Western Civilization to 1715

History 101, Section 1

Instructor: Mr. Gough (Rhymes with Cough)

Office: Wilson 352

Office Hours: MWF 1-2

 

I.Course Description:

The purpose of this course is to trace  the  social, economic, cultural, and  political development of European  Civilization from the ancient Greeks to  the beginning of the Enlightenment.  I shall divide the course into three roughly-equal sections: Ancient, Mediæval, and Early Modern.

 

II. Examinations and Grading

There will be two hour-examinations and an hour-long final during the course of the semester. Essay questions worth 75 of the 100 points will be given out one full week in advance of the test. On the day of the test, you will give me your essays. They should be no more than four, double-spaced pages in 12-point type and with 1-inch margins. The objective portion of the examination will consist of 5 (of 6) identifications. Id questions will come from lists given out to you periodically. The objective parts of the tests must be written in blue books.

All writing should be your own, unless clearly indicated by quotation marks and references. I encourage you to study together and to share ideas, but the sharing should stop when it comes to the actual expression of your ideas on paper. The penalty for plagiarism is an "F" for the course and a letter to the Dean of Students.

 

III. Required Book:

Jackson J. Spielvogel: Western Civilization, Volume I: To 1715.

IV.  Final Examination:

           Friday, May 8, 13:00

 

 

Syllabus

        Week of January 12

                                Mon. Introduction

Wed. The Ancient Empires of the Middle East

Fri. The Early Greeks

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 2; Chapter 3 through p. 62.

              Week of January 19

Mon. Holiday

Wed. Sparta and Athens

Fri. Greek Culture: Literature and Art

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 3 from p. 62

            Week of January 26

Mon. Greek Culture: Philosophy and Science

Wed. Alexander the Great and His Successors [Video Presentation]

Fri. The Hellenistic World

                    Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 4

             Week of February 2

Mon. Roman Republic

Wed. Roman Expansion

Fri. Fall of the Roman Republic

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 5

            Week of February 9

Mon. Roman Life and Culture

Wed. The Roman Empire

Fri. Romans, Christians, and Barbarians

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 6

            Week of February 16

Mon. Holiday

Wed. First Examination

Fri. Islam, Byzantium, and the German Kingdoms

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 7

            Week of February 23

Mon. The Mediæval Church

Wed. The Northern Frontier

Fri. Agriculture, Feudalism, and Germanic Law The Crusades

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 8

            Week of March 2

Mon. Mediæval Cities

Wed. Vitality of City Life: Clocks, Cathedrals, Universities

Fri. The High Mediæval Church

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 9

            Week of March 9

Mon. Crusades and Heretics

Wed. Feudal Kingdoms of the North

Fri. [Video: Black Death]

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 10

            Week of March 23

Mon. Crises of the Fourteenth Century

Wed. Responses to the Crises of the Fourteenth Century

Fri. Mediæval Commerce

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 11

            Week of March 30

Mon. Second Examination Printing and its Impact

Wed. Renaissance I [Kenneth Clark]

Fri. Renaissance II

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 12

            Week of April 6

Mon. Renaissance III

Wed. The Reformation I

Fri. The Reformation II

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 13

            Week of April 13

Mon. The Reformation III

Wed. European Expansion I

Fri. European Expansion II

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 14

            Week of April 20

Mon. The Thirty Years’ War

Wed. The English Civil War

Fri. Absolutism

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 15

            Week of April 27

Mon. Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Wed. The Scientific Revolution I

Fri. The Scientific Revolution II

Read: Spielvogel: Chapter 16