Western Civilization I

HIS 1010-005 Western Civilization I

T,Th- 2:00-3:15

Knight 6108

Prof. Raffaele Florio

Office: KN 3102

Phone: 825-2451

Cell #: 263-8182

Email. [email protected]

Website. www.geocities.com/thehumanitiesprof

Text. McKay’s A History of Western Society Part I, 7^th edition

Course Overview

A study in Western Civilization is a grand undertaking to say the least. It provides us with a basic understanding of how our current civilization has come to be. It allows us to draw connections to our past and hopefully conclusions regarding our future. A true Western Civilization course is far more than just a history course; it includes exposure to many other facets of the humanities, including technology, art, literature, philosophy, ethics, and religion. This course will provide a survey of the major themes while providing an historical framework to hold these themes in place.

As a survey course in Western Civilization, the course has another important task to address. The student should gain insight into the field of history in general. To accomplish this, some work outside of the classroom is required by the students. These assignments are not the “busy work” that they may appear to be at first glance. There is a lesson to be learned in each and the conscientious student should read the syllabus carefully to discern that lesson in order to receive the maximum benefit of each one.

Assignments- All assignments must be turned in on the date they are due. If you are absent I expect to receive the assignment by email on the day it is due. You will lose 5 points for each day it is late unless your absence is excused (e.g. you turned in a note from a physician, etc.).

Primary Source Work-

A major part of an historians work is getting back to the sources. It is very easy to rely upon the work of other historians who have translated, read, and interpreted original documents but it is not the best practice. Secondary sources are very important to historians but in order to draw original theses and support them, it is necessary to refer to the original sources. Each week a primary source document will be provided that deals with a theme in discussion. Students are responsible for reading the document and answering the questions that follow.

History vs. Hollywood-

Part of the job of an historian is to filter the influence of popular culture on historical understanding. Film is an effective way to communicate history. History is a story and movies based on historical fact are a popular and convenient way to convey historical knowledge. It is important to remember, however, that these portrayals are often colored to maintain a keen interest from the audience. The historian should be able to fill in the blanks and sometimes clear up misconceptions that may cloud the view of the general audience. Students are responsible for viewing one approved movie, animations, or play based on an historical event covered in the course. The student’s task is then to read up on one particular person, place or concept portrayed in the work and then compare and contrast. This should be in the essay format provided.

Evaluating Secondary Sources-

It is very easy to get inundated with reading when studying history. Secondary sources should be chosen carefully. A good historian can critically inspect a source and determine its usefulness without wasting time. The student’s task is to find an article on a topic that is of interest to him or her in a scholarly journal. The articles can be located on the Academic Search Premier database in the CCRI library. The student must then locate the thesis of the article, three points that substantiate the thesis, and one opposing point that the author alludes to. Finally he or she should critique the effectiveness of the author’s conclusion. Does he or she tie it all together? See Sample.

Research and Writing-

Perhaps the most important role of the historian is to research a topic and report on it in the form of a thesis which answers a particular question about the topic. Each student must find an interesting period in history and read a bit about it. Some questions will undoubtedly arise in the mind of a conscientious student. Jot down the questions and pick one (then get it approved by the instructor). The task will be to answer that question by conducting research on it. Each student must use at least the following to answer the question: 3 books, 2 scholarly articles, and 1 reliable website. The answer to the question will become the thesis of a Research Outline. Format handouts will be provided. Plagiarized research will result in a failing grade.

Evaluations

There will be one quiz for each theme covered. If a student misses the quiz without my authorization, IT CANNOT BE MADE UP! I do drop the lowest grade though.

Midterm and Final-

The Midterm Exam will cover everything up to that point. The Final Exam will cover everything from that point on. It will be an objective test. These exams will cover both reading and lectures.

Attendance- You must attend class to be successful. Your attendance will count for a grade which will be averaged in with your others. (For example, if the class is scheduled to meet 15 times and you missed 3 you will receive a 12/15 for you attendance grade which equates to an 80.) If you miss more than 25% of the course you will not receive a passing grade regardless of your overall average.

Grading:

The following will be averaged together: Assignments, Quizzes, Exams, Participation, and Attendance

Course Outline (subject to change)

Please refer to the course website and print out the appropriate lecture outlines prior to the class

Week 1- Introduction

1-18 What is History? What does an Historian do? McKay 4-6,

1-20 Origins of Civilization-

Caves to towns- Mckay 6-8

Egypt- McKay 16-21

Mesopotamia- McKay 8-15

Israel- McKay 36-40

Persia- McKay 44-47

Week 2- Greece

1-25 The Rise of Greek Civilization

Homer, Sparta, Athens, and the Persian Wars- McKay 66-74

The Peloponnesian Wars and Greek Religion- McKay 78-83

1-27 The Hellenistic Age

Alexander the Great- McKay 93-109

Hellenistic Intellectual Advances- McKay 109-117

Week 3- Greek Thought

2-1 The Pre-Socratics- McKay 80-82

2-3 Socrates, Plato and Aristotle- McKay 82-84

*History vs. Hollywood Due Today*

Week 4- Rome- From Republic to Empire

2-8 The Roman Republic- McKay 123-145

2-10 The Roman Empire- McKay 151-177

Week 5- The Fall of the Roman Empire

2-15 Wars and Invasions- McKay 177-184, 188-189

2-17 The Teutons and Byzantium- McKay 191-200, 207-220

*Secondary Source Assignment Due Today*

Week 6- Christian Monasticism

2-22 Early Christians and Saint Augustine- McKay 200-203

2-24 Roots of Monasticism and the Rule of St Benedict- McKay 203-207

Week 7- The Early Middle Ages

3-1 The Rise of the Franks

The Merovingians –

The Carolingians- McKay 235-251

*Bibliography for Paper is Due Today*

3-3 Economics

Feudalism- McKay 251-254

The Manor- McKay 254

Week 8- The New Millennium

3-15 The Vikings and the Development of Norman Rule- McKay 255-259

3-17 Revival and Reform-

The Political Makeup of Europe- McKay 265-268

Church Revival and Crusades- McKay 271-289

Week 9- The High Middle Ages

3-22 Three Social Classes

Those who work- McKay 295-311

Those who fight- McKay 311-318

Those who pray- McKay 318-324

3-24 Medieval Architecture

*Thesis Statement is Due Today*

Week 10- The Later Middle Ages- Crisis

3-29 Pestilence and Warfare

The Black Death- McKay 381-387

The Hundred Years War- McKay 397-393

3-31 Ecclesiastical Breakdown

The Avignon Papacy- McKay 393-394

The Great Schism- McKay 394-396

Week 11- Some Other Stuff

4-5 Medieval Technology

Nautical- McKay 505-506

The Clock- McKay 433-434

Agrarian- Horse Collars and Crop Rotation-

4-7 A Paradigm Shift

Week 12- The Renaissance- McKay 415-449

4-12 The Italian Renaissance

The Rise of Big Business- McKay 353-356

Cultural Revival

4-14 The Northern Renaissance

Week 13- Education

4-19 Humanism and the Printing Press

4-21 Education

Scholasticism- McKay 358-360

The University- McKay 356-358

*Research Outline Due Today*

Week 14- The Reformation

4-26 The Early Reformers- McKay 455-459

John Wycliffe- McKay 395

John Huss- McKay 397

Girolamo Savonarola- McKay 420

Thomas à Kempis

Desiderius Erasmus- McKay 452-453

4-28 The Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther- McKay 459-470

Ulrich Zwingli-

John Calvin- McKay 470-473

Henry VIII- McKay 473-476

The Counter-Reformation- McKay 477-483

Week 15- Final Exam

Guidelines and Samples

Format for History vs. Hollywood Essay

Essays must consist of five paragraphs.

Paragraph One- The first will serve as an introduction. It should essentially lay out the blueprint for the rest of the essay. You will provide an opening sentence, a couple of sentences that set up the discussion and perhaps provide an historical background. Next, should be your topic sentence or your thesis, followed by a brief description of the evidence you plan to propose.
Paragraph Two- This paragraph will contain the first piece of evidence that you would like to provide in defense of your thesis or to support your topic sentence. This should not be your most important point. You may consider using your 2^nd strongest point here in order to capture the attention of the reader without giving away your argument.
Paragraph Three- This will contain another piece of supporting evidence that you would like to use. It may be appropriate to use your weakest argument here. If you have successfully hooked the reader, they will want to read on.
Paragraph Four- This is the last paragraph in the body of your essay. This should be your strongest piece of evidence in order to clinch the argument. If your essay is purely narrative, this should include the most interesting point that you are trying to make.
Paragraph Five- This is your conclusion. You should sum up your argument or report. The most important part of this is the last sentence. In this closing statement you should leave a thought in the mind of the reader.

Format for Research Projects

A sample of the format will be provided. These are some tips.
Outline should contain citations from at least 3 books, 2 scholarly articles, and 1 academic website. Encyclopedias (including Encarta, Compton, etc.) are not allowed.
Research Project should consist of a typed outline.
Papers must be properly cited using footnotes. My preferred style for citations and the bibliography is The Chicago Manual of Style; however if you are familiar with the MLA format, I will accept that as well.
A research outline should consist of these parts:

Introduction- Lay out the background of the topic and state the question that is to be answered. You should mention some arguments that attempt to answer the question. These are sometimes called opposing views. Then state your thesis clearly and CHANGE THE FONT TO ITALICS FOR THE THESIS STATEMENT ONLY (Your thesis is the answer to your question. The italic font is not standard practice. It is to show me that you understand the concept of a thesis statement). After the thesis is defined, build a skeleton of your argument for your reader. Briefly mention the three things that you will uses to defend your thesis.
Body- The body of the paper should defend your thesis statement. It should not contain your opinion- only facts that bolster your argument. Try to find three points and divide your body into three parts, perhaps one section for each point. Follow the advice given in the essay format section of this handout.
Conclusion- Pull your argument together. Restate the problem that you set out to solve and your solution to it. How is your answer different than others that you have heard? Why should a reader be willing to accept your claims and perhaps investigate the facts themselves? Leave the reader with a thought, a spark, or a question.

Sample Midterm and Final Outline Questions

Q: What are the three social classes in medieval society that were discussed in chapter 10?

I. The three social classes were those who worked, those who prayed, and those who fought.

A. Those who worked were the peasants who lived on the manor

1. The serfs worked the land to provide food for the others

2. They owed the lord a certain number of labor days in exchange for his protection

B. Those who prayed were the nuns and monks

1. Usually lived in monasteries and convents

2. Daughters and non-eldest sons of the nobility found religious life to be a viable alternative

C. Those who fought were the nobles

1. Were vassals to the rulers and owed them military service

2. Knights were of the noble class

Sample Short Answer

Q: What are the three social classes in medieval society that were labeled in the text?

A: The three social classes were those who worked, those who prayed, and those who fought and each played an important role. Those who worked were the peasants who lived on the manor and worked the land to provide food for the others. Those who prayed were the nuns and monks who usually lived in monasteries and convents and prayed for the souls of the rest of the society. Finally, those who fought were the nobles who were vassals to the rulers and owed them military service. The three-part structure of medieval society was a system of interdependency for its participants.

Sample for Secondary Source Evaluation

Author: Bob Smith

Title of Article: “Nostradamus- a Fake”

Title of Journal: Bogus

Volume: 1

Number/Issue: 5

Page: 56-79

Thesis: Nostradamus was not a mystic who could foretell the future.

Supporting Arguments: 1- Nostradamus’ predictions are not discernable until after the events happen. 2- The language used in his quatrains is very ambiguous. 3- He lived at a time when negative social commentary was forbidden and punishable by death.

Opposing argument: Nostradamus was a prophet whose writing can be compared to St. John’s Apocalypse

Conclusion: He did a poor and unimaginative job wrapping up his argument.

Overall comments: After reading the introduction and conclusion, and skimming the body of this article, I have decided that it would not contribute to my knowledge base on the subject of the authenticity of Nostradamus’ prophesies.