This page contains the information for HST266 – WWI: The War to End All Wars – at Anna Maria College.
I. EXCERPTS FROM THE SYLLABUS
A. CONTACT INFO
College Email: jlimanek@annamaria.edu
Personal Email: proflimanek@gmail.com
B. TEXTS:
Required: 1) John Keegan, The First World War, Penguin Random House LLC, ISBN 9780375700453
2) Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front, Ballantine Books, ISBN 9780449213940
C. ASSIGNMENTS:
Exams:
To make the content more manageable, the course will be divided into four sections. For each section, there will be one exam given upon completion. Each exam will only contain material from the preceding section. Meaning, none of the exams will be cumulative.
• Exams #1, #2, & #3 will each count as 15% of your final grade.
• Exam #4 (final) will count as 35%
The exams will be multi-faceted, consisting of matching, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-essay questions. All students enrolled in the course must be present on the day of the exams to receive full credit. Penalties may be applied for all work not completed when assigned (10 points for every “class” day until it is completed).
Research Paper:
Additionally, there will be a short college-level research paper (approximately 6-8 pages in length), which will count as 20% of your grade. For grading procedures, please refer to the “paper” section of my website for the specific details of this assignment. The paper will be due on the second to last week of class. It will be submitted via email – no hard copies will be accepted. Topics for your paper are due by the third week of class. This may be submitted via email, but final approval will occur during class. Penalties will be imposed if either is late without prior approval by the professor. The professor also reserves the right to fail any paper suspected of being generated by AI technology.
Extra Credit:
There are three ways for all students to earn extra credit throughout the term.
#1 Quizzes – There MAY be pop quizzes randomly given throughout the term. You must be present to receive credit. No make-ups for missed quizzes will be offered because quizzes are graded as extra credit.
#2 Homework – Homework assignments will be given throughout the term. Typically these involve answering the chapter review questions from within your textbook or reader. Grades for these assignments will be counted as quiz points.
#3 Additional Written Assignments – Opportunities for extra written assignments may be offered if deemed appropriate.
All extra credit points will be totaled and added to your current average throughout the term. The impact of these points are significant – for every five points earned, your average will increase by one point. By the conclusion of the term, most classes will have the opportunity to add as much as two grade points if all extra credit work is completed in proper fashion.
D. ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Attendance:
You are required to come to class on time every scheduled meeting. However, there may be times when situations arise which are beyond your control. With that in mind, I will allow you to miss FOUR classes per term without penalty. You will be penalized 3 points off of your final average for each absence over the allowed limit.
For example, if you miss SIX classes, 6 points will be deducted from your final grade. So, hypothetically, a B of 85 will become a C+ of 79.
NOTE: While I do my best to keep an accurate tabulation of attendance throughout the term, any penalty incurred for missing more classes than allowed will not be deducted until your final average in totaled.
On the other hand, you will receive a bonus of 3 points if you are actively present for every scheduled class session. This too will be added to your final average.
Due to the constraints of missing too many classes, YOU WILL FAIL THIS COURSE if you miss more than EIGHT scheduled meetings.
NOTE: because I allow you to miss FOUR classes without penalty, there will be no “excused” absences granted under any circumstance unless you are granted a medical leave of absence from the college or you are involved in a college-related event (ex. away game; nursing practical, etc) . So, be sure to use your absences wisely.
It is your responsibility to see if you missed anything. Be sure to check with either me or your classmates after class to find out any important info you may have missed. Due to time constraints, you must schedule an appointment with me to review any missed notes. NOTE: if your absences results in you missing a quiz, you will not be granted a makeup because a) quizzes in almost every class amount to extra-credit points and b) I typically review the answers when the quizzes are collected.
Attendance – Tardies
Please arrive on time. I almost always begin the moment your class is scheduled to start. As you will see, several things occur at the start of class: a) I will check attendance, b) I give a quiz, c) I will present items of importance to the class such as exam dates or assignments, and/or d) I will review the major points from the previous session.
Generally, no penalty will be applied if you arrive to class late. The only time you will receive a penalty is if your tardiness is habitual. If you are frequently late, you will first receive a personal warning. Thereafter, every two tardies will count as an absence.
If you are late, it is your responsibility to check-in at the conclusion of class to ensure that your presence was noted. If you fail to do so, you may be marked absent. It is also your responsibility to see if you missed anything. Be sure to check with either me or your classmates after class to find out any important info you may have missed. Due to time constraints, you must schedule an appointment with me to review any missed notes (same as if you were absent). NOTE: if miss you tardiness causes you to miss a quiz, you will not be granted a makeup because a) quizzes in almost every class amount to extra-credit points and b) I typically review the answers when the quizzes are collected.
E. COURSE OUTLINES:
Topic I – Introduction
Topic II – Road to War
Topic III – War Begins
Topic IV – 1914
Topic V – Eastern Front
Topic VI – 1915
Topic VII – Shift to Global War
Topic VIII – 1916
Topic IX – US Entry into War
Topic X – 1917-1918 in West
Topic XI – Peace of Paris