WESTERN CIVILIZATION    Fall 2012

Syllabus

Textbooks:

Coffin and Stacey (eds.) Western Civilization, 17th ed. (2011) [abbrev. as WC]

  • ISBN: 978-0-393-93482-3

Brophy and Cole (eds.) Perspectives from the Past, Vol. 1, 5th ed. (2012) [abbrev. as PP]

  • IBSN: 978-0-393-93287-4

 

Grading:
The class will be graded on a 600-point scale. By keeping your own record, you can track your performance over the term. The points will break down in the following spread:
 
 
Because this class is graded solely on a point system, I should emphasize that EVERY POINT is quite valuable. To that end, I highly recommend that you make every effort to garner as many points as possible. This means not skipping a Response Paper and participating in the Discussions.
 
Assignment   Points   % grade   Due Date
Response Papers A-I  

90

(10 points each)

   15%   Discussion Fridays
Exam Unit #1   100   16.6%   October 12
Exam Unit #2   100   16.6%   November 9
Essay   100   16.6%   December10
Final Exam   150   25%   December 14
Participation   60   10%   every day

 

 

Response Paper:           Due Discussion Fridays

On certain Fridays you will turn in a 1½-2 page Response Paper (RP). The purpose of the RP is to confirm that you have engaged the primary sources and help you think through the readings by answering questions found in the textbook. As you begin the assigned readings for the week, think upon the themes we discuss in class, as well as information from the lecture and textbook. The primary sources should ground your argument and be referenced in your RP by using drop-down footnotes in order to save space. You may refer to your papers during Discussion Friday as we talk about the texts and issues. Specific texts for the RP are located after the Class Schedule and are also available on the class web-page at iSiS

 

Essay:                                DUE December 10 (in class)

The Essay is due the last day of class during our review. Instructions for this assignment can be found after the Class Schedule.

 

 Schedule:

Week 1

Introduction

Readings Assignment

Sept. 5

Introduction to the Class

 

Go buy the textbook and examine the class syllabus online.

Read: WC Preface

Sept. 7
  1. Neolithic and the Sumerians

WC 2-15

PP 13-24: Epic of Gilgamesh

Week 2:

Early Civilizations

 

Sept. 10
  1. Empires in Mesopotamia

WC 16-21

PP 24-29: Code of Hammurabi

Sept. 12
  1. Ancient Egypt

WC 22-35

PP 32-38: Instruction of Ptah-Hotep

online map of Ancient Egypt:

Ancient Egypt

Sept. 14

 

Discussion A

RP-A DUE

Week 3:

Peoples, Gods and Empires

 

Sept. 17
  1. Late Bronze Age Aegean

WC 37-52

PP 43-46; 49-51 Letter from Hittite Queen

Sept. 19
  1. Assyrian Cruelty and Persian Sagacity

WC 52-71

PP 57-64: Annals of Ashurnasirpal and Herodotus

Sept. 21

 

Discussion B

RP-B DUE

Week 4:

Greece 1000-400 BCE

 

Sept. 24
  1. The formation of the polis

WC 72-90

PP: 77-78; 85-91: Spartan Society and Values

Sept. 26
  1. The Golden Age of Pericles

WC 90-105

PP 105-113, Thucydides, Peloponnesian War

Sept. 28

 

Discussion C

RP-C DUE

Week 5:

Greek World Expands

 

Oct. 1
  1. The Rise of Macedonia

WC 107-122

PP 138-144: Aristotle, Politics and Plutarch on Alex

Oct. 3
  1. Alexander the Great

WC 122-137

PP 149-155 Stoicism

Oct. 5

 

Discussion D

RP-D DUE

Week 6:

Ancient Rome

 

Oct. 8

 

Columbus Day

No Class

Oct. 10
  1. Augustan Rome

WC 159-172

PP 156-161: The XII Tables

Oct. 12

UNIT #1 EXAM

 

 

Week 7:

Rome’s Heirs

 

Oct. 15
  1. Byzantium and Islam

WC 207-228

PP 220-235 Procopius, Secret History and Qur'an

Oct. 17
  1. Charlemagne

WC 223-239

PP 248-252: “Life of Charlemagne”

Oct. 19

 

Discussion E

RP-E DUE

Week 8:

Expansion of Europe

 

Oct. 22
  1. The Investiture Controversy

WC 241-260

PP 253-261: "Letter to Bishop Hermann"

Oct. 24
  1. Crusades

WC 260-273

PP 274-284: Account of First Crusade or Arabic Account

Oct. 26

 

Discussion F

RP-F DUE

Week 9:

Consolidation of Europe

 

Oct. 29

 

 Hurricane Sandy

Classes Cancelled

Oct. 31
  1. Papal Imperialism

WC 275-296

PP 318-320: Papal Bull Unam Sanctum

Nov. 2

 
  1. What is Gothic?

WC 296-309

PP 307-313: Aquinas, Summa Theologica

 

Week 10:

Crisis, Unrest and Opportunity

 

Nov. 5
  1. Crises of the  14th century

WC 311-326

PP 321-327: Boccaccio, Decameron

 

Nov. 7

 Discussion G

WC 329-345

RP-G DUE + Decameron

Nov. 9 

UNIT 2 EXAM

 

 

Week 11:

Commerce, Conquest and Colonization

 

Nov. 12

 

 Veteran's Day

No Class

Nov. 14

 Writing Workshop

Please review some of the Writing Guides I have put up on the class website:

Writing Guides

Nov. 16
  1. Mediterranean Colonialism

 

WC 358-371

PP 376-383: Voyage to Africa

 

Week 12:

Thanksgiving

 

Nov. 19

21. Machiavelli

 

WC 373-383

PP 405-9: Machiavelli, Prince

 

Nov. 21

Thanksgiving Recess

No Class

Nov. 23

Thanksgiving Recess

No Class

Week 13

Renaissance

 
Nov. 26 22. Machiavelli and Renaissance Art

WC 373-383

PP 405-9: Machiavelli, Prince
Nov. 28 Discussion H RP-H DUE

Nov. 30
  1. Reformation

WC 399-413

PP 420-425: Luther, “Large Catechism”

Week 14:

Age of Dissent

 
Dec. 3
  1. Counter- Reformation

WC 413-424

PP 438-441: Loyola, Spiritual Exercises

      445-448: Life of Teresa of Avila
Dec. 5 Discussion I RP-I DUE

Dec. 7
  1. Absolutism and Patriarchy

WC 457-474

PP 486-494: Bodin, On Sovereignty

Week 15

End of it All?

 

Dec. 10

REVIEW

 Essay DUE

FINALS

 

 

 

FINAL

 

Section 201

Dec. 14, 3-5 PM in Coburn 109

FINAL

Section 202

Dec. 13, 8-10 AM in Coburn 109