History 175: An Introduction

This course was one of the first courses at the University of Maryland that depended on a web-based syllabus. Initially--about ten years ago--this was an experiment. Now, of course, web-based materials are routine in many courses. But each application of new technology requires the user to adapt to its particular form and style. Therefore you are strongly advised at the beginning of the semester to acquaint yourself with this web syllabus. Take a look at the various elements: the schedule (the "home page"), the weekly "Explorations" (pages with readings, external links, and assignments), and supplemental materials.

Each week during the semester you must consult the Web syllabus, not only to check the lecture titles and reading assignments, but especially to check out the Exploration links. These will give you weekly instructions on how to use the Web to pursue the course topics for that week and to prepare for your discussion sections. You are encouraged to look over these links the first time you check the Web syllabus at the beginning of the semester, but it is important to remember that the exploration pages may change, so you will need to make sure you have the right assignments each week.

Sometimes the assignments will be quite specific. There are many readings for this course that you will be expected to get off the Web, following the links provided you. You are encouraged to print out the most important sections of these assignments--you will find this of particular value when exam time rolls around.

Often assignments will be less specific--these are assignments that encourage you to explore directions that appeal to your own curiosity and sense of adventure. These more open-ended assignments are no less important than the specific ones, and you will be asked in discussion sections to share with fellow students and your section leader the results of your explorations.

You will be asked to provide written reports on these explorations, answers to questions given in the weekly Exploration page, or information about the content and value of your explorations. You must learn how to keep track of these--make bookmarks often, copy pages to files, print out useful texts and pictures. Your use of the Web for the course should produce a "portfolio" of useful materials that you will be able to produce for inspection at any time during the course. This is an important part of your participation/section grade for this course. Your section leader will provide you with more details on the portfolio requirements. Remember above all that the portfolio is one of your primary learning tools -- use it.

Finally--a word of caution: The World Wide Web is a very exciting and powerful learning tool, but the Web is also a complicated medium, subject to abuse, failure, and misunderstanding, like all new communications tools. Be alert not only to the possibilities of this new medium, but also to its challenges and dangers. Much material on the Web is, well, junk. The ease of access to this material is matched only by the ease of publication--anyone can put just about anything on the Web, and claim anything they wish for it. There is no one to stop them. This is glorious, to be sure, but it means that we cannot depend on librarians, editors, professors, or anyone else to separate out the useful and credible from the foul or idiotic -or just dubious. CAVEAT LECTOR--which is Latin for "Let the reader beware."

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