Syllabus Supplement

HUM 205: Western Civilization II

Neosho County Community College
Spring Semester, 2011
Section31, Wednesdays, 12:30—3:15 pm

Instructor: Kevin Blackwell Office: NCCC-Ottawa, Rm. 134

Phone: (785) 242-2067 ext. 303
(816) 824-0309 cell
E-mail: kblackwell@neosho.edu
Office Monday, 1:00-5:00 PM
Hours: Tuesday, 1:00-4:00 PM
Thursday, 9:00 AM-12:00
PM
Friday, 8:00-10:00 AM

ACADEMIC HONESTY
Plagiarism of any type will not be tolerated in this class. Your reaction papers
and writings must be your own work. I do not care if you use outside materials
as long as you use proper citations and quotation marks around words that you
didn’t write. Downloading and printing material from the Internet as your own
work will earn you an AUTOMATIC F IN THIS COURSE. Don’t take the risk.

EMAIL POLICY
All class-related communication must be through your NCCC email account (P-
mail). When writing an email put the following in the subject line: HUM205-31.
All students must send a certification email to the instructor within the first week
of class. The email should include the student’s correct name.

EVALUATION AND GRADING:

Students will be evaluated on their performance in class discussions, as
discussion leaders, through reaction papers and on examinations.

1. Class Discussions:
Attendance: Since this is a discussion class, attendance is essential. This is a
minimum requirement. If you are absent, you will get a grade of zero for that
discussion day. Students under obligation to participate in jury duty, a
recognized religious observance, and/or activities where they are required to
represent the college must give written notice to the instructor at least one week
in advance. Failure to provide written notice may result in loss of the opportunity
to make up the missed course work. Students missing class as a result of illness
or other emergencies must confer with the instructor within a week of the
absence. Make up of missed work in these cases will be at the instructor’s
discretion.

Makeup Papers: Students may make up a maximum of one missed discussion

session by writing a 2 to 3 page paper on the missed material. Papers should be

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typed and should address the main points of the missed material, the student’s
opinion of the material and what the student believes the significance of the
material is to Western Civilization. The total points possible for a makeup paper
will be 50 points.

Knowledge of Readings: You may demonstrate knowledge of the readings by

making appropriate reference to them during the course of the discussion.
Indicate how the reference helps clarify meaning. Support general statements
and summaries with examples and references from the readings. The reference
should not be a simple quote from the material; offer some comment or
explanation to indicate understanding.

Discussion Skills: Interact with others by expanding their ideas when agreeing
or by polite explanations when disagreeing. Ask clarifying questions to facilitate
the exchange of ideas.

Use of Analytical Skills: Use evaluation, logic, and examination rather than
simple description. Search for the assumptions behind the ideas. Sort ideas into
categories. Weigh the impact of the ideas on historical events.

Application of Ideas: Apply the readings to contemporary themes and events;

show how ideas developed within their historical context and what influence the
ideas have exerted upon Western Civilization over time.

Synthesis: Make connections between different ideas and show how they relate
to each other. Sort out the major themes in each reading and then group the
week’s readings by theme. Connect common themes appearing in different
authors and different weekly assignments.

Frequency and Nature of Participation: Try to participate at least two or three

times per discussion. When you speak, try to develop dialogue with other
students rather than engaging in monologues. Build on the comments of others
in the natural course of the discussion.

Grading: There are FIFTY (50) points available to each student each discussion
week. The allocation of these points is as follows:
1. Attendance: 30 points (15 points for lecture/15 points for discussion)
2. Comments indicating knowledge of the readings: 3 points each
3. Clarifying questions/facilitating comments: 3 points each
4. Comments providing analysis of the readings: 4 points each
5. Comments applying ideas: 4 points each
6. Synthesizing comments: 5 points each

Feedback: Students will be given a grade slip the week following a discussion
session which will reflect their performance.

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2. Discussion Leadership:
Each student will lead one discussion session during the semester. The
instructor will be provided with a list of at least twenty questions prior to the date
of discussion leadership. Discussion leadership will be graded using the
following criteria:
1. Adherence to topic. (Don’t allow discussion to drift off the point!)
2. Knowledge of the reading’s content.
3. Connection of the reading’s content to the main themes of the course.
4. Emphasis on major ideas and use of questions to examine ideas.
5. Use of questions (at least two) to involve the group in examining application of
ideas contained in the readings to current or historical situations.
6. Management of time.
7. Success in leading students into analysis and evaluation of major ideas.
8. Success in leading students into comparisons, contrasts, and connections
between ideas.
9. Success in sustaining and stimulating discussion.

3. Reaction Papers:
Following each discussion session students will submit an online paper
describing their reaction to the discussion and the assigned material. The paper
should be completely subjective and should not include a summary of the
material. Reaction papers should be one to two pages in length. Reaction
papers will be graded on length and on success in conveying the student’s
opinion of the material.

4. Examinations: There will be TWO examinations during the semester, a

Midterm and a Final. The exams will include both objective questions (multiple
choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank) and subjective essays. Essays will be
evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Knowledge of the material.

2. Analysis of ideas.
3. Synthesis of major themes.
4. Clarity of written expression.

The course grade will be calculated as follows:

Discussion: 50% (lowest discussion grade dropped)
Midterm Exam: 15%
Final Exam: 15%
Reaction Papers: 15%
Discussion Leadership: 5%

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Course Schedule
DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
January 19, Introduction Reading Assignment: Patterns of Western
2011 to the Civilization (PWC, 4th edition), Background I,
Modern Ch. 1.
World Discussion Reading: Aldous Huxley, Brave
New World.

January 26, Descartes Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 1.

2011 and the Discussion: Huxley (Reaction Paper Due by
Transition to Thursday at 5:00PM)
Modernity Discussion Reading: Descartes, Discourse
on Method.
February 2, Absolutism Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 2.
2011 and the Discussion: Descartes (Reaction Paper Due
Social by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Contract Discussion Reading: John Locke, Second
Treatise of Government.
February 9, The Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch.4
2011 American Discussion: John Locke (Reaction Paper Due
Revolution by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: American Revolution
Readings (PWC, pp. 96-120).
February 16, The French Reading Assignment: PWC, Background II,
2011 Revolution Ch. 3.
Discussion: American Revolution Readings
(Reaction Paper Due by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Rousseau, Discourse
on Inequality; Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of the Citizen, (PWC, pp. 334-335);
Declaration of the Rights of Woman,
September, 1791, (PWC, pp. 337-339)
February 23, Romanticism Reading Assignment: PWC, Background III,
2011 Ch. 5.
Discussion: Rousseau (Reaction Paper Due
by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Mary Shelley,
Frankenstein.

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DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

March 2, The Industrial Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 6, 7.
2011 Revolution Discussion: Frankenstein (Reaction Paper
and the Rise Due by Thursday at 5:00PM)
of Liberalism Discussion Readings: John Stuart Mill, On
Liberty; and The Sadler Report (PWC pp. 341-
Darwinism 353).
Darwin Readings, (PWC, pp. 186-198).
March 9, MIDTERM EXAMINATION
2011

March 16, Karl Marx and Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 8.

2011 the Rise of Discussion: Mill and Darwin Readings
Socialism (Reaction Paper Due by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels, The Communist Manifesto.

March 23, NO CLASS SPRING BREAK

2011
March 30, Russia and Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 9.
2011 the West Discussion: Marx (Reaction Paper Due by
Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Fyodor Dostoevsky,
Notes from the Underground

April 6, Germany, Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 10.

2011 Nietzsche and Discussion: Dostoevsky (Reaction Paper Due
Nationalism by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Friedrich Nietzsche,
Twilight of the Idols.
April 13, Race and Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 11.
2011 Empire Discussion: Nietzsche (Reaction Paper Due by
Thursday at 5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: W.E.B. DuBois, The
Souls of Black Folk.

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DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

April 20, The Great Reading Assignment: PWC, Background IV,
2011 War and Its Ch. 12, 13.
Aftermath Discussion: DuBois (Reaction Paper Due by
Thursday at 5:00PM)
Feminism Discussion Reading: Sigmund Freud, Freud
Readings, Online Handout; Virginia Woolf, A
Room of One’s Own, Declaration of Sentiments
and Resolutions, (Seneca Falls Convention,
1848), (PWC, pp. 351-353).
April 27, Fascism and Reading Assignment: PWC, Background V, Ch.
2011 Communism 14.
Discussion: Freud and Woolf (Reaction Paper
Hitler’s Due by Thursday at 5:00PM)
Europe Discussion Reading: Gerda Klein, All But My
Life.
May 4, FINAL EXAMINATION
2011

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