Download Hst 101: Western Civilization

Hst 101: Western Civilization I
Catalogue Description: HST 101 HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (4).
Baccalaureate Core Course. Provides an awareness and understanding of the Western cultural
heritage. Stresses the major ideas and developments that have been of primary importance in
shaping the Western tradition. Covers the Ancient World to 1000 A.D. HST 101, HST 102 and
HST 103 need not be taken in sequence.
Course Credits: 4 (4 class hours/week)
Prerequisites, Co-requisites, and Enforced Prerequisites: None
Course Content:
The course traces the history of the ancient Near Eastern and European civilizations from the
Neolithic Revolution to the end of the early Middle Ages (roughly 4000 BCE to 1000 CE). It
explores the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel; classical and Hellenistic Greece;
Republican and Imperial Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire in the West; and the successor
states of the early Middle Ages. Topics include the rise of monotheism, ancient democracy, the
Hellenistic legacy, Islam and feudalism.
Western Culture in the Baccalaureate Core Curriculum:
Knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Western culture are essential to a liberal
education. Contemporary U.S. society in all its institutional, social, and cultural complexity is
largely a product of Western culture. Understanding of Western culture and knowledge of its
origin and evolution enable students to develop greater awareness of its past, present, and future.
Student Learning Outcomes:
In completing this course students will
o demonstrate understanding of the development of ancient and medieval civilizations and
their permanent contribution to the modern world;
o describe and analyze the political, artistic, religious, and philosophical components of the
European heritage.
Skill Objectives:
In completing this course students will
o demonstrate an understanding of the historian’s craft;
o dissect primary sources and appraise their validity;
o differentiate the relationship between fact, opinion, and argument;
o make historical arguments marshaling evidence from primary textual sources;
o learn to write an analytical essay.
1
Evaluation of Student Performance:
Students will demonstrate learning through:
o Mid-term examination (20%)
o Factual identifications and 30-minute essay
o Essay (20%)
o 4-5 page typed, double-spaced essay on assigned topic
o Term paper (30%)
o 8-10 page typed, double-spaced research paper on topic of student’s own
choosing.
Project consists of three installments:
 Research Proposal and Tentative Bibliography
 First Draft
 Final, Revised Draft
o Final examination (30%)
o Factual identifications, short 20-minute essay, long 40-minute essay
Note on Writing Component
As participants in a four-credit course, students should expect a significant amount of writing. In
addition to in-class essay examinations, students will produce two examples of formal academic
writing: (1) a 4-5 page essay on an assigned topic and (2) an 8-10 page research paper. Students
will circulate their essays and papers for peer review and subsequent revision. In preparing the
term paper, students will submit a proposal and tentative bibliography, a first-draft subject to
review, and a final draft.
Learning Resources:
The following texts are required for the course:
Perry, Chase, Jacob, von Laue. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics and Society. 8th ed.
Plato. The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin)
Augustine. Confessions (Penguin)
Rogers, Perry. Aspects of Western Civilization. Sixth edition. [Primary Sources]
Statement Regarding Students with Disabilities:
“Accomodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Services for Students
with Disabilities (SSD). Students with accommodations approved through SSD are responsible
for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the
term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but
who have not yet obtained approval through SSD should contact SSD immediately at 373-4098.”
Link to Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct:
http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm
Weekly Outline of Readings, Assignments, and Examinations:
Weeks 1 and 2. Early Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel
Perry et al. 5-46
2
Rogers, Part I, The Foundations of Civilization
Research Proposal and Tentative Bibliography
Weeks 3 and 4. Classical and Hellenistic Greece
Perry et al. 49-113
Plato, The Last Days of Socrates
Rogers, Part II, The Greek World
Essay Due
Weeks 5 and 6. The Roman Republic
Perry et al. 116-165
Midterm Examination (scheduled during the fifth week)
Week 7. The Roman Empire
Rogers, Part III, The Roman World
Week 8. The Rise of Christianity
Perry et al. 168-190
Augustine, Confessions, Books 1-9
First Draft of Term Paper Due
Week 9. Early Mediaeval Europe, Feudalism, and the Manorial System
Perry et al. 206-221
Rogers, Part IV, The Medieval World (The Viking Onslaught, Feudalism)
Week10. The Byzantine Empire and Islam
Perry et al. 195-206; 'The Art of the Ancient World and the Middle Ages' (inset)
Rogers, Part IV, The Medieval World (Byzantine Foundations, Islamic Science)
Final Draft of Term Paper Due
Final Examination
3