Syllabus For ASH3204

 

Fall 2018

Instructor Contact Info

Instructor: Dr. Tiffany Earley-Spadoni

E-mail address: Tiffany.Earley@ucf.edu   

Office Phone: (407) 823-3829

Office Hours: by appointment

Office: Trevor Colbourn 314 E

Course Information

• Course Name: History of Mesopotamia
• Course ID & Section: ASH3204W
• Credit Hours: 3
• Location: Online

Course Description

This course will trace the political histories and social developments of societies that arose in Mesopotamia at the dawn of human history in the modern-day countries of Iraq, Syria and Turkey.  Therefore, we have a unique opportunity to study how ideologies developed, how institutions arose and changed, how people lived, and how these societies confronted crises.  Certainly, writing forms only part of the historical record for the ancient Near East; archaeology and art history supplement written sources by providing evidence for where people lived, how they lived their lives and how they depicted themselves.  No prerequisites.

Course Objectives

By taking this course, you will develop the ability to:

• Recall the political events and social forces that shaped Mesopotamian history.
• Describe the wide variety of evidence that contributes to our understanding of Mesopotamian history.  Examples of historical evidence include administrative texts, literature, coins, maps, archaeological remains, environmental data and artistic representation.
• Interpret original historical documents (such as texts, images and maps) and distinguish between primary and secondary sources.
• Evaluate primary and secondary sources for trustworthiness and bias (historical literacy)

Required Text

Van De Mieroop, M.  (2014.)  A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC. 3rd Edition. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.  

The textbook is absolutely required.  You will not be able to follow the course without it.  The class will be using the 3rd edition.

Note: the book is available for sale in the campus book store Links to an external site. or you can rent a copy here Links to an external site. on Amazon for approximately $15. ISBN: 9781118718162 

I care deeply about the costs for students, and I would never assign an expensive textbook that you do not need.  This is an inexpensive textbook that is absolutely required for major assignments in the course.  Buy or rent it today.

Other assigned readings will be available on Canvas.

Late Assignments/Extra Credit

Discussion posts cannot be submitted late.  You will need to make your initial post by Wednesday each week and respond to at least two classmates by Sunday each week. See the Guidelines for Discussion Posts for complete details.

Otherwise, "late” essays receive a penalty of 10% and late work is no longer accepted after the availability of the assignment has expired on Webcourses. It is your responsibility to understand due/available dates and times.  A failure to have understood the correct time to turn in an assignment is not a legitimate excuse (e.g. I thought the assignment was due at 12 am not 12 pm). 

If you need a particular grade in this course to keep your financial aid or to maintain your academic status, work throughout the semester to earn that grade by pursuing extra credit when and if it is offered, carefully reading the course materials and turning assignments in on time.  I do not offer special "end of the semester" extra credit.  Please do not ask.

Evaluation and Grading

This course will be taught on a plus and minus grading basis.  See assignments tab for in-depth descriptions of all specific assignments. The syllabus quiz is the academic engagement activity for this course (required for financial aid disbursement).

Source Analysis Essays

You will be assigned two source analysis essays during the course that will ask you evaluate a variety of primary and secondary source material on an assigned topic.  See assignment details for Source Analysis Essay 1: Sources for the Study of the Early Dynastic Period and Source Analysis Essay 2: Final Essay.

You must cite all information and format your essays appropriately using the Chicago Manual of Style Links to an external site.. If you are doing the assignment correctly, most sentences will include a citation (with page number).  Failure to appropriately cite sources (must include page numbers) or the use of unapproved outside sources will result in a zero on an essay assignment.

Discussion Posts

This course is run as a seminar and therefore its success depends on your participation.  You are expected to read and thoroughly understand the Guidelines for Discussion Posts. The group discussions are the most important part of the course!  To ensure that everyone has time to reply to one another, you will need to make your initial post by Wednesday each week and respond to at least two classmates by Sunday each week (by 11:59 PM in both cases).  

Your discussion posts will graded in a complete/incomplete manner. In order to receive completion credit for your discussion posts, your post(s) need to conform to all of the criteria outlined in the Guidelines for Discussion Posts.

Final Grade Assignment Percentages

Note: Extra Credit may be assigned from time to time.  Your completion of the extra credit will show up in the grade book, but it won't show up in your percentage total because this class uses weighted grading.  I will add in the extra credit manually at the end of the semester.  Some completed extra credit may show up as a "0"--this is normal and will be converted manually at the end of the semester.

Grading Timeframe

I am aware that once you turn in an assignment or make a discussion post, that you are eager to get feedback.  Please keep in mind that it takes time to grade assignments and give feedback.  My usual processing window is two weeks.  Please be patient and allow me two weeks to grade assignments before making an inquiry about them.

Instructor Consultation

All students are invited to schedule online, virtual conferences.  You may request an appointment by emailing me and letting me know three 30-minute time-slots when you are available.  I'd also be willing to talk with you by phone--just ask!

Please send all of your messages related to the course through the Canvas Webcourses messaging system and not through my University email address.

Generally, I will respond to Webcourses messages within two business days.  Your patience is greatly appreciated. 

Each student should track and review his or her progress throughout the term.  In case concerns or questions arise, you should arrange to meet with me immediately. Students should not wait until the end of term to talk to me about grades or class performance.  At that point, there is very little room for you and I to work together to develop a successful plan.  

Please send all course-related communications to me via Canvas Webmessages (not email) since this helps me organize my course-related communications.

Attendance Policy/Course Engagement

This is an online course, and you are required to log into Webcourses at least twice per week. You are required to consult the class announcements, check your messages and read feedback on your class assignments with the same frequency.  Reading class announcements, messages and feedback is a minimum course requirement, and you will be held responsible for this. You are encouraged to change your notification settings Links to an external site. in Webcourses to help you be aware of messages, assignment feedback and announcements.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "0" for the assignment in question.  Depending on the severity of the case, academic dishonesty may lead to an "F" for the entire course and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information. I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.

Accessibility Statement

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must connect with Student Accessibility Services, Ferrell Commons, 7F, Room 185, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Changes to Syllabus/Assignments/Schedule

I reserve the right to change the provisions of the syllabus/assignments/schedule so that I can better meet the needs of students in this course.  When there are changes to the general provisions of the class, I will update the documentation on Webcourses and inform you via class announcement.