requirements

HISTORY OF CHINESE CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONS
HISTORY 255
COURSE INFORMATION

History 255 Index l Getting Started on the Web I Syllabus I Requirements I Bibliography I Museum Field Trip I Cultural Project I Required Paper I Maps I Chronology I Websites I Videos and DVD's

Attendance
Office Hours
Textbooks
Library
Examinations
Grades on Subjective Questions
Grades on Objective Questions
Rules for Examinations
Examination Book
Research Paper
Book Review
Grading Criteria
Cultural Project
Your Final Grade

ATTENDANCE
NVCC is a state institution. The state and NVCC administrators require regular attendance in class--even if it is a Compressed Video class. Absences do occur, some excusable and some not. If you are absent more than six hours in succession you will be withdrawn from the course as of that date with the grade of "W". This action is reported to the Admissions and Records Office and the Dean of Students. When an absence of six hours is anticipated, the instructor should be notified so that the W/F will not be reported. When a student misses nine hours regardless of reason and succession of hours the instructor will withdraw the student. This a lot of "red tape" but it must be remembered that state and federally financed institutions are not at liberty to do as they please. Financial accountability is a constant concern for state citizens.
Withdrawal from this class is the responsibility of the student. Any student can withdraw from any course without penalty through the eighth week of the regular semester. After that date the student must have the approval of the class instructor. The student must do initiation of the procedure for obtaining the grade of "W". Any student who disappears and fails to withdraw will receive "F" as a final grade.

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OFFICE HOURS
All NVCC instructors have office hours. As soon as the class assignments have been stabilized for the Semester, I will post my scheduled office hours on my Contact Page. There will be communication available for students before and following each class. If you would like to meet with me in my office, it would be a wise procedure to make an appointment--sometimes three or four students will be waiting which places me under a bit of tension while trying to deal with student problems. Also, faculty serve on committees and are not always available. You will need to telephone me when you have problems relating to examinations or prolonged class absence. Please place the call to NVCC during any of my scheduled office hours (703-845-6357). If an emergency should develop, I do not mind you calling me at home--I have an answering machine (202-546-7510). NVCC will not give you my home telephone number. My e-mail address is jebraden@nvcc.edu

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TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks can be purchased at your Campus Bookstore. NVCC bookstores are open one night during the week after the first week, which means that it is difficult for students to purchase books after the first week. Non-NVCC students will need to check for bookstore hours at their Campus Bookstore.

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LIBRARY
The NVCC Library of the Alexandria Campus is located on the second floor of the Bisdorf Building. Check at your library circulation desk for library hours. Assigned reading material not fund in the text will be placed on Closed Reserve and kept at the Library Circulation Desk. Closed Reserve permits maximum student accessibility to limited material. Closed Reserve audio-visual material must be used in the Library.
The NVCC Library Catalog and many other indexes and databases are available on the NVCC Libraries Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.nvcc.edu/library... There is also an online library tutorial on the Home Page which provides instruction and practice in the use of library resources. Librarians are available to assist you at the Reference Desk. An NVCC student Id/library card is required to borrow materials.

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EXAMINATIONS
During the semester you will be expected to complete two examinations. The first examination will be taken during the eighth week of the semester and will cover all class lectures, discussions, library assignments, handouts, and textbook material dealing with material covered during the first seven weeks. The second examination covers the next several weeks of study and will be taken during the final week of the semester.
Each examination contains at least three sections (multiple choice questions, identification items, essays, short answer questions, etc.). All grades received are equal when calculating the final grade. For example, the grade of "B" on the essay is equal to the grade of "B" received on multiple choice or identification items. At the end of the semester all grades will be converted to their mathematical equivalents and divided by the number of grades received.

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GRADES ON SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
The general essay OR essays on each exam will be taken from examples provided on your study guide. You have your essay from the first day--think about the topic and know what you intend to write before you arrive in the testing situation. If you wish to discuss certain aspects of an essay prior to the exam, your instructor is available before and after each class session or telephone the office during scheduled office hours. My e-mail is jebraden@nvcc.edu
Generally, on the essay, "A" is excellent (you know and understand the material and have shown in your work considerable understanding of the concepts and interpretation of the subject matter under consideration); "B" indicates good work (understanding and interpretation at a high level); "C" indicates fair work (understanding and interpretation in little evidence, but with a knowledge of the material); "D" is not a failing mark, it means only that the work under consideration is poor.

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GRADES ON OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
The multiple choice questions are designed to test your general understanding of classroom lectures and discussions, reading of the textbook and library materials, and your ability to reach conclusions when dealing with several known factors. Grades on the multiple choice sections are "scaled" in relation to the highest score obtained by an individual student on a particular exam (i.e., highest score (42), 90% of 42 -- "A", etc.).

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RULES FOR THE EXAMINATION

1. No notes
2. No books
3. No helpful friends

Always check to see if you have placed your name on the examination book, the test, and the answer sheet.

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EXAMINATION BOOK
You will need two examination books, two Scantron Sheets, and one No. 2 lead pencil. which can be purchased, These items can be purchased at the Alexandria Campus Bookstore.

Do not place your name on the Examination Book. You will not use the Examination Book that you purchased--it will be exchanged for another.

ABOUT THE EXAMINATIONS--REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE TWO EXAMS, ONE PAPER, AND TWO PROJECTS. IF YOU DO NOT ACHIEVE THE DESIRED MARK ON YOUR FIRST EXAM, YOU STILL HAVE STILL HAVE MORE THAN AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN AN EXCELLENT GRADE.

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RESEARCH PAPER
If you elected to complete a paper an individual consultation with your instructor should be scheduled before the end of the FOURTH week. The paper must be turned in to your instructor the TWELFTH week of the semester.
Papers not conforming to approved form will lose points. Style will follow the proposed procedures for footnoting and bibliography suggested in Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations or any other acceptable college style manual. Information on how to document material from electronic sources may be found at "Best of the Web" on the NVCC Libraries Home Page; select "Citing Electronic Sources"
All papers must be computer generated or typewritten with reasonably dark print, a heavier weight paper, double-spaced, no less than six pages nor more than ten pages, proof-read without a disfiguring number of corrections on any given page.
Content of the paper must reveal evidence of analytical and critical consideration of the topic and sources. Your sources must include books, periodical articles, and Internet sources.

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BOOK REVIEWS
A student may choose to write a book reviews rather than a research paper. Any book considered for review by a student must have the prior approval by the instructor. Generally, the form of the book review is as follows:

I. Who the author is or was (consult standard biographical reference works in the library). This is to be answered in a few comprehensive sentences. For example:

Jonathan Spence is a Sterling Professor of History at Yale University. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1965. Professor Spence has written many books on China including such works as The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci, The Gate of Heavenly Peach, The Death of Woman Wang, and The Search for Modern China

II. What was the author's objective in writing the volume? This information is usually found in the Forward or Preface of the book.

III. What materials did the author used in writing the book? Check the Bibliography for Primary and Secondary Source works. Do you know the difference between primary and secondary sources?

IV. Write a general survey of the content of the book. This section should not be more than five pages of the report.

V. Your personal opinion of the book and why; you must support your opinion by evidence taken from the content of the book.

All book reviews must be computer-generated or typewritten with reasonably dark print on heavier paper, double-spaced, no less than six pages, proof-read without a disfiguring number of corrections on any given page.

All book reviews must be turned in to the instructor by the fourteenth week of the semester.

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Field and Cultural Project
As indicated in the NVCC catalogue, this course sequence is a survey of civilization. Each student is urged to investigate some aspect of the social structure of the civilization under consideration. The Field project might include a trip to the Islamic Mosque, Sackler Gallery, Metropolitan Museum, Walters Art Gallery, etc.

Tje Cultural Project must deal with some aspect of daily life (food, marriage, children, funerals, etc.) You would be advised to undertake the field and cultural projects in the field of your greatest interest and discuss your selection with your instructor. A full report of the projects will be made on the final examination.
The Field and Cultural Projects are worth 25 points of the final grade.

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GRADING CRITERIA, IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE, FOR BOOK REVIEWS AND PAPERS

1. Command of material

2. Ability to think originally

3. Clarity (if you can't say it, you don't know it.

4. Interest

5. Ability to write English

The written project is 20 points of the final grade.

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FINAL GRADE REPORT TO A&R
The final grade will be calculated from three activities--the two examinations (50 points), the Museum and Cultural projects (20 points), the written project (20 points)). The other 10 points will be earned in response to Blackboard Questions, Attendance, Lectures, Video reports, etc. All students are required to complete the two examinations and the projects in order to receive a grade.

A student, given extenuating circumstances, can be given an "I." Please note that an "I" must be completed prior to the end of the next semester. For example, an "I" received at the end of the Fall Semester must be completed prior to the end of the Spring Semester. There is a college form that must be signed by both the teacher and the student before the letter "I" can be given.

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