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COURSE SYLLABUS 2012-2013
INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN CIVILIZATION (HONORS)
Mr. Hodgin
WHERE TO FIND ME: Bearce Hall Room 301 or Liz Cross Mellen Ski Lodge (home)
WHEN TO FIND ME: Thursday evenings on Sampson 4th
floor, in the classroom or
History Department office during the day, and home when
scheduled.
PHONE: (207)-685-4914 ext.317 (w)
E-MAIL: [email protected]
SKYPE: pete.hodgin
A: Course Description:
This course introduces students to the political, economic, and cultural foundations of Western
Civilization through a focus on Greece, Rome, and the “Middle Ages” in Europe. Relationships
and parallels between these societies and the present day illustrate the roots of many modern
Western ideas and institutions.
B: Course Goals:
The course seeks to develop each student’s understanding and application of the “Key Elements”
of historical study, as outlined by the Social Studies Department:
Chronology
Range and depth of historical knowledge and understanding
Interpretations of history
Historical enquiry
Organization and communication
Specific emphasis will be placed on developing each student’s skills in the following areas:
reading and generating notes, analyzing and interpreting documents, critical thinking and
collaboration, writing and research methods/citation, in class and public expression, proficiency
with MS Word, and familiarity with a range of online applications and resources (including, but
not limited to, Google, Diigo, Wikispaces, Voicethread, Prezi, and Skype, and specialized search
engines like RefSeek and WolframAlpha).
C: Course Texts and Materials:
1. Bishop, Morris. The Middle Ages, Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968
In Trimesters I and II, the class will rely heavily upon online sources and documents made
available on the KHS network. The Bishop text is used in Trimester III.
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D: Grading:
The grading system for this course will be consistent with that outlined in the Kents Hill School
Handbook 2012-2013. All students are strongly encouraged to review these pages during the first
week of class.
A student’s grade each trimester will be based on the following four areas:
I. Weekly preparation and participation
II. Weekly quiz on class material
III. Weekly submitted assignment
IV. End of trimester assessment
Students customarily receive three equally weighted grades (for areas I- III) each week. In weeks
truncated by special school schedules or vacations, students may not have all three grades that
week. Area IV will be included at the end of the trimester, and will be weighed as 10% of the
grade for the trimester. At the end of the year, the student’s final grade for the course is simply
the average of their three trimester grades.
Grading Details:
I. Weekly preparation and participation
Students are expected to explore the course material, to take part in scholarly discussions,
to respect the dignity and intellectual contributions of classmates, and to work on the
development of academic skills both inside and outside of class.
As is traditionally expected, students must arrive to class fully prepared and make every
effort to remain meaningfully engaged during class time. Additionally, a student’s grade
includes the use and organized maintenance of a notebook as outlined in the “Notebook
Guidelines” (Appendix 1). Notebooks will be checked and evaluated regularly.
Punctuality, proper dress, and adherence to classroom policies also factor into this grade.
Half of a student’s weekly preparation and participation grade is based on contributions
and conduct in class.
A wiki will be used to collate, edit, and review course notes for the entire class to use. I
will also post, in the “discussion” feature of the site, a weekly question or topic designed
to encourage consideration or examination of course material outside of class. Each
student is required to contribute both notes to the notes page and a meaningful response
to the discussion question at least once each week. Students must submit contributions to
the notes and discussions by 9:00pm the night before our last class of the week. Half of a
student’s weekly preparation and participation grade is based on contributions to the
wiki.
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COURSE SYLLABUS 2012-2013
II. Weekly quiz on class material
This quiz will be brief and based specifically on material covered during the week. It is
designed to encourage consistent, close attention to course material and class work. The
quiz will appear in a variety of formats designed to gauge comprehension and sharpen a
wide range of skills. Optional quiz corrections may be submitted according to the “Quiz
Correction Policy” (Appendix 2).
III. Weekly submitted assignment
This assignment will require students to explore topics and themes related to our course
of study, and submit a document/product of some sort for grading. The assignment must
be submitted before class on the day the assignment is due, unless otherwise specified.
IV. End of trimester assessment
At the end of the 1st and 3
rd trimesters, students will take an exam that will include all
material covered that trimester. At the end of the 2nd
trimester, students will complete an
“alternative” assessment (rather than a traditional exam).
E: Course Structure:
Customarily, the course meets four times per week. Each week the course will have a relatively
consistent, recognizable structure. Depending on the school schedule during the year, there may
be class days missed and adjustments made, but the structure is as follows:
Day #1: “OUTPUT/INPUT”: Assignments and News
Students will discuss their completed assignments from the previous week.
The class will take a comprehensive look at the assignments for the coming week,
making sure all assignments and expectations are clear. The class will briefly discuss the
broader historical relevance of the topics of the week, and consider points on which to
collectively focus.
The class will conclude with a look at current events/news items relevant to our study.
Day #2: “INPUT”: Content
The class will dig into the specific historical content (dates, context, figures, events,
implications) of our study.
Day #3: “PROCESS”: Applications and Skill Building
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Students will deepen their understanding of the course content by exploring different
skills important to the study of History, including evaluating primary source material,
analyzing data, graphics, or maps, critiquing media for historical relevance/accuracy),
and different modes of inquiry and communication (for example participating in
simulations, analyzing video clips, exploring online resources, networking with other
faculty or students).
Day #4: “OUTPUT”: Quiz and Discussion Board
Students will complete a brief quiz (usually a simple, multiple-choice and/or short-
answer assessment) based on the work completed during the week.
After all students have completed the quiz, the class will spend some time reviewing the
contributions to the weekly question on the online discussion board.
F: Policies and Expectations:
I. Preparedness in and out of class
Students are required to attend all classes (unless excused in accordance
with the school’s attendance policy).
Students must arrive for class on time. Late arrival (unless excused by a
note from a relevant source) will result in a mark of “late” and an informal
sliding-scale point deduction from their “preparation and participation”
grade for the week. If a student is late three or more times in the same
marking period, the student’s “effort” grade will automatically drop one
place. Unexcused lateness of over 15 minutes will be regarded as a “cut”.
If lateness is persistent, additional sanctions (for example, cleaning the
classroom during the student’s free time) may be levied.
Students are required to arrive to class prepared. Homework must have
been completed prior to arrival and the student must have their notebook
(see Appendix 1), a writing utensil, or any other materials needed for that
day. If a student is doing work for a different class during our class time,
the student will be dismissed from class and given a “cut” for the day.
Students must be in dress code not only in class, but also upon arrival and
departure. Dress code violations will be issued when appropriate.
Students must utilize a Kents Hill School email account. To minimize risk
of email being diverted by a spam filter or misidentified by me, all email
communication with me from students must come through that Kents Hill
School account. Email is accessible off campus at
http://mail.kentshill.org:8383
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Students are responsible for the thoughtful maintenance of their accounts
on the websites that we use in this course, including keeping track of their
own usernames and passwords. How to set up accounts with these sites
will be covered in class in MP1, but I will not record/archive usernames
and passwords for students.
II. Assignments and assessments
Homework assignments for the week will be outlined during the first class
meeting of the week. Assignments can also be found on our course page
on the Kents Hill School website. If a student misses class, it is their
responsibility to keep current with homework assignments.
Unless otherwise specified, assignments must be submitted by class time
on the day they are due. Assignments must be handed in personally and
completely. Submission of work by other means (as an email or an email
attachment, on a flash drive, etc.) will be permitted only on a preapproved,
case-by-case basis or after dramatically unforeseen, “it’ll never happen
again” circumstances. In most cases, assignments simply emailed will not
be recognized as having been submitted.
Late homework will be accepted, but will lose 10 points for each day it is
late (inability to submit it by class time is counted as a “day” of lateness),
unless the lateness is due to an excused absence, or when an extension has
been explicitly granted by the teacher. In these cases, the assignment must
be submitted on the day the student returns to class, or on the final day of
the extension, in order to avoid a late penalty.
Assignments “lost” due to computer crashes or other technical difficulties,
stolen book bags, roommate or sibling sabotage, and/or other paranormal
phenomena, must be documented by a note from a relevant faculty
member or your parent/guardian for you to receive an extension.
Daily homework (for example, a nightly reading) is not given an
individual numerical grade, but inattention to homework will be duly
noted and recorded, and will weigh against the student’s academic and
effort grades.
Weekly quizzes missed due to an excused absence can be made up with no
reduction in grade. Weekly quizzes missed due to an unexcused absence
cannot be made up and will be scored as a 0%.
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III. Written Work
Unless otherwise specified, all written assignments must be word-
processed, using the following formatting guidelines:
a) Font: Times New Roman, 12 point
b) Spacing: Double spaced
c) Margin: 1 inch on all sides
d) Alignment: Left
e) Pagination: Your last name and Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3…) in the
upper right corner.
The first page of written assignments must have the following information
(double spaced) in the upper left corner:
Your name
Mr. Hodgin
Intro to Western Civilization (Honors)
Date of submission
The first page must have a title centered and with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
Unless otherwise specified, source citation, when appropriate, must be
completed according to MLA guidelines.
IV. Academic Honesty
The critical importance of academic honesty is outlined at length in the
Kents Hill School Handbook 2012-2013. We will discuss the school’s
policy together, but all students are strongly encouraged to review relevant
pages during the first week of class and as needed during the year.
If the school’s policy is in any way unclear to you, please speak to me,
another teacher, or your advisor. If you are ever unsure as to whether or
not what you’ve produced for class is in keeping with the school’s policy
on academic honesty, you must speak to me before handing in the work.
Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be brought to the attention of
the Dean of Academics and the student’s Advisor.
V. Classroom Rules
No food (including gum, candy, mints, etc.) or drinks (including “vitamin”
or other flavored waters, coffee, etc.) besides plain water are permitted in
the classroom. Food/drinks must be put away before entering the room.
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Students eating/drinking in class will be required to dispose of the
food/drink and return during the student’s free time to clean the classroom.
Laptops/Tablets/Smart Phones are permitted in class, provided they are
used for academic purposes, appropriately, and with permission. Misuse of
such a device will result in the temporary loss of the privilege to use it in
class for that student. Unless otherwise indicated by me, any other
personal electronic devices must be turned off and put away before you
enter the classroom.
The cleanliness and order of the classroom is the responsibility of the class
using it. At the end of class, all garbage needs to be thrown away,
materials returned to their appropriate areas, and desks returned to their
original arrangement.
VI. Teacher Agreement
I will be on time for all classes. If I have not arrived to class within 15
(fifteen) minutes of the scheduled start of the period and no faculty
substitute is present, students are not required to stay and will not be
penalized for leaving.
Unless otherwise indicated, all graded work will be graded and ready for
return within one week of the date that it was submitted. If the work is not
graded and ready for return, the student receives an automatic 100% for the
assignment or quiz.
I will make every effort to be available for extra help during or after the
class day. On Thursday evenings, I am available until 10:00pm and
arrangements can be made to meet personally in Sampson Hall during study
hall. Although I won’t always be available on other nights of the week,
students are permitted to try to contact me before 9:00pm via phone or
Skype as long as the contact is explicitly academic in nature.
Students are entitled to find out their current grade in the class. Upon
request, and in a timely fashion, I will meet to review a student’s grade.
Every student deserves respect, and I will neither engage in nor tolerate
behavior that belittles, denigrates, or creates a hostile learning environment
for any student.
I will make every effort to remain consistent with the policies and guidelines
listed in this document, but will make every effort to remain open to
relaxing or amending policies and guidelines in special circumstances.
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By signing below, you are indicating that you have read and understand the document.
Student Signature: Date:
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COURSE SYLLABUS 2012-2013
Introduction to Western Civilization (Honors) Curriculum 2012-2013
Unit
Topics of Study
Unit 1
Course Introduction: Expectations, Guidelines and Materials
Focus: What is Western Civilization?
Unit 2
The Ancient Near East:
Focus: Politics, Economics and Culture: How the “Big Three” Influence the Development of
Societies.
Unit 3
The Rise of Archaic Greece and the Persian Wars:
Focus: “Seek Not to Become a Zeus”: Myth, Faith, and The Olympic Games.
Focus: Comparing Political Systems: Sparta and Athens
Focus: Hoplites, Phalanxes, and Hanson’s “Western Way of War”.
Unit 4
Periclean Athens and the Greek “Golden Age”:
Focus: Ars Longa, Vita Brevis: What Can Be Learned about a Society by Studying Its Art?
Unit 5
The Peloponnesian War and the Emergence of Greek Philosophy
Focus: What Forces Bring States Into Competition or Conflict with One Another?
Focus: “The Examined Life”: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and The Impact and Influence of Reason
and Logic on the Western World
Unit 6
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age:
Focus: The Pros and Cons of a “Flat” World: Cosmopolitanism and Globalization
End of Trimester 1
Unit 7
The Rise of the Roman Republic and Julius Caesar:
Focus: “ I Am Spartacus!”: The Status Quo vs. Reformers and Rebels
Focus: Crossing the Rubicon: What Makes a “Turning Point” in History?
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: HAIL CAESAR!
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Unit
Topics of Study
Unit 8
Augustus, The Principate and The Pax Romana:
Focus: Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: Exploring Historical Causality and Logical Fallacies
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: HAIL CAESAR!
Unit 9
Imperial Leadership after Augustus:
The Julian Emperors
The Flavian Emperors
The “Five Good” Emperors
Focus: Fiddling While Rome Burned: Evaluating Sources of Historical Information
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: HAIL CAESAR!
Unit 10
Rome’s Spiritual Metamorphosis
Christianity and the Empire
The Dominate/Reforms of Diocletian
The Reign of Constantine
Focus: “The Closing of the Western Mind?”: Exploring Freeman’s Controversial Thesis
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: HAIL CAESAR!
Unit 11
The Roman Empire’s Decline and Fall
The East-West Split
“Barbarians at the Gate”
Focus: Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: Exploring Historical Causality and Logical Fallacies
Focus: An “Empire in Denial”?: Drawing Comparisons Between The Roman Empire and the United
States
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: HAIL CAESAR!
End of Trimester 2
Unit 12
The Early Middle Ages:
Byzantium
Islam
Charlemagne, the Franks, and the Holy Roman Empire
The Vikings, Irish, Anglo-Saxons, and Britons
Focus: The Relationship Between Islam and the West from the Early Middle Ages to the Present.
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Unit
Topics of Study
Unit 13 Feudalism: The Knights:
The Chivalric Order
Arthurian Legend
The Crusades
Focus: “Just War Theory” from the Siege of Jerusalem to the 1945 firebombing of Tokyo
Unit 14
The High Middle Ages: Economy, Society, and Politics
The Norman Invasion
The Magna Carta
Focus: How Does a Ruling Class Rise to Power and Remain in Power?
Focus: Comparing and Contrasting Concerns of Workers in the Medieval and Modern Eras
Focus: The Development of Constitutional Law from Magna Carta to The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights
Focus: Linking the Medieval Church to Modern Christianity and Modern Politics
Focus: Would We Have Lasted a Week in a Medieval School?
Unit 15
The Late Middle Ages: The Birth of the Modern Era
The Black Death
Peasant Revolts
The Hundred Years War
Schism in the Church
Focus: Schumpeter’s Theory of “Creative Destruction”
End of Trimester 3
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Appendix 1: Notebook Guidelines
1. The Kents Hill School Handbook 2012-2013 outlines various study skill guidelines and
expectations that are shared by all departments at Kents Hill School. One of those
expectations is specific to notebook use:
Each student should have a 3 ring binder and notebook-we recommend 2 subjects per
binder -organized with paper and file dividers as designated by the teacher. We do not
sell or allow spiral notebooks. Binders will be frequently checked and graded. (30)
2. Notebooks must be three-ringed.
3. Notebooks for my classes must be divided by “units”. These divisions must be clearly
marked with labeled file dividers. The notebook must also have an area or section in the front
for the Course Syllabus.
All relevant materials provided or accumulated during the course of study of a particular unit
must be filed in their appropriate section. In other words, you may not have papers and
handouts from October blending together with papers and handouts in April, and you may
not have a section of the handbook simply marked “quizzes” with all of your quizzes in it.
4. Notebooks must be brought to every class unless otherwise specified by me.
5. The neat, orderly, thorough, and consistent maintenance and usage of your notebook is part
of your “preparation and participation” grade. You notebook is unsatisfactory if it is falling
apart, if it is a vehicle for extraneous doodling or commentary, or if the materials within it are
torn, wrinkled or sullied from food/drinks, weather, and/or general chaos in your life.
Imagine the notebook as something you will be turning in to a future employer or a college
admissions office, and take care of it accordingly. Plastic sheet protectors are relatively
inexpensive, are reusable, and have proven effective in guarding your notebook materials
against wear and tear.
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Appendix 2: Quiz Correction Policy
1. If students are unsatisfied with a grade on a quiz, they may submit typed quiz corrections.
Quiz corrections that are hand-written will not be accepted.
2. The corrections must contain a scholarly sentence or paragraph addressing the topic/issue
covered in each question for which the student received a low score (or no credit) on the
quiz. For example, it is not enough to simply change “true” to “false” on a quiz correction, or
an “a” to a “c” on a multiple-choice question. You must explain, using additional relevant
material from the course, what the correct answer would be.
3. Students may use the textbook, notes, and other materials to write corrections, but as always,
the work must be in the student’s own words (unless, of course, the answer calls for a
specific definition of a term or terms, in which case the material in our readings or notes wiki
will suffice). Students may not simply use the quiz of someone else in the course.
4. The corrections must be submitted to me within one week of receiving the graded quiz or
before the end of a Marking Period (whichever comes first). The original, graded quiz must
accompany the correction at the time of submission or it will not be accepted.
5. The corrections must adhere to all formatting guidelines outlined in the course syllabus.
6. A perfect correction can earn a student up to 50% of the points missed on the quiz.
Examples: 40% on Quiz = 40
Perfect correction (50% of 60) = 30
__________________________________
70 (Final grade for quiz)
80% on Quiz = 80
Perfect correction (50% of 20) = 10
__________________________________
90 (Final grade for quiz)
7. A correction that is submitted incompletely, sloppily, etc. will only receive partial credit or
no credit at all. Once again, corrections that simply swap one multiple choice answer for
another, are not typed, or not accompanied by the original, graded quiz will receive no
additional credit.