History 111 Fall 2002 Syllabus

History 111 (section 3)
Europe to 1715
Fall 2002
James Blair Hall 223
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11:00-11:50

Ronald Schechter
James Blair Hall 334
Phone: 221-1443
Email: rbsche@wm.edu
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 2-3
or by appointment

DESCRIPTION
History 111 (section 3) is an introduction to European history from antiquity to the beginning of the eighteenth century. Since the features most frequently identified with European civilization originated not in Europe, but in Asia and Africa, we will begin with an examination of the Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Hebrews. We will then move to Greece and Rome, where the cultural precedents of the first civilizations were adopted and modified and a style known subsequently as "western" gradually developed, though geographically the new civilizations extended to Asia and Africa by means of trade and empire. Following the midterm examination we will examine the Middle Ages, with attention to both the changes and continuities from the ancient world. We will then concentrate on the Renaissance, again with a critical perspective on the extent to which the period in question marked a break from preceding centuries. Next we will examine the religious ferment of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and discuss the connections between religious reform and the larger movement known as humanism. In the final weeks of the course we will consider such "early modern" phenomena as the development of the state, the Scientific Revolution, the effervescence of political philosophy, the "discovery," persecution and enslavement of peoples in Africa and America and the shifting balance of power among European states.

GOALS
It is hoped that students will leave this course with:

1. an understanding of the principal tensions that have characterized Western civilization (though are not necessarily unique to it) from antiquity to the early eighteenth century, especially the conflicts between rulers and ruled, advocates of "civilization" and perceived carriers of "barbarism," secular and religious leaders, as well as the ideological and philosophical tensions between the ideas of justice and injustice, freedom and slavery, mind and body, orthodoxy and heresy, and sacred and profane

2. an understanding, through intensive work with primary sources, of the "stuff" of history and the multiplicity of ways in which historians can interpret it

3. an appreciation of the various subfields of the historical discipline, including political, social, economic, cultural, intellectual, gender, and religious history and the history of science and art, and the ways in which they contribute to an understanding of the periods and cultures treated in this course

4. neither an attitude of naïve celebration nor a categorical rejection of Western civilization, but a recognition of the ways in which it has formed institutions, ideas, assumptions and conflicts that are still with us

READINGS

You are not required to purchase any books. All readings will be on-line. Just click on the appropriate links below.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE PROPORTIONS

I. A MIDTERM EXAMINATION will be given in class on Wednesday October 9. It will consist of a single essay, chosen by the instructor from a list of four. For the list and further instructions on preparing for the exam see the Midterm Examination Study Guide. The midterm exam will count for 20% of your final grade.

II. A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT "DISCOVERY" AND ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT, described in the Document "Discovery" and Analysis Assignment Guide, is due on Friday December 6, though you should plan on working on it throughout the semester. It will count for 35% of your final grade.

III. A FINAL EXAMINATION will be given on Thursday December 19 from 8:30 to 11:30 AM. You will have THREE HOURS in which to write TWO essays, which in turn will be chosen from a list of five. For the list and further instructions on preparing for the exam see the Final Examination Study Guide. The final exam will count for 35% of your final grade.

IV. CLASS PARTICIPATION will also counted in the calculation of the final grade. Class participation means more than simply "speaking in class." It means contributing to class by 1) asking intelligent, challenging questions that are likely to interest the class at large and 2) offering informed observations, opinions and (courteous) criticisms regarding the readings, the instructor's claims and those of fellow students. In general, Fridays will be reserved primarily for class discussion (the first Friday of the semester, exceptionally, will be devoted to a lecture), though student participation is encouraged whenever time permits. For students who are especially shy and very uncomfortable speaking in a group, visitation of office hours will count as class participation. Class participation will count for 10% of your final grade.

Note: Failure to complete any of requirements I through III will result in a failing grade for the course.

SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS, TOPICS AND READINGS
(Note: Students should have each week's reading assignments completed by the beginning of the week. Comprehension of lectures will suffer if reading is postponed.)

Wednesday August 28
Introduction

Friday August 30
Why Study History?

Monday September 2
The Historical Document "Discovery" and Analysis Assignment

Wednesday September 4
Civilization in the Ancient Near East

Friday September 6
Discussion: Law and Justice in the Ancient Near East

Selections from the Code of Hammurabi
Selections from Exodus

Map of Mesopotamia
Map of Mesopotamia (detailed)
A Ziggurat
cuneiform
Akkadian empire
Sargon

Monday September 9
The Greek City-States

Wednesday September 11
Fifth-Century Athens

Friday September 13
Discussion: Law and Justice in Ancient Greece

Selections from Herodotus, The Histories
Further selections from Herodotus, The Histories
Selections from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

Map of ancient Greece
Peloponnesian War map