essay questions posted under the “Assignments” link. To take the exam, answer four out of the five questions and submit them to me. Write in complete sentences and be as thorough as possible in your answers. Consult the guides in “External Links” for essay-writing tips.

Participation 10%

The participation grade is determined by the extent and quality of student participation in the course. Students who navigate the site often will earn a higher participation grade than those who do not (measured in hits per week). Students who go above and beyond the required four/four minimum on the discussion board will also earn participation credit.

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Navigating the Site

Announcements

Weekly notices and reminders appear on the announcements page, which also happens to be the home page of the course. Naturally, you should be aware of announcements as they appear.

Course Documents

This is by far the most important link on the site. Clicking on this link will bring up yet more links to a glossary of terms and to features related to each chapter reading. Clicking on the chapter links will bring up all the information you need for each chapter reading. For example, clicking on “Chapter 1: The Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations” will brink up links to the following sites:

· Chapter Outline: an outline of the chapter’s contents. Print and use it to guide your reading.
· Interactive maps: use this feature to gain a better understanding of the geography of the particular regions you are learning about.
· Interactive timelines: use this feature to place different historical events in chronological perspective.
· Audio flash cards, crossword puzzle, InfoTrac College Edition References, Student Resources, reference dictionary: links to study aids and resources. You are not required to use any of these features, but they may help you prepare for the exams or research a topic of personal interest to you.

External Links

Takes you to various guides and tip-sheets designed to ease your progress through the course.

Assignments

Your exams will be posted here.

Communication

Allows access to the Discussion boards, e-mail, chat, and the Digital Drop Box.

Course Information

Hot links to the syllabus and other related course information.

General Information

A student in an online course must be prepared to act independently and to encounter technical glitches of all kinds. Prepare yourself by doing all of the following things.

· Keep your syllabus somewhere safe.
· Mark due dates on a calendar that you regularly consult.
· Print items of exceptional importance from the website, such chapter outlines or questions for your Internet activity of the week, and keep them in a specially marked folder. In doing so, you are protecting yourself from Murphy’s Laws of online courses: access to the Internet can be notoriously slow regardless of means of access, servers can and will go down, and the like.
· Back up every written work you compose in this class, either on hard-drive or disk. Computers break down, viruses show up out of nowhere, and e-mails sometimes get lost in virtual space. Make sure you have extra copies of everything you write.
· Familiarize yourself with the website and be prepared to think outside of the box.
· Do not put an assignment off to the last moment.
· Students are expected to be courteous and respectful of all members of the class and the instructor. This is particularly true of the discussion board, as no rude remarks, intentional outbursts, insulting language, innuendos, or intimidation will be tolerated. Any personal problems regarding the course are to be sent to me in a private e-mail, and together we will solve the problem. The Discussion Board is only for class assignments, not public or personal commentary.

Course Schedule

For the purposes of this course, a week is understood to begin on Monday, midnight and end on Sunday, midnight. All assignments will therefore be due by Sunday, midnight.

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