HIST 130: The Fall of Communism Spring Part 1: Course information. Department of History/College of Arts and Letters

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1 Department of History/College of Arts and Letters HIST 130: The Fall of Communism Spring 2018 Part 1: Course information Time and place: 100% online via SacCT. Instructor information Instructor: Aaron J. Cohen, PhD Office: Tahoe 3092 Office Hours: MTW 4:30-5:30 pm or by appointment Office telephone: (916) Text messages: (916) Catalog description Causes and consequences of the dramatic transformations in the political, economic, and cultural life of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and China after Topics include "real-existing" socialism, Gorbachev and the revolutions of 1989, the emergence of China, impact on the non-socialist world, and implications for the future. Graded: Graded Student. Units: 3.0. Prerequisite: None. GE area: D (The Individual and Society). Course description The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the breakup of Soviet civilization have had tremendous effects on our lives. We cannot underestimate the significance of these changes for modern history and for our own understanding of our place in today's world. In this course, students will examine some of the background, causes, and consequences of the dramatic transformations in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia, and China. WARNING The instructor has devised this course to make your life and learning experience more convenient, interesting, and intellectually liberating, but some students California State University, Sacramento Page 1 of 11

2 find this format difficult. It assigns more reading to make up for the hours students do not spend in lecture. You should consider dropping if any or all the following apply: you are not disciplined enough to complete weekly assignments, have limited Internet access, find abstract concepts or detailed information difficult to learn, feel uncomfortable in a text-heavy teaching environment, are unwilling to try new things, or are taking this class only to fulfill a GE requirement and have no interest in the subject. Many students take this class and find that they are very successful as long as they contribute consistently, and the course is designed to allow for some missteps. A higher percentage of students, however, fail this course compared to a conventional lecture course because they cannot keep up the pace of assignments, so do not take this class if you must rely upon it to graduate. If you cannot fulfill expectations as described in this syllabus and on the class SacCT site, please drop this course NOW. Textbooks and course materials Required texts (please make sure to obtain the correct edition) 1. Ryszard Kapuściński. Imperium. Vintage, 1995: ISBN-13: Slavenka Drakulić. How We Survived Communism & Even Laughed. Harper, ISBN-13: Brian Hall. The Impossible Country: A Journey through the Last Days of Yugoslavia. Penguin, ISBN-13: Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power. Vintage, ISBN-13: Other readings: Other readings will be posted on SacCT (see listings on individual SacCT learning modules). Course technology requirements Internet connection (DSL, LAN, or cable connection desirable). Access to SacCT. You will use your SacLink account to login to the course from the SacCT login page ( To ensure that you are using a supported browser and have required plugins please run the Check Browser from your SacCT course. Course structure This course is delivered entirely online through SacCT; there are no class meetings or lectures of any kind. It is divided into weekly learning modules. Students will need to follow a chronological schedule and complete work every day to get the most out of the class. All handouts and assignments are distributed only via SacCT. Students have a responsibility to access them in a timely manner; the instructor will not be held responsible for any circumstances, technical or personal, that prevent access to course material. California State University, Sacramento Page 2 of 11

3 Part 2: Course objectives General course learning objectives Learn the history of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia, and China since Improve skills for professional development in the field of history, teaching, and related occupations. Class assignments will help students practice written communication, computing, and critical thinking necessary for professional and personal success regardless of major. Think about the world and the individual s place in society. Examine how persons of differing socio-economic status, religion, gender, and ethnic affiliation participated in and dealt with the end of communism. Specific course learning objectives will be given in each SacCT week. GE Area D learning outcomes Describe and evaluate ethical and social values in their historical and cultural contexts. Explain and apply the principles and methods of academic disciplines to the study of social and individual behavior. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of human diversity in human society, for example, race, ethnicity, class, age, ability/disability, sexual identity, gender and gender expression. Explain and critically examine social dynamics and issues in their historical and cultural contexts. Part 3: Course assignments Students will meet the objectives listed above through a combination of the following activities in this course. Details on rubrics, criteria for grading, and other assignment information are posted on the SacCT site. All times and deadlines are Pacific Time. Note that a late night due date for any assignment is defined as 3:00 AM Pacific Time the next morning, except when the system is shut down during SacCT server maintenance, daily from 4:00am-4:30am and weekly on Fridays from 12:01am-6:30am. I. Historical thinking and writing assessments Each module requires a short assessment of ten (10) randomized, multiple-choice questions worth one point each. These assessments will cover the historical thinking and writing material assigned in the course; some questions may be repeated from previous modules. Students must attempt each assessment only once before late night Tuesday of each module. Students must complete assessments in each module over the course of the term, but only the highest twelve (12) scores will be averaged into an overall assessment grade (i.e., the lowest will be dropped). California State University, Sacramento Page 3 of 11

4 II. Discussion board participation The discussion board participation activity consists of two parts: 1. Short answer (50% of discussion participation grade). Students must post a short answer on the appropriate discussion board to one (1) study question listed on the SacCT assignment page for each module. Short answers must be one or more paragraphs with at least 250 words, cite at least two different specific primary sources assigned for the module, mention specific historical examples, and use formal writing style (i.e., have grammar, punctuation, and spelling appropriate for university work). Short answers must be posted before late night Tuesday of each module. 2. Discussion (50% of discussion participation grade). Students must: Read all SacCT pages, assigned readings, and postings by other students Post at least one (1) individual question of any length about the topic. Individual questions must be posted before late night Tuesday of each module. Post at least one (1) follow-up response with significant content to another student. Students who post more often, with more engagement, and with more detailed references to assigned readings will receive higher scores. Responses may comment on a short answer to a study question or answer other students questions. These responses do not have to be written as formal papers, but they must as a group contain references to at least two (2) primary sources assigned for the module and mention specific historical examples that are different from the short answer. Follow-up responses must be posted before late night Friday (11:59 pm) of each module. Students must participate in each module over the course of the term, but only the highest twelve (12) scores will be averaged into an overall discussion board participation grade (i.e., the lowest will be dropped). III. Formal written essays There are two (2) formal written essays based on the discussion board study questions. The purpose of these essays is to practice using material learned in this class to answer questions that show what you have learned from this course. Details will be posted on the SacCT site. IV. Final written assignment There is one (1) final formal written essay assignment that is a summative paper. Details will be posted on the SacCT site. California State University, Sacramento Page 4 of 11

5 Part 4: Course schedule Readings and assignments are not listed here but on the relevant SacCT page. Module 1 (January 22 February 2): How this course works. Note: this module is a two-week module. Module 2 (February 3 - February 9): Communism in theory. Module 3 (February 10 - February 16): The Soviet Union. Module 4 (February 17 - February 23): Perestroika and glasnost. Module 5 (February 24 - March 2): The end of the Soviet Union. Module 6 (March 3 - March 9): Eastern Europe I. Module 7 (March 10 - March 16): Eastern Europe II. Essay 1 due by late night Saturday, March 17 in the online drop box. Late papers will receive a full grade penalty. Spring break. No online assignments. Module 8 (March 24 - March 30): The revolutions of Module 9 (March 31 - April 6): Yugoslavia. Module 10 (April 7 - April 13): Yugoslav socialism. Module 11 (April 14 - April 20): The Yugoslav wars. Module 12 (April 21 - April 27): The People s Republic of China Module 13 (April 28 - May 4): China after Mao. Module 14 (May 5 - May 11): Contemporary China. Essay 2 due before late night Saturday, May 12 in the online drop box. Late papers will receive a full grade penalty. Final assignment due before late night Wednesday, May 16 in the online drop box. Final deadline for late essays 1 and 2. No late papers accepted. Important policies: Course deadlines are enforced by SacCT and cannot be extended for any reason. Keep copies of all your work on a hard drive, flash drive, or paper in the event of computer malfunction or other technical problem. California State University, Sacramento Page 5 of 11

6 Part 5: Grading policy The final grade assigned for this course will be based on the average grade for each graded course activity. For each category except formal written essays, the lowest scores will be dropped from the average in each category (see table). Each graded course activity category will then be combined using this weighting: Graded course activities Percentage of course grade Late work Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines as there will be no make-ups or late work accepted for online work for any reason. Essays 1 and 2 may be turned in late before the end of the course with a full grade penalty. Viewing grades in SacCT Marks received for graded activities will be posted in the SacCT grade book. The instructor will update the online grades each time a grading session has been complete (typically 7 days after the completion of an activity). Letter grade assignment Assignment 15 Historical thinking and writing assessments (only highest 12 scores counted) 50 Discussion board participation (only highest 12 scores counted) 20 Formal written essays 15 Final written assignment All grades are computed and rounded by SacCT or Microsoft Excel. Grades for all work except quizzes are given as letter grades, calculated and averaged using a 12-point system (those not attempted receive 0): Letter grade earned Points used in calculation GPA equivalent Performance standard A Excellent work A Nearly excellent work B Very good work B Good work California State University, Sacramento Page 6 of 11

7 B Mostly good work C Above average work C Average work C Mostly average work D Below average work D Poor work D Very poor work F 1 or Failing work Grades for historical writing and thinking assessments are calculated on a decimal scale converted to a 12-point system (those not attempted receive 0): Percentage Points used in calculation Letter grade equivalent Performance standard A Excellent work A- Nearly excellent work B+ Very good work B Good work B- Mostly good work C+ Above average work C Average work C- Mostly average work D+ Below average work D Poor work D- Very poor work 59 and below 1 or 0 F Failing work Important note: For more information about grading at Sac State, visit the academic policies and grading section of the university catalog California State University, Sacramento Page 7 of 11

8 Part 6: Course policies Course expectations Students who take this course vary in their personal interests and knowledge of world cultures. All are welcome. This course is different in format from conventional lectures courses, so mistakes, confusion, and technical problems will challenge us. The instructor expects to be flexible and tolerant. Students must also be flexible and tolerant. Students must be ready to: Learn course material and complete assignments as mature individuals Post questions and contribute to online discussions several times per week (or daily) Use good netiquette: be respectful, cordial, and mindful of other students. Not take personally gentle reminders that may come from the instructor or fellow students Be patient with the instructor and other students Students have the responsibility to learn and to teach themselves using material provided by the instructor and other students. They must be willing to devote significant time to prepare for this course and participate online, including the hours normally spent in lecture in addition to other study time as needed. You will find this class difficult if you are not able to keep weekly deadlines for assignments or if you do not read and understand the posted web material or follow instructions. Contact the instructor early if you have any trouble understanding what is expected from you. The instructor will be ready to: Log on daily to follow discussion threads and respond to student questions Serve not as the Source of All Truth but as a guide for students as they teach themselves Remind students to participate fully in the online environment to enhance the quality of the online portion of the course Respond quickly to student inquiries and return course work in a timely manner (unless there are extenuating circumstances, in which case students will be informed) Be patient with students Build rapport If you find that you have any trouble keeping up with assignments or other aspects of the course, make sure you let your instructor know as early as possible. As you will find, building rapport and effective relationships are key to becoming an effective professional. Make sure that you are proactive in informing your instructor when difficulties arise during the semester so that we can help you find a solution. California State University, Sacramento Page 8 of 11

9 General online policies All students and the instructor in this class agree to abide by the following rule of online conduct: there will be no swearing, threats, insults, slurs, or intimidation directed at fellow students or the instructor, even in jest. Students who do not abide by this rule will receive one warning. After the second warning, the student may be barred from participating and receive an F for the course. Because SacCT is a closed system, only people registered in this class have access to the course. No personal data will be requested or stored without the written permission of the student. Questionnaires or surveys given to students will be anonymous and voluntary. Complete assignments All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through SacCT. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline. Extensions and makeups for online work will not be given under any circumstances, but to help students who have a temporary technical or other problem, the lowest grades will be dropped from each category of online work as described above. Late or missing assignments will impact the student s grade. Understand when you may drop this course It is the student s responsibility to understand when they need to consider disenrolling from a course. Refer to the Sac State Course Schedule for dates and deadlines for registration. After this period, a serious and compelling reason is required to drop from the course. Serious and compelling reasons includes: documented and significant change in work hours, leaving student unable to attend class, or documented and severe physical or mental illness or injury to the student or student s family. Incomplete policy Under emergency or special circumstances, students may petition for an incomplete grade. An incomplete will only be assigned if the final essay assignment is missed due to a pre-arranged or documented excused absence. All incomplete course assignments must be completed within one year. Inform your instructor of any accommodations needed If you have a documented disability and verification from the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD) and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact your instructor as soon as possible. It is the student s responsibility to provide documentation of disability to SSWD and meet with a SSWD counselor to request special accommodation before classes start. SSWD is located in Lassen Hall 1008 and can be contacted by phone at (916) 278- California State University, Sacramento Page 9 of 11

10 6955 (Voice) (916) (TDD only) or via at Technical assistance If you need technical assistance at any time during the course or to report a problem with SacCT you can: Visit the SacCT Student Resources Page Review SacCT Student Tutorials Visit the SacCT Student FAQ s Web Page Submit a SacCT Problem Form Part 7: Commit to integrity By taking this class you agree to abide by the guidelines described in this syllabus and on the academic honesty page available in module 1 on the SacCT site. Students must respect the intellectual property of others in this class. Make sure to cite sources of other people's ideas; do not pass them off as your own. Copying from other students, assigned course work, or outside web sites without quotation and attribution will be treated as plagiarism and dealt with according to university policy. Students who copy from other sources will be warned and receive an F for that assignment. On the second infraction, the student will receive an F for the course. Turnitin tool Formal written essays in this class are reviewed using the SacCT Turnitin tool for grading and originality check purposes. Consistent with Sacramento State s efforts to enhance student learning, foster honesty, and maintain integrity in our academic processes, instructors may use a tool called Turnitin to compare a student s work with multiple sources. The tool compares each student s work with an extensive database of prior publications and papers, providing links to possible matches and a "similarity score." The tool does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred or not. Instead, the instructor must make a complete assessment and judge the originality of the student s work. Students should submit essays to Turnitin assignments without identifying information included in the paper (e.g. name or student number), the system will automatically show this info to faculty in your course when viewing the submission, but the information will not be retained by Turnitin. California State University, Sacramento Page 10 of 11

11 Sac State's academic honesty policy & procedures The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to a community of scholars and teachers. California State University, Sacramento expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles, and in so doing, will protect the integrity of academic work and student grades. Read more about Sac State's Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures Definitions At Sac State, cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of any dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. At Sac State, plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or works belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of that person s contribution. Source: Sacramento State University Library Important Note: Any form of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, may be reported to the office of student affairs. Course policies and syllabus are subject to change. It is the student s responsibility to check SacCT for corrections or updates to the syllabus. Any changes will be posted in SacCT. California State University, Sacramento Page 11 of 11