"大国沉浮"课程介绍(2)

Testing and grading; there will be 3 hour examinations over the course of the semester, each will be worth 30% of your final grade.

Our exam one will cover unit 1, America 1500 to 1865, and unit 2, the Roman Republic, that is the material on your first 2 compact discs. Our exam 3, our exam 2 will cover unit 3, the Roman Empire, and unit 4, the Russian Empire, these are the materials on your 3rd and 4th compact discs. Finally our exam 3 will cover unit 5, the Soviet Union, and unit 6, America 1865 to the present, this is the material covered on your 5th and 6th compact discs.

Each of the 3 hour examinations will be worth 100 points. 65 to 70% of the score will be based on objective questions; identification, short answer and some matching. 30 to 35% will be based on the essay question. Each of these 3 hour examinations will focus primarily but not totally on the 2 units indicated but you can expect important material and important concept from the previous lectures to reappear.

For example I introduced the term imperium in unit 1 and fully discuss it in unit 2, I have named my

World Wide Web server after the word imperium, you're going to be seeing this term imperium throughout the balance of the course. The last 10 percent of your final grade will come from your written project. Your position project will be a written piece in which you express your view of the United States future in light of the materials in this class, the rise and fall of super powers.

Your grades on the exams and on the written project will bee posted on the University's blackboard site, it's essential that you register. If you have any question about the grade you received or about the grading of the work in general please bring it to my attention as soon as possible and we will work it out.

Responsibilities of the student; for each of the 6 units you are required to master the materials covered in the lectures along with any other reading or assignments indicated on the syllabus.

Although there are lecture transcripts available from the website you are strongly advised against relying only on the transcripts, I think the transcripts are right over there. The lectures themselves which I encourage you to watch are important because one you get to see my smiling face and number 2 because we have put together graphics and textual elements that will greatly enhance your learning experience and benefit your grade.

This course is not an exercise in trying to read the instructors mind. My wife would tell you there's really no point in trying. My hope is that you will master the material well enough to perform well on the exams and do a good job on the final project.

If so you will get a good grade in this course.