History 113

Western Civilization I

Fall 2004

day/time: T 5:45-8:25                           room: CA 219

 

Adam C. Stanley                                                                     

office: CA 420              phone: 274-7867         

office hours: TR 12:30-2:15 and by appointment

e-mail: adcstanl@iupui.edu or stanley114@aol.com                                         

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

This course spans the earliest moments in the history of Western civilization up to the year 1500. Starting with the first civilizations of the ancient Near East, we will explore what exactly “civilization” meant in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. We will then move to the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, examining the rise and fall of two of the most powerful empires the globe has ever seen. Tracing the collapse of the Roman Empire will bring us into the medieval era, a millennium in which a mélange of peoples and states dotted the Western landscape vying for power, two major world religions flourished and eventually clashed (with profound consequences for Western history), and artistic and intellectual endeavor managed to endure, despite many scholars’ characterization of this period as the “Dark Ages.”     

 

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

 

Mark Kishlansky et al, Civilization in the West, Volume A, 5th ed. (Longman, 2003)

Aristophanes, The Complete Plays of Aristophanes (Bantam Classics, 1984)

Procopius, The Secret History (Penguin Classics, 1982)

 

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

This course seeks not only to introduce students to the political, social, and economic foundations of Western civilization, but also to imbue students with the ability to read critically, analyze, and interpret disparate sources of information. In turn, students will develop the ability to express their own analyses and interpretations in a logical, coherent form, both verbally and in writing. As such, the objectives of this course are consistent with the skills espoused in IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning (which can be found by going to www.iupui.edu/~history/ugmain.html and clicking on “Principles of Learning”). Discovering the diverse foundations and traditions on which Western civilization has been built is not just a useful and practical experience designed to be exercised in a history classroom, but will prove significant as well in your understanding of the machinations of the world around you.

 

COURSE POLICIES

 

Academic Misconduct

Academic dishonesty or misconduct will not be tolerated. Engaging in any form of cheating or plagiarism (including, but not limited to, claiming someone else’s work as your own or the absence of adequate citations of others’ ideas) will result in a grade of zero on the assignment in question, and may also lead to disciplinary action consistent with university policy. For more information, consult the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct at http://life.iupui.edu/dos/code.htm. 

 

Attendance

In accordance with university regulations, students are expected to attend all class sessions, and attendance will be taken at every class meeting. Please note that, in keeping with IUPUI’s policy on absences, students who arrive late to class or leave class early may be counted as absent. More than two unexcused absences from class will result in 4% being deducted from your final course grade for each additional absence. In the case of an excused absence, be sure to provide documentation for the absence to the instructor in a timely fashion. Be aware that if you are absent from class for any reason, it is still your responsibility to be familiar with the topics discussed in class on that day.

 

Incompletes

A grade of “Incomplete” will rarely be given, and only in such cases wherein a student who has completed previous course assignments is prevented at the end of the term from finishing the assigned work for the course due to unforeseen and documented circumstances.

 

Late and Make-up Work

As a general rule, no make-up exams will be given, except in the event of a documented emergency. If you know in advance of an exam that you have an unavoidable conflict on the specified date, contact the instructor well beforehand to arrange to take an alternate version of the exam prior to the scheduled one. Please be aware that an exam taken outside normal class hours may differ in form, structure, and content from that given at the regularly scheduled time.

 

All students are expected to submit assigned papers on the due date in person at the beginning of class time. No papers submitted via e-mail, slipped under an office door, deposited in a departmental mailbox, etc. will be accepted without the instructor’s prior written consent. Please note that papers are due on the date that we will discuss the accompanying assigned reading in class; thus it is imperative that you have read and written about the material in order to contribute substantially and cogently to class discussion. In the absence of a compelling, documented emergency that prevents the punctual submission of a paper, any papers turned in late on the assigned due date will be marked down 20%, with an additional 20% being subtracted for each extra day of lateness.

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

Exams

There will be two exams, each of which will be worth 25% of the final grade. Both exams will consist of short-answer identification items and essay questions. Details about the specific content of the exams will be discussed in class in advance of each exam date.

 

Papers

Students will write a total of three papers, all of which should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, and with one-inch margins.

 

The major paper assignment will address one of the main primary source readings: the plays “Ecclesiazusae” and “Thesmophoriazusae” by ancient Greek comic playwright Aristophanes; or the “secret” history about Justinian written by Procopius. This paper, which should be four to five pages in length, is worth 20% of the final grade. For those choosing to write on Aristophanes, the paper assignment will ask you to assess attitudes and conceptions of gender in ancient Athens. Students opting for the Procopius paper will be asked to think critically about the state of Byzantine leadership and government as well as to evaluate the merits of a blatantly sensationalized historical source. Full details regarding the papers will be forthcoming well in advance of the due date for the assignments.

 

The other two papers will be shorter—approximately two pages each—and will deal with the weekly primary document excerpts listed on the syllabus and discussed in class. The first of these shorter papers will count for 5% of the final course grade, while the second shorter paper will be worth 10%. Students will have the option to write on the assigned set of readings of their own choosing, but must write one of these papers prior to the first exam and the second of these papers after the first exam. Papers are due on the date that the particular readings are listed on the syllabus to be discussed in class.

 

Participation

Participation in class discussions will count for 15% of the course grade. This includes the extended discussions over the works of Aristophanes and Procopius as well as briefer discussions held each week during the semester dealing with film clips played in class and primary documents listed on the syllabus.  

 

 

Final grades for this course will thus be computed as follows:

 

MIDTERM EXAM                              25%

FINAL EXAM                                    25%

PAPER ON ARISTOPHANES

OR PROCOPIUS        20%

FIRST SHORT PAPER                         5%

SECOND SHORT PAPER                 10%

PARTICIPATION                               15%

COURSE SCHEDULE

 

August 31         Introduction to the Course

                        The Rise of Civilizations and Empires in the Near East

 

 

Sept. 7             Ancient Egypt

                        New Peoples and Empires, c.1600-330 BCE                

                                    Textbook:       Kishlansky  pp. 3-33     

                                    Documents:     a. “A Dispute over Suicide”  

                                                            b. “Instructions of Kagemni”  

                        c. “The Report of Wenamun”

                                                                                                                       

 

Sept. 14           The Development of City-States in the Aegean

                                    Textbook:       Kishlansky  pp. 37-55, 58-65

                                    Documents:     a. Plutarch, “The City-State of Sparta: Reforms of

Lycurgus”

b. Xenophon, “Constitution of the Lacedaemonians”

 

 

Sept. 21           The Wars of the Greeks

                                    Textbook:       Kishlansky  pp. 69-76, 78-81, 86-87, 89-93

                                    Documents:     a. “The Melian Dialogue” 

                                    Film clip:         The 300 Spartans

                                   

 

Sept. 28           ARISTOPHANES PAPER DUE

Society and Culture in the Greek World

                                    Aristophanes, “Ecclesiazusae” and “Thesmophoriazusae” in

The Complete Plays of Aristophanes

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 56-57, 76-78, 81-86, 87-89

 

 

Oct. 5              The Emergence of the Roman Republic

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 105-126, 129-141

                                    Docs:   a. Appian of Alexandria, “The Third Punic War: The Destruction

of Carthage”

b. “Polybius Describes the Sack of New Carthage”

c. “War as Personal Vengeance”

 

                                                           

Oct. 12                        The Roman Empire

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 141-157, 161-166, 172-174, 177-180, 187-190

                                    Docs:   a. Dio Cassius, “Empire for Sale”

b. Lactantius, On the Deaths of the Persecutors 

c. “The Theodosian Code”

                                    Film:    Cleopatra                   

Oct. 19                        Society and Culture in the Roman World

                        **Last day to submit first short paper**

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 126-129, 157-161, 170-171

                                    Docs:   a. “Husbands’ punishment of wives in early Rome”

b. Juvenal, “The Emancipated Women of the Early Empire”                    c. Livy, “Cato Protests Against the Demands of Roman Women” 

                                                d. “Patria Potestas and Materna Auctoritas: The Power of

Fathers and Mothers over their Children”

                                    Film:    Gladiator

                       

 

Oct. 26                        MIDTERM EXAM  (5:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)

                                   

The Germans: From Outsiders to Insiders  (7:15 p.m. to 8:25 p.m.)      

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 174-177, 192-194, 232-235, 239-246       

 

                                                           

Nov. 2             Christianity Ascendant

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 180-187

                                    Docs:   a. “The Life of the Virgin Liutbirg”

b. Pope Gelasius I, “Letter to Emperor Anastasius”

                                               

 

Nov. 9             PROCOPIUS PAPER DUE

Eastern Empires: Byzantium and Islam

Procopius, The Secret History (except chapter 1)

Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 197-226, 256-257

 

 

Nov. 16           Carolingian Achievements and Legacies

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 230-231, 246-251, 257-260

                                    Docs:   a. Charles the Great, “Letters”

                                                b. Einhard, “The Moderate and Progressive King”

                                                c. Nithard, Histories

 

 

Nov. 23           Society and Culture in the High Middle Ages

                        The Crusades

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 263-271, 277-288

                                    Docs:   a. “Convivencia”

                                                b. Rudegar Huozman, “Charter to the Jews of Speyer”

                                                c. Solomon Bar Simson, Chronicle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov. 30           Tensions and Controversies in the Catholic Church

                        Monarchical Successes and Struggles

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 271-277, 288-299, 322-329

                                    Docs:   a. “Decrees of the Fourth Lateran Council”

                                    Film:    The Name of the Rose

 

 

Dec. 7              Crisis and Catastrophe in the 14th Century

                        Rebirth and Discovery

                        **Last day to submit second short paper**

                                    Text:    Kishlansky  pp. 309-322, 335-354

                                    Docs:   a. Johann Bämler, “Wondrous Fountains and Peoples”

                                                b. “Letter from Christopher Columbus (1493)”

                                    Film:    Henry V

 

 

FINAL EXAM           Tuesday, December 14 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.