COPING WITH HISTORY 232

HIS 232 is the second of the two introductory courses in the history of civilization in the West. Along with HIS 231 it satisfies the college's 6-credit requirement in historical studies for those pursuing the baccalaureate degree. These courses provide an introduction to the broad sweep of world events over the past 2000 years. HIS 232 has the narrower scope, being mainly concerned with events since the end of the 18th century. Your course syllabus outlines the various themes and topics selected for discussion by the instructor. The general pattern, though varying according to the expertise and inclination of the professor, will probably include such important developments of the modern world as industrial and technological revolutions, urbanization, the growth of democracy, the problems of nationalism as well as the horrors of war.

In order to be able to register for HIS 232 you must have completed HIS 231 . If you do not have this prequisite or an equivalent, you must see the Registrar immediately about withdrawing from the course and making some appropriate substitution.

Wait until after the first class session to buy your books, which should be available in the bookstore under your professor's name. The syllabus, usually handed out at that time, will give the exact details for purchase: the professor may have more than one section of the course and may have assigned different texts for each. Better, also, in the case of a standard textbook, to buy the assigned text: you don't want to be using a borrowed but different one (there are many of them and all about the same in substantive content) if the professor, for example, has the habit of setting quizzes from assigned reading. If the syllabus shows the latest edition and you have access to an earlier (second-hand) one, check with the professor if it's OK for you to use the earlier edition--the changes from one edition to the next are usually not material enough to warrant excess expenditure on something you'll doubtless dispose of in three months. You will be encouraged to do your own outside (optional) reading by availing of the wealth of books on all topics in the college library (see your professor for suggestions). In the final analysis, remember that history cannot really be taught; rather it must be learned by dint of your honest grappling with, at the very least least, the assigned reading.

The following sections will help answer the several questions about course procedures that may occur to you from time to time. In general, when you enrol in a class, you accept the obligations and responsibilities imposed on you in order to fulfil the course requirements in a proper teaching and learning environment. So be aware of them.

Attendance: I strongly encourage attendance at every lecture. You should take an adult approach to this matter, realizing that a good attendance provides you with the means of coping with the material presented in the lectures, about which you will be questioned in the various exams. A good attendance also affords you the opportunity to confer with the teacher and your classmates about the topics discussed in both the lectures and the texts. Experience has surely demonstrated that a poor attendance is a passport to poor performance.
Reading Assignments: If there is any one reason why my final grade rosters have shown an alarming proportion of less than satisfactory (C- or below) grades in recent semesters, I would put it down to a lack of serious study of the assigned reading. There is usually enough in the assigned reading to make it possible for any student to obtain at least a passing grade(i.e., D- or above). To succeed, therefore, you must do the reading and, naturally, retain enough of what you learn to help you get through the exams. There is no escape from this burden. The best tactic is to read the assignments as you get them from week to week before the class session so you will be well prepared for the discussion. Also, as a sure-fire aid to your memory (perhaps not running at full throttle, anyway, when it comes to history), spend a few hours at the weekend copying relevant notes from the reading into your class notebook. Steady study and note-taking of this nature, when reinforced by notes taken in class, will give you all the confidence and competence you'll need. And never forget the boost given to your ego and your performance when you have taken the trouble to master some of the suggestions referenced to the syllabus in the online document Recommended Reading.
Lectures: For the most part, the lectures will supplement, not substitute for, the assigned reading. I will tend to emphasize mostly those topics and ideas that seem to me to offer the best examples for explaining and analyzing important trends of the past two centuries. The topics are listed in the course syllabus, along with the dates we'll discuss them. Thus an organized, comprehensive set of class notes will be of considerable use when it comes to reviewing for exams.
By the way, since some of you will probably miss a lecture or two, I advise you to make arrangements with a reliable classmate to copy as much of what you missed as possible, or discuss the topic with him or her, should that student be so amenable. But while you may have a good excuse for missing a class, there can't be any good excuse for not doing the assigned reading.
Exams: Exams, I know, are a mild(?) form of mental torture, but they should be a terror only to the untutored. If you are well prepared by regular study, as suggested above, you'll never have anything to fear about passing the course. After all, invariably I narrow the options for you considerably by indicating in advance those specific areas of interest from which exam questions will be chosen. It'll be no use complaining, as some students do . . . " I know everything perfectly but I just can't put it on paper" or " If only you'd let me do a take-home exam, I could really show you . . ." and so on. In-class written exams are one of the rites of passage that you submit yourself to in embarking on a college caree. Besides, in-class, written exams are the fairest way to examine students' grasp of the essentials in a broad introductory course of this nature, where reliance is on lectures and moderate reading, quite apart from other considerations.
I distinguish between a Quiz and an Exam as follows. The Quiz asks you to write a brief paragraph on some concept or event and/or answer a short list of questions, usually of the fill-in the missing words variety and is designed to test your study and comprehension of the assigned reading. The result should be a statements that display good historical sense owing to the well chosen words you have added. Generally speaking, you can do very well with this type of test after you have digested fully the assigned reading for the class sessions involved. I commonly make selections from those parts of the text(s) that are, so to say, pregnant with meaning. It is comparatively easy to recognize some of them for they often signal themselves with such introductory phrases as: One of the most striking achievements . . ., The most important factor . . ., Of primary significance is . . . , and the like. Similarly, people's ideas and theories as well as their major achievements come in for special notice.
The Exam by contrast has a more serious purpose for it seeks to elicit your considered response to some cogent historical question dealt with at some length in the lectures and/or reading. In general, reliance on the standard textbook alone would likely produce a less than satisfactory performance where additional material introduced in the lecture(s) has been ignored. Hence you will really need to pay close attention to the lectures in order to gather and understand the information needed for a clear description, explanation and analysis of a topic. Lectures, after all, are not intended merely to parrot what you will have read in the text but rather are designed to probe more comprehensively the important themes that more often than not are dealt with all too briefly in a general world history textbook. A fully developed essay will answer what I dub the Four W's--the what, when, why and whereupon of a topic. Set your sights high and know enough (here your interest and curiosity will be paramount) to stun the professor with your erudition! By studying in this manner you should acquire the descriptive and narrative facility, the close reasoning as well as the critical judgment that will serve to smooth your way to academic success now and in the future. But there's also the matter of the quality of your writing, more particularly in relation to the grammar and how clearly you express yourself. Although different degrees of indulgence will be accorded by different professors, it is certainly fair to say that writing does matter. One cannot imagine a student achieving good grades (B or above) for writing that confuses more than it clarifies, that sins too greatly against the rules of syntax and grammar, or is the result of extreme carelessness.
Incidentally, the worst mistake a student can make in an exam (and a handful insist on doing so each semester) is--by hook or by crook--to offer the exact text of the assigned or other published work as answer to a question. A common defense made by the student is to lay claim to a photographic memory. You should never insult the professor's intelligence by claiming that you can repeat word for word, from memory alone, reams of sentences from some author's work. Even close mirroring of a text (i.e., virtual paraphrasing) is suspect and not allowed. In such cases, neither ignorance nor naiveéte is a defense against the possible consequences, as outlined in the relevant section on plagiarism in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Submitted work of this nature will merit an automatic "F" grade, quite apart from any disciplinary action that may be taken by the Dean of Students. So, forewarned is forearmed . . your work should represent what you have learned and presented in your own words.
Makeup Exams: I tend to have a certain prejudice against makeup exams and seek to avoid giving them except under very special circumstances; and there can be no makeup for a quiz. It is desirable that all students complete their written assignments in the same manner and under the same conditions, which is what operates when all students are in the classroom at the same time. For the same reason of fairness, makeups are reduced in points value and preclude the award of A grades. Similarly I do not offer the opportunity for so-called 'extra credit' assignments, as I fail to see why students should be rewarded for unsatisfactory work in a manner that would be unfair to other students. Those who cannot for pressing reasons attend an exam must notify me in advance; it may not help you, but at least you'll have a leg to stand on . . . Also, take-home quizzes, when assigned, will not be accepted for grading purposes if not returned by the due dates noted. The final exam date is the prerogative of the Registrar and is separately announced. There can be no excuse for a student not knowing when a test (clearly indicated in the class syllabus) is scheduled.
Grades: Grades . . . grades . . . grades . . . the perennial concern of all students. And understandably so from the student's viewpoint. After all, don't grades above C- help to distance you from probation notices, B+'s keep you on the Dean's list and, despite any sane contrary assertions, only a continuous stream of A's supposedly get you into law school. And then there is the disconcerting factor of individual professorial judgment--with the A of one professor equating with the B of another, and so on. So what's a body to do? Study. . . study. . . study. . . I guess.
But those encouraging words beg the question: what is it to study? Well, it certainly isn't only coming to class and listening to the lectures, nor first opening the textbook on the night before the exam. Nor is it putting up such barriers to good performance as a job that requires you to work 20 or more hours a week with an accompanying course load of 12 or more credits per term, a state of affairs that provides you with little time for serious study. The first thing you must do, therefore, is make a realistic appraisal of your abilities, obligations and expectations and expectations and decide on a study plan that best fits your own personal and academic ambitions. If the amount of study (reading, note-taking, reflection) you set for History is little , then, presumably, your grade expectations may be quite moderate; the converse is also likely to be true. Indeed, if you find that pressures of a workaday job and your other studies preclude serious attention to the needs of this course (often reflected in poor or failing interim grades), then perhaps the proper course of action to take might be to withdraw from the course in time. My past grade rosters have oftener than I wished included the names of students who having given up fulfilling course requirements (attendance, exams, etc.) unaccountably did not formally withdraw and, hence, were unable to avoid the undeserved failing grade mandated by the Registrar. Correspondingly, these rosters also include the names of students who get far below the grades they feel they deserved but, in defiance of the obvious, insist the fault cannot be the fact that they have taken on five or six courses on top of a 35-hour per week job. In such circumstances I can show little beyond sympathy.
Your grade in this course will be based solely on your written work in quizzes and exams (see the paragraph on Exams above for further information on this score. If any generalization can be made about grades, perhaps it is best to say that an excellent course performance (i.e., an A) indicates (or should indicate) excellence in all your written work, whereas an average performance (i.e., a C--a non-punitive grade and one not to be sniffed at in any way) derives from a reasonable and expected, though not in any way exceptional, acquaintance with the texts and lectures. In any event, if you feel you are slipping behind or are not matching your expectations, you should consult with your professor for any help he or she may be able to give you privately and, alternatively, try to get either tutorial help or assistance from a member of the Counseling department or Writing Center. Be sure, also, to collect your final exam paper from the dept. secretary; no point in letting it wither in some office filing cabinet.
Decorum and Deportment: Heh! this sounds babyish. . but necessary, alas. In the past your professor has invariably been startled to find some registered students attending class in a state of (what appears to be) suspended animation, total listlessness or active disinterest. A few others, though perfectly alert, have chosen to concern themselves with anything but the matter under discussion: for example, engaging in prolonged private conversation, catching up on your assignment for the next class, or enjoying too much the plate of food you've brought to class. All this is certainly disruptive of the purposes of HIS 232. If any student should feel afflicted too often by any of these undesirable conditions, please waste no time in taking corrective action by retiring to the cafeteria or hurrying to the temporary refuge of the library.
Help & Comfort: Consult with your professor as often as you wish, especially if you find yourself sliding into academic quicksand. Professors, as a general rule, are tolerant and fair-minded individuals and will certainly be forthcoming with academic assistance, at least. The greatest barriers to good performance are inattention in class and avoidance of the required reading, which should always be done in advance of the relevant class session. If you find that the books assigned for the course are tough going, that should not occasion surprise or dismay. After all, reading unfamiliar scholarly books in an introductory class of a subject can be hard work for students with a myriad cares, academic and otherwise. This is a challenge you will encounter to varying degree in all your classes, anyway, and you might as well make the best of it if you plan to succeed. Be sure to see your professor during his office hours or other arranged time so that he or she may help you in devising reading strategies, getting difficult material explained, taking effective notes, etc.

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