Hist. 241

ASIAN CIVILIZATIONS I

COURSE SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR:  PATRICK PATTERSON


OFFICE LOCATION:    Building 7, Room 601
OFFICE HOURS:    M-F 10:30 - 12:00
OFFICE PHONE:    845-9417
E-MAIL ADDRESS:    patrick@hcc.hawaii.edu
INSTRUCTOR WEB PAGE:    http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/~patrick
CLASS HOURS:   
PREREQUISITES:    Writing 100 (recommended)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Historical survey of political evolution and major economic, social, and cultural developments taking place in Asia (Ancient times –1500 CE)

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:

This is a writing intensive course, and so the focus of instruction will be on writing, in the hope that students will come to see the process of writing as an effective learning tool, rather than just a system for instructors to evaluate students. This means that instruction will be relatively more interactive than a traditional lecture class.

Writing: The primary means of evaluation in this course will be writing. However, it will also be your primary means for exploring the subject, and as I grade your papers, I will be looking to see if you are struggling with understanding the history rather than just putting words on a page. I want to see you learn through your writing. I will be assigning four different types of papers in this class, and through each, I hope you will learn new methods of study and writing.

Lectures will continue to be a part of the class. However, those lectures will include information on the history of Asia that gives students a general framework with which to understand the reading and writing they are doing for the course.

Reading: as an instructor of my own once said, "you have to read a few books before you can write one." This class will involve extensive reading of a number of different types of written work. Obviously, the textbooks will be required reading, and it is assumed that you will have finished the reading for each week before coming to class. Also included will be handouts that include examples of writing in various styles, and primary source documents that will give you a chance to dig in and "do history" – putting your own ideas on record for the world.

Writing Workshops: One of the most valuable ways to learn – and to learn to write – is to subject your own ideas and work to the scrutiny of your peers. Therefore, prior to the due date for each paper, we will hold an in-class writing workshop. One week prior to the workshop you will be asked to provide a copy of a segment of your current paper to each student in your discussion group, and one to the instructor. During the workshop, you will each be asked to write and discuss with the author and the group, at least one critical comment regarding that segment for each member of the group. Your attendance is critical to the success of this kind of group activity, and will be monitored. Your participation is also a must. Failure to attend or participate in the discussions, either by failing to provide comments, or by failing to provide a segment of your work, will certainly affect your grade in a negative way. Participation, however, will give you a leg up, should you be on the borderline.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT

This course transfers to all other UH System campuses.

At Kapi’olani CC and UH Manoa, this course fulfills the WI requirement.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, you should, in a basic way, be able to:

ASSIGNMENT & LECTURE DATES

Final Exam: May 7 (Monday – Thursday) No late finals accepted

**the reading for each lesson should be done in advance, so that you are prepared to discuss the materials in class.

TEXTBOOKS & REQUIRED MATERIALS

Hertzel, David.  The World History Workbook.  University of Oklahoma, 2006. (Available only in the HCC Bookstore)

GRADING RUBRIC FOR PAPERS AND EXAMS

Grading in this course is based on three assumptions.  They are:

1. Adequate/acceptable work at the first year level will receive a C grade.  B grades denote work that is better than adequate, and an A grade denotes truly exceptional work.
2. Grading of written work is based on a rubric, the standards for which are stated below:

• The instructor reserves the right to assign the grade based on performance as he, based on experience, knowledge, and the rubric above, sees fit.  The grade levels given to the right of the table are examples, and not guarantees, of points to be assigned in any given assignment.  Grades may be given in whole or partial numbers above or below the examples provided.  Scores below 5 points will be given where they appear to make the most sense - for example, in the near or complete absence of a component, etc...  

• The rubric above applies to papers and exams only.  

• Grading of assignments and quizzes will be based on separate standards.  Students have the right to know what the grading standards are at any time before or after an assignment is given.

COURSE COMPONENT SPECIFICS

(As noted, this is a writing-intensive course.  You must produce a minimum of 16 pages of written work over the course of the semester.  Failure to do so will result in a failing grade for the course, regardless of the quality of the work you do submit.)

1.        Writing Assignments

• Weekly Journal Entry:  You'll be asked to write a weekly paper discussing what you are learning, questions that have come to mind, and interests that develop as you go through the course and encounter new sources and new material.
• Long Essay:  You'll be asked to write a 6-8 page paper on a question relating either to the Analects of Confucius or to Karl Friday's Hired Swords, both required books.  If you choose to write on another book it will need to be approved by the instructor.  You must turn in a rough draft for this paper.  It is worth 50 points toward your final grade, and is required in order to pass the course.

2.        Two Exams

There are two exams in this class.  Each will be given on a date specified by the instructor, and must be taken at a UH System proctoring center..  Each exam is worth 50 points, for a total of 100 points, or 14% of the course grade.  Exams will include essay and identification questions.

4.        Writing Workshops

One of the most valuable ways to learn – and to learn to write – is to subject your own ideas and work to the scrutiny of your peers. Therefore, prior to the due date for each paper, we will hold an in-class writing workshop. One week prior to the workshop you will be asked to provide a copy of a segment of your current paper to each student in your discussion group, and one to the instructor. During the workshop, you will each be asked to write and discuss with the author and the group, at least one critical comment regarding that segment for each member of the group. Your attendance is critical to the success of this kind of group activity, and will be monitored. Your participation is also a must.

TEXTBOOKS & REQUIRED MATERIALS

Rhoads Murphey, A History of Asia, 5th Edition

Confucius, The Analects

Karl Friday, Hired Swords

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT

Students in this class who need accommodations for a disability should submit documentation and requests to the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (SSD) in Bldg. 2, Rm. 108A. Phone: 845-9282 voice/text or 9272 voice/text for more information. If you have already registered your requests with SSD this semester, please see         the instructor after class or during my office hours and be prepared to provide a current verification letter from SSD.  (Rev. 3-29-2004)

CLASSROOM CODE OF CONDUCT

1. Students will be expected to follow the HCC Student Conduct Code (http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/policies/scc.pdf).  This classroom is a SAFE ZONE.  You may disagree with other students or the instructor, but you are required to listen with respect and address others’ ideas seriously and respectfully.  We can have a debate without intimidation or anger.  Disruption, intimidation, or other forms of verbal or physical abuse will result in expulsion from the class temporarily or permanently and will have a negative impact on your grade.

2. Late Assignments
1. Late assignments will be docked one full grade level per week until turned in. (If the paper is not handed in by midnight on the due date, it is considered a week late, whether handed in the next day, or 5 days later.)

3. Submitting Papers
1. All papers are to be submitted electronically, either in the body of an e-mail message, or through an attachment (the software should be either Corel Word Perfect, or Microsoft Word.  If you have a different word processor, please submit in the body of the e-mail).  If this is impossible, contact me.
2. When submitting, include your last name and HIST 241 in the filename and in the e-mail subject line.  Without those, the paper will be returned to you unread, and marked late if your return of it is beyond the deadline. 
3. If you use a word processor other than MS Word, please submit the paper in Rich Text Format - go to your File menu, choose save, and in the lowest field in the " Save As" dialogue box, choose RTF.
4. To attach the paper to an email, choose "browse" in the mail composition menu.  Once you have found the file, don't forget to click on "Attach".

4. Making up work
1. Quizzes may not be made up.  You have a week to take each quiz.
2. Exams may only be made up if you provide a valid excuse, and evidence that such excuse was in fact real, such as a doctor's note, etc.  What constitutes a valid excuse is the instructor's prerogative.
3. Papers can be turned in at any time before or after the due date.  See the section above on late penalties for papers.

5. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Make sure that none of your work is plagiarized.  I will be checking every paper (and draft) for plagiarism.  Plagiarism is easy to detect.  If I find you have plagiarised, in the first instance, I will ask you to re-write your exam or paper with no penalty.  Any instance beyond one will result in immediate failure of any assignment that shows evidence of plagiarism, and the College Administration will be informed.  Instances beyond two will result in a failing grade for the course and the Administration will be informed.  According to the Student Conduct Code, this can result in expulsion from Honolulu Community College .  The instructor reserves the right to change the score on a paper at any time, including after the fact, if it is discovered that the paper has been plagiarized, and to change the course grade if it is affected.  This includes the appearance in later classes of work previously turned in for this or any class.  Do your own work.  Make your friends do their own work.  The definition of plagiarism, according to the University of Hawaii Code of Conduct, is as follows:
              
               "Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting, in fulfillment of an
                   academic requirement, any document that has been copied in whole or
                   in part from another individual's work without attributing that borrowed
                   portion to the individual; neglecting to identify as a quotation another's
                   idea and particular phrasing that was not assimilated into the student's
                   language and style or paraphrasing a passage so that the reader is misled
                   as to the source; submitting the same written or oral material in more than
                   one course without obtaining authorization from the instructors involved; or dry
               labbing, which includes obtaining and using experimental data and
                   laboratory write-ups from other sections of the course or from previous
                   terms or fabricating data to fit the desired or expected results.

6. Cheating on Exams and Quizzes

   1. Cheating on exams will not be tolerated.  Any student who cheats will fail the course, and the Administration will be notified.  Use of electronic devices for assistance in taking an exam is strictly prohibited except where specifically authorized by the instructor.  Cellular phones, personal music players, websites, personal digital assistants, computers of any kind, watches, electronic dictionaries, etc. are all prohibited during exams.  Cheating is defined in the University of Hawaii Code of Conduct as:
      
                  "Cheating includes, but is not limited to, giving or receiving
                      unauthorized assistance during an examination; obtaining or
                      distributing unauthorized information about an examination
                      before it is given; using inappropriate or unallowable sources
                      of information during an examination; falsifying data in
                      experiments and other research; altering the record of any
                      grade; altering answers after an examination has been submitted;
                      falsifying any official University record; or misrepresenting the
                      facts in order to obtain exemptions from course requirements.

7. Keeping Records of Your Work

1. Keep all quiz, exam, and essay papers I return to you as proof that you have completed the assignment.

8. Assigning of Grades

   1. Grades will be assigned based on performance only.  As unfortunate as it is, I have no way of measuring how much you studied.  I can and will measure how well you answer the questions according to the standards I have given you.  If you care to dispute a grade, you are more than welcome.  Come prepared to discuss the specifics of your paper in terms of those standards. 
   2. Remember, accomplishing what was asked, doing adequate work, earns a "C" grade.  "B" grades are assigned when you go beyond the basic expectations and do something very well.  A is assigned only for really exceptional work.  For requirements, please refer to the rubric above.
      

9. Due Dates, Exam Dates, etc.

1. Know the dates of exams and due dates for papers
2. It is your responsibility to be prepared for lectures, exams, and assignments.  This means that you are required to have the information you need.  I may or may not remind you about due dates.  In either case, it is your responsibility to have your work turned in by the date specified on this syllabus.

10. ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AND COURSE WEBSITE
    If you are in a regular classroom course at HCC, You are not required to have access to the Internet to take this course.  Any materials provided via the internet may also be accessed through the instructor personally.  Not having an Internet connection will not affect your grade in this course.  The grade you receive will be based on work done or turned in here in the classroom.
    If you are in a Web-based course (these have a spider web symbol next to them in the course schedule) You are required to have consistent access to the Internet, and to the UH WebCT system, to take this course.  You may not take it as an e-mail-based correspondence course.  Failure to regularly connect to the WebCT virtual classroom site (http://webct.hawaii.edu) will constitute grounds for dropping you from the course.  Exceptions will not be given.
    
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    VALIDATION & REFERENCE
    This syllabus conforms to the Honolulu Community College syllabus guideline adopted July 26, 1999.
    http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/syllab-1.htm

241 Syllabus