HIS 105: Historical Foundation of Global Cultures
Spring 2023, MW 2-3:15, DHC 208 or on Zoom if there is a snow day or the professor has COVID-19.
Professor Jonathan Skaff
E-mail: jkskaf@ship.edu; Office Telephone: 717-477-1255
Personal Website: http://webspace.ship.edu/jkskaf/
Office Hours in Mowrey 246: MW 11:00-12:30, T 1:00-1:50, Th 1:15-3:15, and by appointment.
Peer anchor: Nicholas Collare E-mail: nc1875@ship.edu
Office Hours: MW 5:00-6:00 (location TBA); Review sessions: Fridays 2-3:00 (location TBA)
I. Course Description
This course is an introduction to global history until approximately the year 1500. It begins at the dawn of humankind and ends at a time when the world’s cultural zones were coming into closer and more intense contact. This course will help you to appreciate the origins of some of the world’s diverse cultures, religions, and technologies. You also will learn about the key role of cultural contact and exchange in humanity’s development.
The class investigates six major trends in humanity’s early history in Parts 1 through 6 of the syllabus. We will try to understand these trends by studying important and illuminating case studies. One of your goals as a student will be to understand how each case study relates to the “big picture” of the historical trends. Comparisons of case studies play an important role in this process.
The class also will develop general education foundational study skills that help students succeed in college and the real world. You will have the opportunity to improve your reading, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking. Discussions, papers, and essays on exams are meant to encourage students to think critically. Like historians, students will be expected to analyze and interpret source materials (readings, photographs, videos, and lectures) and compare different historical case studies. My goal is to help you become a better student.
Do you want to be a successful student? This course has 2 important study aids: 1) The first is my personal website where the syllabus for this class is posted (http://webspace.ship.edu/jkskaf/). Each class session on the syllabus has a link to a study guide. Each study guide lists KEY TERMS from the lecture marked with *asterisks, and STUDY QUESTIONS about the lecture and readings. All exams are based on the *key terms and study questions. All students should look at the study questions before class and bring the textbook, supplementary readings, and notes on reading study questions to class. 2) The second study aid is the class peer anchor, Nicholas Collare. His job is to help you become a better student. He will be attending all class sessions, holding weekly office hours (see above), and holding weekly review sessions (see above).
II. Requirements
1. Attendance (5%): Attend all classes and take notes on lectures and discussions (See Policy #2 below)
2. Spokesperson assignment (10%): average of 2 highest grades, for directions, see Policy #3 below
3. Study Skills Paper (5%): Diagnosis of reading and writing study skills
4. Historical Analysis Paper (20%)
5. Two one-hour exams (30%): essays and multiple-choice questions
6. Cumulative final exam (25%): essay and multiple-choice questions
7. Campus Participation Paper (5%): Attend 1 approved global history event on campus. Write a summary and review (1-2 pages, double-spaced). The events will be announced in class. Submit a hard copy in class and electronic copy to the D2L Assignment Folder. The paper is due one week after the event.
8. Extra Credit: Attend and write summaries and reviews of up to 3 additional events. Follow the instructions above. Each paper earns a bonus of 1 to 5 points on the campus participation grade.
THE FINAL EXAM IS CUMULATIVE: Take good notes throughout the semester.
III. Policies
1. Health and safety are of primary importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
· Students will be expected to follow Shippensburg University safety protocols to reduce risks to everyone’s health. The most up-to-date information about each individual’s responsibility to protect the health and wellbeing of the entire campus community can be found on Shippensburg University’s website: https://www.ship.edu/life/wellness/raider-respect-covid-19-updates/
· Do not come to class if you are sick or if you have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19. Visit Etter Health Center on campus (717-477-1458) for symptomatic COVID tests and care. If you test positive, notify the COVID-19 Office (covid19@ship.edu or 717-477-1007), and they will email all of your professors about your absence due to isolation. If I receive official notification of your isolation, I will send you a Zoom link to classes that you can’t attend.
· If Dr. Skaff tests positive for COVID-19, he plans to inform students via email that he will be canceling class or teaching remotely over Zoom during his period of isolation.
2. Attendance is mandatory. The attendance grade is based on the percentage of classes that you attend. For example, coming to 95% of class sessions is an A.
3. Each student will be assigned to one of seven spokesperson cohorts. Each cohort has 3 assigned dates on the syllabus with the 2 highest scores applied to your grade. The Spokesperson grades will be awarded individually according to the following standards:
90-100: Spokesperson demonstrates mastery of readings by making insightful comments and pointing out specific lines of text that support his/her ideas.
80-89: Spokesperson demonstrates that he/she/they has completed reading assignments.
60-79: Spokesperson participates in discussion without giving evidence of having completed the reading.
50: Spokesperson attends class on assigned date without answering any questions.
0: Spokesperson has an unexcused absence on assigned date.
4. Absences will be excused if you can document a serious illness, COVID-19 isolation, family emergency, varsity athletic event, military duty or religious observance. Only students with documented excuses can make up exams and spokesperson assignments. A student with a medical condition that prevents attendance must submit a note from Etter Health Center or a doctor. The Ship COVID-19 Office will inform me of any required isolation. For a family emergency, I require a phone call from a parent or guardian, or a death notice. If you have military duty, inform your dean’s office. They will send notification to all of your professors. The university’s policy on religious observances is the following: “At the beginning of each academic session (fall, spring, summer), the student will be required (in writing) to provide his/her faculty with the dates of scheduled religious observances.”
5. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. I encourage you to study together with other students, but all papers and exams must be written in your own words without human or technological assistance. Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to the policies in the “Academic Dishonesty” section of the Undergraduate Catalog (https://catalog.ship.edu). Students who intentionally or irresponsibly violate university policies on academic dishonesty will receive a penalty of a grade of “F” for the course. To check for plagiarism, all papers must be submitted to the D2L Dropbox. Students looking at or handling electronic devices or other unauthorized objects during exams will receive a grade of “F.”
6. “Smartphones make you dumb in class.” All electronic devices are banned in class, except for those used to take notes or view course readings. Educational research has shown that electronic communications, including text messaging, create distractions that interfere with learning. Violations of this policy will result in a attendance grade of zero for that day’s class session.
7. HIS 105 is a general education “Foundations” course that you must pass in order to graduate. If you are having academic problems, please see me during office hours, or seek help from the class peer anchor.
8. I comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to keep your academic records confidential, and Title IX requirements to “report incidents of sexual violence shared by students.” To read the full Title IX syllabus statement, click on this link: https://www.ship.edu/EIC/title_ix_statement/
9. I welcome students with disabilities in my classroom. Any student who needs an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) in Mowrey 252 to discuss specific accommodations. For more information, see the website: www.ship.edu/oar
10. I assign letter grades to the following numerical scores:
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 70-76
D 60-69
F Below 60
IV. Readings
A. Main Textbook
Hansen, Valerie, and Kenneth R. Curtis. Voyages in World History, Volume 1: To 1600. 4th edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2022. Bring the textbook to each class session!
· The textbook is available at University Bookstore, Library E-Reserves, or Lending Library. Students with financial need can apply for a Course Material Award.
B. Supplementary Readings for Spokesperson Class Discussion Assignment: Free!
Supplementary readings are available on D2L>Content. Bring each reading to class in hardcopy or electronic format!
V. Class Schedule (Complete all assigned readings before class.)
W 1/18: Introduction to Global History, Class Organization, Skaff’s Website, Assignments, and Grading
Part 1: Human Origins
M 1/23: Hominin Origins in Africa: Theories
Reading: Hansen, et al., 2-6
Supplementary Reading: 01) “Imagining the Past”
W 1/25: Hominin Origins: Methods (Spokesperson Cohort 1)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 6-16
Supplementary Reading: 02) “Shanidar Cave Yields New Signs of Neanderthal Emotions”
Paper 1: Study Skills Assigned
M 1/30: Food: Gatherer-hunter and Agricultural Economies (Spokesperson Cohort 2)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 16-23
Supplementary Reading: 03) “Women and Men at Çatalhöyük”
Part 2: Complex Society: Independent Origins
W 2/1: Mesopotamia (Spokesperson Cohort 3)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 24-34
Supplementary Reading: 04) “The Judgments of Hammurabi”
Study Skills Paper Due
M 2/6: Egypt (Spokesperson Cohort 4)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 34-44, 48-49
Supplementary Reading: 05) “Tale of the Eloquent Peasant”
T 2/7, 5-6:15 pm: Suggested Campus Event: JohnPaul Bennet ’10, “Study Abroad,” DHC 051
W 2/8: China (Spokesperson Cohort 5)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 74-78
Supplementary Reading: 06) “China’s Hidden City”
M 2/13: Mesoamerica; Review of Human Origins and Complex Society (Spokesperson Cohort 6)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 15-16 (review), 96-111
Supplementary Reading: 07) “The Storm God's Tale”
W 2/15: EXAM 1 on Parts 1 and 2 of Syllabus
Part 3: Complex Society: Contacts and Exchanges
M 2/20: Hebrews and their Religion (Spokesperson Cohort 7)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 44-48
Supplementary Reading: 08) “The Book of Deuteronomy”
W 2/22: Phoenicians and Greeks: Spread of Complex Society in the Mediterranean Sea (Spokesperson Cohort 1)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 118-120, 125, 128-130 (to second full paragraph on 130)
Supplementary Reading: 09) “When the Ancient Greeks Began to Write”
M 2/27: Classical Greece: Athens and Sparta (Spokesperson Cohort 2)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 130-140
Supplementary Reading: 10) “The Rise of Women in Ancient Greece”
Part 4: Empires: Origins and Expansion
W 3/1: China: From Warring States to Qin Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 3)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 72-74, 78-86
Supplementary Reading: 11) “The Writings of Master Han Fei”
M 3/6-W 3/8: No Class: Spring Break!
M 3/13: China: The Enduring Han Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 4)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 86-92
Supplementary Reading: 12) “Factory of Wealth”
W 3/15: Rome: From City-state to Republican Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 5)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 148-154
Supplementary Reading: 13) “Carthage: The Lost Mediterranean Civilisation (sic)”
M 3/20: Augustus’s Policies and the Roman Principate (Spokesperson Cohort 6)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 155-159, 169 (Seeing the Big Picture)
Electronic Reserves Readings: 14) “Rome's Imperial Port”
W 3/22: EXAM 2 on Parts 3 and 4 of Syllabus
Part 5: Universal Religions: Origins, Popularization and Spread
M 3/27: Early South Asia and the Origins of Buddhism (Spokesperson Cohort 7)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 52-61
Supplementary Reading: 15a) “Buddha’s First Sermon” (Also see Hansen, et al. 67)
T 3/28, 5-6:15 pm: Suggested Campus Event, Annual World History Lecture: Samuel Yamashita, "The 'Japanese Turn' in the Art, Architecture and Cuisine of Europe and the United States, 1880-2020,"
W 3/29: Buddhism: Popularization in South Asia (Spokesperson Cohort 1)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 50-52, 61-71
Supplementary Reading: 15b) “Rock and Pillar Edicts of King Piyadasi [Ashoka]” (Also see Hansen, et al. 67-68)
Historical Analysis Paper Assigned
M 4/3: Buddhism: On the Silk Road to East Asia (Spokesperson Cohort 2)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 172-176, 182-191, 196
Supplementary Reading: 16) “Tales of the Bodhisattva Guanshiyin”
W 4/5: Christianity: Origin, Spread and Popularization in the Roman Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 3)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 146-148, 159-167, 170
Supplementary Reading: 17a) "The Gospel of St. Matthew"; 17b) "The Gospel of St. Thomas"
M 4/10: Islam: Origin in Arabia and Beliefs (Spokesperson Cohort 4)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 200-206, 216-219
Supplementary Reading: 18) “The Quran”
W 4/12: Islam: Popularization in the Middle East (Spokesperson Cohort 5)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 198-199, 206-216, 220
Supplementary Reading: 19) “The True Caliph of The Arabian Nights”
Historical Analysis Paper Due
M 4/17: Islam: Spread and Popularization in Sub-Saharan Africa (Spokesperson Cohort 6)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 248-261, 264-266, 268-269
Supplementary Reading: 20) “The Book of Routes and Realms”
Part 6: Medieval Military Conflicts, Economic Growth and Technological Exchanges
W 4/19: Medieval Europe and the Crusades (Spokesperson Cohort 7)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 167-169, 224-232, 302-303, 310-315
Supplementary Reading: 21) “Speech of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont, 1095”
M 4/24: Mongol Empire (Open spokesperson day for make-ups or to improve grade)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 322-332, 339-341, 345
Supplementary Reading: 22) “Journey to the Land of the Tartars”
W 4/26: Eurasian Commercial Revolutions and Technological Exchanges: Paper and Numbers (Open spokesperson day for make-ups or to improve grad)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 298-310, 316-321
Supplementary Reading: 23) “Silk Road or Paper Road?”