GER 208, Heritage of the World
John I. Brooks III, Ph.D., Instructor
Syllabus

Note: The official syllabus for this class is this web site, NOT any printed version. The general objectives and expectations described below will not change during the term. However, specific readings and due dates may vary. Any changes will be posted, and students are responsible for visiting the site frequently to make sure they have the most current information.

Schedule of Readings | Assignments

Objectives and Expectations Description and Objectives: This course is an introduction to the cultural traditions of major civilizations and their relevance in the modern world. We will read defining texts of five cultural traditions: Judeo-Christian, Greco-Roman, Muslim, Hindu-Buddhist, and Confucian. We will study the fundamental ideas and values of each tradition. And we will look at how these ancient cultural traditions have continued to play an important role in shaping the twentieth-century world. By the end of the course, students will have the following knowledge and skills:

• basic concepts of cultural tradition and the processes by which they are transmitted and change
• characteristics of world cultural traditions
• relevance of cultural heritage in the contemporary world.

• ability to read and interpret primary sources in English translation
• ability to compare and contrast different cultural traditions
• ability to use a computer to get and communicate information, including the use of e-mail

Texts

• Required (available at the bookstore): Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield, eds., The Human Record: Sources Texts of Global History, 2 vols. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990).
• Recommended (textbooks from previous classes): Jiu-Hwa L. Upshur et al., World History, Comprehensive Volume, 2d ed. (Minneapolis: West Publishing, 1995); Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference, 3d ed. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995), or comparable style manual
• The web sites on this syllabus are also required reading.

Grading and Assignments

Assignments will be posted on this web site (Click here to go to Assignments page). Check it frequently to make sure you have current information.

• Historical analyses of primary sources 50% (lowest homework grade dropped)
• Midterm Assessment 25%
• Final Assessment 25%
• Attendance and participation may affect grade: poor attendance and participation can lower the grade up to one letter grade, good participation can raise the grade up to one letter grade.
• More about grading policies and procedures

Late, Rewrite Policies: All work must be typed on a computer and turned in using e-mail. Late work is penalized one letter grade unless you have a good excuse, and no work will be accepted more than one week late. You can, however, rewrite up to three (3) of the assignments. The rewrite grade will be averaged with the original grade. Homework rewrites are due one week after I return the original assignment.

Attendance and Participation: I will take attendance each day, and poor attendance (more than five absences) can hurt your grade. Being late twice counts as one absence. If you do your homework, you will be prepared to participate in class by answering and asking questions. Good participation can help your grade.

Academic Honesty: In this class, some assignments will be individual, and some will be group. For individual assignments, academic honesty means doing your own work. You may not copy from other students, and you may not let other students copy your work. For group assignments, on the other hand, academic honesty means contributing to the work of the group. If you do not, you are getting credit for work you didn't do.

For all assignments, you should use quotations and ideas from sources to support what you say. If you quote or use specific information from a text, you must tell me where you found it-that is, you must CITE YOUR SOURCES. If I find you guilty of academic dishonesty, you will have to rewrite the assignment. The second time, you will fail the assignment, with no chance for a rewrite. The third time you will fail the course.

Incompletes: I give an incomplete only if a student is unable for good reasons to complete a small portion of the assignments for a course. Good reasons include illness or accident; too much work in other courses is not a good reason.

Computers: Everyone in this class has an IBM-compatible laptop computer with Windows95, Microsoft Office, e-mail software, and a web browser. I expect students to bring their computers to class and to use them for taking notes, getting homework assignments and turning them in, sending e-mail, and other class-related activities. Class materials will be available at S:\World Heritage.

Schedule of Class Meetings and Reading Assignments Objectives | Assignments Note: Readings are subject to change. Check this site frequently!

Objectives and Expectations | Schedule of Readings | Assignments | Top | Teaching | Brooks Home

Last Update: January 17, 1998

Created by John I. Brooks III. Last updated 09/26/12.
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