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“When the missionaries came to
“Culture is the
widening of the mind and of the spirit.” ~
“History teaches us
that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other
alternatives.” ~
Abba Eban, Israeli Diplomat
This required course
examines the evolution of culture and the development of civilizations as
uniquely human phenomena. It takes a close look at specific societies in Africa,
“Why
study World Cultures?” you might ask.
What’s in it for me? There are
all kinds of good reasons for you to improve your cultural literacy. The world is getting smaller. You’re bound to meet people from other
cultures either in person when you travel, or when they visit their
countries. You will certainly interact
with people from different parts of the world on the internet – whether through
“Facebook,” or some other communication tool.
Whatever line of work you choose in a few years you will most certainly
be participating in some sort of global marketplace. You might even be able to help bring peace to
a region that is at war because of work you might do as a member of the government
or Foreign Service. But perhaps the best
reason to learn about other cultures is to discover how much they have in
common with us. My hope is that when you
complete this course, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much we share
with people from other lands. You will
then be ready to contribute even more positively as a member of the global
village we call earth.
REQUIREMENTS:
·
You’ll use a variety of primary and secondary
sources, honing your reading interpretation and writing skills. You will be engaged in a
substantial two stage research project which will first be presented as a paper
(3rd Quarter), and then as a classroom presentation (4th
Quarter) using all your tech & presentation skills. I will pass out instructions for these
projects well before due dates, allowing plenty of time for research,
reflection, writing, rewriting, practicing and presenting. Your performance on these projects will
determine a large percentage of your marking period grade. We will also be doing numerous shorter
writing assignments, so don’t save your writing skills for English class.
·
We
will also be making good use of your laptops to help us access, analyze and
present information. Much of your
reading will be “on-line” articles. I’ll
direct you to each reading through our class web site (see address below) where
you will find all kinds of resources, including weekly assignment sheets with
helpful links to reading and sites. We’ll
talk more about “cyber” plans, projects and expectations in class.
·
You
can also expect regular quizzes (announced & unannounced), and occasional
tests. From time to time I will also
assign shorter writing assignments either in class, or as homework.
• It
should go without saying (but I'll say it anyway) - I expect responsible
behavior and regular participation in class.
Participation needs to be an essential part of our study of other
cultures. It will also be part of your
grade, so don't deprive the rest of us of your insight.
TEXTBOOKS: Expect nightly reading assignments from on-line sources
and from our textbooks. In addition to nightly reading, you can also expect
short written exercises most nights to help you get the most out of your
reading. Many of our resources,
especially in the 1st Quarter, will be accessible through our web
site (see address below, and in email I’ll send). Here are the textbooks you will need from the
bookstore:
Achebe,
Chinua
Things
Fall Apart (summer reading)
Angelino, Elvio, ed.
Anthropology 07/08
Rampolla, Mary Lynn A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (5th
Edition)
Regional Studies
Series: Africa; The Subcontinent of
Other readings will be given as handouts and/or posted on our HW Sheet which you
can access from our class Web Page @ http://www.wicknet.org/history/jjpendergast/2_World_Cultures/World_Cultures_Page.htm. Make sure you prominently BOOKMARK this
page! You’ll be going there for EVERYTHING!
OUTLINE OF TOPICS: The following outline as well as much more information on each of these
topics can be found on our web site: http://www.wicknet.org/history/jjpendergast/2_World_Cultures/World_Cultures_Page.htm
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1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
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Unit I: What is Culture? |
Unit V: |
Unit VI: |
The |
POLICIES (the "hate to mention it,
but I must" category):
·
If
you are absent, don’t make the mistake of thinking that we couldn’t bear to go
on without you! It is your
responsibility to come and see me as soon as you return to get
missed work or turn in assignments.
·
If
you miss a quiz or test because you are absent you will have 24 hours after you return to class to
make it up (or to arrange some other solution with me). Talk to me and we’ll work out a convenient
time.
·
If
you know you are going to be absent on a test/quiz-day,
or a day when a paper is due, you must tell me ahead of time and submit all
work in advance whenever possible.
·
Barring
"acts of God" (definition to be determined by me), any paper passed
in after the deadline will lose 5% for each date late. If you are absent the day a paper is due, you
need to make every effort to have the paper delivered to school for you.
·
Plagiarism (the act of representing someone
else's work as your own), and cheating
(any violation of specified rules for test-taking or paper writing) are
considered very serious offenses by the school and myself. Don't test the waters to find out how
serious.
ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY (From Student Handbook):
The community which makes up
Cheating
The giving or receiving of any unfair advantage on any academic
exercise not deemed group work by the instructor. This includes tests and quizzes, essays,
homework, projects and reading notes. Be
aware that conversations about any graded assessment between those who already
have completed the task for the day and those who have not can constitute
cheating—do not ask nor tell your friends about tests questions, in-class
essay topics, etc.
Plagiarism
The submission of work as one’s own any part of which is:
-written or created by another. (This includes term paper
"mill" sites)
-copied or paraphrased from any source without proper
citation (i.e. cutting
and pasting of web materials)
-based
upon an idea unique to another source without proper
acknowledgement.
When in doubt, check with your particular instructor for
clarification.
Dishonesty
The willful perversion of the truth with
intent to deceive. In particular, students tend to be dishonest with regards
to homework, be it either written or read. Unless a teacher specifically
says a student can work with another student, written homework should not
be shared or copied. And if you have not read for the day, the department feels
it is better just to be up front with your teacher instead of trying to
"fake" your way through a Q&A session or a class
discussion. Worse yet, begging a classmate for the details of the prior
night’s reading is deceitful as well--remember your character and reputation are
at stake!
Test Taking
It is in the best interest of the student to take tests on the day
they are scheduled. Minor “sicknesses” and the postponement of tests only
set students back in the long run. However, if a student is truly sick, a
makeup test will be offered. Students must seek out their instructor
first thing in the morning to schedule a time for the makeup. All
make-ups must be taken as soon as possible, preferably on the first day back
unless there are extenuating circumstances which would not allow the student to
take the make-up in the required 24-hour extension period.
Finally, all students should not discuss tests after a test has
been taken. Post-test discussion, even with students who have taken
the exam, can lead to cheating. Student often do not realize that
“private” hallway conversations are often heard by others who have not yet
taken the test on that day. Play it safe—do not risk being accused of
cheating.
The Internet (and the pilfering thereof)
The Internet is a wonderful resource that greatly lends itself to
the study of history. Still, there are some pitfalls that must be avoided
at all cost. First, the “surfing” of improper sites and/or sites not
approved by your instructor during class time is a violation of school rules. Second, avoid surfing to sites that offer
term papers (often called paper "mill" sites) for downloading and
sale—this is plagiarism. It is surprisingly easy for teachers to find these Web
sites as well. Third, there has been a great rise in the incidence of "cutting
and pasting" of paragraphs from web sites into papers without proper
citation—this also is an act of plagiarism.
Fourth, the
use of the web site Wikipeda is strongly discouraged
and is not an acceptable citation source for essays and/or term papers. The department strongly believes this popular
source of information is often inaccurate and not trustworthy for proper
research. Finally,
e-mail is a great way to communicate with your classmates but sometimes leads
to the cutting and pasting of other’s written homework assignments, in complete
violation of the
In order to "help" students not stray from the proper
path, the department uses technology developed by Turnitin.com to check
all major written assignments. Students are usually required to turn in
both a digital and hard copy of all papers. With the digital copy
teachers can take the text and run a scan of the words via Turnitin.com's software. This software
searches over 12 billion web sites including those called "paper
mill" sites which allow students to buy papers.
Any details not specifically covered in these guidelines can be found
in the Brunswick School Handbook.
WELCOME ABOARD!!!