History 113
Western Civilization I
Spring 2004
Instructor: Professor
Demetrius Glover
Class Time: Monday Wednesday 11:00-12:15 (C262) and 1:00-2:15 (C263)
Office Hours: Monday
Wednesday12:15-1:00, 4:30-5:30
And by Appointment
Office: CA 243-B
Office Phone: 278-9021
E-mail: deglover@iupui.edu
Purpose
This course introduces students to
the Pre-Modern portion of Western European History encompassing two periods
known as Antiquity and the Middle Ages, a period spanning from the dawn of
human civilization to the roughly 1500 A.D.
In addition to learning the historical narrative and conceptual themes
of the Pre-Modern western civilization, students will grapple with the problems
of doing history by reading primary resources and developing their analytical
skills through discussions and written assignments.
Required Texts
The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Translated By Andrew George. New York: Penguin Press, 1972
Augustine. The Confessions. Translated by F.J. Sheed,
Indianapolis: Hackett Press, 1993.
The Song of Roland.
Translated by Glyn Burgess. New York: Penguin Press, 1990.
Niccolo Machiavelli. The Prince, Translated by David Wooton,
Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, 1995.
Optional Text
John P. McKay,
Bennett D. Hill, and John Buckler, A History of Western Society Volume A:
From Antiquity to 1500. Boston Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company,
2003. Seventh Edition
Exam 25%
There is one
exam, a cumulative final exam. The exam
is worth 30% of the final grade. The
exam tests the students’ knowledge and understanding of the entire body of
lecture and required reading material.
At the start of the course the student will be provided with a list of
eight essay questions divided into two sections. The exam will consist of two essay questions
(one from each section) randomly selected by sortition on the day of the
final. All students have to answer those
two questions. The exam will also have a bonus section. This section will have two essay questions;
students may answer one of those questions for up to ten bonus points.
Essay 25%
Each student
must write one five-page paper either on The Epic of Gilgamesh, The
Confessions, or The Song of Roland. An assignment sheet with two
questions for reading has been posted on OnCourse. Each student must address
one of the two questions in his or her essay.
Discussions 40%
There are four
days of class time devoted to discussing the primary sources (The Epic of
Gilgamesh, The Confessions, The Song of Roland, and The Prince). Each day of discussion is worth 10% of the
final grade. Attendance and
participation in the discussion is mandatory to receive credit. The discussions primarily address the
questions from the writing assignments.
For the more ambitious students, I request that two students volunteer
to be the primary discussant for one of the essay questions. The primary discussant (preferably someone
who has written an essay addressing this question) will take five minutes to
explain his/her response to an essay question.
The class will then use the primary discussant’s interpretation as
starting point to explore that issue. In
addition to speaking in front of the class the primary discussants will also
assist the instructor in tracking class participation. For these two duties primary discussants are
guaranteed the full 10% for that day of discussion.
Extra Credit 10%
For the ambitious student or for
those who wish to make up for lost points, there is an extra credit
assignment. Although students must write
a five-page paper on The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Confessions, or The
Song of Roland they may earn extra credit by doing the paper assignment for
The Prince. This essay will be
worth up to 10% extra credit, depending upon the quality of the essay.
Attendance 10%
Attendance in this course is
mandatory. Students are expected to
attend every course lecture and discussion.
During the twenty-four class lectures, attendance will be randomly
checked ten times. Each absence deducts
one percent from the final grade.
Lecture and Reading Schedule
To reach the chronological goals of
this course the lectures only provide a general overview and thematic approach
to the material. The lecture outlines
will be provided on OnCourse on the Wednesday prior to a lecture date and will
be removed the following Wednesday. I
believe that the lectures provide the necessary information for doing well in
the course, but for those students who believe that they need more details,
they may read the optional textbook that is intended to fill any informative
gaps in the material. Under various
dates a reading assignment from the textbook is listed. Students may choose to have those selections
read by that day of class.
January 12, 2004
Lecture:
Introduction to History
Readings: McKay
Preface
January 14, 2004
Lecture: Prehistory
Readings: McKay
Chapter 1
January 19, 2004
No Class: Martin
Luther King Day
January 21, 2004
Lecture: The
Earliest Civilizations
January 26, 2004
Lecture: Egypt down
to the Brown Age
January 28, 2004
Lecture: The Bronze
Age and Its Collapse
February 2, 2004
Lecture: Iron Age
Kingdoms
Readings: McKay
Chapter 2
February 4, 2004
Lecture: Ancient
Israel
February 9, 2004
The Epic of
Gilgamesh Discussion
The Epic of
Gilgamesh Paper Due
February 11, 2004
Lecture: Archaic
Greece
Readings: McKay
Chapter 3
February 16, 2004
Lecture: Classical
Greece
Readings: McKay
Chapter 4
February 18, 2004
Lecture: Hellenistic
Greece
February 23, 2004
Lecture: Rome down
to 180
Readings: McKay
Chapters 5 and 6
February 25, 2004
Lecture: Rome and
the Crisis of the Third Century
March 1, 2004
Lecture: Rome and
the Savior effort of the Fourth Century
Readings: McKay
Chapter 7
March 3, 2004
Lecture: Early
Christianity
Readings: McKay
Chapter 8
March 8, 2004
Lecture: The Fall of
the Roman West
March 10, 2004
Confessions Discussion
Confessions Paper Due
March 15-17, 2004
No Class: Spring
Break
March 22, 2004
Lecture: Islam
March 24, 2004
Lecture: The
Germanic Successor States
March 29, 2004
Lecture: The
Carolingian Achievement
March 31, 2004
Lecture: The
Carolingian Successor States
April 5, 2004
The Song of
Roland Discussion
The Song of
Roland Paper Due
April 7, 2004
Lecture:
Agricultural Revolution
Readings: McKay
Chapter 9
April 12, 2004
Lecture: Gregorian
Reform
Readings: McKay
Chapters 10 and 11
April 14, 2004
Lecture: The
Crusades
April 19, 2004
Lecture: High
Medieval England
April 21, 2004
Lecture: High
Medieval France
April 26, 2004
Lecture: European
Crises of the Fourteenth Century
Readings: McKay
Chapters 12 and 13
April 28, 2004
Lecture: The Origins of European Exploration
May 3, 2004
The Prince Discussion
The Prince Extra Credit Paper Due
May 5, 2004
(Wednesday)
C262 Final Exam
10:30-12:30
May 7, 2004 (Friday)
C263 Final Exam
1:00-3:00