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Spring Arbor University
HIS 121 History of Civilization I, Section 1
Instructor: Dr. Mark Correll
Fall 2010
Tel: x1317
POL 305 MWF 1:10-2:30
email: [email protected]
Office Hours: MWF 11:10-12:00 (Walk and Talk), 12:00-1:00, 4:00-4:30
TR between 11:00-12:30 by appointment
Course Objective: To give participating students an understanding of the development of
the modern world through a study of human civilization up to A.D. 1500. Students in
this course will be expected to learn first the major events, figures, and chronology of the
time period then they will be expected to find the motivations of change in this period
through the eras symbols and ideals and, finally, they will be expected to discover how
our own perceptions of our present world are based upon the historical events of the past.
Required Texts:
Peter N. Stearns. World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity. Vol
I: to 1450, 7th Edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010.
Augustine, The Confessions. New York: Penguin Classics, 1961
Mirusaki Shikibu. The Tale of Genji. New York: Penguin Classics, 2006.
Grading:
Attendance and Participation: 15%
Modern World and the Ancient: 15%
Project: 25%
Mid-term Exams: 25%
Final Exam: 20%
Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend class for every lecture and
discussion and to be up to date in their reading. Any missed classes should be notified to
the professor with a documented excuse – illness, family emergency, government or legal
responsibility, etc. In order to check progress quizzes will be periodically given that will
test basic participation with class materials. The lowest of every four will be dropped.
So if 6 quizzes are given 2 are dropped, etc.
How the Modern World Views the Ancient Presentation: Each student will find a partner
and provide a 10 minute review of a movie, television, or other popular media
interpretation of the past. Feel free to include film clips, pictures, web sites or other
materials and pictures. Here’s a tip on your review, they’re never very good at detailing
life as it was in the past, but each is specifically chosen to give an image and have a
present image. Fantasy films that are set in a medieval like society are also acceptable.
Have fun with the presentation. The dates for the presentation projects will be chosen on
September 13. The best projects will not only discuss what how the modern misstates the
history of the ancient, but also why these inaccuracies are present, and why the creators
have decided to use the ancient world to tell their story.
Choose one of the three following projects, each project is due by 11:59pm on
November 23. Please submit as an email attachment. I am happy to check work earlier
than the date it is due and to give feedback.
Lecture Project:
Each student is expected to construct a linear lecture of a theme that spans significant
portions of the course materials times and cultures. Three example lectures are given by
the professor, urban vs. nomadic cultures, science and healthcare, and warfare and
weaponry. These lectures will be created in PowerPoint with extensive notes,
comparable to a 1 hour 20 minute lecture. These notes may be given in note form, but
should have enough to fill 4 pages single spaced on Microsoft Word or an equivalent
word processor. They are to be drawn on broader outside academic materials (I strongly
discourage google-search research!). Some other topic possibilities are scripts or
handwriting, literacy, metallurgy, diet, animal or plant husbandry, etc. Be creative! Top
marks will be given to those students who are creative in their methods and who draw on
academic books and articles (plan to use interlibrary loan). Normal rules concerning
plagiarism continue here so find a way to adequately cite sources for your notes. A
bibliography must be attached with sources’ full citations. For citation examples, see the
required texts in the syllabus.
Primary Source Book Review:
You are reading two primary sources for the course. Use these class periods to get a
sense of how to critically read a piece of literature as a history text. Read another book
written before 1500 and write a 4 page double spaced review of the book. No more than
two pages should be used to describe the book. Be sure to include the book’s
significance to shaping world history, how it reflects the era in which it was written, what
purpose it served in its own age, and your own personal reactions to the book. If you
want excellent examples of what a critical review looks like, read the introductory
reviews to either Augustine or Shikibu.
Classic Research Paper:
Write a five page research paper on a subject of your choice before 1500. Your sources
must be academic sources (a minimum of four sources, please). For this paper please
use an academic citation method, MLA, APA, or Chicago are all acceptable. Students
are strongly encouraged to use subjects related to their major.
Tests: Two mid-term exams will be given on October 1 and November 3. These will be
full period exams with both multiple choice and essay elements.
Final Exam: The final exam will be in two portions. The first will be like the mid-term
tests and will not be cumulative only covering lectures from November 14 through the
end of the class. The second section will be a longer essay incorporating all three books
as well as the student’s choice of outside readings and the lectures.
On missing exams: Quizzes cannot be made up. If you have a documented excuse for a
quiz period your Attendance and Participation grades will be deduced by your remaining
quiz grades. If you miss an exam you may take it at another point with an excused
absence for full credit or with an unexcused absence with a 15% grade deduction. An
unexcused absence for the final will entail a 20% penalty. The exam schedule is already
posted for the final; schedule flights and travel plans around it.
Readings: Students are expected to have completed the readings assigned for that day by
class. On the day of the readings for Augustine and Shikibu the entire reading should be
finished. Begin early! Mortal humans cannot finish these books overnight. An extra
credit assignment based on Genji may be assigned later. You will be expected to speak
on what you read, and I will draw exam questions from the discussion in the course, so
make every effort to make the class.
Extra Credit Options: I may have periodic extra credit possibilities for seeing speakers or
events on campus where I would replace one of your quiz scores with a perfect score.
Plagiarism and cheating: Don’t do it. It is academic fraud. Plagiarism is the deliberate
use of someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge)
material without acknowledging its source. Plagiarism in this course is wholly
unacceptable. Any form of intentional plagiarism will result in a “U” for the course
based on the discretion of the Professor and the University department of Academic
Affairs. When in doubt, cite your work. Late work is always better than falsified work.
Finally, no grade is worth compromising your integrity.
I check all projects with turnitin.com or a comparable anti-plagiarism software. Material
that is taken from a website, book, journal, and not cited with a footnote is plagiarism.
Material that is taken word-for-word from another source without quotation marks is
plagiarism. Material taken word-for-word with quotation marks but is footnoted is not
actually plagiarism, but since it requires no work from you still mandates a “U” for the
project. Good research not only rewords other thinkers’ work, but processes it and puts it
into one’s own thinking and organization. If this is at all unclear, please consult with me.
Cell-phones and other electrical noise-making devices should be turned off before class
begins. I would prefer that you use a watch or some other form of clock instead of
checking cell-phones periodically in class. I reserve the right to reduce individual’s
participation grades if their cell-phones become regular nuisances. A note about laptops:
it has been my observation that most students do not make good use of laptops, so unless
you are extremely disciplined, my recommendation is to leave the laptops at home. I
reserve the right to ban laptops entirely for a course if I see them being a distraction to
your neighbors!
Grading: 93-100% A
90-92% A87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82% B77-79% C+
73-76% C
70-72% C67-69% D+
63-66% D
60-62% D0-59% U
A note about the schedule: I reserve the right to change lecture topics as necessary
through the course, but the dates for the readings and exams will remain as they are
printed here barring a major event that would close the school.
Course Schedule Main Topics
Introduction – When does History Begin? •
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Defining History and World Civilization Establishing a Starting Point: Writing The Work of the Historian: How is history before 1500 deduced o What sources are used o How those sources are interpreted Overview of Course The First Civilizations – Mesopotamia •
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Prehistory and Human Migration Map Analysis Geography as a Determinant of History: The Example of Sumer Urban Life in Ancient Mesopotamia Writing in Mesopotamia Basic History of Mesopotamian Civilizations o Sargon o Hammurabi o Abraham Importance of Mesopotamia as the first civilization The First Civilizations – Egypt •
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Egyptian Dating and Chronology The Mystery of Egypt – Why is it so fascinating o Hieroglyphics and Hermes Trismegistus o The Rosetta Stone o The Deciphering of Egyptian Hieroglyphs The Nile and the Egyptian Culture Map Analysis Comparing Egypt to Mesopotamia Religion and Politics in the Ancient World: 2 Examples o Amenemhet I o Akhenaten Linear Lecture 1: Nomadism vs. Settled Civilization •
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Explaining Linear Lectures: Studying one aspect through time in different regions of the world. Seeing Regions of the world as originators of conquerors or originators of cultures World Map Analysis Defining the “Barbarian” Nomads and Settled agriculturalists, rivalry and communication The Concept of the “Dark Age” Earliest Dark Ages: the movements of the Aryans, Sea Peoples, Hebrews, Gutians and Zhou Classical Migrations: the movements of the Persians, Goths and Scythians Post-­‐Classical Dark Ages (Better known as the European Dark Ages): the movements of the Goths, Vandals, Angles, Jutes, Saxons, Arabs, and Huns The Last Era of Invading Nomad: the movements of the Magyars, Vikings, Mongols, Turks, and Manchus The Product of Nomadism in World History The First Civilizations – India and Japan •
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Map Analysis The Harappan Civilization on the Indus Relic Analysis of Indian Civilization The Aryan Invasion •
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Gautama Buddha The Confucian interpretation of history Map Analysis of China The legendary history of China: the Hsia Dynasty The Shang Dynasty The Zhou Dynasty Relic Analysis of Indian Civilization The First Empire Age – Assyria and Babylon •
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Map Analysis Assyrian chronology Assyrian military and the origin of military strategy The Assyrian state and reorganization of peoples Assyrian iconography and art The rise of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar and the building of Babylon Babylon’s continued importance in the ancient Middle East Assyria and Babylon’s Role in the Bible Babylon as National Myth The First Empire Age – India •
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The Mauryan Empire and Asoka Map Analysis The Gupta Empire Cultural Developments during the Gupta Empire Understanding Buddhism and its Spread •
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The Four Noble Truths The Eight-­‐Fold Path The Life of Buddha The Transformation of Buddhism The First Empire Age – Persia •
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The Transition from the Ancient River Civilizations to the Classical World Persia’s Political History Map Analysis The Charisma of Cyrus the Great Darius and Xerxes Quest for Greece o The Battle of Marathon o The Battle of Thermopylae o Map and Battle Schematic Analysis The Demise of Persia The Classical World – The Rise of Greece •
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Map Analysis Greece’s Early Development o The Minoan Age o The Mycenoan Age o Greek Dark Ages and Homer The Development of the Polis o The Example of Athens o The Example of Sparta o Social Life The Peloponnesian Wars •
o The Tension of Athens: The Democratic Empire The Endurance of Greek Political Models The Classical World – Hellenistic Thought •
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Greek Culture and Competition Pre-­‐Socratic Philosophy Socratic and Aristotelian Philosophy The Classical World – Alexander •
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Alexander’s Biography The Conquests of Alexander Map Analysis Alexander’s Death and the division of the empire Hellenistic empires’ governance The Classical World – The Post-­‐Alexandrian Hellenistic Empires •
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Government after Alexander Social Roles in the Hellenistic Empires Religion, Philosophy and Learning in the Hellenistic Empires Art and Performance in the Hellenistic Age Comparing the Art of Classical Greece to the Hellenistic Age Linear Lecture 2: Science and Healthcare •
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Delimiting Eras of Scientific Development The Magical Period: Science in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China & Mesoamerica The Philosophical Period: Science in Greece, China, and Rome The Mystical Period: Science in the Arab World, China and Europe The Scientific Revolution The Classical World – China •
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Uniting China: The Qin Empire Chinese Philosophy: Confucianism, Legalism and Others The Han Empire Map Analysis Linear Lecture 3: Warfare and Weaponry •
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The Origins of War 600-­‐200BC: The Development of Tactics 200BC-­‐AD200: The Sophistication of War AD200-­‐800: The advent of the mounted knight AD800-­‐1500: What was learned at the Crusades o The Battles of Hastings and Agincourt The Classical World – The Rise of Rome •
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Rome’s Legendary and Real History Republican Rome and the rivalry between the poor and the rich Punic Wars Transition from a Republic to an Empire Map Analysis Civil Wars Imperial Rome The Classical World – The Descent of Rome •
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Strengths and weaknesses of the Roman Empire The rise of the Christian Church in Rome •
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Barbarian Invasions Failed Reform and the Fall of the Roman Empire St. Augustine as a Transitional Figure The Breakup of the Empires – The European Dark Ages •
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The Blending of Barbarian and Roman Changing Christianity: Monasticism and Church Councils Map Analysis The Founding of barbarian states in Northern Europe The Breakup of the Empires – Muhammad •
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The Genesis of Islam and the Arab Empire The Life of Muhammad, revelation and the founding of Islam Muhammad’s Legacy The Breakup of the Empires – Byzantium and Kievan Rus •
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Byzantine Empire transitions into a medieval empire Map Analysis Foundation of Kievan Rus The Importance of a “Russian” self-­‐identity The Breakup of the Empires – China before the Mongols •
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Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties Map Analysis The difference between imperial and feudal government The Medieval World – The Islamic Caliphate •
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Islam after Muhammad the first four Caliphs Map Analysis The origin of the dynastic Caliphates, the Umayyad, Abassid, and Fatamid Dynasties The Split of Islam into Sunni and Shi’ite Factions The Formation of Al-­‐Andalus in Iberia The Medieval World – Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire •
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The myths and power of the Franks The life of Charlemagne Society and reform in Charlemagne’s Europe The Legacy of Charlemagne The Holy Roman Empire’s divide and the foundation of France and Germany Map Analysis The Medieval World – Pre Moghul India •
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Islam’s Introduction to India Enduring Conflicts between Muslims and Hindus The Medieval World – Monasticism, the University and the Crusades in Europe •
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Late Medieval Monastic Reforms The Foundation of Universities Crusades, trade and interaction with the Muslim World Map Analysis The Medieval World – The Agricultural Revolution and the Manor System •
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The system and problems of feudalism for historians The variations of the medieval state in Europe The manor system •
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Manor map analysis The Black Death Church controversies and schisms The Medieval World – Feudal Japan and the World of Mirusake Shikibu •
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Japan’s unique history and geography Map Analysis Japanese origin myth and religion Development of complex society and government Japanese social structure Women in Japan and their role in Japanese literature The Medieval World – The Mongols •
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The Rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongols The Civilization and Law of the Mongols Pax Mongolia Map Analysis Kublai Khan and the Khanates A World Apart – Mesoamerica •
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The culture and government of the Maya The culture and government of the Toltec The culture and government of the Aztec Map Analysis The culture and government of the Inca Map Analysis A World Apart – Sub-­‐Saharan Africa •
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Geography and the Formation of Sub-­‐Saharan Africa Map Analysis Egypt and Nubia’s Connection Map Analysis The Historical rise and significance of Aksum Map Analysis The rise of Ghana, Mali and the Muslim West Africa Map Analysis The Swahili states of southern Africa Transitions to a New World – Post-­‐Mongol Asia •
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The political history of the Ming dynasty The creation of the forbidden city Culture and art in the Ming dynasty Transitions to a New World – 1500 as Watershed •
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1500 as a new era in world history seeing major changes in: o Religion o Warfare and Weaponry o Art and Culture o Science and Medicine o World Connections Retrospective on World History o A look at connections and changes over history September 2010
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 Introduction:
When does
history begin?
11
12
13 Sumer &
Mesopotamia:
Stearns Part 1
Intro: Ch. 1 (1-16)
14
15 Egypt:
Stearns Ch. 2 part
1 (17-27)
16
17 Linear Lecture
1: Nomadism vs.
Urban Societies:
Stearns Ch. 3 (3544)
18
19
20 The origins of
the other
preliterate
ancient cultures
Stearns Ch. 2 Part
2 (27-34)
21
22 Arbor Games
Assyrian and
Neo-Babylonian
Empires,
Gilgamesh
Tablets IX-XI
23
24 Post-Aryan
India,
Stearns Ch. 5 (7189 Bhagavad
Gita Excerpt)
25
26
27 Understanding
Buddhism and its
Spread
28
29 Medo-Persian
Empire
Stearns Intro Part
II (45-48)
30
October 2010
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1 Exam 1
2
3
4 Ascent of
Greece
Stearns Ch. 6 Part
1 (91-103),
Hercules
5
6 Hellenistic
Thought, Hesiod:
Lines 11.116-210
11.453-506 11.617744, 11.886-929t
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8 Alexander:
Stearns Ch. 6 Part
2 (103-113)
9
10
11 The PostAlexandrian
World:
Maccabees
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13 Linear Lecture
2: Science and
Healthcare
14
15 Classical
China
Stearns 50-72
Confucius: read
two sets of
excerpts on jen,
junzi, li yüeh
16
17
18 Linear
Lecture 3:
Warfare and
Weaponry
19
20 The Ascent of
Rome
21
22 Fall Break: No
Class
23
24
25 The Descent
of Rome
Stearns
Conclusion Part II
(115-134)
26
27 Augustine, The
Confessions
28
29 The Western
Dark Ages
Stearns Intro Part
III (135-139)
30
November 2010
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
31
1 Catch Up Date,
Test Review
2
3 Exam 2
4
5 Mohammed
and the Origins of
Islam
Stearns Ch. 8
(140-162)
6
7
8 Byzantium and
Kievan Rus
Stearns Ch. 11
(186-200)
9
10 China before
the Mongols
Stearns Ch. 13
(221-239)
11
12 The Caliphates
and the Split of
Islam.
13
14
15 Charlemagne
and the Holy
Roman Empire
Stearns Ch. 12
(201-219)
16
17 Pre-Moghul
India
Stearns Ch. 9
(163-172)
18
19 Monasticism,
the University in
Europe, and the
Crusades, The
Monastic Rules
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21
22 The
Agricultural
Revolution and
the Feudal
System
23 Projects Due
11:59pm
24 No Class:
Thanksgiving
25
26 No Class:
Thanksgiving
27
28
29 Feudal Japan
and the World of
Mirasaki Shikibu
Tale of Genji
30
December 2010
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1 The Mongols,
Stearns Ch. 15
(251-262)
2
3 Pre-Columbian
America,
Stearns Ch. 14
(241-250)
4
5
6 Africa
Stearns Ch. 10
(173-185)
7
8 Post-Mongol
Asia
9
10 Catch Up
Date
11
12
13 1500 as a
turning point in
history
14
15
16 Final Exam
Section 1
3:30-5:30 Final
Exam Section 2
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31