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History 126 World Civilizations

Instructor: Liu Yang

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Zoom⁠

Student Drop-In: Wednesdays 9:30-10:00 PM (EVENING) and by appointment

Email: lyang@pierce.ctc.edu (please prioritize Canvas message for a prompter response)

📜 Course Description

HIS 126 examines the growth and development of various civilizations from the Stone Age to 900 AD. Emphasis is on political, economic, religious, and cultural similarities and differences among these civilizations.

🗝 Credit: 5

🧭Dates: January 5 to March 19

💻 Format: Asynchronous

100% online with NO required face-to-face or Zoom meetings. Zoom support is available and optional.

🎯Learning Outcomes

1. Identify and analyze the pivotal developments in selected civilizations.

2. Explain the chief components (religious, economic, political, etc.) of the cultures of selected states.

3. Analyze the interconnections (social, gender, artistic, intellectual, religious, etc.) among different historical movements, changes, and trends.

4. Identify the major problems confronting selected civilizations.

5. Draw conclusions from history, discussing long-lasting trends and their possible impact on current and future developments.

6. Compare and contrast the major cultural realms of the ancient and medieval world.

7. Analyze the position in the world today of nations that are heirs to ancient and medieval civilizations.

8. Discuss the impact on selected ancient and medieval cultures on the world.

9. Explain the most valuable lessons drawn from the analysis of selected ancient and medieval civilizations.

📽️About Your Instructor (her heart and soul in teaching)

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📚 Readings

We use Open Education Resources (OER) in this course, which means the textbook is free of cost to all students. You can also continue to access our textbook after our course has concluded. The following link is for your reference. You will see the required chapters embedded in our Canvas course once it’s published by January 5.

John McLean,

Early World Civilizations⁠

, Lumen Learning

📅 Course Schedule

View of Schedule

View of Schedule

Name

Dates

Type

Topic

📒Week 1

1/5/2026

📒Week 2

1/12/2026

📒Week 3

1/19/2026

📒Week 4

1/26/2026

📒Week 5

2/2/2026

📒Week 6

2/9/2026

📒Week 7

2/16/2026

📒Week 8

2/23/2026

📒Week 9

3/2/2026

📒Week 10

3/9/2026

📒Week 11

3/16/2026

✏️Final Project

3/19/2026

There are no rows in this table

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🏆 Grading

Breakdown

Introduction activity: 3%

Participation: 17%

Reading Activities: 30%

Discussion: 35%

Midterm: 5%

Final Project: 10%

Scale

A 95%-100% 4.0

A- 90%-94% 3.5-3.9

B+ 87%-89% 3.2-3.4

B 84%-86% 2.9-3.1

B- 80%-83% 2.5-2.8

C+ 77%-79% 2.2-2.4

C 74%-76% 1.9-2.1

C- 70%-73% 1.5-1.8

D+ 67%-69% 1.2-1.4

D 65%-66% 1.0-1.1

F < 65% 0

🧧Extra Credit Opportunities

Extra credit opportunities are embedded in the first seven weeks to encourage your sharing of personal history and experiences. They could potentially boost your grade and enrich the learning experience for the whole class.

📋Policies

🖥️ Assignment Submission

Please turn in all assignments by the due dates in Canvas

⏰ Late Assignments

I understand late assignments often result from us juggling too much at once. Therefore, the weekly assignments usually allow work up to 24 hours late. Please try your best to be on time with the weekly discussions to allow you the opportunity to engage in collective learning with your group and the entire class. The final project will be published up to two weeks before the deadline and as a result, does not allow late submission.

If foreseen or unforeseen circumstances prevent you from completing an assignment on time, you may request an extension or a make-up using the “life happens” coupon. The coupon allows you to turn in work up to five days late without a late work penalty. Each student is afforded ONE coupon for the entire course. If you find yourself in a position of falling behind and may need more make-up opportunities, please reach out via Canvas message. I promise to try my utmost to support you.

📝 Academic Integrity

Online learning is ideal for cultivating original thoughts. Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words deprives you of the right to share your insight and your classmates the opportunity to learn from you. Please familiarize yourself with plagiarism in our

campus policies⁠

. If I have questions or concerns about possible violations of this policy on your end, I will reach out to request a meeting to discuss this policy in detail.

Usage of AI deprives you of the opportunity to share your voice and authentic work. Please trust your human work instead of AI-generated writing/video, which is heartless. The only exception to the AI ban is if you wish to use AI-generated images in your presentation that do not negatively impact the meaning and overall quality of your work. I welcome a conversation about AI and promise to be open-minded about it as I also use it in my life (such as the images you saw in my “heart and soul teaching video” above.)

🖱️ Blank Post Policy

This is an extension of the Academic Integrity Policy provided above. I want you to be successful. While success is a very abstract term, in history and many other social science disciplines, it translates into developing and refining your own critical thinking skills. When you intentionally submit a blank post, it gives you access to other people’s posts before you formulate your thoughts, which impedes your ability to independently think and prevents your classmates from being able to learn from you and your unique perspective.

⌨️ Netiquette

Respect differences in opinions: you don’t have to agree but please express your disagreement in a respectful way.

Be kind in our languages and how we communicate.

Have an open attitude towards people, culture, and values that are different from yours.

Incendiary remarks or any denigrating comments against race, gender, nationality socioeconomic status, etc. will not be tolerated in this course.

📜Syllabus Change Policy

Except for changes that substantially affect the implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.

📑 Student Rights

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Academic Freedom⁠

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Due Process⁠

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🔖 Student Responsibilities

Complete the required reading in the digital textbook each week

Fulfill all assignment and discussion requirements according to the deadlines

Communicate respectfully and timely

🧰 Instructor Responsibilities

Reply to Canvas messages within 24 hours (except weekends and holidays and personal emergencies )

Grade within a week (if unable to do so, communicate via announcements)

Be professional and helpful by offering constructive feedback on discussions and projects

Be respectful of every student

Check-in with you if I see signs of struggling with this course

⚖️College Statements

Equity and Inclusion Statement

Pierce College values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to fostering mutual respect and full participation for all students. My goal is to create a learning environment that is equitable, inclusive, and welcoming. If you have or think you may have a disability that may affect your work in this class and feel you need accommodations, contact Access and Disability Services at ADS@pierce.ctc.edu or (253) 912-3606 to see if you are eligible to receive services.

If you are already approved for accommodations through the ADS, have requested your accommodations for this quarter, and would like to use your accommodations in my class please connect with me during my drop-in hour or schedule an appointment to discuss your needs.

How I value and implement Equity and Inclusion in this course

Offer a wide arrange of materials that offer multiple perspectives about peoples and cultures

Reflect and explicitly label my positionalities and welcome your critique and opinions

Invite you to share lived experiences and your culture throughout the course

Faith and Conscience Accommodation Statement

Reasonable Accommodations for Faith/Conscience: Students who will be absent from or endure significant hardship in course activities due to reasons of faith or conscience may seek reasonable accommodations so that grades are not impacted. Such requests must be made in writing within the first two weeks of the beginning of the course. Students should review the

Accommodations for Faith/Conscience Policy ⁠

and follow the procedures.

Emergency Procedure

It is your responsibility to know and understand

emergency procedures⁠

. In the event of an emergency call 911 as soon as it is safe to do so, if possible also call Campus Safety at 253-444-0325.

Escorts - Safety escorts are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (not available at JBLM). Call Campus Safety at 253-444-0325.

Fire Alarm - During an emergency evacuation, take your valuables ONLY if it is safe to do so. You could put yourself or someone else at risk by delaying your exit. Plan to return to class once the alarm has stopped. Do not return until you have received an official all-clear.

Earthquake - DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON. Once the shaking stops, take your valuables and leave the building. Do not plan to return for the rest of the day. Do not return to the building until you have received an official all-clear.

Active Shooter - RUN, HIDE, FIGHT; run if possible, hide and/or barricade if escape is not possible, and fight as a last resort. Most classroom and lab doors are kept locked. If you decide to barricade in a classroom or lab know how to secure the door so it is locked. This may be done by pulling the door fully closed or by sliding the lock block and pulling the door closed. Know how the door locks ahead of time.

Campus Alerts - Sign up for

Pierce College emergency alerts⁠

on the College website.

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