HY 1010 Western Civilization I

HY 1010 Western Civilization I

Traces the history of western civilization, examining developments in western thought and culture from the earliest recorded civilizations to the 18th century.

Course Textbook

McKay, J. P., Hill, B. D., Buckler, J., Crowston, C. H., Weisner-Hanks, M. E., & Perry, J. (2014). A history of Western society: From antiquity to the enlightenment (11th ed., Vol. 1). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Analyze how early and contemporary Western cultures define Western Civilization.

2. Analyze the political, cultural, and social contexts out of which the West developed.

3. Evaluate the causes and effects of major historical events, including the influence of key individuals, institutions, and ideologies.
4. Evaluate significant developments of Western culture in art, literature, history, and architecture.

5. Analyze Western written and visual materials of a historical nature.

6. Appraise relevant and irrelevant sources or evidence.

7. Create conclusions through the examination of facts about Western Civilization.

Course Structure

1. Study Guide: Each unit contains a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson, required reading assignments, and supplemental resources.

2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.
3. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses lesson material.

4. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook and/or outside resources.

5. Suggested Reading: Suggested Readings are listed in each unit’s study guide. Students are encouraged to read the resources listed if the opportunity arises, but they will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested Readings.

6. Learning Activities (Non-Graded): These non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study.

7. Unit Quiz: This course contains one Unit Quiz, to be completed at the end of Unit VI. It is suggested that the quiz be completed before students complete the Unit Assignment. The quiz is used to give students quick feedback on their understanding of the unit material and is composed of multiple-choice questions and matching questions.

8. Unit Assessments: This course contains six Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Units I-III, V, VII, and VIII. Assessments are composed of multiple-choice questions, matching questions, and/or written-response questions.

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9. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units IV and VI. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.

10. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions.

11. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates.

CSU Online Library

The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library webpage. To access the library, log into the myCSU Student Portal, and click on “CSU Online Library.” You can also access the CSU Online Library from the “My Library” button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard.

The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail (and telephone (1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page.

Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other services.

LibGuides

Click here for the LibGuide for this course.

Think of a LibGuide (a Library Guide) as a mini-website to help you with your assignments. It has relevant information such as databases, ebooks, and websites specific to your courses. If you have any questions, please reach out to your friendly library staff.

Unit Assignments

Unit IV Essay

Choose any of the Roman emperors, and write a biographical sketch explaining what you see as his most notable actions and character traits that impacted Western civilization.

A biographical sketch is shorter and more specific than a typical biography of a person’s character, life, and achievements. It should provide readers with your insights into the person’s character and give people what you consider to be significant information about a historical figure.

Step 1: Choose an appropriate source. At least one source must come from the CSU Online Library. The Academic OneFile and General OneFile are databases in the CSU Online Library that would be good places to start your search. If you need additional help with using or locating information in the online library, there are Library Video Tutorials available on the main page of the online library under the heading “Research Guides.”

You may use additional resources, but those sources cannot include Wikipedia, biography.com, history.com, or other encyclopedias. You may research the person on credible sources online or at your local library to read a variety of biographies about the person.

Step 2: Complete your research. Choose one interesting experience that illustrates the main point that you want to make about that person’s life. Gather details about that incident. For example, write a timeline of the person’s life that will show that you know when and where the person was born; where he lived; what he did throughout the course of his life; and where, when, and how he died. Make a list of the person’s pursuits and accomplishments. You should know this person inside and out before you begin writing your sketch.

Step 3: Draw conclusions, and prepare your thesis. Reflect on the life of the historical figure. Once you have done your research and have gathered enough information about the historical figure, you should sit back to think about what it

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means, to see if you notice any trends, and to have a better sense of what you want to convey about the person. Your thesis statement will offer your reader the overall insight into this person you have perceived.

Use the following guidelines to help decide on your thesis:

Ask yourself about how the historical figure was shaped by his time period and environment.

Ask yourself how the historical figure impacted the lives of the people around him, the general public, and future generations.

Figure out which of the figure’s achievements and life experiences you may want to emphasize. Figure out which quality of the person you would most like to emphasize, and make sure the facts you present support it.

Find the perfect anecdote to demonstrate the qualities of the person you would most like to show.

Step 4: Write your essay. Your essay should be at least one page in length. You are required to use at least one source from the CSU Online Library for your response.

Be sure to consider the following guidelines in your essay:

The introduction should engage the reader and clearly present the essay’s thesis and a summary of the main points that clarify the writer’s point of view.

Organization should clearly present points arranged to illustrate your opening thesis.

Writing should be clear and concise with no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.

The number of sources should meet or exceed any expressed assignment requirements and should be peer-reviewed or academic in nature. At least one source must be from the CSU Online Library.

APA formatting guidelines should be used for reference entries and in-text citations.

If you need assistance with writing or formatting your essay, there are additional tutorials and webinars available in the myCSU Student Portal through the Writing Center.

All other questions should be directed toward your professor.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VI Essay

Choose at least two sources on the Black Death from the databases in the CSU Online Library. These sources may be e-books or articles. Then, write an essay of at least one page on the following topic:

Characterize the significance of the Black Death’s impacts on the economic and cultural life of medieval Europe. Then, illustrate your point with specific examples. How does your knowledge of other epidemics in history provide additional insight into the impact of the Black Death?

Be sure to consider the following points in your essay:

The introduction should engage the reader and clearly present the essay’s thesis and a summary of the main points that clarify the writer’s point of view.

Organization should clearly present points arranged logically to support the thesis.

Writing should be clear and concise with no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.

The number of sources should meet or exceed any expressed assignment requirements and should be peer-reviewed or academic in nature.

APA formatting guidelines should be used for reference entries and in-text citations.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

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APA Guidelines

The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center.

Grading Rubrics

This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.

Rubric categories include: (1) Assessment (Written Response) and (2) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments).

The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.

Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.”

Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Assessments and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.