News
- For those interested in taking a closer look, this recent article that nicely summarizes findings using DNA from "plague pits"--mass burial sites resulting from the plague--may be useful: "Europe's Plagues Came from China"
- In conjunction with our subject for the first week of class, take a look at this article related to early human fossil remains: "New Fossils May Redraw Human Family Tree"
- More new finds on early humans, in this case the pre-Homo sapiens period of Homo erectus and tool-making abilities: "Earliest Signs of Advanced Tools Found"
Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR
Prof. Nicholas Wolf
nmwolf@vcu.edu
(804) 828-8577
History Dept., room 206 (813 Cathedral Pl.)
Office Hours: Mondays 1-3
OBJECTIVES
1. Students should leave this course with a better understanding of the major ideas and events that have shaped the history of Europe as well as its interactions with the non-European world. They should be able to understand how this history has helped determine politics and society in the present day.
2. Students will work to improve their overall skills in written communication, research, argumentation, and other abilities key to succeeding in their future careers.
ASSIGNMENTS
Requirements for this course will consist of the following:
Lab 1 (20% of final grade)
Exam 1 (20% of final grade)
Lab 2 (20% of final grade)
Exam 2 (20% of final grade)
Class Participation (20% of final grade)
1. Labs: These assignments are designed to give students a chance to work directly with primary sources and to sharpen analytical skills. Labs also involve critical writing. Labs can be completed by students in the weeks before it is due, and during their off-day of discussion (either Monday or Wednesday) of the week it must be turned in.
2. Exams: This course consists of two exams, each covering one half of the course. Exams will include both a multiple choice and short answer sections.
3. Participation: A critical part of this course, a solid grade in participation is achieved through consistent involvement in three ways:
Note that good attendance alone is not sufficient to attain even an average participation grade. Students must participate in class and online to receive a passing grade for participation.
GRADING
The following grading scale will be used to determine grades:
Percentage Grade
90+ A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F
All grades will be posted on Blackboard.
The online group discussions, which are a major part of participation, are tracked throughout the semester on a complete/incomplete basis. By meeting the minimum of 4 posts, you will receive a complete (or check mark) on Blackboard for your grade. At the end of the semester, you will review your posts, send me the best four (one from each discussion), and a final online discussion grade will be calculated as part of participation based on the quality of those posts.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to attend all classes and complete all assigned readings. Late work will be assessed a penalty of one-half letter grade for each day it is late. No assignment will be accepted later than seven days after its original due date. All labs must be submitted to europe101drop@gmail.com as an .rtf, .doc or .docx file. When a lab is submitted, a confirmation e-mail will be received. Please make every effort to ensure a successful submission has been made in order to avoid late penalties.
While attending class, please turn off cell phones.
TEXTBOOKS
The following textbooks are available at the campus bookstore, with many online suppliers, and on library reserve. If you purchase these books from a source other than the bookstore, please take care to purchase the edition listed below, since this will save a lot of headaches in matching page numbers with the standard text. The best way to do this is to order using the ISBN number listed below:
Required
VCU HONOR SYSTEM
Students are reminded of the terms of academic honesty set out by the Virginia university system Honor Code which apply to all academic work submitted for grades. Plagiarism and cheating in matters related to academic work violate this code. Recall that any use of another author’s ideas or writings, in full or in part, without assigning proper credit to that source, constitutes plagiarism. All work submitted for this course must be original work. Cite all sources used for written essays carefully. If in doubt, contact me for further guidance. The VCU Honor System policy statement and purpose is located here.
SAFETY
Know what to do to be prepared for emergencies at VCU. Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts (www.vcu.edu/alert/notify). Keep your information up to date. Know the safe evacuations route from each of your classrooms. Emergency evacuation routes are posted in on-campus classrooms. Listen for and follow instructions from VCU and other designated authorities. Know where to go for additional emergency information (www.vcu.edu/alert). Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police (828-1234). Report suspicious activities and objects.
STUDENT DISABILITIES
If you are a student with disabilities or special academic needs, please speak with me and contact VCU Disability Support Services (907 Floyd Ave.) at (804) 828-2253 to make arrangements.
Prof. Nicholas Wolf
nmwolf@vcu.edu
(804) 828-8577
History Dept., room 206 (813 Cathedral Pl.)
Office Hours: Mondays 1-3
OBJECTIVES
1. Students should leave this course with a better understanding of the major ideas and events that have shaped the history of Europe as well as its interactions with the non-European world. They should be able to understand how this history has helped determine politics and society in the present day.
2. Students will work to improve their overall skills in written communication, research, argumentation, and other abilities key to succeeding in their future careers.
ASSIGNMENTS
Requirements for this course will consist of the following:
Lab 1 (20% of final grade)
Exam 1 (20% of final grade)
Lab 2 (20% of final grade)
Exam 2 (20% of final grade)
Class Participation (20% of final grade)
1. Labs: These assignments are designed to give students a chance to work directly with primary sources and to sharpen analytical skills. Labs also involve critical writing. Labs can be completed by students in the weeks before it is due, and during their off-day of discussion (either Monday or Wednesday) of the week it must be turned in.
2. Exams: This course consists of two exams, each covering one half of the course. Exams will include both a multiple choice and short answer sections.
3. Participation: A critical part of this course, a solid grade in participation is achieved through consistent involvement in three ways:
- In-class participation, especially during scheduled discussion days.
- The Blackboard group reading discussions. Students will be assigned to one of six groups. Four times during the semester (once for each course text, sometime in the weeks prior to the first Monday of class discussions), students must post at least four comments and questions regarding course reading. These comments will only be read by members of each student’s reading group and by the instructor. At the end of the semester, students will select four of their highest-quality posts and submit them for instructor review in assessing the final participation grade. All Blackboard posts are due by class time on the Monday of discussion week.
- Attendance. Two absences will be permitted without penalty in order to account for cases of sickness and other personal needs. Anything above two absences will adversely affect a student’s grade unless formal arrangements have been made with the instructor in cases of extended sickness or family emergency. In order to accurately assess students’ attendance, a record will be kept.
Note that good attendance alone is not sufficient to attain even an average participation grade. Students must participate in class and online to receive a passing grade for participation.
GRADING
The following grading scale will be used to determine grades:
Percentage Grade
90+ A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F
All grades will be posted on Blackboard.
The online group discussions, which are a major part of participation, are tracked throughout the semester on a complete/incomplete basis. By meeting the minimum of 4 posts, you will receive a complete (or check mark) on Blackboard for your grade. At the end of the semester, you will review your posts, send me the best four (one from each discussion), and a final online discussion grade will be calculated as part of participation based on the quality of those posts.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to attend all classes and complete all assigned readings. Late work will be assessed a penalty of one-half letter grade for each day it is late. No assignment will be accepted later than seven days after its original due date. All labs must be submitted to europe101drop@gmail.com as an .rtf, .doc or .docx file. When a lab is submitted, a confirmation e-mail will be received. Please make every effort to ensure a successful submission has been made in order to avoid late penalties.
While attending class, please turn off cell phones.
TEXTBOOKS
The following textbooks are available at the campus bookstore, with many online suppliers, and on library reserve. If you purchase these books from a source other than the bookstore, please take care to purchase the edition listed below, since this will save a lot of headaches in matching page numbers with the standard text. The best way to do this is to order using the ISBN number listed below:
Required
- Tacitus, The Agricola and the Germania (Penguin paperback, 1970 revised, ISBN 978-0140442410)
- Augustine, Confessions (Penguin paperback, 2008, ISBN 978-0143105701)
- Peter Abelard & Heloise, The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin paperback, 2003, ISBN 978-0140448993)
- Thomas More, Utopia (Penguin paperback, 2003, ISBN 978-0140449105)
- Marvin Perry, Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume I: to 1789, Seventh Edition (978-0495901174)
- Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization: A Brief History, Vol. I, to 1715 (any edition)
- Judith Coffin & Robert Stacey, Western Civilizations, Second Brief Edition, Volume I (any edition)
VCU HONOR SYSTEM
Students are reminded of the terms of academic honesty set out by the Virginia university system Honor Code which apply to all academic work submitted for grades. Plagiarism and cheating in matters related to academic work violate this code. Recall that any use of another author’s ideas or writings, in full or in part, without assigning proper credit to that source, constitutes plagiarism. All work submitted for this course must be original work. Cite all sources used for written essays carefully. If in doubt, contact me for further guidance. The VCU Honor System policy statement and purpose is located here.
SAFETY
Know what to do to be prepared for emergencies at VCU. Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts (www.vcu.edu/alert/notify). Keep your information up to date. Know the safe evacuations route from each of your classrooms. Emergency evacuation routes are posted in on-campus classrooms. Listen for and follow instructions from VCU and other designated authorities. Know where to go for additional emergency information (www.vcu.edu/alert). Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police (828-1234). Report suspicious activities and objects.
STUDENT DISABILITIES
If you are a student with disabilities or special academic needs, please speak with me and contact VCU Disability Support Services (907 Floyd Ave.) at (804) 828-2253 to make arrangements.
