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 Development
of Western Civilization I.
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Summer I, 2000 Dr. Edmund Abaka MTWRF
(8:30a.m. -9:55 a.m) Office
Hours: Mondays and
Wednesdays 11:40 a.m. -12:40 p.m. COURSE
DESCRIPTION This
is a lecture and readings course beginning with the evolution of the
human species and paying attention to the origins of civilized life in
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Crete, Greece, and Rome.
The accomplishments of the Egyptians will be dealt with more
fully than is usual in a survey of this kind.
The reason for this will
become apparent as the semester unfolds.
Following the decline of the Roman Empire in the fifth century,
we will examine the emergence of Feudalism culminating in the beginnings
of European civilization. The
major monotheistic religions that emerged in this time period - Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam - will receive the attention they deserve. At
appropriate junctures, we will look at the role of archaeology and some
of the 19th and 20th century
archaeologists, linguists, and historians, who brought the
accomplishments and wonders of the ancient world to light.
They include Jean-François Champollion, Sir Henry Rawlinson, Howard
Carter, Lord Carnavon, Heinrich Schliemann,
Sir Arthur Evans, Michael Ventris, and others. The lectures
should be supplemented with information from the assigned textbooks. Success
in this course depends to a large extent upon the following: 1.
A
lively curiosity about what happened in the past 2.
Regular
class attendance and careful note-taking 3.
Conscientious
reading of the text and the assigned chapters. REQUIRED
BOOKS Textbook:
Greaves, Zaller, and Roberts,
Western Civilizations, vol 1 (New York: Longman)
McKay , Hill and Butler
A History of Western Society vol.
I Essays:
William Hughes (ed.), Western Civilization. Vol. 1
IMPORTANT
DATES: First
Day of Class…………………………………….Wednesday,
May 17 Memorial
Day Holiday………………………………..Monday,
May 29 Mid-Term
Examination………………………………Wednesday,
June 7 Term
Paper……………………………………………Monday,
June 12 Classes
end……………………………………………..Wednesday June
23 Reading
day……………………………………………..Thursday, June
24 Final
Examination ……………………………………Friday,
June 23 ( MM 215) CLASS
PROCEDURES Prior
to each lecture a list of IDs will be put on the blackboard, or
projected onto a screen. These
serve as an outline of the upcoming lecture and also as a guide for
review purposes. Students
are well-advised to begin each class by copying the ID’s. ATTENDANCE
POLICY In
a survey course as broad as this one, attendance is important.
A missed lecture can cost you a half century, a century, or more
of history. Should you be
unable to attend a lecture for good reason, find someone in class who
will allow you to copy his/her notes. If, after doing this, you have any questions, do not hesitate
to contact me for help. Attendance
will be taken at the beginning of each class.
Consistent absences can result in a student being deleted from
the class roll. U.M.
HONOR CODE All
students in History 131 are expected to abide by the University of Miami
Honor Code. Copies of the
Code are available from the offices of the College of Arts and Sciences
on the second floor of the Ashe Administration Building. GRADING First
exam
30% EXAMINATION
FORMAT In
order to receive a grade in this course a student must take the two
examinations and hand in a paper. The
examinations will take the following format: Part
I - Essay:
This will be a general question relating to what you have learned so far
from the lectures and the reading.
Students should use their best English prose style.
Write complete sentences and do not list or abbreviate. Part
II: Historical Paragraphs:
Students will select two out of three questions to be answered in an
informative paragraph. Experience
has shown that a good paragraph requires at least three-quarters of a
page in the Examination Bluebook. FINAL
EXAM The
final exam covers the entire course, but with an emphasis upon material
covered since the first exam. TOPICS
The
course will cover the following topics: 1.
History
and Human Beginnings Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 1-6 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 3-6 2.
Agriculture
and Social Developments in the Neolithic Age Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 7-11 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 6-10 3.
The
Advent of “Civilization” Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 11-13 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1. “ The Earliest Civilizations” pp. 4-5
4.
Mesopotamia
- Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 15-22 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 10-20; 47-58 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1. “Grisly Assyrian Record,” pp. 21-23; 24-27. 5.
Egypt Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 23-26 McKay ,
Hill and Butler, A History of
Western Society. pp. 20-40 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1 “Hatshepsut”; “ Lost Tomb” pp. 6-15; 6.
Greece Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 44-60; 70-96 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 3-6; 62-101; 104-130 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1 “Classical Tradition”; “Games for Boys and Girls”;
“Martial Republics”; “Athenian Democracy”; “Herodutus” pp.
28-47; 52-87 7.
Athens Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 60-68 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1 pp. 48-51. 8.
Rome Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 97-122; 149-173 McKay, Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 134-200 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1 “Democrary”; “Friends & Romans”pp.
73- 9.
The
Roman Empire and Christianity Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 123-148 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 200-216 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1, “Judeo-Christian Heritage”; “Women and
the Bible”;
“Feminism?”; pp. 88-119. 10.
Feudalism and the beginnings of European civilization Greaves, Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations of the West. pp. 174-294 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 242 ff. Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1 pp. 169-173 11.
Islam and Judaism Greaves,
Zaller and Roberts, Civilizations
of the West. pp. 181-205 McKay , Hill and Butler, A History of Western Society. pp. 230-237 Hughes, Western
Civilization vol 1 “Moslems & Byzantines”; “World of
Islam”; TERM
PAPERS (4-5 pages) *May
be preceded by short presentations 5-10 minutes each. No late papers
will be accepted. 1.
The
contribution of Islam to the development of Western Civilization 2.
Judaism
and Western Civilization 3.
The
development of agriculture as an economic activity 4.
Humankind
and the environment in ancient times 5.
Technological
developments of the ancient period. 6.
Women
in the Ancient Near East 7.
Women
in Egypt 8.
Women
in Greece and Rome 9.
The
Origin and Development of the Olympic Games to the 5th
Century 10.
Leisure in Greece and Rome 11.
The Epic of Gilgamesh 12.
Sports in Ancient Greece 13.
Athenian Democracy 14.
Impact of Alexander the Great on Egypt or Alexander and the Hellenic
World 15.
Tiglath Pilesser III 16.
The Significance of Rivers in the Development of the Ancient Near East 17.
Hannibal and Rome 18.
Religion in Ancient Egypt 19.
The Code of Hammurabi and its relevance to the development of the Legal
System of the Ancient Near East 20.
Slavery in Greece 21.
Slavery in Rome 22.
The Akkadians 23.
Carthage, Phoenicia and Trade in the Mediterranean region 24.
The Pyramids of Egypt 25.
Babylon 26.
Constantine and the Rise of Christianity 27.
Paul and Christianity 28.
Solon 29.
Minoan Civilization 30.
The Sphinx of Egypt 31.
The Punic Wars 32.
Alcohol in the Ancient Near East 33.
Greek Religion *
Use no less than three books excluding the required text. Use the
internet as well but remember that downloading information without
crediting the "source" amounts to plagiarism.
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