Syllabus of World History I:
World History
From Ancient Times to 1500
SSH 105
Johnnie Wilder, Ph.D.
Social Science Department
LaGuardia Community College
Spring (1) of 2020
Syllabus
2020 Spring Term (1) World History from Ancient Times to 1500 SSH 105 6840[28386]
(LaGuardia CC)
Spring (1) 2020
Instructor: Johnnie Wilder, Ph.D., Social Science Department
Telephone: (212) 650-7137 or ext. 7460 E-mail: jwilder@ccny.cuny.edu
Course Description
“This course is an introduction to world history from the earliest human records to 1500 CE.
Students will use primary and secondary sources to develop a comprehensive understanding of
the political, social, religious, cultural, and economic history of humanity. Emphasis will be
placed on the comparative development of complex societies and on the interactions among
different peoples in the ancient world.
CUNY Pathways: Flexible Core World Cultures & Global Issues”
Textbook
World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500 by Eugene Berger, Georgia Gwinnett
College Pub Date: 2016 ISBN 13: 9781940771106 Publisher: University of North Georgia Press
https://www.amazon.com/World-History-Cultures-States-Societies/dp/1940771102
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/375
If you have not already done so, please acquire this book
as soon as possible. Its readings form the basis of our
class discussions. The assigned readings are listed
below. You should read each chapter carefully. In each
class, I intend to provide historical commentaries and
insight on the material presented in each chapter. Class
exercises and homework are used to strengthen your
comprehension of the material presented in the chapters.
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Grading
The grade for this class is determined according to these weights:
Quizzes and Exams 50%
Assignments and Essays 15%
Participation 10%
Final Exam 25%
Examinations.
The examinations and quizzes of this class are built upon a combination of
short-answer questions, identifications, and essay questions selected from a list of questions
distributed in advance on the weekly prep/review sheets. During exams students are not
permitted to leave the room and return or to consult papers, books, or electronic devices.
Make-up Exams.
If you are absent from an exam, you will receive a failure in the course unless
you contact me immediately with a very good excuse. “I was not prepared” is not an acceptable
excuse. My email is listed above:
jwilder@ccny.cuny.edu
Make-up exams are scheduled by the instructor at his convenience. Make-up exams differ from
regularly scheduled exams and tend to be more difficult.
Cheating/Plagiarism.
This class will be conducted in compliance with LaGuardia Community
College’s academic integrity policy. All cases of cheating or plagiarism will be penalized by a
failure on the examination or homework exercise at a minimum and may result in failure of the
course. All violations will be reported to the College.
Homework.
While students may discuss homework assignments with others, each
student is expected to submit his or her own work. Identical homework will be treated as
plagiarism by both students.
Students are expected to identify in a citation (footnote, endnote, or in text) the source of any
words or ideas used in a homework assignment or exam that are not their own. Words from
another source (including our textbook) must be enclosed in quotation marks (“…”) and cited.
Ideas from another source, including any information that is not common knowledge, must
receive a citation. Failure to acknowledge sources—whether they are books, articles, or
websites—is plagiarism.
Grading system.
Grades on exams and homework assignments will be based on the four-point
GPA scale. Equivalencies are shown on the table below:
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Incompletes.
Incomplete grades will only be given for students who miss the final exam and
provide me, prior to the submission of grades, a documented and acceptable reason for missing
the exam along with plans to make it up within one month of the end of the term. If the final
exam is not made up as scheduled, the Incomplete grade is automatically converted to a failing
grade for the course.
Extra-Credit Assignments.
I do not give extra-credit assignments. If you want to improve your grade in the course, I would
prefer that you spend more time on careful reading, preparation of your homework, and
preparation for the exams rather than on extra-credit assignments.
Absence and Tardiness.
Students are not permitted, under the College’s attendance policy, to miss more than 15% of
class hours (6 hours of class time in a 3-credit course) without an acceptable excuse. Students
who exceed this limit will be penalized on their course grade. In computing absences, three late
appearances will count as one hour of absence. If you come to class more than halfway through
the class period, it will count as an absence.
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Reading and Homework Assignments.
Reading assignments are listed below in this syllabus. You will also receive weekly reviews that
list places you should be able to locate on an outline map, significant dates, critical terms, and
names to remember. The knowledge presented in these reviews will be tested on course
examinations. On Blackboard, there will be supplemental assignments about the readings. This
is why it essential that you check Blackboard with regularity. Assignments designated for
submission must be submitted on time. I do not accept late assignments unless you have a very
good excuse. Students who fail to do assigned work will receive a reduction of the final grade.
Schedule of Classes and Readings
March = Evolution and the Ancient Near East
1. Introduction of the course. Discussion of evolution (March 4, 9, 11).
2. Mesopotamia and Egypt (March 16, 18, 23).
3. First quiz dealing with evolution and the Near East, based on the prep/review sheet to be
posted on Blackboard = March 25.
4. Kush and Israel and neighboring civilizations of the ancient Near East (March 25).
5. March 30 = Review of the ancient Near East. Transition into discussing the Greeks, Romans,
and Christianity.
6. Readings in World History for March = Chapters 1 and 2
Auxiliary Readings: Ecclesiastes (posted on Blackboard), Hammurabi’s Code (posted on
Blackboard).
April = Greeks, Romans, and Christians
1. April 1.
Discussion of the ancient Greeks.
2. April 6.
Discussion of the ancient Greeks.
3. April 20.
Discussion of the Romans.
4. April 22.
Discussion of Christianity.
5. April 27.
Further discussion and review of the Greeks, Romans, and Christianity.
6. April 29.
Midterm.
7. Readings in World History: Chapters 5 and 6.
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May
1. May 4, May 6.
Byzantines and Islam
2. May 11, 13.
Africa and the Middle Ages
3. May 18, May 20
China, East Asia.
4. May 20, May 26
India and Americas
5. May 27
Quiz and review of May readings.
6. Readings in World History: Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 12.
7. Readings in World History: Chapters 3, 4, 10.
June
June 1
The Americas continued. Examination.
June 3.
Cumulative examination.
Note
Additional readings from classical texts are done throughout the semester. Please check
Blackboard and find Nuggets, our collection of literary selections. As the semester progresses,
please find there: The Code Hammurabi, Anna Comnena, Aristotle, and others. Expect many
readings in class. Look forward to the use of helpful video clips in class.
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