The History of Western Civilization to
1650
History 11/151-07
Spring 2007
| Course Overview | Readings
| Requirements
and Grading | Rules
of the Road | Schedule
of Classes |
Professor: Brandon Hunziker
Email: branhunz@email.unc.edu
Webpage: http://www.unc.edu/courses/2007spring/hist/151/007/
Classroom/Meeting Time: Murphey 116, TTh, 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Office Hours: Hamilton 511, Tuesday, 1:30-2:30 and Wed 12-1, or by appointment.
Teaching Assistants: Marina Jones (smarinaj@email.unc.edu)
Alison
Rodriguez (aarodrig@email.unc.edu)
Sarah Bond (seb7s@email.unc.edu)
Course Overview and Objectives
This course will survey of some of the major topics, issues, and problems that have shaped the history of Western Civilization. When first introduced after World War I, the ÒWestern CivÓ course presented college students with a version of the WestÕs history that concentrated on ÒhighÓ politics, ideas, and culture. Indeed, this version of ÒWestern CivÓ could sometimes make it seem as if only a small number of Ògreat peopleÓ — usually men — actually made history. Critics of this course, moreover, have also charged that it presumed, and indeed perpetuated, the belief that the West, in its supposedly inexorable march towards greater human freedom, reason, and progress, was superior to other cultures. For these and other reasons, some have suggested abandoning this course altogether in favor of ÒWorld History.Ó
And yet others, including your current instructor, think that the story of Western Civilization still deserves to be told, as its history and traditions continue to shape the world we live in. Indeed, itÕs not hard to make the argument that the traditions of Western Civilization, for better and sometimes worse, continue to influence the course of world history more than those of any other historical civilization. But that aside, Western Civilization remains a fascinating laboratory for historical investigation, a place where we can practice thinking historically. Thinking historically means many things. For our purposes, it means recognizing changes and continuities over time; understanding the complex relationship between historical events, historical context, and human culture; interrogating and critically interpreting both primary and secondary sources; constructing interpretations of oneÕs own based on historical evidence; and using historical knowledge to gain a better understanding of the present. One of the best ways to think historically is to enter into a dialogue with some of historyÕs most interesting people, from the great philosopher Socrates to a French peasant woman named Bertrande du Rols. By asking these people how they conceived of Òtruth,Ó what they thought the Ògood lifeÓ entailed, and how they fashioned their identities – three key questions that will guide our travels through the centuries this semester – we can unlock some of the doors to their culture while at the same time gaining new insight into our own.
In addition to entering into this dialogue with the denizens of the Western CivilizationÕs past, this course will also examine the following topics:
á The formation of political systems in Ancient Greece and Rome, medieval and renaissance Europe, and early modern Europe.
á The role of religion and religious institutions, especially Catholicism, the Catholic Church, and Protestantism, and their relationship to political systems and intellectual trends.
á Major intellectual trends including classical Greek and Hellenistic philosophy, medieval theology, renaissance humanism, and early modern scientific thinking.
á Changing social and economic contexts, everyday life, and social relations, both between and within different groups of people.
á How WesternersÕ identities were formed by the contexts in which they lived, their own thoughts and actions, and their encounters with people from other cultures.
Finally, this course seeks improve your ability to analyze various types of historical sources critically, write clearly and effectively, and articulate yourself confidently in front of others. These are skills that will benefit you no matter what your chosen field of study or career may be.
Required Books: The following books are required reading for this
course. They are available for purchase at the UNC Campus
Bookstore. You may, however, find better deals from online
booksellers. I recommend Buy.com, Ecampus.com, and Amazon.com. Make
sure, though, that you get the right edition by using the ISBN numbers provided
below. To find the lowest prices, just click on the ISBN numbers on the
web-based version of this syllabus.
Course Reader: In addition to the required books, you will read several primary sources and articles from a course reader available in PDF format. To download the course reader, click here. (10.5 MB) Your first assignment of the semester is to print this course reader out, put it in a binder, and bring it with you to your first recitation. Your TAs will check to make sure that you have done this. If you do not complete this assignment, ten points will be deducted from your class participation grade. Another five points will be deducted from your class participation grade for each time that you fail to bring hardcopies of your readings (books and course reader documents) to recitation.
Recommended Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course. However, for those of you whoÕd like more background information or want to reinforce material from lectures (especially missed ones), I recommend reading the corresponding pages (listed next to lecture titles) in Sherman and Salisbury, The West in the World vol. I: To 1715 (1st ed: 0072895373) (2nd ed: 007313239X). The textbook can also be used to review for exams or read more about issues and topics you find particularly interesting. Although it may contain information similar to that presented in lectures, you will not be held responsible for its content. Moreover, you wonÕt be able to pass this course if you rely solely on the textbook for your exams and papers. Whatever you do, donÕt get bogged down in the textbook. Instead, concentrate your time and effort on the supplementary readings that will form the basis of your discussions in recitation.
How much reading? There is a substantial, but manageable amount of reading for this course. Some weeks (7, 9, 11, and 13, for example) are heavier than others, so plan ahead. You will likely not be able to complete some readings the night before your recitation section meets. It is absolutely essential, however, that you complete all of the readings on time so that you can participate actively in recitation.
Lectures: All of the factual information that you need for exams will be presented in lectures, so I highly recommend that you attend them all. Lecture outlines will be posted on the online version of this syllabus (see webpage address above) the night before class. I recommend that you download and print out these outlines before class so that you can spend more time listening and thinking than copying. You cannot pass this class by relying on your textbook, Google, or Wikipedia. In general, I will lecture for 50 minutes. Lectures marked with a * will be 75 minutes. With one exception when you will watch a video, these longer lectures will fall on weeks when there is no recitation section. Please do not, however, start packing up your things until I end my lecture.
Recitation: Recitation is an integral component of this course. It is where you and your classmates will ÒdoÓ history together by critically discussing primary and secondary sources, freely exchanging your thoughts, ideas, and questions, and, in the process, improving your ability to articulate yourself in front of others. It is here where you will actively create knowledge, not just absorb it. You will be assessed according to how well (qualitatively and quantitatively) you participate in weekly discussions. In general, the more you offer your informed thoughts in recitation about the subject material, the better you will do. So prepare well for recitation well by reading the assigned texts carefully, thinking of questions, ideas, and issues they provoke, and coming ready to share them.
Reading
Responses: You will submit ten (10)
brief responses of about 300-400 words each to questions on your major
readings. (Click here for Questions)
To give you an idea of what 300-400 words looks like, the paragraph you are
reading now is exactly 352 words. The point of these ÒhomeworkÓ
assignments is to 1) make sure youÕre doing the reading and 2) engaging with it
critically. We do not expect you to write polished essays here, but
rather short responses informed by your critical engagement with the assigned
reading. In addition to answering the main question, your responses may
include your own general reactions to and opinions about the reading. You might also want to pose an
additional question that you could then bring up in recitation. Your
response must, however, cite the text directly at least once with a short
quotation or a specific reference to something in it (an argument, fact,
example, etc). You will have eleven opportunities to submit
these responses, thereby allowing you to miss one. In order to avoid large
amounts of paper flowing from you to your TA and then back again, you will
submit your responses electronically to Blackboard by typing or cutting and
pasting them directly into the field provided. (See ÒAssignmentsÓ on
Blackboard) Each response will be due when your recitation section
meets. No late responses will be accepted, so make sure you get them in
on time. Your TA will then read it, occasionally offer some brief feedback, and
assign a grade on a scale of 1-10. In general, most of you who do the
reading and take these assignments seriously will get 9 points on each
response. Exceptional responses will receive 10 points, while sloppy,
uninformed, last-minute BS jobs (you know what IÕm taking about!) will receive
7 points or less. You should be able to complete each assignment in 15-20
minutes – you really shouldnÕt need more time than that. In the
past, students who completed all of their reading responses on time have ended
up with a strong ÒhomeworkÓ grade that in most cases boosted their final course
grade.
Exams: You will take two 60-minute written exams consisting of IDs and an essay. The final will consist of map identifications, IDs, several cumulative short answer questions, and an essay. Review sheets and specific instructions for all exams will be distributed in advance.
Critical Essay: You will write one 1500-word (c. 5 pages) essay based on the primary sources you have read during the course of the semester. Questions and specific instructions for this essay will be handed out well in advance. Your essay will be due on April 19 in class.
Grading: The assignments in this course add up to 700 points. Your final grade will be determined by the total number of points you achieve divided by 700 (see the scale below). In addition, there are two extra credit assignments based on two historical films. Each is worth 7 points. Together, they will give you the opportunity to increase your final grade by up to 2 points, which could mean the difference between a B+ and an A-.
|
Assignments |
Points |
|
Total Points |
Percentage |
Grade |
|
Reading Responses (9) |
90 |
|
639-690 |
92.5 - 100 |
A |
|
Exam #1 |
100 |
|
618-638 |
89.5 - 92.4 |
A- |
|
Exam #2 |
100 |
|
597-617 |
86.5 - 89.4 |
B+ |
|
Memo Assignment |
100 |
|
569-596 |
82.5 - 86.5 |
B |
|
Final Exam |
200 |
|
549-568 |
79.5 - 82.4 |
B- |
|
Class Participation |
100 |
|
528-548 |
76.5 - 79.5 |
C+ |
|
|
700 |
|
501-527 |
72.5 - 76.4 |
C |
|
Extra Credit Films |
14 |
|
480-500 |
69.5 - 72.4 |
C- |
|
|
|
|
459-479 |
66.5 - 69.4 |
D+ |
|
|
|
|
418-458 |
60.6 - 66.4 |
D |
|
|
|
|
0-417 |
0 - 60.5 |
F |
Make-ups and Extensions: Make-ups and extensions will only be granted in the event of an officially documented personal emergency (sickness, family tragedies, etc.). Special events such as interviews or athletic competitions will also be considered reasonable grounds to make-up an exam, but not for an extension on the critical essay or another opportunity to submit a reading response. Such events must also be documented. A hardcopy of critical essay must be submitted at the beginning of the class on April 19. In addition to this hardcopy, you must also submit your paper in MS Word format to the course Blackboard page by the end of the day on which it is due. Ten points will be deducted from your paper for each 24-hour period that they are late, beginning five minutes after the start of class. If you know that you will be unable an exam, please inform your teaching assistant and me through email as far in advance as possible. The final exam will be held on Tuesday, May 1, at 9:30 a.m. in Murphey 116. Please do not plan to travel before then, as it is very difficult to schedule a make-up final.
Attendance: Attendance at lectures is not mandatory, although it will be hard to pass this class if you do not attend them regularly. Attendance at recitation section, however, is mandatory. Unexcused absences from recitation will result in a 10-point deduction from your participation grade (about 1.4% of your final grade).
Tardiness: Please make every effort to arrive on time for lecture and recitation. If you are late, please enter through the back door of the classroom and take a seat closest to the door. Never ever walk in front of me if you arrive late or leave early. Never enter the classroom after 11:06 (more than 5 minutes late). The third time that you arrive late (after 11:01) you may be asked to leave. In general, you should not come to class late or leave early because of other appointments or obligations. You should consider this class an appointment that you have scheduled three times per week for the rest of the semester. Either make that appointment or break it, but donÕt come to it late or leave early because youÕve scheduled another one for the same time.
Cell Phones and Laptop Computers: Please turn your cell phones off - not to vibrate, but off – before you come to class. You may be asked to leave if your cell phone goes off in class. I will certainly do my best to embarrass you if it does. You may use your laptop to take notes. Do not, however, use your laptop to email, surf the web, watch movies, instant message, or check each other out on Facebook. If your teaching assistant or I catch you doing any of these things, you will be asked to leave. There are few things I find more distracting or disrespectful than a student gazing into a laptop screen or cell phone and doing things that have nothing to do with the course. If you want to do these things, please stay home.
Classroom Conduct: Please do not eat, sleep, read, do work for other classes, or chat with your neighbor during class. If you cannot control the urge to talk with your neighbor in class, I suggest that you move to another seat. I will not hesitate to ask you to move or, if need be, leave the classroom if you disrupt class in any way. You may, of course, drink coffee or other beverages during class, especially if they help you stay awake. Please do not start packing up your things until your TA or I end class, as it is very distracting both to us and other students who are still listening.
Honor Code: The UNC Honor Code applies to all of your work and conduct in this course. Cheating, plagiarism, or insensitive behavior (i.e. not respecting your classmates or instructors) of any kind will not be tolerated. If you do not know what constitutes cheating, plagiarism, or insensitivity, please reread the honor code or ask me, as claiming ignorance is not a valid excuse. Internet plagiarism is a growing problem on college campuses nationwide, and one your teaching assistants and I will do everything we can to combat. If we have any reason to believe that you may have plagiarized, we will carefully examine your work using all of the tools available to us. Our advice to you: donÕt even try it – itÕs really not worth it.
Problems, Concerns, and Difficulties: We would like very much to talk to you about any concerns that you may have about a grade, your performance in the course, problems with the material, and especially how to improve. We would ask, however, that you wait at least 24 hours before talking to us about any paper or exam that has just been handed back. Any issue that involves your teaching assistant (a grade, discussion section, etc.) should be discussed with him or her first. Remember, email can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, confusion, and annoyance. Click here for guidelines on how to write emails to your teaching assistants and me.
Schedule
of Classes and Assignments
(This schedule, the readings, and
assignments are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor)
Part I: The Ancient World
|
Week 1 |
Introduction |
|
1/11 |
What is Civilization? What is Western Civilization? What is
the Western Civilization Course? |
|
Week 2 |
Hebrews, Greeks, and the
Origins of Western Civilization |
|
1/16 |
The Hebrew Contribution to the Western Tradition (Sherman & Salisbury, 27-32) |
|
1/18 |
Politics and Society in Ancient Greece (43-50, 53-60) |
|
Recitation |
ÒDoingÓ History Together: Some Basics |
|
Week 3 |
Culture, War and Decline in
Ancient Greece |
|
1/23 |
Rationalism and Humanism in Greek Philosophy and History (50-53, 70-75) |
|
1/25 |
From Unity to Civil War: The 5th-Century Greek Tragedy (62-70, 75-77) |
|
Recitation |
Philosophy, Individualism, and
Dissent in Ancient Athens: The
Trial of Socrates |
|
Week 4 |
From Polis to
ÒCosmopolisÓ: Hellenistic
Culture and the Rise of Rome |
|
1/30 |
Hellenistic Culture and Philosophy (82-107) |
|
2/1 |
|
|
Recitation |
Reason, Pleasure, and
Philosophy: The Good Life
according to Epicurus |
|
Week 5 |
The Rise and Fall of the
Roman Empire |
|
2/6 |
The Crisis of the Republic and the Imperial Solution (131-141) |
|
2/8 |
The Pax Romana and the Long Decline of the Roman Empire (145-164, 187-190) |
|
Recitation |
Getting by in an Age of
Empire: A Stoic offers Advice |
|
Week 6 |
A New Universal Religion |
|
2/13 |
Exam #1 |
|
2/15 |
*The Historical Jesus and the
Spread of Christianity (164-179) |
|
|
No Recitation This Week |
Part
II: Medieval Europe
|
Week 7 |
The Foundations of Medieval
Culture |
|
2/20 |
The Catholic
Church and the Frankish Kings (183-196, 219-222, 226-234) |
|
2/22 |
Medieval
Society: Lords, Vassals, and
Peasants (234-247, 265-268) |
|
Recitation |
Lords and Vassals, Christians
and Infidels |
|
Week 8 |
The High Middle Ages |
|
2/27 |
Agricultural Revolution, Urban
Revival, and Intellectual Renewal (252-265) |
|
2/28 |
Extra Credit Film: The Name of the Rose, Gardner 08 at 8:00 p.m. |
|
3/1 |
Popes, Kings, and
Crusades: Politics and War in
the Middle Ages (269-283) |
|
Recitation |
Theological Controversy and
Forbidden Love in 11th-century France |
|
Week 9 |
Crisis and Rebirth in the
Late Middle Ages |
|
3/6 |
The
Crisis of the Middle Ages (289-306) |
|
3/8 |
The Renaissance: Meaning and Italian Origins (317-328) |
|
Recitation |
EuropeÕs First Feminist? A Medieval (Renaissance?) Woman
Speaks |
|
Week 10 |
Spring Break |
|
Week 11 |
The Italian Renaissance |
|
3/20 |
*Literature and Art in the
Italian Renaissance (338-344) In-Class Video: ÒSisterÕs WendyÕs Story of PaintingÓ |
|
3/22 |
Politics, War and Power in Renaissance Italy (328-338, 345-346) |
|
Recitation |
The Power of Virtœ: Human Agency and the Art of Politics
in Renaissance Italy |
|
Week 12 |
The Northern Renaissance
and Cracks in Christendom |
|
3/27 |
Exam #2 |
|
3/29 |
*The Northern Renaissance and
the Origins of the Protestant Reformation (346-365) |
|
|
No Recitation this Week |
Part
III: Early Modern Europe
|
Week 13 |
The Protestant
Reformation: EuropeÕs 16th-Century
Revolution |
|
|
4/3 |
The Protestant Reformation: Religious Revolution in Europe (365-368, 372-77) |
|
|
4/5 |
English Reformation, Counterreformation, and Religious War, 1530-1598 (369-372, 377-388) |
|
|
No Recitation |
|
|
|
Week 14 |
The European Expansion and
Economic Transformation |
|
4/10 |
European Discovery and Expansion (393-412) Read: Bartholemew de Las Casas, Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies Juan GinŽs de Sepœlveda, Just War Against the Barbarians (coursepack) |
|
4/12 |
|
|
Recitation |
Fashioning Identities in a Peasant Village |
|
Week 15 |
The Rise of the Modern
State: Two Concepts of
Sovereignty |
|
4/17 |
|
|
4/19 |
*Constitutionalism and Civil
War in England (445-447) |
|
4/20 |
Due: Critical Essay No Recitation this Week |
|
Week 16 |
The Origins of Modern Thought |
|
4/24 |
The Scientific Revolution (467-479) |
|
4/26 |
The Origins of the
Enlightenment (479-493) |
|
Recitation |
Thinking, Being, and
Truth: The Origins of Modern
Rationalism |
Final
Exam: Tuesday, May 1 at 12:00 p.m.. in Murphey 116
(Click here for Review Sheet)
