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Instructor:
Dr. Kahne R. Parsons Office phone: 903-510-2454 Office location: J-134 (Jenkins Hall) Office Hours, Spring 2006: M-W, 12:00--2:00 p.m..; T-TH, 12:40--1:55 p.m.; also by appointment. E-mail: WebCT; or kpar@tjc.edu |
Textbook
Craig, et al., The Heritage of World Civilizations, seventh edition. Price: appx. $107.
Note: This book is also available as an online edition at http://www.safari.com. You "subscribe" to the book for 150 days, and the cost is about $57. However, keep in mind that this option ties you to your computer, so you must have constant and reliable access. Also, you need a high-speed internet connection as it will not work with anything less.
Purpose of the Course
This course offers a general survey of non-western civilizations from ancient times to the early 20th century. The concentration is on the following geographical areas: Near East; Central Asia; Indian subcontinent; China; Japan; Southeast Asia. Within these geographical areas, we will focus on the rise and fall of civilizations, as well as exploring the paths of cultural transfer from one civilization to another.
At the end of this course the student should be familiar with the events, leaders, religions, and cultural forms of these civilizations.
Assignments and Exams
- The student will be responsible for monitoring the website for each week's assignments. It is the student's responsibility to keep up with ALL deadlines. Deadlines for exams are posted on the Calendar; deadlines/due dates for quizzes and written Assignments are posted on those pages, respectively.
- All
assignments and tests must be completed by the due date.
Most
weekly
assignments will be completed using e-mail or the Internet.
However, students
must
take written exams in the TJC testing center.
- The student may drop their
lowest test grade at the end of the semester
and replace it with the final exam grade if the latter is higher.
However, you may not simply opt to just skip an exam and expect to
replace it with the final exam: you must have a valid,
approved reason. You may NOT skip or drop the final
exam for any reason. (This is a college rule, not just one for
this course.) The final exam will be comprehensive.
- There may be other written assignments or projects completed during the course of the term. You can find these on WebCT's Assignments page. (There will also be a notation in the lecture index/guide notifying you that there is an assignment due and requesting that you check the assignment page.)
Communication
Although the instructor is figuratively available to the student 24/7, there are some general parameters for communication in a web-based course. On weekdays, you should reasonably expect a turnaround time (i.e., an answer) within 24 hours. (Often, the reply will arrive sooner than that, depending on the "traffic load.") On weekends--especially between Friday and Sunday evenings--response time will be less prompt, so the student should plan accordingly.
Posting Messages
When posting a message via e-mail, always place the reference in the subject heading area. For example, if you have a question regarding Activity 2.4, you would write Activity 2.4 under Subject Heading. What messages should be posted to e-mail and which to the discussion list? Anything that concerns private information, such as your grade, or a particular situation you need to discuss (such as how you're doing in the class), should be e-mailed to the Instructor.
Alternate Communications
In the event that your computer crashes, you have recourse to other means of communication. You can call the instructor's office on weekdays at the number listed at the top of this syllabus. You can also fax assignments to the Department. However, the best method of communication remains e-mail. Phone calls and faxes will be checked less frequently than e-mail.
Grading
Exam grades generally count for 60% of your final class grade; essays, quizzes, and other assignments count 40%. You may check your grade on the link "My Grades" on WebCT.
Course Withdrawal Policy
It is the student’s responsibility to drop a class. All drops must be processed by an Academic Advisor appropriate to the student’s major. The drop date is posted on the semester calandar on WebCT.
Orientation
You can now proceed to the Orientation, where you will find more detailed information about this course.