HISTORY 1300:
WESTERN CIVILIZATION I

First Summer Term 2004, MTuWThF at 10:00 am, HH 128

TEACHER
John Howe
Office: 143 Holden Hall
Office Hours: MTuWThF 12:00-12:30; MTu 1:30-3:00 pm; and by appointment
Telephone: 742-1004 ext 233; 806 438-1321
E-Mail: john.howe@ttu.edu
Web: http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/howe
Fax:  806 742-1060
 

PURPOSES OF THE COURSE
To acquire a general knowledge of Western Civilization from its origins to the mid seventeenth century: its great leaders and innovators; its forms of political organization; and its artistic literary, philosophical and religious achievements. To learn the origins of our contemporary civilization. To acquire self-knowledge through increased understanding of peoples and cultures different from, yet related to, our own.


COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Required Texts
Joseph R. Mitchell and Helen Buss Mitchell, Taking Sides:  Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Western Civilization.  Guilford CT:  Dushkin / McGraw Hill, 2000.
Jackson R. Spielvogel.  Western Civilization.  Vol. I:  To 1715. 5th ed. Belmont CA:  Wadsworth:  Thompson Learning, 2003.
Also required is a set of documents to be taken from the WEB. Their URLs are electronically linked to the WEB version of this syllabus. Print these a few days in advance. Last minute consultations can be thwarted by server or network problems.

Required Reading
Specific reading assignments for each class are listed in the "Reading and Lecture Schedule," just ahead and to the right of the lecture date by which they should be completed. Each assignment is the subject of the following lecture or discussion. Read so that you arrive in class prepared to explain, praise, criticize, and question. The assignments are manageable if read on schedule, but quickly become overwhelming if neglected.

Class Attendance
Success in this course requires regular attendance. In the classroom difficult reading assignments are interpreted and contextualized; additional subject matter is introduced; and audio-visual materials are used. Summer school classes move so rapidly that absences are especially damaging. You should not be enrolled if you cannot attend 80% of the scheduled classes (i.e., do not miss more than four classes).

Examinations
Hour-long midterm tests are scheduled for Friday June 11 and Wednesday June 22. Each will include multiple-choice questions, identifications, a single essay (to be selected from two or more choices), and perhaps map work. If, for good reason, a test is missed, a make-up test may be taken at 2:30-3:30 pm on Thursday, July 1. Students receiving a grade below "C" on a midterm should meet with the teacher to discuss it (this will be part of the class participation grade). The final examination, Saturday July 3 at 8:00-10:30, will feature multiple-choice and identification questions on the material covered since the second midterm, and several essay questions (to be chosen out of six or more alternative questions) covering the material of the entire course.  Bring blue books for the final.

GRADING
The course grade will be computed as follows: 40% from the midterm tests (that is, 20% from each); 10% from a documentary source analysis; 10% from class participation; and 40% from the final.  The class participation grade is computed on the basis of attendance, class preparation, and class contributions by dividing students up at the end of the semester into three groups: 1) outstanding; 2) generally average; and 3) significantly below acceptable standards. In computing the course grade, the first group gets the class participation component credited as an `A'; the second group has these points dropped out (so they neither help nor hurt); and the third group has them credited as an `F'.

NECESSARY ACCOMMODATIONS
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible so that the necessary accommodations can be made.

READING AND LECTURE SCHEDULE

W June  2  Introduction / Humans before Civilization 

Th June 3  Civilization Arises / Mesopotamian Civilization

F June  4   Egyptian Civilization

M June 7   The Hebrews / Near Eastern Empires

[M June 7  Last day to drop a course and to get a full refund]

Tu June 8  Greek Civilization

W June 9   Classical Greece / Greek History, Drama, Games, Art

Th June 10 Greek Philosophy / Daily Life

F June 11  Test No. 1 / Alexander

M June 14  The Hellenistic World / The Rise of Rome

Tu June 15 The End of the Roman Republic / The Principate

W June 16  Christianity and the Later Roman Empire

Th June 17 The Heirs of Rome: the Latin West, the Greek East, and Islam

[Th June 17 Last day to declare Pass/Fail, to drop a course, or to receive a grade of W for courses dropped.]

F June  18  Carolingian Empire / Birth of Europe

M June 21  Western European Civilization Develops

Tu June 22  12th-Century Renaissance / Rise of Universities / Medieval Architecture

W June 23  Test No. 2 /  The Birth of the State in Medieval Europe

Th June 24  Later Middle Ages

F June 25   Italian Renaissance

M June 28  Northern Renaissance / Luther

Tu June 29  Religious Reformation

[Tu June 29 Last Chance to drop a course, transfer between colleges, or withdraw from the University]

W June 30  Europe and the World

Th July 1     The Nations, Economy, and Culture of Early Modern Europe

[Th Jul 1, 2:30-3:30    Make-Up Exam ]

F Jul 3 at 8:00-10:30  FINAL EXAMINATION