Syllabus For ASH3204

To-Do Date: May 18 at 11:59pm

 

Summer 2022

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 (Asynchronous, No Real-Time or "Zoom" components)

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• Interpret original historical documents (such as texts, images and maps) and distinguish between primary and secondary sources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)
• Write analytically for the field of History

Required Text

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

I care deeply about the costs for students, and I am happy to report that the library has purchased the electronic rights to the course textbook, which can be accessed here with your UCF credentials: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucf/detail.action?docID=2065776 Links to an external site.

However, you can still purchase Links to an external site. a paper copy of the text, if you prefer that format. The class will be using the 3rd edition.

Other assigned readings will be available on Canvas.

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 formal source analysis essays that will ask you evaluate a variety of provided 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.

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.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your essays upload properly to Webcourses, namely that the file is the correct version and readable within the web portal. I do not make special allowances for corrupted files, incorrect versions etc. since you have the ability to check your submissions.

Discussion Posts

This course is run as a seminar and therefore its success depends on your participation. The course features weekly reading and writing assignments (the discussion post). You are expected to read and thoroughly understand the Guidelines for Discussion Posts. You will need to make your initial posts 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. 

Syllabus Quiz

A quiz is assigned the first week as the academic engagement activity (financial aid) to orient you to the provisions of the class.

Final Grade Assignment Percentages

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. For procedural reasons, I will release any final assignment feedback after the course grades post with the registrar.

Late Assignments

Under ordinary circumstances, discussion posts cannot be submitted late although the lowest discussion post grade will be dropped for the semester to allow for unforseen situations, emergencies etc. 

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 have an emergency or medical situation, please be in touch as soon as possible so that we can work together to help you get back on track.

Extra Credit

Extra Credit may be assigned from time to time.  Your completion of the extra credit will show up in the grade book. Please check the assignment category to understand the category of the extra credit since this course uses weighted grading. 

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.

Instructor Consultation

Although this is an online course, we are all "real people" and I would love the opportunity to talk to you on an individual basis. You are invited to schedule online, virtual conferences or to call me by phone.  You may request an appointment by emailing me and letting me know three 30-minute time-slots when you are available.  We can also meet in person in my office if you are in the Orlando area.

Please send all of your messages related to the course through the Canvas Webcourses messaging system and not through my University email address. Please do not "reply" to course feedback on an assignment. These comments are not monitored. Please send a Webcourses message for any assignment related questions.

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 talk with me immediately. Please do 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.  

COVID-19, Hurricanes and the Otherwise Unexpected

To the extent possible, I will attempt to keep the course assignments, due dates and pacing of the course as described in the course documentation. However, if changes are required, I will announce them.

If life has thrown you a curveball and you need some additional support or assistance, please be in touch as soon as possible. Help is available for those who ask for it.

I understand that this is an online course so weather emergencies in places other than Orlando, FL, may affect your ability to complete the coursework.  If inclement weather or some other unforseeable event is affecting your ability to complete coursework, please be in touch.

To stay informed about UCF's response to emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to <https://my.ucf.edu> and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”

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 are 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.

One *important* note regarding feedback is that I use rubrics for assignments, which you may not be able to view if you are using Canvas on your phone. Please review your assignment feedback on a desktop computer for full functionality.

Course Commitment

This is a 3 credit hour course, meaning that you should expect to spend 3 hours per week on the assigned readings and 3-6 hours per week completing assignments. If you are unable to dedicate 6-9 hours per week on this course, then it may not be a good fit for you.

You should evaluate your course load commitments to understand if you are taking the right number of courses given other factors like a full or part-time job. I understand what it is like to work full-time while a student because I have done it. Sometimes, I was only able to take one class per semester and do it well.  

This course features weekly reading and writing assignments. Research has shown that more frequent assignments improve student outcomes. Grading an assignment every week is more work for your instructor but I do it because I want you to have more opportunities to write and think about history. That said, if you cannot commit to completing 40-60 pages of reading and a short writing assignment every week, then this course may not be a good fit for you.  

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 and Academic Integrity 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.

If you are repeating the course (e.g. Grade Forgiveness), do not submit the same papers and assignments that you prepared the first time that you took the course. You will need to re-write your assignments.The UCF Golden Rule stipulates that you not re-use material from previous courses for this course, and this includes courses repeated under the auspices of Grade Forgiveness.

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.  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. No accommodations can be provided until the student has met with Student Accessibility Services.

Deployed Active Duty or Reserve Military

Students who are deployed active duty or reserve military should contact the instructor as soon as possible if they need course accomodations, either at the beginning of the semester or as soon as they receive deployment orders. Contacting the instructor only once you have returned from duty is not the appropriate procedure.

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 copyrighted materials are credited to the copyright holder.

UCF Online Technology Requirements

The University of Central Florida expects all students to have ready access to a personal computer and software appropriate to their field of study. Students can meet this expectation by purchasing or leasing a computer, sharing a computer with family or roommates, or using a UCF student computer lab. All UCF students should expect to use a personal computer in many university activities, including coursework, accessing library information, registering for classes, and communicating with instructors and fellow students. Please note: you will not be able to complete this course using a cell phone only.

In addition, many UCF courses require access to the internet. UCF has developed one of the nation’s most advanced campus technology environments, and all UCF students are provided with free email accounts and internet access.

https://www.ucf.edu/online/technology-requirements/

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.