World Foundation 101

Sister Charlotte Passe-Carlus

E-mail: passecarlusc@byui.edu
Office: Smith building 457
Telephone: (208) 496 4307
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:00 pm

Course material:
All the documents that we will use in this class will be available on the class
website, it also includes any information you need to know about the class
(syllabus, calendars, assignments...etc)

Course goals and objectives:

The purpose of this class is to study some of the most important world civilizations through history,
literature, art, philosophy and music. In other words, our purpose will be to study and try to
understand humanity, its aspirations and choices, and how they determined its history (from
the beginning of mankind to the Renaissance.)

Grade breakdown:
Class participation and reflection 10%
Oral evaluations 10%
Tests 60%
Papers 20%

Grading schema:
93.75 A
87.5 A-
81.25 B+
75 B
68.75 B-
62.5 C-
56.25 C
50 C-
43.75 D+
37.5 D
31.25 D-
25 F

Class participation and attendance:

You have to come to class every day. A lot of what you are supposed to learn will happen in class and
you will be tested on the knowledge acquired during class, so it is essential for you to be present. Also,
you will be graded on your participation, which also requires your presence in class.
However, if, for some good, understandable reason, you do need to be absent, just tell me in advance
or write me an e-mail.

(FYI: « I have a 103°F temperature » is a good reason, « My former missionary companion is getting
married » or « My family is visiting me, and we are going to Yellowstone for a long weekend » are not
good reasons)

At the end of each week you will be given a grade out of 10 for your class work and participation
during that week. Any unjustified absence means that you don’t get any point for that day, in other
words, you lose 5 points for each day you are absent. And you lose 2 points for each day you arrive late
in class (after I called the roll) or leave early.

Nota Bene: you are not allowed to open your phone or computer during class, unless advised
otherwise by the teacher.

Oral Evaluations:
At the beginning of each class, one or two students will be randomly chosen to answer a few questions
about the last lesson or the readings and documents that had to be studied for that day. You will be
graded on the quality of your answers.

Tests:
The tests will be about the content of the course (typically, one test at the end of each “chapter”), their
purpose is to assess the knowledge that you have acquired in class. They will take about 45 minutes
and will take place in class.
You have to be in class the day of the test. No make-up test will be allowed.

Papers:
You will have to write 2 papers, one for mid-term and a second one at the end of the semester (as a
final). The purpose of these papers will be to evaluate your capacity to use what you have learned in
class and to combine spiritual and secular knowledge to develop a personal reflection. The topic of
the paper will be in the calendar.
The papers will have to be a minimum of 2 pages long, double-space.

Extra credit:
If there is a topic in the program that we will cover this semester that is of particular interest to you,
you have the possibility to do further research about it and prepare a PowerPoint to present the result of
your research. This will be counted as extra credit for your final grade (if your PowerPoint presentation
shows quality work and research, of course). If you are interested in doing this research, make sure you
first present your project to your teacher so that you both agree on your topic. The PowerPoint should
contain at least 12 slides and be sent through email to the teacher any time during the semester, but no
later than the last day of class.

Please note that your grades will be put regularly on the class website, thus enabling you to keep track
of your progression.

Honor Code
The instructors fully support the CES Honor Code and expect all students to be familiar with it and support it in every way.

Students with Disabilities

In compliance with applicable disability law, qualified students with a disability may be entitled to “reasonable accommodation.” It is the
studentʼs responsibility to disclose to the teacher any special need she/he may have before the end of the first week of class.