Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

World History to 1500 C.E. (Online)

HIST 1500-30I

Course: HIST 1500-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: History, Sociology & Anthro
CRN: 32538

Course Description

This survey examines the political, social, cultural, economic, religious, scientific, and intellectual influences on the development of world civilizations to 1500 C.E. The emphasis is global, comparative, and multicultural. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Required Texts

Jeremy Adelman, et al., Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, concise ed. (Norton 2024).  ISBN. 9781324069669

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the General Education Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement, students will be able to: 
(1) Examine institutions and human behavior through social and behavioral concepts, methods, or theories; 
(2) Identify diverse perspectives to explore and examine social and behavioral phenomena; and 
(3) Apply discipline-relevant and scientific theories and methods to make inferences about or applications to social and behavioral phenomena at personal, institutional, or cultural levels.

 For more information about SUU’s General Education Program, see: https://catalog.suu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=28&poid=10745

Course Requirements

Course Procedure and Grade Formula

Firstly, three tutorials indicated in Models must be taken within the first three weeks of courses opening.  Secondly, a chapter from the course e-book is assigned for reading.  After reading a chapter, two assignments must be completed:  a) chapter quiz, and b) either a primary source exercise or a map exercise.  Through the course of the semester, at least three primary source quizzes must be taken. For this course, we study chapters 1 through 11.  Students need to answer only the exercises for ten chapters of their choice.  No extra-credit is given for completing all eleven chapters or their individual assignments.

Two Major exams are interspersed among the chapter assignments.  Major exam I  is scheduled after exercises in chapters 1-3 are completed, Major exam IIc after chapters 9-11 exercises are finished and the "Components assignment."  Major exams are weighted at 100 points each with possible bonus points.  These exams are mandatory; failure to answer an exam incurs a 15 point penalty.

Before taking Major test IIc, complete the assignment titled "Components of a College Essay."  This project does not require writing an essay, but students will conduct the preparatory work for writing an essay with peer-reviewed sources.  Set aside plenty of time to conduct research and write proficiently.

Possible points to be earned are:  10 chapter quizzes X 25 points (250), 10 map and/or primary source quizzes (10 X 00 = 100; at least 3 primary source quizzes), two Major exams (100 X 2 = 200), and the Component assignment (100 points).  Another 30 points can be earned by taking the tutorials.   Total points used to calculate final grades is 680. 

Letter grades are derived from percentage scores on assignments; 93% and above constitutes an 'A,' 90 to 92.9% an 'A-,' and so on.  Disregard Canvas's grade percentage.  Canvas does not account for extra credit points; I do not use it to tabulate your grades.  Students in college are expected to have the math skills to calculate their own grades at any juncture in the course schedule. See this page for grade calculation during the semester. 

Course Outline

Week 1: Introduction to World History
Weeks 2-3: Rivers, Cities and First States, 3500-2000 BCE
Week 4: Nomads, Territorial States, and Microsocieties, 2000-1200 BCE
Week 5: First empires, 1250-325 BCE
Week 6: Worlds Turned Inside Out, 1000-325 BCE
Week 7: Shrinking the Afro-Eurasian World, 350-100 BCE
Week 8: Han Dynasty China and Roman Republic/Empire, 300 BCE-300 CE
Week 9: The Rise of Universalizing Religions, 300-600 CE
Week 10: New Empires and Common Cultures, 600-1000 CE
Week 11: The Islamic World, 600-1300 CE
Week 12: Becoming "the World,"  1000-1300 CE
Weeks 13-14: Crises and Recovery in Eurasia, 1300-1500 CE
*All titles, except for week 11, copied from Worlds Together/Worlds Apart

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Make-Up and Extra-Credit work:  Any assignment may be completed before its due date; this is a self-paced course.  However, extensions will not be granted after an assignment is due, except in exceptional cases.   Do not ask for an extension simply because you overlooked a due date or had an unexpected change in your schedule.  Plan ahead.  In almost all cases, when a student requests an extension before a deadline, it is granted; just do not wait until after a deadline expecting extra time.  There is no make-up or extra-credit work besides the extra points in all assignments. 

Attendance Policy

Student Responsibilities

Professionalism and Respect:  One of the principal goals of university education is to prepare students for professional careers.  As part of this transition to professional life, personal demeanor and conduct will play an important role in creating a suitable atmosphere for teaching and learning.  All members of this class – instructors and students alike – should use courteous and respectful language in all communications, written and oral, as befits professional interaction.  This is especially necessary for this digital age, where communication is virtually instantaneous.  Slangy abbreviations, "SMS" language/"textese," and disregard for fundamental grammar are inappropriate in a professional context in all communications.  [Adapted from Prof. David Lunt]  Professional behavior includes proper salutations for all communications, including e-mails. They should begin with a greeting such as: “Dear Dr. Bostick” or “Hello Prof. Bostick,” not with a question first or with a “Hey, . . . .”  All correspondence must be conducted through Canvas (for record-keeping), not through my campus e-mail

Attendance:  Not evaluated     Required Extra Co-curricular Activities:  None

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.