History 101
and Clare 103 Europe
to 1815
Dr. Thomas J.
Schaeper
General Goals
and Objectives of the Course
The particular subject matter for this course is European history
roughly from 1500 to 1815. Students
should benefit from this course in many ways.
For example, they will gain much practice in reading, analyzing
information, and writing. These
are skills that are practical--that is, they will be necessary for
success in a wide variety of professional careers.
Students will also learn much about the development of western civilization.
They will learn how people and countries in the western world came to
be how they are today. Such
information can not only be interesting but also useful, for one can
understand a person or a society only by knowing its past.
Even though this course does not deal with the twentieth century,
students will learn many things that will help them (as human beings, as
citizens, or as business and political leaders) to react more wisely to
present-day problems. Every issue
that confronts us today has also confronted people in the past.
Thus one can learn lessons for today's world by seeing how persons in
the past handled similar situations. Examples
include the following: What makes
a person or a country "great"? What conditions usually contribute to
tolerance or intolerance (in race, in religion, etc.)? What sorts of factors
often lead to wars or help to preserve peace? What are the advantages or
disadvantages of different kinds of governments? What factors tend to be good
or bad for social justice and economic prosperity?
What Will Be
Expected from Students
You should prepare yourself for each class by reading the assignments as
noted in this syllabus or as indicated in class. Some classes will be all lecture, some will be all
discussion, and some will be a combination of these two formats. Feel free to ask questions and to voice your thoughts
concerning matters being discussed.
During the course of the semester you will see at
least
a couple of films (in part or in entirety) plus numerous illustrations.
Students should
pay as much attention to the movies and illustrations as they do to the lectures and
discussions.
All students are required to have SBU computer network accounts.
Roughly once each week I will send an email to all students in the
class. I will send these messages
to your sbu.edu addresses.
There will be
one one-hour midterm examination and a two-hour final
examination. These examinations will consist of essay questions and
short answer questions (identifications, multiple choice, true/false).
The final examination will be comprehensive--that is, it will cover
material going back to the beginning of the semester.
In order to encourage students to become active participants in the
class, and reward those who keep up with the readings, there will be a brief
quiz nearly every week. Each quiz
will have three short questions. There will be no make-up quizzes.
However, at the end of the semester I will drop your lowest three quiz
grades. Thus, if you miss a quiz, that will count as one of the three that I don't use at the end of the semester. There will be approximately 11
quizzes altogether. In general, the quizzes will occur on days when we
will spend part of the class discussing weekly readings--usually Thursdays.. Giving a quiz
on that day is one way to ensure that students come to class having done the
readings! I will always let you know in advance the date of the
next quiz and the material that it will be based on.
My basic
advice regarding class attendance is simple: Don't miss any classes.
If you miss more than three classes (for any reason) I will deduct one
point from your final grade for each additional absence. You do not need
to give me excuses for absences. Just remember the penalty for missing
more than three classes.
Each week in class and/or via email I will make clear what the reading
assignments are.
Course Readings:
Spielvogel,
Western Civilization. Volume B: 1300-1815. 7th edition.
Various Internet readings posted in
the online version of this syllabus.
One additional book, to be selected
from the three books discussed below.
Grading and
Important Dates
Your final grade will be based (approximately) on the following:
Midterm exam
20 %, Tuesday, 7 October
Class participation
10%
Quizzes
20%
Book
Critique.
20% Due on Tuesday, 2 December
For the 11:30 class, the exam will take place at 1:10 on Monday, 8 December,
in our regular classroom.
For the 1:00 class, the exam will take place at 1:10 on Tuesday, 9 December,
in our regular classroom.
Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in
this class are encouraged to contact the Disability Support Services Office,
Doyle room 26, at 375-2065 as soon as possible to ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Contacting Dr.
Schaeper