Hist 100: Early World History Fall 2017 Online

Instructor: George Gastil

B.A, Earlham College
M.A., UC Santa Barbara
george.gastil@gcccd.edu

Required Reading:
Bentley, Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, Volume 1. Fifth Edition
or Sixth Edition.

Martin, Herodotus and Sima Qian: The First Great Historians of Greece and China.
ISBN 978-0-312-41649-0.

Liu, The Silk Roads: A Brief History with Documents. ISBN 978-0-312-47551-2.

Course Description: History 100 examines the development of societies in many parts of the world,
from the earliest civilizations to the 1500s. The course will emphasize cultural, economic and political
developments, as well as the connections between societies. The course is designed to encourage you to
read, write, think, and discuss topics as a historian.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will analyze and synthesize primary and secondary sources.
2. Students will explain the causes and impacts of major historical events.
3. Students will describe people, ideas and events and explain their significance in historical context.

Blackboard Access Requirement: Students who do not access the course for over eight consecutive
days may be dropped. Students who need exceptions must speak to the instructor. Students will
probably find that they need to access Blackboard at least twice a week to keep up with the course.

Discussions: Online forums will be posted in the Discussions section on Blackboard. Each forum will
be kept open for at least one week to make it easy for students to participate. Most forums will be on
topics in the reading, and credit will be based on how well you use the reading to reinforce key points.
Students will also be expected to respond to each other in the online forums and offer meaningful
feedback. We will also have at least one forum where students share written work.

Essay Exams: Exams will involve short essays on broad questions related to particular chapters, or
longer essays related to multiple chapters. The last exam will include questions on broad themes,
requiring you to draw upon knowledge from throughout the class. All essays are to be double-spaced.
I usually post the exam questions about a week before the exam is due. You may write essays at your
own pace and turn them in at the assignment link by the deadline posted on the syllabus.

Herodotus and Sima Qian Essay: You will do a short essay based on the book we are reading about
Herodotus and Sima Qian, early historians of Greece and China. You will be examining their writings
and comparing their perspectives on history.

Silk Roads Essay: You will write a short essay based on our book about the Silk Roads, a series of
roads connecting East Asia to Europe before modern times. The documents in this book give us much
insight into China, India, Persia, Rome, and other societies along the path. In your essay you will
examine several of the documents in the book to see what they show us about the societies involved.

Reading Journal: You will turn in a journal with your observations and reflections on the readings.
The journal will emphasize primary sources (documents and artifacts from history). I will be posting
some guidelines and suggested prompts for students. The Journal will be done in three segments.

Museum Visit (Extra Credit): You may visit a museum for extra points. The Museum of Man and
the San Diego Museum of Art (both in Balboa Park) have exhibits relevant to this class. To earn
credit, write about what you saw and connect it to the class readings and discussions. Please write
about 2/3 of a page for each hour you spend on the activity.

Presentation (Extra Credit): Students are encouraged to do an online presentation. You can do it
together with a partner. You may choose from a variety of online media tools such as Prezi or
Slideshare. I will be posting some guidelines for how to choose a topic and develop a presentation.

Turning in Exams and Essays: Exam and essay assignments will be posted in the Assignments
section on Blackboard. You will find the link to turn it in when you click on the assignment title.
When you do an exam or an essay, please send it as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or as an Open
Office document. Essays are to be double-spaced.

Grace Period: If you cannot get an assignment done by the due date, simply turn it in withing the
next three days. You do not need a reason. Assignments will normally be due on a Friday with a grace
period to the following Monday. If you need to turn something in after the grace period, you may
make individual arrangements.

Minimum Standard: All essay assignments and exams must be at least C quality to be acceptable. If
any work is below standard in the early weeks of the class you will be given a chance to make
improvements. If improvements are needed, please send the assignment in again within one week.

Academic Integrity: You may only turn in your own work. Students will earn no credit on any
assignment containing plagiarism. Repeat violators will forfeit any opportunity to earn credit in the
class. Any type of academic dishonesty will be reported to the college administration.

Grading: Points are earned by following activities. 1000 points=100 percent.

Discussions 200
Reading Journal 120 (three segments of 40 points each)
Exam I (Chapters 1-3) 60
Exam II (Chs. 4-6) 60
Exam III (Chs. 7-10) 80
Exam IV (Chs. 11-14) 80
Exam V (Chapters 15-18) 80
Exam VI (Chs. 19-21 and Themes) 120
Herodotus and Sima Qian Essay 100
Silk Roads Essay 100
Museum visit (extra credit) (up to 40 points extra credit)
Presentation (up to 50 points extra credit)

Points on Blackboard: There are 1000 points possible in the course. When everything is turned in
and graded, your point total will tell you your grade. You need 933 points for an A. 900 is an A-, 867
is a B+, 833 is a B, 800 is a B-, 767 is a C+, 700 is a C, and 600 is a D.

Schedule of Discussion Topics, Reading, and Written Assignments

Please check the Discussions section each week for online discussion forums.
Chapters listed are in Traditions and Encounters, Volume 1 (Fifth or Sixth Edition).

August 21-25 Before History Chapter 1

August 28-Sept 1 Early Societies in Southwest Asia Chapter 2

Early African Societies Chapter 3
Exam I (Chapters 1-3) due Friday

Sept 5-8 Early Societies in South Asia Chapter 4

Early Society in East Asia Chapter 5
Journal I due Friday

Sept 11-15 Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania Chapter 6

Empires of Persia Chapter 7
Exam II (Chapters 4-6) due Friday

Sept 18-22 The Unification of China Chapter 8

State, Society and the Quest for Salvation in India Chapter 9

Sept 25-29 Mediterranean Society: The Greeks Chapter 10

Exam III (Chapters 7-10) due Friday

October 2-6 Historians of Greece and China Herodotus and Sima Qian (small book)
Herodotus and Sima Qian Essay due Friday

October 9-13 Mediterranean Society: The Romans Chapter 11

Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads Chapter 12
Journal II due Friday

October 16-20 The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia Ch. 13 in Sixth Ed./Ch. 14 in Fifth Ed.
The Expansive Realm of Islam Ch. 13 in Fifth Ed./Ch. 14 in Sixth Ed.
 Exam IV (Chapters 11-14) due Friday

October 23-27 Discuss The Silk Roads (second small book)

India and the Indian Ocean Basin Chapter 15

October 30-Nov 3 Two Worlds of Christendom Chapter 16

Silk Roads Essay due Friday

November 6-9 Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration Chapter 17

Please tell me by this week if you plan to do a Presentation for extra credit.

November 13-17 States and Societies in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 18

Exam V (Chapters 15-18) due Friday

November 20-22 The Increasing Influence of Europe Chapter 19

Journal III due Friday

Nov 27-Dec 1 Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania Chapter 20

Students doing Presentations (extra credit) will post them this week.

December 4-8 Expanding Horizons of Cross-Cultural Interaction Chapter 21

December 11-15 Major Themes in Early World History

Exam VI (Chs. 19-21 and Themes) may be turned in any time by December 16.
Please turn in the written version of any extra credit activity by December 16.