HIS 101
History of Western Civilization I

Professors Charles Evans
Bev Blois
Doug Campbell
Corey Campion
Michael Cavey
Dino DelGallo
Joseph Esposito
Adam Howard
John Kincheloe
Rebecca Linford
Brice Montaner
Josephine Romeo

If you would like to be included in the slideshow, please send me an image of yourself somewhere in the world.

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Contact information
Professor Evans email cevans@nvcc.edu
Professor Evans phone 703.450.2520
Professor Evans home page novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/index.html
   
Professor Blois email bblois@nvcc.edu
Professor Blois phone 703.450.2503
Professor Blois home page www.nvcc.edu/home/bblois/


Professor Campbell email docampbell@nvcc.edu
Professor Campbell phone 703.450.2506#37035
Professor Campbell home page www.nvcc.edu/home/docampbell/


Professor Campion email ccampion@nvcc.edu


Professor Cavey email mcavey@nvcc.edu


Professor DelGallo email ddelgallo@nvcc.edu
Professor DelGallo phone 703.450.2506#37220
Professor DelGallo home page www.nvcc.edu/home/ddelgallo/chi.html


Professor Esposito email jesposito@nvcc.edu
Professor Esposito home page www.nvcc.edu/home/jesposito


Professor Howard email adhoward@nvcc.edu
Professor Howard phone 703.450.2506#37097
Professor Howard home page www.nvcc.edu/home/adhoward/


Professor Kincheloe email jkincheloe@nvcc.edu
Professor Kincheloe home page www.nvcc.edu/home/jkincheloe//index.html


Professor Linford email rlinford@nvcc.edu


Professor Montaner email bmontaner@nvcc.edu
Professor Montaner home page www.nvcc.edu/home/bmontaner/


Professor Romeo email jromeo@nvcc.edu
Professor Romeo home page jromeo-history.blogspot.com/


ELI telephone 703.323.3347 (1.888.435.6822)
ELI fax 703.323.3392
 
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This is the HIS 101 course website. On this page, you will find important information about the course and the links to the course assignment schedules (see below).

Before You Start Your Work in the Course, You Must:
  • Check your specific Critical Course Deadlines. These dates can be found on the ELI home page, and they are also indicated on your course schedule (See the links below). Please make a note of these dates.
    • You must withdraw before the Last Refund Date to receive a refund.
    • You must submit your introduction paragraph or complete the Course Introduction Check quiz (see unit 1) by your First Assignment Due Date to avoid being administratively deleted from the course without a refund.
    • You must complete your Midterm Exam by your Midterm Exam Due Date or you will be withdrawn from the course.  (No Exceptions; No excuses accepted.) For your exact midterm exam due date, see your course assignment schedule linked below on this page.
    • Your Last Withdrawal Date is the last date on which you can withdraw yourself from the course using Novaconnect, without grade penalty.
    • Finally, remember, you must complete all course assignments by your official course End Date.
     
  • Check Novaconnect to verify your instructor's name.
     
  • Please note that your enrollment in this course is subject to the general ELI rules and regulations.  Please be sure to review these procedural matters now.  For an Incomplete grade in the course, a student must earn 500 points, pass the midterm exam and explain the extenuating circumstances for the incomplete request.
     
  • Take appropriate action now if you will need proctored examinations.
     
  • Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is encouraged to contact a counselor for disability services. Contact information can be found online on the college web page.  For additional information, please contact an ELI counselor at elicounselors@nvcc.edu or 703.323.2425.  All information is kept confidential.
     
  • You must submit all of your assignments and extra credit through Blackboard according to the Submitting Assignments and Using Email in Your ELI History Course instructions.  (No more than one submission per calendar day will be accepted.)   Feedback on your work will be returned via e-mail, usually within 24-72 hours.
     
  • Please review the information on Using Blackboard for instructions on how to submit assignments, access the online discussions and view your gradebook.
  • To begin the course, review this page, click on your course assignment schedule (below), check out the information on all of the course assignments and exams and begin with unit 1 of the course.
     
  • Finally, please remember that you must pass the final exam with a grade of "C" (175/250) or better to earn a passing grade of "C" or better in this course.
 
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Required books
  • Joshua Cole, Carol Symes, Judith Coffin and Robert Stacey, Western Civilizations, Brief 3rd edition combined volume (W.W. Norton, 2012, isbn 9780393934878). It is also ok if you use the Second Brief Edition combined volume (W. W. Norton, 2009, isbn 9780393932652) .  Please note that you can use this same textbook for HIS 102. If you are wondering whether you must buy the textbook, then please watch this short video.
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh (Penguin Classics, isbn 9780140441000)
You must also read one of these (and you can read the others for extra credit):
  • Song of Roland (isbn 9780451528575)
  • Chaucer, Selected Canterbury Tales (isbn 9780486282411)
  • Machiavelli, The Prince (isbn 9780486272740)
Please check the distance learning bookstore website for information on where and how you can purchase your textbooks.  You may also be able to buy your books at another retail outlet or on the web.
 
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Course overview
HIS 101 reviews the general history of the West from about 3000 bce to 1600 ce and allows students to reach a basic understanding of the characteristic features of the West's historical development.  The course also helps students to develop an understanding of the academic discipline of history and supports the general educational goals of historians and the college.  Grading in the course is based on written assignments and on class work that demonstrates critical thinking.
 
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Course objectives
If you successfully complete this course, you will be able to:
  1. Define and describe the importance of key individuals and events in Western history.
  2. Understand the general chronology and geography of Western history.
  3. Understand the main forces at work in the historical development of the West.
  4. Develop an ability to analyze historical sources and reach conclusions based on that analysis.
  5. Compose critical essays that explain the importance of certain historical events in the West.
  6. Understand the role and work of the historian.
 
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Course prerequisites
Although there are no formal prerequisites for this course, please consider:
  • It is expected that students possess college-level reading and writing skills.
  • You should also have relatively good technology and web-use skills.  Please check ELI's Smartmeasure to see if you are ready for distance learning. You can also check out our short quiz, Is A Web Course for Me?
  • I would recommend that you allot at least three hours a week of study time for this course.
 
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Course grading
Course grades are based on the following point scale:
  • 1,000-900:  A
  •    899-800:  B
  •    799-700:  C
  •    699-600:  D
  •    599-000:  F
Please be sure to check the very, very IMPORTANT Explanation of Assignments and Grading. You may also wish to have a look at the course aids.
 
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Course assignment schedule and deadlines

For fall 2012, there are different schedule versions available: For summer 2012, there are different schedule versions available: For spring 2012, there are different schedule versions available:

Please make sure that you double-check your registration so that you know which one you signed up for. You can always finish faster than your course schedule, if you wish.

There are specific assignment deadlines in this course, and these are listed on the course schedule. You may not submit late extra credit work from a course unit. You may submit any of the course assignments, or optional course assignments late, but the maximum point value will then be reduced by one-half.

You are expected to make regular and steady progress in completing your assignments and examinations.  Please check your Blackboard online gradebook for your grades.  Once you begin this course, it is your responsibility to withdraw if you do not intend to finish it.  If you do not withdraw and if do not finish your course assignments, then you will receive a grade based upon the work that you have submitted.  Usually, this grade is an "F."
You can earn extra credit in the course by finding typos or broken links on the course web pages.  You can also suggest additional websites that would be useful in the course.

 
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Writing in the course
Note that proper grammar, spelling and style are an inherent part of each assignment in this course.  Please check Charlie's History Writing Center for more information. (You can also watch the short YouTube video about the center.) Any student caught cheating in this course will be subject to disciplinary action.
 
 
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The Cap of Monomakh (Шапка Мономаха in Russian) was one of the traditional symbols of the medieval Russian monarchy.  There is no agreed-upon certainty about the cap's origin, although it probably dates to the fourteenth century, or how the cap became one of the important symbols of the Russian autocracy, but all kingships/monarchies had their specific symbols, which always included a crown of some sort.  The Russians were no exception to that.  According to Russian legend, the Byzantine emperor sent this crown to Vladimir Monomakh, Grand Prince of Kiev, sometime in the early twelfth century, and it was used during the coronation ceremonies of the Russian tsars in the sixteenth century--a small gap in time.  Peter the Great replaced the "cap" with a more formal, imperial crown in the early eighteenth century.

 
Monomakh Cap
 
ps.  I am always looking for photographs, images, slides, artifacts, etc. that I can use in my courses.  If you have anything that you think might be of use or interesting to me, please let me know.  I credit all images/materials that I use in the course.

 

All materials on this site are copyright © 2011-12, C. T. Evans
For information contact cevans@nvcc.edu