Syllabus

History of Islamic Civilization

Instructor: Tracey Trenam, Ph.D.

Meets Thursday ONLY 10:10-11:30 .

Office hours: In Loveland: M, W 10:00-1:00, Rm 207 In Greeley: T, Th 1:00-3:30; F 10-1 Note: I, like all instructors, attend a lot of meetings. Please CALL to verify I will be in when you want to come.

Office phone: 339-6216

Texts:

Tim McIntosh Smith, Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam's Greatest Traveler, Random House, 2004 Glenn E. Perry, The Middle East: Fourteen Islamic Centuries, 3d edition, Prentice Hall 1997

Class Description: Surveys the tenets of Islam and the political, social and cultural history of the civilizations which embraced it from the 6th century to the modern day. Focuses on the diversity and dynamism of Islamic civilizations through time by looking at legal systems, scientific and artistic accomplishments, philosophical heterogeneity and political developments. 3 credits.

Throughout the survey course, students should be introduced to course content, practice using course

content, and demonstrate they can:

Identify trends, events, peoples, groups, cultures, and institutions covered in this course Communicate orally and in writing about the content Use library resources for historical research Demonstrate that they can analyze secondary sources and recognize differences in historical interpretation Identify the perspective of primary sources Construct historical narratives by identifying patterns of continuity and change and referring to specific primary and secondary sources, maps, and/or artifacts Demonstrate the ability to select and apply contemporary forms of technology to solve problems or compile information .

Summary of weight of grades: Grading Scale:

Papers 50% 100-90% = A

Book Review 15% 89-80% =B

Research paper 35% 79-70% =C

Online Discussions 30% 69-60% =D

Midterm 20% 59-0% =F

Papers: There will be one 4-page book review and one 15 page, double spaced research paper (together, 50% of the semester grade). The subject of the research paper is any topic in the history of Islamic civilization. Instructions for this project are found attached

Discussions: You are required weekly to complete three discussion messages on the discussions board, one on your texts and one on current events, and one comment on someone else's discussion. Each message should be around 300 words in length, contain quotes from your text and be well spelled and grammatically correct. These are due on Thursday; after Sunday the discussions board is closed and discussions may not be made up. If you post late, points will be deducted. Worth 30% of your grade

Midterm: Midterm will contain short answer ID’s and essay questions. The essays are 60% of the grade for the midterm. Essays will be assessed on use of sources, cogency of argument and evidence, understanding of differing points of view, clarity and organization, correct spelling and grammar. 20% of grade.

Summary of grades: 100-90% of total points possible ' A; 80-89% ' B; 70-79'C; 60-69'D; 0-59'F

Schedule

Assignment Week 1 o Preliminary Assignments (due 1/22) o Assignment 1 discussion due 1/25 o Podcast Lecture 1: The Beginnings o Excerpts from the Quran o Excerpts from the Hadith

Assignment Week 2 discussion due 2/1 o Podcast Lecture 2: Review of Mohammed, social goals o Family and successors to Mohammed o Shiism in Iraq o Sunni-Shiite Divide

Assignment Week 3 discussion due 2/8 o Podcast Lecture 3: The First Islamic Empires o Outline of Empires o Islam in Central Asia o Islam in Spain

Assignment Week 4 discussion due 2/15 o Podcast: The 4th Fitnah and the break up of the Empire o Outline of the Fitnahs o Legacy of Cordoba o Baghdad under the Abbasids, c. 1000 CE

Assignment Week 5 Discussion due 2/22

o Podcast : Shariah and fiqh o The Quran and Women o Women philosophers o Beliefs on Women

Assignment Week 6 discussion due 3/1 o Podcast : Lecture 6: Christians and Moslems o Outline of Christian relations o Saladin and the Battle of Hattin o Franks at Jerusalem o Ancient and Modern Grievance

Assignment Week 7 discussion due 3/8 o Podcast : Islamic contributions to science o Transfer of Moslem technology to the West o How Islam won and lost the lead in science

Assignment Week 8 due 3/15 o Podcast : Qutb and the philosophy of Terrorism o MIDTERM THIS WEEK o Greek Roots of Moslem Philosophy o Sunni Shiite Sectarian Divide o Sufism o Faylasufs

Assignment Week 9, India due 3/22 o Podcast : Ghaznavids o Islamic Sultanates o Babur and the Mughals o Indo-Pakistan tension

Assignment Week 10, History of the Turks due 3/29 o Podcast : Turks

The Seljuks The Ottomans

o Legacy of Ottoman rule o Learning from the Ottomans

Assignment Week 11 due 4/2 o Podcast : Islam in the Far East o Ghana, Timbuktu and inflationary zakat

Assignment Week 12 due 4/9 o Podcast : Israel and Iraq o History of Current War

Assignment Week 13 due 4/13 o Podcast : Moslem Economic Principles o Oil, OPEC and globalization

Assignment Week 14 due 4/27 o Podcast : Islamic Art

o Islamic Literature

Assignment Week 15 wrap up, research paper due 5/3

Assignment Instructions

How to Write a Critical Review

A critical review is NOT a book report. The goal is NOT to prove to the reader

that you read the book, and it is not simply to tell the reader what the book is

about.

The goal of a critical review is to share with the reader an opinion (thesis)

about the book, and to document why you hold that opinion. You are

ANALYZING the book, so you need to tell the reader enough about the book

to make the subject clear, but your primary job in this paper is to pose an

argument and support that argument with evidence taken from the book. In

this paper as in all written work in this class, "evidence" usually means quotes

from the text which are explained in your own words.

The purpose of this assignment is to learn to write a critical review of a

scholarly book; to evaluate the work of an author for such things as clarity of

argument, thoroughness of documentation, elegance of writing, accuracy of

facts.

The audience of the critical review is an intelligent educated reader who

may or may not have read the book

Instructions:

1. Summary of assignment:

You are to write a 3-4 page critical review of Tim Mackintosh, Travels with a Tangerine, ISBN: 0812971647. If you would prefer, you may write on a book of your own choosing, but remember: this should be a serious work of non-fiction intended for adults. Serious means: it should have footnotes or a bibliography; it should not be primarily made of pictures; it should not be printed by Time-Life or National Geographic. No books intended for children will be accepted. You will submit the bibliographic information to Tracey to verify that this is a good book before you write. Bibliographic information means author name, title of book,

publisher, place and date of publication, ISBN if you know it.

Your paper is to be double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point type.

Spelling and grammar count. Worth 10% of your total grade; See course

Calendar for due date

Before you write your final draft of the book review, you must submit an outline of your book review on the Papers page (due one Assignment Week before the final draft; one Assignment Week after the midterm). Be sure your outline includes a full thesis statement, a full bibliography of all books you refer to (including the subject) and an introduction, body and conclusion. There is a sample outline linked here

Paper must include:

1. Your thesis (opinion) of the work

2. A discussion of the author’s thesis and main points

3. A discussion of the author (who is he? What is his expertise?)

4. A discussion of the author’s sources (from his notes and bibliography)

5. Sufficient information about the body of the book to let the reader know what it is about

6. A conclusion which summarizes your opinion of the book and why you hold that opinion

2. Some things to consider when formulating a thesis. You do NOT have to answer all these questions – they are here to help you decide what on a thesis (opinion) of the work. A good rule of thumb might be to answer at least three of these questions.

What other books are there about this region? What does this book add (if anything) to the body of literature about this subject? If this book does not make a new or unique contribution, what does it do?

Is the author an eyewitness to the events discussed in this book? What is his motive for writing it/what is his agenda? How do you know?

Comment on the author’s methodologies (how did he make his study) or bibliography (what other books does he refer to). Was this the best way to go about this study? Did the author

cover all his bases, are his finding accurate?

What special insights (if any) does the author bring to the subject?

Does his background (education, previous books, profession) add to

credence to his writing?

What is his style (chatty, scholarly?) Who is the author’s audience?

Does his style contribute to the audience’s understanding of the

subject? For example, is the style so dry it is uninteresting? Is it so

informal it trivializes the subject?

Does the author offer a clear thesis? Are his concepts clearly defined?

How well are the author's ideas developed?

Does the author leave anything important out? Should he have

discussed something he does not?

Comment on the technical stuff if you think it is relevant: are there

illustrations which help our understanding of the material? If not,

should there be? Same with charts, index or table of contents.

Finally, what has the book accomplished? Is further work needed?

Compare the book to others by this author or by others. (Use the

listing in the bibliography.)

3. Example of a good thesis (I am completely making this up, so don’t quote me!): Mackintosh, an expert in tree frogs of the Iraq, gives young readers a wonderful sketch of the cultures of the Middle East in the modern age. Though his book is not intended for serious scholars of Islamic history, his entertaining stories of mountain men and shepherds and his extensive bibliography give travelogue readers a place to begin their studies of this interesting region. Example of a critical book review

Book Review grading rubric

Research Paper Instructions

Instructions:

You are to write a paper 8-10 pages (around 2500 words) long about a topic of Islamic history.

The purpose of this assignment is to learn to do original research, to synthesize and evaluate evidence and to write a cogent paper making an argument about that evidence. You must make and support an original argument in your paper. You should not simply tell a story or relate a series of events; rather, you should critically evaluate the events in the light of evidence.

You will be required to find 10 sources for your bibliography (only two sources may be from the Internet), and quote at least five sources throughout this paper. Every paragraph in your paper must contain at least one quote from a source. --One source must be a primary source. A primary source is a source from eye witness accounts (letters,

laws, diaries, newspapers). You may get the primary source from the Internet or from a printed copy.

--One source must be a book (a physical book, obtained from a library).

--One source must be from a scholarly journal. Scholarly journals are written by scholars (historians, for

example, scientists, researchers), and most important, the articles in them are reviewed by other

scholars. Generally speaking, no scholarly journal will be available on the Internet without a subscription

(although a few are available through paid services like Proquest through your library). Examples of

scholarly journals include American Historical Review or Colorado Heritage. Ask your librarian for help

finding a scholarly journal.

--Papers which contain many quotes from many different points of view will get a higher grade than will papers which rely heavily on only one or two sources. Papers which quote primary sources throughout will get a higher grade than will papers which use only secondary sources The tone of this paper is formal and critical. Slang and colloquial phrases should be avoided, as should breathy superlatives (great, wonderful, awesome).

Formal does NOT mean full of big words; rather, you should write as though you are presenting your findings to Congress or to a court -- plainly, but with weighty dignity.

The audience for this analysis is any educated person: me, your classmates. Your audience does not share (or know about) your personal beliefs Avoid speaking of your personal beliefs or experiences. Refer instead to your research and analytical findings. Finally, do not strive to find a moral to the historical story. History has no moral (they lived happily ever after! This sacrifice made us all safer!) and to conclude that it does irritates the reader and avoids more serious analytical conclusions.

See my Rules of Good writing, linked HERE

You may assume that your reader is knowledgeable about history; assume they know a bit about the subject but are not experts. So, if the subject is the Indian Ouray, assume

the reader knows what a Ute is, but perhaps does not know all the details of their culture.

Assume that your reader is not religious, and not political. It is often offensive to such an audience to hear very personal and private things about your religious beliefs and value system. You may talk about religion, but only as a historical phenomenon; you may talk about values and politics, but only to discuss the issues of history, not the present.

How to proceed:

1. You begin your paper by selecting a topic. It is ok to have a loose idea only -- you can refine your topic as you go along. See the schedule of dates for when you must give Tracey your topic.

2. Next, do some research on that topic, and prepare a bibliography which includes at least ten sources (only two may be from the Internet). Remember: include at least one primary source, one book and one scholarly article; the remaining seven sources may be from any source, with the following exceptions:

NO CHILDREN'S BOOKS. No book intended for people under college age is acceptable. If you do not know if a source is appropriate, ask Tracey or your librarian.

Only one website may be included in your bibliography as a source. A website is defined as any source which has not been in print before it was published to the web. Internet sources which HAVE been in print (newspapers, journals, excerpts from books) may be used, with their original, print, citation. If you wish to use other websites, ask Tracey first.

No personal websites may be used unless you can establish that the author is a scholar or published expert on the field

no AOL, yahoo or geocities no online dictionaries or online encyclopedias except Britannica and the Oxford English

Dictionary. No Wikipedia.

Information found at such sites may be good, but more often is the work of a school child or hobbyist and lacks sufficient rigor for a college course. The best websites are those associated with colleges (.edu); libraries; government sources (.gov); and media (newspapers, TV).

The easiest way to do a bibliography is to go the the Internet. When searching the Internet, go beyond Google or other search engines. Look also at the catalogues of major libraries (colleges), The Denver Public Library, or www.aclin.org. The next easiest way is to find a few books on the subject and look at THEIR bibliographies. The purpose of writing a bibliography is to assess what information there is on the subject.

Places to find bibliographies: --Ask a librarian --look at databases like American History and Life (found at CSU and UNC) --look at articles on Islamic history such as those found in the American Historical

Review --look in general books on Islamic history such as your Perry text

Type up your bibliography in proper format and give it to Tracey by your deadline (see the schedule). See this link for proper format. You do not need to have exactly this format -- MLA format will do, or any style which gives the author, "title of article in quotation marks", title of book in italics, place of publication, date of publication, date of access (if the internet)

You do NOT need to read everything on your preliminary bibliography. The purpose of making a bibliography is to find out what information is available. Read only the tables of contents, the bibliography, and perhaps the introduction at this stage.

3. As you read over the texts you find for your bibliography, come up with a thesis (an argument) which you think you can support with evidence from the sources. A good thesis states what you are arguing (your opinion) and also tells the reader something important your subject. A good thesis is as specific and detailed as possible. Examples of good theses: "In the Koran, Surrah lays out the requirements for women to dress modestly and balances the need to protect women from unwanted attention with the innate dignity Islam recognizes in all people, male and female." This thesis are strong because it tells what the writer is arguing and give enough information to indicate what that argument will tell the reader about this subject.

4. Having found a thesis, now find the evidence to support it.

o How to read a long book or article: Like any big project, you should plan ahead when confronted with a big long text. Instead of starting on page 1 and slogging through to the end, evaluate the book first -- decide if it is relevant to you. Do the following:

a. Read the table of contents for an overview of the book. Look up something you think is important in the index -- if it is not there, try to guess why the author left it out? Look through the author's bibliography -- is it thorough? Does it include plenty of primary sources, or is it based on secondary sources or hearsay?

b. Research the author on the Internet or in a bibliographical dictionary. What is his background, his education? Does he strike you as qualified to write on this subject? What else has he written?

c. Thumb through the source, paying attention to main topics, illustrations.

d. Read the introduction and the conclusion only. These should tell you the author's thesis and give you an idea of his evidence and the general tone of the book.

e. If you have decided the book is worth reading, take notes (make sure you write down the page numbers where you find quotes). As you read, ask the following questions: Is this well written? Is it thorough? Do you agree with the author's statements? Does he give enough evidence to convince you of his argument? Does he contradict himself?

f. You should be comparing the theses of the author to your own ideas on the subject. Your opinions will be the basis of your own thesis. Make sure you have enough evidence to support your thesis in a paper.

5. With me so far? Good! Now, make an outline of your paper. Find several points to make, and

put them in the order of importance. Find a quote to support each point, and be sure to

comment in your own words on each quote

6. Write your paper. Put the thesis in the first paragraph or at least on the first page; next, give a little background about the subject. In the third part, discuss the points you wanted to make about the topic. In each paragraph after the introduction, give a quote, and describe in your own words why that quote is important.

7. Finally, conclude your paper. You may find that, having written your paper, you have a different argument than the one you started with. That' s okay: just rewrite the first paragraph! Your conclusion should repeat the thesis your wrote in the first paragraph (in different words, of course), and summarize all your evidence.

8. You must include a Works cited page with your paper, even though you already turned in a

bibliography.

It is a (very, very) good idea to rewrite your paper a couple of times. Fix any mistakes you find, polish the language a bit. The average professional historian rewrites her work as many as five times!

Paper Requirements

1. 8-10 pages (2500 words) long, 1 inch margins, page numbers on every page, double spaced, 12 point font.

2. Spelling and grammar count 3. Worth 30% of your semester grade 4. The first page MUST have a thesis statement. A good thesis statement is specific, and

includes not only your opinion, but also information on why you hold that opinion 5. If you are sending me the source by email, make sure you type this is Word or in

WordPerfect; I will have trouble opening sources made in any other word processor. 6. You need at least ten sources, including one primary source, one book, and one

scholarly article. All sources must be included on a Works Cited page. Failure to include a works cited page, will result in the deduction of a letter grade.

7. Every paragraph must contain a quote from a source, and an explanation of the quote in your own words. Be sure quotes are properly cited (page numbers are crucial in notes).

8. There must be a conclusion which reiterates your argument. 9. Make a title for your paper. Titles tell the reader what to expect -- they provide essential

information. Include your name on the title page to assure you will receive credit!

Find a rubric for the papers here

How to select a topic

a. any period on Islamic history is appropriate b. select something which INTERESTS you. You will spend a lot of time on this subject! c. A topic should be very, very small. For example, when doing a paper on the Iraqi constitution, you should write on Article 1 or 2, not the entire source; when doing a paper on a nurse, you should focus on the time she raised money for a hospital, not her entire life. d. If you cannot find sources on a topic on the internet or in your local library, don't assume you can't do it! Ask Tracey or your librarian for help. If you have planned ahead, you can order books from other libraries through interlibrary loan. Plagiarism

All plagiarism will result in a 0 for that ENTIRE assignment. and the minimum deduction of a letter grade from your semester grade. Plagiarism includes: i. all instances of copying text from another source without proper citation, even if you rearrange the words ii. paraphrasing other authors without proper citation; iii. using the arguments of other authors without proper citation iv. Substituting the work of others for your own ideas, EVEN IF YOU TELL THE READER YOU DID IT with a footnote or bibliography. It is not sufficient to answer any question on an exam, or complete any paper, simply by quoting others. v. AT LEAST 90% OF THE PAPER MUST BE THE ORIGINAL WORK AND WORDS OF THE STUDENT; a good rule of thumb is, no quote should be more than two lines long, and students must use their own words to comment on all quotes or paraphrases. vi. Attempting to submit plagiarized work for any assignment (including extra credit) will result in an automatic deduction of a grade from your semester work; all plagiarized work will receive a 0.

--From the Aims Standards of Conduct: "Aims Community College students are expected to practice

academic honesty and to refrain from any form of cheating [and] plagiarism...Breaches of academic

honesty will be considered misconduct and may result in disciplinary action."

Midterm 60 minutes, 200 points.(20% of the semester grade)

I. You will see 5 of the following terms on your exam. Prepare a short essay (150-200 words) giving the SIGNIFICANCE as well as the DEFINITION of each term: (worth 20 points each). All terms are historical and related to the time and person of the Prophet.

A. Five Pillars of Islam B. Hijra C. Ali D. Aisha

F. Fitnah G. Shariah H. Hadith I. Kaaba J. Ummah

II. Long essays. You will see two of the following questions. You are to write a brief (about one double spaced page, 300 words) essay on each. (50 points each)

A. Compare and contrast fiqh and shariah. Be sure to discuss the origins and evolution of each. In your opinion, is it possible to govern a modern industrial state with these principles?

B. Discuss the major divisions in Islam. What social and political factors contributed to these divisions? What were the historical consequences of this factionalism?

C. Describe the major tenets of Islam. What do Moslems believe? How do these beliefs shape their political and social policies? Give specific examples.

D. Compare and contrast the Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah. How do the differences you find among these scriptures and traditions contribute to the variety of Islam we have studied in this class?

How to do well on this exam

Each ID should give the significance as well as the dictionary definition of the term. Extra points will be given for giving quotes in your ID answers, but it is not required

Each long essay should be about one page (300 words or more) and quotes are REQUIRED to validate points. Quotes should be nor more than 1-2 lines long, and a full citation should be given at the end of the essay.

you may compose the essays ahead of time and paste them into place in the exam. Each long essay should have a clear introduction and conclusion, a bibliography, and a strong thesis (argument) as a centrally organizing point. Answer all questions, and all parts of each question. Use quotes from the readings to support

your arguments

Each long essay will be judged on: the clarity of the thesis; effective use of evidence (including quotes from sources you have read); completeness of answers; spelling and grammar; organization of the essay. It is very important to have a quote from a source IN EVERY PARAGRAPH except the introduction and conclusion, and to explain every quote in your own words. Quotes should be from your texts, the primary source readings or outside research, and you should give Tracey enough information in a citation to find your source. ALL SOURCES WILL BE VERIFIED!

IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO QUOTE SOURCES INTENDED FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN, or to use the work of amateur web publishers. Sources from a government services, library or college are acceptable if they are intended primarily for adults; sources from aol.com, geocities.com, Wikipedia and other "free" sites are probably not acceptable. If in doubt, ask Tracey by email at least two days before you submit your midterm exam.

A word on plagiarism -- don't. Be sure at least 90% of the words on the page are your own (not quoted or paraphrased from another, not your ideas but your mother's writing, not a quote

which lacks analysis revealing your own viewpoint). Be sure you properly cite all sources. See this link for ways to properly cite sources. Plagiarized exams will receive a 0 for the entire exam, plus one entire grade will be deducted from your total semester grade.

Total value of midterm: 100 points. 90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; <60=F.

Discussions

Each student is responsible for two discussion postings each week, for a total of 15 points. Many students find this requirement a lot of work -- remember, first, that this is worth a great deal of your grade and so is worth your effort, and second, that in an ordinary class you would spend at least a full hour each Assignment Week listening to lectures and discussing the texts. Think of the time you spend on this as your in class discussion time.

1. The first posting (your PRIMARY post) will be on the readings; you may post an original message, or continue a conversation (Click on Quote OR Compose). The subject or question to be answered will be posted on the Discussions page under the appropriate topic, and also on the assignments for the week. These postings should one full paragraph in length (300 words), and must include a quote from the readings, as well as your explanation of the quote. This posting is a short essay, and like all essays it must contain a thesis (argument), be well organized, grammatical and correctly spelled. ALL POSTINGS ARE DUE due every Thursday by midnight. Worth 10 points each week. Hint: If you are nervous about your spelling or word count, compose your message in Word, spell check it, and then paste it into a discussion message

2. The second posting (CURRENT EVENTS, or CE) should be on a topic of current events in the Middle East and should be at least 100-200 words long. More points are given for quoting a news source. Tracey will give you something to write on, but you are welcome to choose any other topic you like that week, and you certainly should comment on postings of others if they interest you. 10 points

4. Extra credit: 1 point of extra credit will be given for every posting in excess of these three, provided that all three required postings were done first, and that extra credit entries consist of full sentences (no 1 or two word sentences like "I agree" or "yes!" will be counted here!)

POSTING LATE:

falling behind will mean a very serious penalty at the end of the semester. A point will be deducted for every day late up to Monday; after Monday, the discussion is closed. Any postings after Monday will earn no credit. If you miss a week, you should plan on doing extra credit; you will not receive credit for late postings (so don't plan on storing them up and doing them all at once!)

Policies

1. All postings will be graded on Fridays or Mondays (ALL POSTINGS ARE DUE by Thursday midnight at the latest). I will deduct a point for every 24 hours late a posting is made. If there are no postings and it is already late on Thursday and you cannot make a comment on

someone else's writing, then just do a second original post 2. "Quote" all previous messages (don't just "Reply") so that your correspondents can more easily follow the thread of discussion; 3. No profanity or rudeness is allowed. You may be critical, but not personal. 4. Please keep private things private; if you want to know about your grade, for example, communicate with the instructor via email. Similarly, if you wish to complain/comment/kvetch about the course, please do so via email. 5. Each Assignment Week is tallied separately. You may not post 8 week's worth of contributions in a single week! If you miss a week, just make your usual contributions the next Assignment Week – I will not count cumulative totals towards any single week. Remember that extra credit is always available if you have unforeseen circumstances.

The instructor will delete any entries in violation of these rules and the author will not receive credit for those entries

Grading Rubric with examples

Score Main Discussion

Primary or Current: 9-10

Secondary: 5

Excellent

Sharing of opinions based on evidence from reading; quotes from reading; comment on quotes; criticism (positive or negative) based on evidence; 80-100 words or more on the original post; more than 20 words on a secondary post; use of full and complete sentences with proper spelling and grammar. Posted on time.

Example:

“I agree with the author that buffalo hunting only became viable with the introduction of White technologies and horses. “Before the horse, the Cheyenne were farmers who hunted only for extra protein; the women grew most of the clan’s calories.” [Jone p. 34]. Here, Jones cogently summarizes the importance of the pre-Columbian plains economy

However, Jone’s contention that because the Indian adopted the tools of Whites, they “bought into” their own destruction can only be described as self-serving. By moving to the plains to hunt large protein filled prey, the Indians not only behaved rationally in economic terms, they evolved their culture to fit the circumstances. This rational behavior should not have been penalized by genocide!

Primary or current: 8

Secondary: 4

Sharing insights, discussion of serious issues. A little short of required number of words, or uses quotes without discussing them; one or two typos or grammatical mistakes.

Example:

Very Good “I agree with Jones that “buffalo became the basis of the Indian economy only after the arrival of White technologys on the plains.” He shows clearly the contributions White weapons and tools made to help Indians get more food, and how the Whites included Indians in their own economy

Still, the book is wrong to blame Indians for their own destruction when White greed was the reason for their dekline.

Primary or Current: 7

Secondary: 3

Acceptable

Sharing personal opinions on issues actually found in the book; no quotes. Two or three sentences; some errors or confusion. Posted on time. Example:

“I think the Indians were not responsible for their fate; it was not their fault the buffalo died out. When Whites came uninvited to this country, the Indians helped them all the time. The Indians deserved the tools the Whites gave them, and they made better lives for themselves with them

Primary or Current: 6

Secondary: 2

Marginal

Simplistic, short, contains errors, but shows understanding of the subject. Contain no quotes. Has errors. Posted on time.

Example:

“Whites should not have killed all the buffalo and driven the Indians into poverty and isolation. White greed hurt the Indians a lot.”

Primary or Current: 4-5

Secondary: 1

Minimal value

“I agree” or “I disagree” statements which give little or no information. Is a full sentence with one or two errors. Posted on time.

Example:

“I agree that the Indians were done wrong.”

Primary or Current: 2-3

Secondary: 1

Partial Credit

Posting a note, 1-3 days after the deadline on Thursday (Posted by Monday. After Monday, the discussions are closed). You receive one of the above grades, less points equal to one point per day.

Example of grading: Excellent Primary or Current post, placed on Monday: 10 points, minus 3 days late, = 7 points Excellent secondary post, 3 days late = 2 points

0

(there are several ways to receive no

credit for participating in

a discussion)

No posting at all

Short statements, uncorroborated statements, statements which do not move the conversation along

Example: “I so agree!” “So not true” ”This is boring”

Mean or insulting statements

Example:

“You are a fool and should go back where you came from” ”All women are idiots and I am so tired of this class”

Irrelevancies

Example:

“Go Broncos!” ”Snow enough for you?”

Thanks to Mary J. Nicholson, http://iit.bloomu.edu/etraining/Discussions/threaded%20discussions.htm [accessed 8/22/04 ]

How Grades are Posted

1) Grades will be posted on the Grades sheet each week. Please ask if you do not see a grade posted by Tuesday -- it is possible I missed you, or it that WebCT failed to record a grade that I did post.

2) Grades will posted as a number (see above) and a letter of explanation. See chart below for codes:

S -- Short (less than the required length for this type of entry

L -- Late (1 pointed deducted for every day after Thursday. No credit given at all for postings after midnight, Monday

T -- contains typographical or spelling errors, or uses informal or sloppy language

Q -- fails to document your argument or give a quote

A -- Analysis is weak or lacking (you do not argue your point well)

W -- contains one or more of the following Writing Fallacies

Writing Fallacies

Fallacy Comment

So sad history:

used to substitute for analytical rigor.

Example of So sad history:

The Indians/slaves/ethnic minorities were done wrong by the Romans/Europeans/Whites, and it was so sad/bad/terrible/awful.

Instead of So Sad history, give specifics and analyze the consequences of these events

example of alternative:

Indians were injured by the Indian Removal Act by being relocated to a distant territory in violation of a Supreme Court Ruling. The Act showed Jackson's support for small farmers, who benefited by acquiring the vacated Indian lands.

Moral of the story history:

History does not have inspiring morals except in the Bible, nor does it have endings where people live happily every after. A good analysis will give the causes and consequences of events in history, but a good writer will avoid finding inspirational or edifying endings to historical incidents.

Example of Moral of the story history:

The Indians were so brave and I really admire Chief Joseph for his strength and perseverance. They were wonderful and they made the best of their circumstances.