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HISTORY 4B
Western Civilization from the High Middle Ages to the 18th Century
De Anza College
Winter 2014
Christopher R. Jackson, Ph.D., Instructor
Course Description: This course will continue the story of the development of Western society, roughly from the high Middle Ages to the Enlightenment. Starting from the multiple disasters of the 14th century, we will examine the collapse of feudalism and the rise of princely authority. We will pay particular attention to the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation as well as their many consequences. We will explore the new worlds that emerged in this period—geographic, demographic, scientific, and political—and conclude with an examination of the intellectual foundations of the period of revolutions that followed: the Enlightenment.
Please note: a significant portion of the instructor’s communication with the students in this course is done by e-mail. You must check your e-mail at least three times a week. Not having checked your e-mail will not be accepted as an excuse of any kind.
Office Hours
I will hold office hours in L13 from 11:30-12:30 on Tuesdays, or by appointment.
Textbook: Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization, 8th ed., Vol.B: 1300-1815 (Wadsworth: 2012).
Attendance and Grading Policies: Attendance and participation is expected and roll will be taken daily. Students who are routinely absent (more than 10 absences), late, or playing with their phones will be noted and up to 10% (one letter grade) will be deducted from their final grade. Much of the material on quizzes/exams will be covered in class; you will need detailed notes from lectures to get a good grade. Note that no instructor-initiated “W” grades will be issued. It is your responsibility to drop the course in a timely manner if you choose to do so. The last day to drop the class is January 18th. The last day to withdraw with a “W” is February 28th.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is intellectual theft, caused by lazy or dishonest students who do not properly cite their sources or quotations. It is a serious academic violation and will not be tolerated in this class. Please see the Student Handbook section on academic integrity. http://www.deanza.edu/studenthandbook/academic-integrity.html.
Primary source analysis papers. There will be four primary source analysis papers due, as listed below. They will be devoted to analyzing primary sources available from the course web page. Typed, double-spaced, with citations and a list of references (formatted according to MLA style), approximately 700-900 words, to be e-mailed as an MS-Word-compatible attachment to the instructor at crjackson81@gmail.com by 11:59 pm on the date due. Note: before sending the assignment, you must rename the file in the following format: LastnameFirstname-papernumber. Example: JacksonChristopher-paper1.docx. If the file is not properly named, it will not be accepted. If the file cannot be opened by MS-Word, it will not be accepted. Please include your course number, last name, first initial, and paper number in the subject line of the email. Example: History 4B Jackson C paper 1. These assignments will be posted on the class website. Each worth 10 points. The papers will be graded and returned as a PDF via e-mail. For help on MLA formatting, consult the Purdue Owl.
Paper #1: The Black Death (Due January 22nd)
Paper #2: The Reformation (Due February 12th)
Paper #3: The European Witch Craze (Due February 19th)
Paper #4: The Scientific Revolution (Due March 5th)
Quizzes. There will be four 10-question multiple-choice quizzes as noted on the class schedule indicated below. Each is worth 5 points. There are no make-up quizzes.
Team Presentation. There will be team presentations on various Renaissance artists in the fifth week of the course. Each learning team will be assembled by the instructor and given a specific artist to research and present on. Each learning team will be autonomous in assigning individual tasks for the debate. Each team will fill out a “charter” (posted on the class website) that assigns particular tasks to each member of the team (the team manager will send in the charter to the instructor on January 27th). These tasks include manager, writers, researchers, and presenters. The team should be autonomous, and resolve conflicts by itself. The presentations should include brief PowerPoint slides or other audio/visual materials intended to help make the team’s point or add pertinent details regarding the artist in question.
This will require research outside of the textbook. The team will investigate through primary sources and secondary literature about the following aspects of the individual artists: what was the historical context of his life? What were his origins? What sort of a career did he have? What were his most famous pieces? What sort of artistic style did he have? What about the style was distinctive? Who influenced him? Whom did he influence? Why was this particular artist important?
The presentations themselves will take place in class on February 4, 5, and 6. Each should last approximately 15 minutes. Grading for the assignment will be done partly on the quality of the overall team presentation (15 points), and partly through team self-evaluations (5 points), which can be downloaded from the class website, and which are due no later than February 18th. No points will be awarded to a student who does not return the team self-evaluation.
If a team member does not participate in the learning team discussions, meetings, preparation and work, that member will not be allowed to participate in the presentation, and will receive zero points for that assignment.
Final exam. The final will be held in class on Thursday, March 27 at 9:15-11:15 a.m.; a study guide will be provided. It will consist of both multiple-choice questions and one essay question. Please bring a Scantron Form No.882-E (the long green Scantron) and a blank examination booklet (“blue book”). Worth 20 points.
Assignment policies. Note: the lowest grade for either one of the quizzes or the primary source papers may be dropped; thus if you miss taking a quiz, or do poorly on one particular paper, that grade will be dropped and the grades in that assignment category will be averaged. Make-up quizzes will not be given, and late analysis papers will not be accepted.
Quizzes: 20% of final grade
Analysis papers: 40% of final grade
Team presentation 20% of final grade
Final examination: 20% of final grade
Grade Points/Letter Grade Equivalents
Week 1: (January 6- 9) Introduction
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps. 11-12.
Week 2: (January 13-16) Crisis of the 14th century
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps.11-12.
Quiz #1 January 16
Week 3: (January 21-23) The Renaissance I
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps. 13-14.
Note: No class January 20, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Paper #1 (Black Death) due January 22
Week 4: (January 27-30) The Renaissance II
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps. 13-14.
Quiz #2 January 30
Week 5: (February 3-6) The Reformation
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps.13-14
Team Presentations February 4, 5, and 6
Week 6: (February 10-13) Encounters and Empires
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps. 15-16
Paper #2 (Reformation) due February 12
Week 7: (February 18-20) State Building in the 17th Century
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps. 15-16
Note: No class on February 17, Presidents Day
Paper #3 (Witchcraft) due February 19
Week 8: (February 24-27) The Scientific Revolution
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps.15-16
Quiz #3 February 27
Week 9: (March 3-6) The Age of Enlightenment
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chap.17-18
Paper #4 (Scientific Revolution) due March 5
Week 10: (March 10-13) War and Social Change
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps.17-18
Quiz #4 March 13
Week 11: (March 17-20) Toward the Modern World
Reading: Jackson Spielvogel, Western Civilization, chaps.17-18
Week 12: (Thursday, March 27 at 9:15-11:15 a.m.) Final Examination
Need help? The Student Success Center offers free tutoring, workshops and support for many De Anza classes. See http://www.deanza.edu/studentsuccess for details.
• Writing and Reading Center: ATC 309/ 408-864-5840
• Listening and Speaking Center: ATC 304/ 408-864-5385
• Skills Center: ATC 302/ 408-864-8253
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