Participation and attendance are necessary because lecture and discussion provide the essentials for achieving class goals and objectives. Thus a portion of your grade (about 10%) will depend on your in-class performance and presence: you are required to attend each class, arrive on time, dress appropriately, maintain proper classroom demeanor,   remain attentive, and respond to questions. You are encouraged to ask questions.

You should take notes.  Lectures may be recorded with the instructor's permission, although the tapes may not be used for any other purpose than study, and must be erased after the exams.

The instructor will regularly take attendance. Absences due to college activities, emergency or extended illness may be excused by the appropriate college official. Other absences are unexcused and will lower the class participation portion of your grade. If you are sick, do remain at home, rest, and drink plenty of fluids -- your health is most important and an absence or two will not seriously damage your grade.  After any absence, you are responsible for making up missed work, requesting hand-outs and already returned assignments, or borrowing notes from other students. Whether absences are excused or not, you may not get a higher grade than the percentage of classes attended.

A student who arrives at class late, after attendance is taken, must personally request that the absence be turned into a tardy mark. Students who need to leave a class session early, except for medical emergency, should notify the instructor before class begins.

If you miss an exam, contact the instructor as soon as possible. You may take a missed exam only at the discretion of the instructor.

All students who have a learning disability, physical handicap and/or any other possible impediment to class participation and requirements should schedule an appointment with the instructor within the first two weeks of classes to discuss available accommodations.

If at some point during the semester you must discontinue the course, due to poor performance, illness or some other cause, be sure to follow proper procedures for withdrawal.

C. Academic Honesty: go here.  

D. Exams:

You will take two mid-term exams and a final exam as assigned during finals week. The exams are comprehensive: each exam may cover material since the beginning of the course. Each exam is worth different percentages of the final grade.

All exams will consist of objective questions testing recall based on historical geography and maps, short identifications quizzing knowledge of detail and significance, and essays demanding your understanding of the course material through logical presentation of facts and explanation of historical trends.

To encourage your learning for the map portion of the exams, two map quizzes are already scheduled. More may be required. In these quizzes you will simply be asked to identify on a map several locations, from those listed map location guide to be posted.

To study for the exams you should regularly, at least once a week, review your class notes, especially for identifications drawn from the overhead outline. You should also compare and contrast these notes with your textbook and with the issues and trends emphasized in the class description.

Study questions for Exam #1
Study questions for Exam #2
Study questions for Final Exam

For sample maps see:

Map of Europe for Western Civ	Map of the World
Map of Europe with 20th Century Cities	Map of World with 20th Century Cities

D. Written Assignments:

You will have two written assignments. They are described in your printed syllabus.

Be sure to conform to the instructor's presentation guidelines!

Deadlines: Meeting due dates are an important aspect of written assignments. Papers should be handed in to the instructor, by you yourself, at the beginning of class on the dates assigned.

The grade of any paper you turn in late will lose at least 10% after the beginning of the first class, 20% after the second, and 35% after the third. No late papers will be accepted after the last day of class.

For your second assignment you will do an Internet Source Evaluation.

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IV. Grading Policy:

Your final grade will be based on a percentage (above 91%=A, 89%=B+, 81%=B, etc.) of the sum of the assignments. Different assignments will be worth certain point values, as per your written syllabus.

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V. Class Topics:

All topics are tentative; the instructor may change them at his discretion.

• Orientation
• Introduction to Contemporary History
• The World, 1901-1918
• The "Old" Great Powers
• The "New" Great Powers
• Long Term Origins of World War I
• Short Term Origins of World War I
• World War I
• The World, 1918-1945
• Paris Peace Treaties
• Russian Revolution
• Colonial Empires
• China
• Fascism
• Nazism
• The Origins of World War II
• World War II
• The World, 1945-2002
• Origins of the Cold War
• Cold War Overview
• Red China
• Mid-East
• Decolonization in Africa
• Decolonization in Asia
• Vietnam
• The Sixties
• Latin America
• European Unity
• End of the Cold War
• The World since the Cold War

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Class participation and attendance | Exams | Maps | Grading Policy | 
Paper Presentation | Academic Honesty Policy | Internet Source Evaluation |
20th Century Website | Current On-Line Course Materials

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URL: http://departments.kings.edu/history/core132p.html Page built, maintained & Copyright © MMII by Brian A. Pavlac Last Revision: 20 November 2002