Comparative Civilization
HIWD-370

The purpose of this course is to prepare students to fully integrate a biblical worldview into a comparative understanding of the history of world civilizations, to teach and reinforce scholarly research and writing skills, and to prepare students to be responsive to the Virginia World History Standards of Learning (SOL) test.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Apply biblical principles to the understanding of world civilizations.
2. Define the concept and characteristics of “civilization.”
3. Identify major civilizations in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe, from ancient times to the present, including geographical, chronological, and cultural distinctive positions.
4. Explain major factors involved in the development, establishment, and demise of civilizations throughout the ages in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
5. Summarize, illustrate, and report on research projects in accordance with standard historical research and writing practices.

Foundational Skills Learning Outcomes (FSLO): Communication and Information Literacy Outcomes (CIL)

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. CIL 1: Discoverand evaluate information to accomplish a specific purpose.
2. CIL 2: Communicateinformationeffectively in the English language, orally and/orthrough writing, for a variety of purposes, using technology when appropriate.
3. CIL 3: Analyzeand assessvarious forms of information and expression to determine their meaning, employing technology when relevant.
4. CIL 4: Demonstrate a basic understanding of the role of research and scholarship in order to apply it in various contexts.
5. CIL 5: Relate communication and information literacy to participation in God’s redemptive work.

Foundational Skills Learning Outcomes (FSLO): Critical Thinking (CT)

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. CT1: Determinethe validity and logical consistency of claims and/or positions, using reading comprehension strategies when relevant.
2. CT2: Structure an argument or position using credible evidence and valid reasoning.
3. CT3: Compare and contrast thebiblical worldview with a non-biblical worldview, evaluatingthe influence of assumptionsand contextson ethicsandvalues.
4. CT4: Planevidence-based courses of actionto resolveproblems.
5. CT5: Relate critical thinking and ethics to participation in God’s redemptive work.

Foundational Skills Learning Outcomes (FSLO): Civic and Global Engagement (CGE)

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. CGE1: Identify the main features of a worldview, assessing the cultural, political, economic, and industrial implications.
2. CGE2: Relate government and/or culture to various aspects of life.
3. CGE3:Applythe Christian principles and general practices for effectively engaging people from different social and/orcultural backgrounds.
4. CGE4: Describe the impact of a person’s global perspective on evangelism and cross-cultural engagement.
5. CGE5: Relate the human experience within various civic and globalstructures to participation in the redemptive work of God.

Click on the following link to view the required resource(s) for the term in which you are registered: Liberty University Online Bookstore

Additional Materials for Learning

1. 1. Computer with basic audio/video output equipment
   2. Internet access (broadband recommended)
   3. Canvas recommended browsers
   4. Microsoft Word
   5. Turabian Style Guide—https://www.liberty.edu/casas/academic-success-center/turabian/

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Each student should introduce themselves on the Discussion and respond to at least two other students’ introductions.

The student will read and view materials presented from an evolutionary perspective, as well as materials presented from a creationist perspective. The student will use these materials to consider the implications of worldview, and to write a short essay on this topic.

The student will write an essay of at least 600 words. The essay must specifically and appropriately reference the required reading materials, including both of the required articles, and outside research as appropriate. It must include a bibliography in Turabian format with all used materials, and references to to sources must be in Turabian format footnotes. (CLO: A, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CGE 1, 3, 4, 5)

In Weeks 2, 4, 5, and 7, students will choose one scholarly article related to the week’s theme they are researching, and related to the week’s main topic. The student will create an entry in their Article Assessment Journal in which they provide a Turabian format citation for the article, a 1-2 sentence statement of the author’s thesis, and a 3-4 sentence discussion of how it fits into the material covered in that week’s reading. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CGE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Over the course of the semester, the student will complete two research assignments. These assignments will develop research and writing skills and provide an opportunity to do mini research projects on topics of interest, in a variety of formats.

Research Design Assignment

The student will complete a Research Design Assignment related to a topics addressed in Module 1, 2, or 3: Weeks 1, 2, or 3. These sources may not include any of the articles or materials assigned as readings in the course, but they may include an article addressed in the student's Article Assessment Journal. The student's topic should be focused on a non-Western topic--something not traditionally addressed in U.S. History or Western Civilization course. This will be approximately 300-500 words, plus a bibliography of at least 4 sources, and must be in Turabian format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3; CT 1, 2, 3; CGE 1, 3, 4, 5)

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

The student will create an annotated bibliography for a research project related to one of the topics addressed in Modules 4, 5, or 6: Weeks 4, 5, or 6. The bibliography will require at least 10 scholarly sources, with annotations of 3 paragraphs, written in Turabian formatting. These sources may not include any of the articles or materials assigned as readings in the course, but they may include an article addressed in the student's Article Assessment Journal. This should be a different topic/civilizations/eras than that addressed in the previous assignment. No more than two of the articles included may be related to US/European topics. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3; CT 1, 2, 3; CGE 1, 3, 4, 5)

The student will write a second short essay. In it, the student should discuss the things we covered in the course that they found the most interesting, enjoyable, or challenging and why. This could be things the student found in his/her own research, in required readings or videos, or in his/her work with the other students.    

The student will write an essay of at least 600 words. The essay must specifically and appropriately reference the required reading materials and outside research as appropriate. It must include a bibliography in Turabian format with all used materials, and references to to sources must be in Turabian format footnotes. (CLO: A, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CGE 1, 3, 4, 5)

Over the course of the term, each student should create a timeline on a topic that is of interest. It should be something that is relevant to the course: it should cover a range of civilizations and a range of history. The number of dates required is somewhat variable, but should include at least 24. (CLO: B, C, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CT 3, 4; CGE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 

Each quiz will cover the textbook readings for the assigned Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 30 multiple-choice, true/false, and multiple-answer questions, and have a 60-minute time limit. There will be a 1 point per minute penalty for going over the time limit. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CT 1, 2, 3, 4; CGE 1, 2, 4, 5)

Each quiz will cover all the non-textbook materials for the assigned Module: Week, unless otherwise indicated. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 15 multiple-choice, true/false, and multiple-answer questions, and have a 30-minute time limit. There will be a 1 point per minute penalty for going over the time limit. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; CT 1, 2, 3, 4; CGE 1, 2, 4, 5)

Course Assignments, including discussions, exams, and other graded assignments, should be submitted on time.

If the student is unable to complete an assignment on time, then he or she must contact the instructor immediately by email.

Assignments that are submitted after the due date without prior approval from the instructor will receive the following deductions:

1. Late assignments submitted within one week after the due date will receive up to a 10% deduction.
2. Assignments submitted more than one week and less than 2 weeks late will receive up to a 20% deduction.
3. Assignments submitted two weeks late or after the final date of the course will not be accepted outside of special circumstances (e.g. death in the family, significant personal health issues), which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the instructor.
4. Group projects, including group discussion threads and/or replies, and assignments will not be accepted after the due date outside of special circumstances (e.g. death in the family, significant personal health issues), which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the instructor.

Students with a disability and those with medical conditions associated with pregnancy may contact Liberty University’s Online Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) at [email protected] for accommodations.  Such accommodations require appropriate documentation of your condition.   For more information about ODAS and the accommodations process, including how to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.liberty.edu/online/online-disability-accommodation-support/. Requests for accommodations not related to disabilities or pregnancy must be directed to the Registrar’s Office, which generally handles medical needs support.

If you have a complaint related to disability discrimination or an accommodation that was not provided, you may contact ODAS or the Office of Equity and Compliance by phone at (434) 592-4999 or by email at [email protected].  Click to see a full copy of Liberty’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct Policy or the Student Disability Grievance Policy and Procedures.

In an effort to comply with U.S. Department of Education policies, attendance is measured by physical class attendance or any submission of a required assignment within the enrollment dates of the course (such as examinations, written papers or projects, any discussion posts, etc.) or initiating any communication with one’s professor regarding an academic subject. More information regarding the attendance policy can be found in the Academic Course Catalogs. Regular attendance in online courses is expected throughout the length of the term. Students who do not attend within the first week of a sub-term by submitting a required academic assignment (such as the Course Requirements Checklist, an examination, written paper or project, discussion post, or other academic activity) will be dropped from the course. Students who wish to re-engage in the course are encouraged to contact Academic Advising to discuss their enrollment options. Students who begin an online course, but at some point in the semester cease attending, and do not provide official notification to withdraw, will be assigned a grade of “FN” (Failure for Non-Attendance). Students wishing to withdraw from courses after the official start date should familiarize themselves with the withdrawal policy.

For courses with a Pass/NP final grade, please refer to the Course Grading section of this syllabus for the assignment requirements and/or point value required to earn a Passing final grade.

The full policy statement and procedures are published in the Policy Directory.

Liberty University comprises a network of students, alumni, faculty, staff and supporters that together form a Christian community based upon the truth of the Bible. This truth defines our foundational principles, from our Doctrinal Statement to the Code of Honor. These principles irrevocably align Liberty University’s operational procedures with the long tradition of university culture, which remains distinctively Christian, designed to preserve and advance truth. Our desire is to create a safe, comfortable environment within our community of learning, and we extend our academic and spiritual resources to all of our students with the goal of fostering academic maturity, spiritual growth and character development.

Communities are predicated on shared values and goals. The Code of Honor, an expression of the values from which our Doctrinal Statement was born, defines the fundamental principles by which our community exists. At the core of this code lie two essential concepts: a belief in the significance of all individuals, and a reliance on the existence of objective truth.

While we acknowledge that some may disagree with various elements of the Code of Honor, we maintain the expectation that our students will commit to respect and uphold the Code while enrolled at Liberty University.

Adherence to the principles and concepts established within facilitates the success of our students and strengthens the Liberty community.

The Code of Honor can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.liberty.edu/students/honor-code/.