HGP 110: Development of Civilization

Fall 2009

Dr. L. Mari Centeno

LMCENTENO@adams.edu
Office Hours: M-Th, 11-12 and by appointment
ES 332, 719-587-7923

Throughout the semester students will analyze the human experience throughout
ancient history and across the globe.

To this end, students will develop their abilities:

• To “read, write and listen accurately, effectively and critically.”
• “To distinguish fact from fiction.”
• “To think accurately.”
• And to assess their “place within a larger historical and multicultural framework.”
(Quotes from General Studies Program)

Required Reading

All of the readings for this course are available on-line on the HGP website:
http://www2.adams.edu/academics/hgp/
From that page, click on the Development of Civilization course link, click on HGP 110
and enter your college username and password.

Course Requirements
(Total Points = 100)

Activities/Exercises 20 points (4 at 5 points each)

Essay Exams 80 points (4 exams at 20 points each)

Activities/Exercises (4 at 5 points each):

Throughout the semester students will engage in 5 activities (debates, pop quizzes, etc.)
based on the readings. Some of these activities (pop quizzes) will not be announced
beforehand. Students are responsible for their attendance.

Exercises will be graded based on the quality of analysis, integration of the assigned
readings and originality. The lowest of the 5 grades will be dropped at the end of the
semester.

Essay Exams (4 at 20 points each):

Students will craft four essays in response to questions I will distribute in advance. Two
of the exams will be conducted in class and two will be take-home. Essays should
consist of logical and concise arguments within a framework that includes a thesis,

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evidence, and conclusion. Spelling and grammar do matter as these exercises are meant
to help you communicate your knowledge in the best possible way.

**All students may rewrite their first in-class essay and submit it, along with the
original essay, within one week of receiving the graded original. The rewrite
option allows students to rework their first paper in order to better recognize
patterns of grammatical, spelling and stylistic errors so as to perform better on
subsequent take-home and in-class essays. The rewrite option also enables
students to improve their written argumentation skills and content analysis. The
quality of the rewrite will determine the number of percentage points added to the
original score. All rewritten exams must be stapled, double-spaced with one-
inch margins, and typed in a 12-point font. The original exam must also be
attached to the rewrite.

Take-home Exam Requirements:

• Stapled, double-spaced with one-inch margins, and typed in a 12-point
font.
• References to the readings. Never use Wikipedia or any general
encyclopedia as a source.
• Citations within the text (parenthetical or footnote).
• Reference page that uses a recognized citation format (MLA, APA, etc.).
• Page numbers.
• Submission to Turnitin.com. The course number is 2808156. The
password is centeno (lower case).

** I will not accept any essays that do not meet these requirements.

Please see the HGP Writing Assessment Rubric at:

http://faculty.adams.edu/~ercrowth/hgprubric.htm

Schedule

8/24-8/26: Introduction

8/28-9/21: Unit One: Human Prehistory and the Dawn of Civilization.

**In-class essay exam on 9/21

9/23-9/30: Unit Two: Sinic

10/2-10/12: Unit Three: Hindu

**Take-home essay due 10/16

10/14-10/30: Unit Four: Classical Mediterranean

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 ** In-class essay exam on 10/30

11/12-11/23: Unit Six: Africa, Islam and the Middle East

**Take-home essay due 12/2

11/30-12/11: Unit Seven: Civilizations in the Western Hemisphere

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Attendance: I expect all students to be in attendance every class period. I will randomly
announce in class activities/quizzes and other important class information. Students are
responsible for any information missed due to absences.

Tardiness: DON’T BE LATE!! If some unavoidable situation (alien abduction, etc.)

forces you to be late please do not disturb the rest of the class as you enter. Perpetual
tardiness will be penalized with a 3% reduction of the final grade for each
infraction.

Make-up Exams: I will not allow make-up exams without written excuses regarding
medical or family emergencies.

Penalties for late assignments:

• Absence and assignment submitted at end of class: Deduction of one letter
grade.
• Further deduction of one letter grade after each 24 hour period.

Plagiarism is a serious offense. According to the College Handbook: “All students are
expected to practice academic honesty. [He/she] should refrain from any form of
cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the College” (42).
Therefore:

• Any phrases, paraphrases, terms, concepts, facts and/or figures applied from
other sources must be cited correctly. All phrases or sentences that are not in
your own words must be in quotation marks.
• Sources must be cited within the text and included in a reference page at the
end of your work.
• Please see the College’s definition of plagiarism at
http://www2.adams.edu/library/plagiarism/plagiarism.php
• Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment. Second, or
more serious first offenses will result in a failing grade for the course and
notification sent to the Provost.

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Disrespect: Constructive discussion in an academic setting requires respectful conduct.
Please turn off cell phones and beepers while in class (see me for exceptions). Do not
engage in private conversations, read the newspaper, or study for another class while I or
another student has the floor. After a warning, I will deduct 3 points for each
infraction from the final grade of any student who behaves disrespectfully in class.

Grades: All students must maintain copies of graded essays and assignments that I
return throughout the semester. I occasionally make calculation errors that cannot be
rectified without evidence of error.