Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Sections MA, PA and TA
Fall, 2010
MW 2:00-3:15 (MA), 3:30-4:45 (PA) and 5:00-6:15 (TA) in G283
Instructor: Boyden.
Office Hours: TTh 1:00-2:15 and by appointment in G226.
phone: 572-8045 (my office) & 572-7422 (history department office).
email: boydene@ncc.edu.
STUDENTS MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH ALL MATERIAL IN SYLLABUS.
Textbooks for course are:
Mark Kishlansky, Patrick Geary and Patricia O’Brien, Civilization in the West, vol. I.
Final grade will be based on:
4 quizzes: 50 points each
1 objective final exam: 200 points
3 essay exams 200 points each
Extra credit. Students will earn two points each day they contribute in class. This means saying something that demonstrates that they have done the reading; simply being present or answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions is insufficient. No other extra credit will be given. Students who miss more than ten class periods will receive no extra credit.
Readings must be completed by the day they are listed in syllabus.
Students should spend about five hours a week studying for this course, or any other three credit course.
Students are responsible for all material listed in syllabus, whether or not it is discussed in class. Students are responsible for everything that takes place in class, whether they are present or not.
Exams will cover all material listed in syllabus, including material not discussed in class.
Essay exams will require students to write an extended essay explaining some aspect of the material discussed in class or in the readings; merely repeating facts is insufficient.
Quizzes and final exam will be multiple choice/true false.
Exams must be taken on scheduled date. In absence of an official excuse, makeups for missed exams are at instructor’s discretion. Quizzes must be made up on or before the date of the third essay exam. Essay exams must be made up by the next essay exam. Only students who took the first two essay exams as scheduled will be allowed to make up the third essay exam. Students who miss more than ten class periods will receive a zero for all missed exams and quizzes.
It is the student’s responsibility to complete all required work, and to withdraw in an official manner if he or she decides not to complete course. This means obtaining instructor’s signature on a withdrawal form and submitting it to the Registrar’s Office. INSTRUCTOR’S SIGNATURE ALONE IS INSUFFICIENT. Students who do not withdraw officially will receive an F.
Scale for final grades is as follows. Instructor will not deviate from it.
900 points=A
850-899 points=B+ 800-849 points=B
750-799 points=C+ 700-749 points=C
650-699 points=D+ 600-649 points=D
0-599 points=F.
Course rules:
1. Attendance is mandatory. Students who skip more than 10% of class meetings may be dropped from course.
2. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in an F in course and will be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
3. All electronic devices (blackberries, cell phones and iPods) are to be turned off and put away for the duration of each class period. Instructor will deduct points from final grade for each instance of a phone ringing or any electronic device being visible during class. Repeated instances will result in student being dropped from course.
4. Students are not permitted to leave during class. Instructor will deduct points from final grade for each instance. Repeated instances will result in student being dropped from course.
5. Grades of I must be made up by the end of the next semester or they will turn into Fs.
6. Instructor reserves the right to drop rude or disruptive students from course.
7. Instructor reserves the right to correct errors in syllabus.
Schedule of assignments (to be completed by the day they are listed):
Wednesday, September 1: Introduction.
Wednesday, September 8: Civilization, Chapter 1.
Monday, September 13: Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh, handout.
Wednesday, September 15: Civilization, Chapter 2.
Monday, September 20: Homer, The Iliad and Hesiod, Theogony, handout.
Wednesday, September 22: Civilization, Chapter 3. Quiz 1.
Monday, September 27: Plato, The Republic and The Apology, handout.
Thursday, September 29: Aristotle, Politics, handout.
Monday, October 4: Exam I.
Wednesday, October 6: Civilization, Chapter 4.
Monday, October 11: The Twelve Tables, handout.
Wednesday, October 13: Civilization, Chapter 5.
Monday, October 18: Augustus, Res Gestae, handout. Quiz 2.
Wednesday, October 20: Civilization, Chapter 6.
Monday, October 25: Civilization, Chapter 8.
Wednesday, October 27: The Burgundian Code, and Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, handout.
Monday, November 1: The Vinland Sagas, handout.
Wednesday, November 3: Civilization, Chapter 9. Quiz 3.
Friday, November 5: LAST DAY FOR AN AUTOMATIC GRADE OF W. AFTER TODAY, INSTRUCTOR HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO ALLOW STUDENT TO WITHDRAW.
Monday, November 8: Gregory VII, Dictatus Papae and documents concerning the Investiture Conflict., handout.
Monday, November 15: Documents concerning English law and politics, handout.
Wednesday, November 17: Exam II.
Monday, November 22: Civilization, Chapter 10.
Monday, November 29: Civilization, Chapter 11.
Wednesday, December 1: Civilization, Chapter 13. Quiz 4.
Monday, December 6: The Augsberg Confession and Canons of the Synod of Dort, handout.
Wednesday, December 8: Civilization, Chapter 16.
Monday, December 13: The Putney Debates, handout.
Wednesday, December 15: Civilization, Chapter 17.
Monday, December 20: Exam III.
Wednesday, December 22: Final exam.
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Sections MA, PA and TA
Fall, 2010
MW 2:00-3:15 (MA), 3:30-4:45 (PA) and 5:00-6:15 (TA) in G283
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 1 and 2 in the textbook, for the first quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Old, Middle and New Kingdoms
Ur
Mesopotamia
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Genesis
Sargon of Akkad
King Hammurabi of Babylon
Athletic games
Greek alphabet
Sparta
Athens
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Sections MA, PA and TA
Fall, 2010
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 3, 4 and 5 in the textbook, for the second quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Sparta
Athens
Herodotus
Thucydides
Augustus
Consul
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Sections MA, PA and TA
Fall, 2010
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 6 and 8 in the textbook, for the third quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Edict of Milan
Augustine of Hippo
Origen
Emperor Julian the Apostate
Fritigern
Theodosius
Gundobad
Ethelbert of Kent
Clovis
Ordeal
Pachomius
Vinland
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Sections MA, PA and TA
Fall, 2010
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 9, 10, 11 and 13 in the textbook, for the fourth quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Magna Carta
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Section RA
Fall, 2010
TTh 4:00-5:15 in G283
Instructor: Boyden.
Office Hours: TTh 1:00-2:15 and by appointment in G226.
phone: 572-8045 (my office) & 572-7422 (history department office).
email: boydene@ncc.edu.
STUDENTS MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH ALL MATERIAL IN SYLLABUS.
Textbooks for course are:
Mark Kishlansky, Patrick Geary and Patricia O’Brien, Civilization in the West, vol. I.
Final grade will be based on:
4 quizzes: 50 points each
1 objective final exam: 200 points
3 essay exams 200 points each
Extra credit. Students will earn two points each day they contribute in class. This means saying something that demonstrates that they have done the reading; simply being present or answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions is insufficient. No other extra credit will be given. Students who miss more than ten class periods will receive no extra credit.
Readings must be completed by the day they are listed in syllabus.
Students should spend about five hours a week studying for this course, or any other three credit course.
Students are responsible for all material listed in syllabus, whether or not it is discussed in class. Students are responsible for everything that takes place in class, whether they are present or not.
Exams will cover all material listed in syllabus, including material not discussed in class.
Essay exams will require students to write an extended essay explaining some aspect of the material discussed in class or in the readings; merely repeating facts is insufficient.
Quizzes and final exam will be multiple choice/true false.
Exams must be taken on scheduled date. In absence of an official excuse, makeups for missed exams are at instructor’s discretion. Quizzes must be made up on or before the date of the third essay exam. Essay exams must be made up by the next essay exam. Only students who took the first two essay exams as scheduled will be allowed to make up the third essay exam. Students who miss more than ten class periods will receive a zero for all missed exams and quizzes.
It is the student’s responsibility to complete all required work, and to withdraw in an official manner if he or she decides not to complete course. This means obtaining instructor’s signature on a withdrawal form and submitting it to the Registrar’s Office. INSTRUCTOR’S SIGNATURE ALONE IS INSUFFICIENT. Students who do not withdraw officially will receive an F.
Scale for final grades is as follows. Instructor will not deviate from it.
900 points=A
850-899 points=B+ 800-849 points=B
750-799 points=C+ 700-749 points=C
650-699 points=D+ 600-649 points=D
0-599 points=F.
Course rules:
1. Attendance is mandatory. Students who skip more than 10% of class meetings may be dropped from course.
2. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in an F in course and will be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
3. All electronic devices (blackberries, cell phones and iPods) are to be turned off and put away for the duration of each class period. Instructor will deduct points from final grade for each instance of a phone ringing or any electronic device being visible during class. Repeated instances will result in student being dropped from course.
4. Students are not permitted to leave during class. Instructor will deduct points from final grade for each instance. Repeated instances will result in student being dropped from course.
5. Grades of I must be made up by the end of the next semester or they will turn into Fs.
6. Instructor reserves the right to drop rude or disruptive students from course.
7. Instructor reserves the right to correct errors in syllabus.
Schedule of assignments (to be completed by the day they are listed):
Thursday, September 2: Introduction.
Tuesday, September 7: Civilization, Chapter 1.
Tuesday, September 14: Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh, handout.
Thursday, September 16: Civilization, Chapter 2.
Tuesday, September 21: Homer, The Iliad and Hesiod, Theogony, handout.
Thursday, September 23: Civilization, Chapter 3. Quiz 1.
Tuesday, September 28: Plato, The Republic and The Apology, handout.
Thursday, September 30: Aristotle, Politics, handout.
Tuesday, October 5: Exam I.
Thursday, October 7: Civilization, Chapter 4.
Tuesday, October 12: The Twelve Tables, handout.
Thursday, October 14: Civilization, Chapter 5.
Tuesday, October 19: Augustus, Res Gestae, handout. Quiz 2.
Thursday, October 21: Civilization, Chapter 6.
Tuesday, October 26: Civilization, Chapter 8.
Thursday, October 28: The Burgundian Code, and Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, handout.
Tuesday, November 2: The Vinland Sagas, handout.
Thursday, November 4: Civilization, Chapter 9. Quiz 3.
Friday, November 5: LAST DAY FOR AN AUTOMATIC GRADE OF W. AFTER TODAY, INSTRUCTOR HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO ALLOW STUDENT TO WITHDRAW.
Tuesday, November 9: Gregory VII, Dictatus Papae and documents concerning the Investiture Conflict., handout.
Wednesday, November 10: Documents concerning English law and politics, handout.
Tuesday, November 16: Exam II.
Thursday, November 18: Civilization, Chapter 10.
Tuesday, November 23: Civilization, Chapter 11.
Tuesday, November 30: Civilization, Chapter 13. Quiz 4.
Thursday, December 2: The Augsberg Confession and Canons of the Synod of Dort, handout.
Tuesday, December 7: Civilization, Chapter 16.
Thursday, December 9: The Putney Debates, handout.
Tuesday, December 14: Civilization, Chapter 17.
Thursday, December 16: Exam III.
December 21: Final exam.
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Section RA
Fall, 2010
TTh 4:00-5:15 in G283
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 1 and 2 in the textbook, for the first quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Old, Middle and New Kingdoms
Ur
Mesopotamia
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Genesis
Sargon of Akkad
King Hammurabi of Babylon
Athletic games
Greek alphabet
Sparta
Athens
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Section RA
Fall, 2010
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 3, 4 and 5 in the textbook, for the second quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Sparta
Athens
Herodotus
Thucydides
Augustus
Consul
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Section RA
Fall, 2010
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 6 and 8 in the textbook, for the third quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Edict of Milan
Augustine of Hippo
Origen
Emperor Julian the Apostate
Fritigern
Theodosius
Gundobad
Ethelbert of Kent
Clovis
Ordeal
Pachomius
Vinland
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 101 Section RA
Fall, 2010
In addition to the key terms listed at the ends of Chapters 9, 10, 11 and 13 in the textbook, for the fourth quiz you will also need to know the meaning of the following words:
Magna Carta
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 206 Section NA
Fall, 2010
TTh 2:30-3:45 in G283
Instructor: Boyden.
Office Hours: TTh 1:00-2:15 and by appointment in G226.
phone: 572-8045 (my office) & 572-7422 (history department office).
email: boydene@ncc.edu.
STUDENTS MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH ALL MATERIAL IN SYLLABUS.
Textbooks for course are:
Judith M. Bennett Medieval Europe: A Short History, 11th ed.
C. Warren Hollister et al, Medieval Europe: A Short Sourcebook, 4th ed.
Marie de France, The Lais of Marie de France.
Peter Sawyer, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings.
Final grade will be based on:
4 unannounced pop quizzes on the reading: 25 points each
Midterm: 200 points
Final: 200 points
2 4-5 page papers 200 points each
Extra credit. Students will earn two points each day they contribute in class. This means saying something that demonstrates that they have done the reading; simply being present or answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions is insufficient. No other extra credit will be given. Students who miss more than ten class periods will receive no extra credit.
Readings must be completed by the day they are listed in syllabus.
Students should spend about five hours a week studying for this course, or any other three credit course.
Students are responsible for all material listed in syllabus, whether or not it is discussed in class. Students are responsible for everything that takes place in class, whether they are present or not.
Exams, quizzes and papers will cover all material listed in syllabus, including material not discussed in class.
Pop quizzes may take place at the beginning of any class period and will be on reading assigned for that day.
Midterm and final will consist of a selection of short answer essay questions.
Papers will be on assigned topics. Instructions will be distributed in class. Instructor will read and comment on rough drafts, but there are no rewrites for higher grades.
Students who are absent on the day of a pop quiz may at their choice either take a zero for the quiz or be given another, unannounced quiz on some other day’s reading. Students who miss the midterm may make it up as long as they do so by the end of November. Because instructor must submit final grades forty-eight hours after the last class, it is not possible for students to make up the final; students who have a legitimate excuse for missing it may take an Incomplete in the course and take the final in the Spring semester. Papers will be graded down ten points for every class period they are late. Students who miss more than ten class periods will receive a zero for all missed exams and quizzes and will receive no extra credit.
It is the student’s responsibility to complete all required work, and to withdraw in an official manner if he or she decides not to complete course. This means obtaining instructor’s signature on a withdrawal form and submitting it to the Registrar’s Office. INSTRUCTOR’S SIGNATURE ALONE IS INSUFFICIENT. Students who do not withdraw officially will receive an F.
Scale for final grades is as follows. Instructor will not deviate from it.
900 points=A
850-899 points=B+ 800-849 points=B
750-799 points=C+ 700-749 points=C
650-699 points=D+ 600-649 points=D
0-599 points=F.
Course rules:
1. Attendance is mandatory. Students who skip more than 10% of class meetings may be dropped from course.
2. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in an F in course and will be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
3. All electronic devices (blackberries, cell phones and iPods) are to be turned off and put away for the duration of each class period. Instructor will deduct points from final grade for each instance of a phone ringing or any electronic device being visible during class. Repeated instances will result in student being dropped from course.
4. Students are not permitted to leave during class. Instructor will deduct points from final grade for each instance. Repeated instances will result in student being dropped from course.
5. Grades of I must be made up by the end of the next semester or they will turn into Fs.
6. Instructor reserves the right to drop rude or disruptive students from course.
7. Instructor reserves the right to correct errors in syllabus.
Schedule of assignments (to be completed by the day they are listed):
Thursday, September 2: Introduction.
Tuesday, September 7: Bennett, pages 4-27.
Tuesday, September 14: Sourcebook, pages 7-12 and 17-19.
Thursday, September 16: Extracts from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and Bede’s Ecclesiastical History,
handout.
Tuesday, September 21: Bennett, pages 28-50.
Thursday, September 23: Sourcebook, pages 32-36 and extracts from The Burgundian Code, handout.
Tuesday, September 28: Sourcebook, pages 40-43, 51-52, 56-63.
Thursday, September 30: Bennett, pages 51-79.
Tuesday, October 5: Bennett, pages 80-101.
Thursday, October 7: Sawyer, pages 182-224. PAPER I DUE.
Tuesday, October 12: Sawyer, pages 19-82 and Hrafnkel’s Saga, handout.
Thursday, October 14: Sawyer, pages 156-181 and 225-249.
Tuesday, October 19: Bennett, pages 118-122 and extracts from Chronicle of the Counts of Anjou,
handout.
Thursday, October 21: Bennett, pages 131-166.
Tuesday, October 26: MIDTERM.
Thursday, October 28: Bennett, pages 167-184 and Sourcebook, pages 274-278.
Tuesday, November 2: Bennett, pages 190-210 and monastic charters, handout.
Thursday, November 4: Bennett, pages 211-235.
Friday, November 5: LAST DAY FOR AN AUTOMATIC GRADE OF W. AFTER TODAY, INSTRUCTOR HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO ALLOW STUDENT TO WITHDRAW.
Tuesday, November 9: Sourcebook, pages 249-253 and Bernard Gui, Inquisitorial Technique, handout.
Wednesday, November 10: Bennett, pages 236-268.
Tuesday, November 16: King Henry II, Assize of Clarendon and other documents concerning English
government, handout.
Thursday, November 18: Documents concerning the dispute between King Henry II and Archbishop
Thomas Becket, handout.
Tuesday, November 23: Bennett, pages 269-296.
Tuesday, November 30: Marie de France, pages 43-67.
Thursday, December 2: Marie de France, pages 68-81, 86-93 and 105-108. PAPER II DUE.
Tuesday, December 7: Sourcebook, pages 300-304.
Thursday, December 9: Documents concerning the English parliament, handout.
Tuesday, December 14: Bennett, pages 297-321.
Thursday, December 16: Documents concerning the Babylonian Captivity and Great Schism, handout.
Tuesday, December 21: FINAL EXAM.
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 206 Section NA
Fall, 2010
PAPER I
Due Date: Thursday, October 7 by 5:00 PM. If you do not turn it in during class, you should put it in my mailbox in the History Department Office by 5:00. I will check my mail by 5:15 at the latest, and if it is not there by then it will be considered late. If you email it, I must receive it by 5:00 PM in a format I can open and read otherwise it will be considered late.
Length: Not less than four and not more than five typed, double-spaced pages.
Weight: This paper is worth 20% of your final grade for the course.
Lateness: this paper will be graded down ten points (out of a total of two hundred) for every class period it is late.
Rough drafts/rewrites. I will read a rough draft and make suggestions for improvement if you give me one at least a week or so in advance. However, there are no rewrites for a higher grade once you have turned your paper in.
This paper requires you to analyze some question or issue relevant to the course in more detail than is possible in an exam. You should think about the question you choose to answer and develop your own opinion in response to it. I am not interested in what anybody other than you thinks or has to say. For the purposes of this assignment, your ideas, and how well you develop and explain them, are the only thing that matters.
An A paper will be clearly and coherently written, with a minimum of grammatical, spelling and typographical mistakes. It will show clearly that you have done all the assigned readings relevant to the question, particularly those in Medieval Europe: A Short Sourcebook and the handouts, thought about them at length and are able to say something original or creative about them. You should not waste time describing the historical facts involved; the point of this assignment is to analyze, not describe.
Formatting: You are to use a plain font in either eleven or twelve point. You are not to use bold, italic, underline or any bizarre or disconcerting combination of the three. Papers are to be stapled, not paper-clipped or put in covers. You should put your full first and last name and the course number in the upper right corner of each page.
Rules for writing:
Apostrophes: the only time you should use an apostrophe is to indicate a contraction (do+ not=don’t) or a possessive (somebody stole John’s car). Pay particular attention to use of the word it. It+is=it’s (it’s a hot day). Never use an apostrophe to indicate a possessive of it (“the dog ate it’s dinner,” is wrong; “the dog ate its dinner,” is right.
Quotation marks: the only time you should use quotation marks is when you are directly and exactly quoting something somebody else said or wrote.
Quotations: I am interested in your work and ideas, not anybody else’s; do not use any quotation or paraphrase longer than one line. You should use as few quotations and paraphrases as possible. All quotations must be accurately footnoted in the following format.[1]
Additional reading: you should not do any reading besides what is assigned for the course.
Plagiarizing: any student who plagiarizes will receive an F in the course and be reported to the Dean of Students for possible disciplinary action. The Nassau Community College catalog defines plagiarism as “a particular type of academic dishonesty that involves taking the words, phrases or ideas or another person and presenting them as one’s own. This can include using whole papers and paragraphs or even sentences or phrases.” If you are unsure what this means, talk to me BEFORE turning your paper in.
Answer one of the following questions:
1. Basing your answer on The Edict of Milan, The Nicene Creed and the Theodosian Code’s Edicts on Religion, what are the most important differences between the religious beliefs of Emperor Constantine and those of Emperor Theodosius?
2. How would the soldier in Clovis’s army who smashed the bishop’s vase have justified his actions?
3. How do the ideas, lives and works of stylites like Daniel and Simon differ from the ideas, lives and works of monks as they are described in Saint Benedict’s Rule?
4. Basing your answer on Bede’s Ecclesiastical History, what issues do you think King Ethelbert considered as he tried to decide whether to allow Augustine and his fellow monks to preach in Kent and why do you think he made the decisions he made?
5. Basing your answer on any handouts or readings in Medieval Europe: A Short Sourcebook that you consider relevant, explain how Germans in the 400s and 500s believed their leaders should act and what they believed their leaders should do.
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 206 Section NA
Fall, 2010
Study Guide for Midterm
The midterm will take place on Tuesday, October 26. You will have the entire class. The exam will be divided into four parts. Each part will have a selection of three questions to choose from. You will answer one question in each of the four parts. Answers should be 3-4 substantial paragraphs long. You should not bother memorizing exact dates or obsess about getting every single fact exactly accurate.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part I, you will need to understand the history of the Roman world from its origins through its transformation in the 500s. You should pay particular attention to the problems Rome encountered throughout its history and the actions of its most famous, important or influential rulers.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part II, you will need to understand Germanic culture, ideas or values through the 600s AD, the history of the Christian movement and its ideas through the 400s and the history of the most important Germanic peoples, how they came to settle in the Roman world and the history of the kingdoms or cultures they created through around the year 700.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part III, you will need to understand the origins and development of monasticism and the role it played European society from its beginnings through the 800s and the history of the Frankish kingdom from the 600s through the 900s.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part IV, you will need to understand Viking culture and their/its place in and impact on European life, the ‘feudal system’ and how it functioned and everything relating to the manorial economy in the 900s through the 1100s.
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 206 Section NA
Fall, 2010
PAPER II
Due Date: Thursday, December 2by 5:00 PM. If you do not turn it in during class, you should put it in my mailbox in the History Department Office by 5:00. I will check my mail by 5:15 at the latest, and if it is not there by then it will be considered late. If you email it, I must receive it by 5:00 PM in a format I can open and read otherwise it will be considered late.
Length: Not less than four and not more than five typed, double-spaced pages.
Weight: This paper is worth 20% of your final grade for the course.
Lateness: this paper will be graded down ten points (out of a total of two hundred) for every class period it is late.
Rough drafts/rewrites. I will read a rough draft and make suggestions for improvement if you give me one at least a week or so in advance. However, there are no rewrites for a higher grade once you have turned your paper in.
This paper requires you to analyze some question or issue relevant to the course in more detail than is possible in an exam. You should think about the question you choose to answer and develop your own opinion in response to it. I am not interested in what anybody other than you thinks or has to say. For the purposes of this assignment, your ideas, and how well you develop and explain them, are the only thing that matters.
An A paper will be clearly and coherently written, with a minimum of grammatical, spelling and typographical mistakes. It will show clearly that you have done all the assigned readings relevant to the question, particularly those in Medieval Europe: A Short Sourcebook and the handouts, thought about them at length and are able to say something original or creative about them. You should not waste time describing the historical facts involved; the point of this assignment is to analyze, not describe.
Formatting: You are to use a plain font in either eleven or twelve point. You are not to use bold, italic, underline or any bizarre or disconcerting combination of the three. Papers are to be stapled, not paper-clipped or put in covers. You should put your full first and last name and the course number in the upper right corner of each page.
Rules for writing:
Apostrophes: the only time you should use an apostrophe is to indicate a contraction (do+ not=don’t) or a possessive (somebody stole John’s car). Pay particular attention to use of the word it. It+is=it’s (it’s a hot day). Never use an apostrophe to indicate a possessive of it (“the dog ate it’s dinner,” is wrong; “the dog ate its dinner,” is right.
Quotation marks: the only time you should use quotation marks is when you are directly and exactly quoting something somebody else said or wrote.
Quotations: I am interested in your work and ideas, not anybody else’s; do not use any quotation or paraphrase longer than one line. You should use as few quotations and paraphrases as possible. All quotations must be accurately footnoted in the following format.[2]
Additional reading: you should not do any reading besides what is assigned for the course.
Plagiarizing: any student who plagiarizes will receive an F in the course and be reported to the Dean of Students for possible disciplinary action. The Nassau Community College catalog defines plagiarism as “a particular type of academic dishonesty that involves taking the words, phrases or ideas or another person and presenting them as one’s own. This can include using whole papers and paragraphs or even sentences or phrases.” If you are unsure what this means, talk to me BEFORE turning your paper in.
Answer one of the following questions:
1. Reread Hrafnkel’s Saga and review all the other readings about the Vikings that have been assigned for this course. Then, write your own Viking Saga. (The point of this question is to understand what made the saga unique as a literary form; your grade will be based on how well you imitate real sagas).
2. Suppose Pope Gregory VII and other reformers had succeeded in getting European rulers to accept the claims he made in Dictatus Papae; what changes (not necessarily religious ones) would he have liked to have made in the organization of European life besides the abolition of clerical marriage, lay investiture, proprietary churches and simony?
3. You have read the Nicene Creed, which is one of the basic statements of belief of the Roman Catholic Church, a description of the Albigensian Heresy and Bernard Gui’s manusal for inquisitors. Make sure you understand all three of them and then write (1) and Albigensian equivalent of the Nicene Creed (this should only be a paragraph or so long and then (2) a 3-4 page description of Catholic belief as it would have been written by an Albigensian if Albigensian, rather than Catholic, beliefs were dominant in Western Europe in the late 1100s and early 1200s.
4. Review everything you have read and learned about King Henry II of England. Then explain what he wanted to accomplish as king of England.
5. Write your own lai. (The point of this question is to understand what made the lai unique as a literary form; your grade will be based on how well you imitate Marie de France’s lais).
Nassau Community College, Department of History, Political Science and Geography
History 206 Section NA
Fall, 2010
Study Guide for Final Exam
The final exam will take place on Tuesday, December 21. You will have the entire class. The exam will be divided into four parts. Each part will have a selection of three questions to choose from. You will answer one question in each of the four parts. Answers should be 3-4 substantial paragraphs long. You should not bother memorizing exact dates or obsess about getting every single fact exactly accurate.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part I, you will need to understand the changes taking place in urban life after around 1100, why those changes happened and why they mattered, and all the developments taking place in all areas of religious life from about 900 until about 1100.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part II, you will need to understand all aspects of European religious history from around the year 1100 until around the year 1250.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part III, you will need to understand the policies pursued by King Henry II of England, why he pursued them and why they mattered, the development of law in Europe outside England from around the year 1000 onwards and the plots of at least three of Marie de France’s lais, emphasizing who the characters were and what they did.
In order to be able to answer the questions in Part IV, you will need to understand the development of English and French law and politics after around the year 1200, the kinds of literature that were written in Europe from about 1100 onwards and the history of the Roman Catholic church after about 1250, with an emphasis on the problems and/or challenges it faced.
[1] Judith M. Bennet, Medieval Europe, 11th Edition, New York, 2011, p. 123.
[2] Judith M. Bennet, Medieval Europe, 11th Edition, New York, 2011, p. 123.