History
151-06
Hunziker
Fall
2011
The History of Western Civilization to 1650
| Course Overview
| Readings |
Requirements
and Grading | Guidelines | Schedule of
Classes |
Click
Here to Download the Course Reader
PAPER
#2 – CLICK HERE FOR ASSIGNMENT
Professor: Dr. Brandon Hunziker
Email: branhunz@email.unc.edu
Webpage: http://www.unc.edu/~branhunz/hist151/
Classroom/Meeting Time: Murphey 116, Tu/Th 12:30-1:45
Office Hours: Hamilton 515, MW, 2-3:30; Th, 2-3:30,
and by appointment
Telephone: 962-2374 (email
is always better)
Teaching Assistants: Zaheer Abbas (abbasz@email.unc.edu)
Audra Yoder (ajyoder@email.unc.edu)
Sam Finesurrey (srf@email.unc.edu)
Course
Overview, Objectives, and Theme
This course will survey of some of the major topics,
issues, and problems that have shaped the history of Western Civilization (or
really Europe lets be honest!) from the Ancient World to the middle of the
seventeenth century. While some have suggested that the Western Civilization
course should be abandoned in favor of ÒWorld HistoryÓ – itÕs too
ÒeurocentricÓ and Òexclusive,Ó they argue, and perpetuates a sense of Western
superiority – others, including your current instructor (me!), think
studying the history, culture, and traditions of this thing we still call
ÒWestern CivilizationÓ remains a worthwhile endeavor. Indeed, itÕs not hard to
argue that Western Civilization – or at least Western culture and Western
power – continues to influence the course of world history more than any
other civilization, sometimes for better, sometimes worse, and thus remains
something we should understand. But these academic debates aside, the history
of Western Civilization remains a fascinating laboratory for historical
investigation, a place where we can practice thinking historically
together. 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 analysis of
historical evidence; and using historical knowledge and insight to gain a
better understanding of the present. In this course, we will think historically
by entering into a dialogue with the past and some of its more interesting
personalities while at the same time reflecting on what the past can teach us
about our world today.
Among the topics this course will examine are:
á Political systems and conflicts 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, social
relations, and their influence on politics, culture, and intellectual life.
á How peopleÕs identities were formed by the contexts in
which they lived, their own thoughts, beliefs, and actions, and their
encounters with and constructions of people who were different from them.
Finally, this course seeks improve your ability to
analyze various types of historical sources critically, write clearly and
effectively, and articulate yourself intelligently and confidently in front of
others. These are skills that will benefit you no matter what your chosen field
of study or career may be.
Now, there are countless ways to approach a broad
history survey course such as this. Inevitably, lots of things – in fact
most things – get left out, while some things receive greater emphasis
than others. This Western Civilization course is no different. In order to
provide some coherence to this course and help you make some connections as we
march through the centuries, I have chosen as a course theme Òpolitics,
political theories, and political constitutionsÓ. In other words, we will frequently
return – especially in our primary source reading and discussion sections
– to the following questions: How did people in different historical
contexts think – even philosophize – about politics, political
power, including who should posses it and how it should be exercised? How did
they organize their political systems? And how did they act politically? While
we will address other questions in this course, for example the nature of
Òtruth,Ó this theme and these questions will hopefully provide a common thread
for this course.
Required Book: There
is only one required book that you need to purchase for this class,
MachiavelliÕs The Prince, edited and
translated by David Wooten (Hackett Publishing, 1995). It is available at the
UNC bookstore for purchase. Make sure you purchase the correct edition by
checking the ISBN number (0872203166).
Course
Reader: All of the other readings for
this course can be found in Course
Reader (click
here), which is composed of excerpts from numerous primary
sources. You must print out the readings and bring them
to your discussion section.
I highly recommend that you print out the entire course reader all at once
and put it in an easily accessible three-ring binder – that way you donÕt
have to worry about it for the rest of the semester. If you own your own printer, this will
cost you about $3 in paper and $2 in ink, which is a fraction of the cost of a
coursepack or a published sourcebook. If you donÕt own a printer, you might
want to consider buying
one.
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), you can read the
corresponding chapters in Sherman and Salisbury, The West in the World vol. I:
To 1715 (any edition) or Lynn Hunt, The
Making of the West vol. I: to 1740.
In fact, any number of Western Civ textbooks will serve this purpose. A
textbook can also be used to review for exams or read more about issues and
topics you find particularly interesting. While 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 (or Wikipedia,
Google, etc.) for your exams and papers. Whatever you do, donÕt get bogged down
in a textbook. Instead, concentrate
your time and effort on the supplementary readings that will form the basis of
your discussions in discussion.
How much
reading? There is a substantial, but manageable amount of
reading for this course. Some weeks
are heavier than others, so plan ahead. On average, you can expect to read
about 20 pages each week from the course reader, maybe 1-2 hours depending on
how fast you read. My hope is that having fewer pages to read will lead you to
read more closely and carefully. Still, you will probably not be able to
complete some readings for example, MachiavelliÕs The Prince, the night before your discussion section meets. It is absolutely essential, however,
that you complete all of the readings on time so that you can write participate
actively in discussion, write your papers, and be prepared for exams.
Lectures: All of the factual information that you need for exams
and papers 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) before class. I recommend that you download and print
these outlines out before class so
that you can spend more time listening and thinking than copying. In the past, students have copied them
into Word documents and taken their notes between the lines. But remember: you
cannot pass this class by relying on your textbook, Google, or Wikipedia.
Please do not start packing up your things before I end my lecture, as it is
disturbing to me and those who may still be listening.
Discussion
and Discussion Assignments: Discussion
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 discussion about the subject material, the
better you will do. So prepare well
for discussion by reading the assigned texts carefully, thinking of questions,
ideas, and issues they provoke, and coming ready to share them. Laptop use is not permitted during discussion section.
Each week before your discussion section meets you
will submit one (1) question to your Teaching AssistantÕs specially designated
discussion question email address (Audra Yoder hist151audra@gmail.com; Sam
Finesurry hist151sam@gmail.com;
Zaheer Abass (hist151zaheer@gmail.com). This might be a question that you would
ask if you were leading the discussion or just something you were particularly
interested in. In addition, you must choose one passage/quotation from one of
the weekÕs reading that is relevant to your question. Finally, you will write a
50-100 word paragraph (no more, please) about the one thing that you found most
interesting, most surprising, most disturbing – anything, really –
about the reading for that week. Failure to submit your questions for a given
discussion will result in a 2-point deduction from your final participation
grade. These discussion assignments should take you all of 5-10 minutes to
complete.
Your emailed discussion assignment will look like
this:
Subject Heading: Discussion
#1: YOUR NAME
Question: Your Question about
the Reading
Passage from Reading:
Cut-and-Paste from course reader a passage no longer than 100 words relevant to
your question.
Paragraph: 50-100 words
Failure to submit your questions for a given
discussion will result in a 2-point deduction from your final participation
grade. These discussion assignments should take you all of 5-10 minutes to
complete.
The attendance and participation grade (15%) is one of
the hardest for teaching assistants to assign and for students understand.
Below is the grading system that we will use to determine your grade. As you
will see, 70/100 points are basically yours to take. All you need to do is show
up on time to all discussions, bring your readings, and sit and listen
attentively. This will make for a very dull hour, of course, and your teaching
assistants will do everything they can to get you to participate. But it
ensures that quiet students are not unduly penalized for not participating
actively. The other 30 points (about 5% of your course grade) depend on the
quantity and quality of your participation. While there is always an element of
subjectivity involved in determining this (especially quality), in general the
more relevant, thoughtful, and articulate comments you make and the more you
engage your fellow students and you teaching assistant, the better you will do.
Simply talking a lot or trying to dominate discussion, however, does not
constitute quality participation! It is our belief that every student is
capable of making a grade of at least an 80 quite easily, and it should not be
too much more difficult to achieve an 85 or 90. In the past, most students who
attend all recitations receive grades of 85 or 90. (Grades of 95 and 100,
however, will be reserved for outstanding students.
|
70 (C-) |
Perfect attendance, no participation: show up on-time
with readings, attentive, but silent during most discussion sections |
|
75 (C) |
Perfect attendance, some participation: show up
on-time with readings, attentive, participate in 4-5 discussion sections |
|
80 (B-) |
Perfect attendance, satisfactory participation: show
up on-time with readings, attentive, participate at least once during 6-7
discussion sections. |
|
85 (B) |
Perfect attendance, good participation: show up on-time with readings, attentive,
participate with good comments at least twice during 7-8 discussion sections |
|
90 (A-) |
Perfect attendance, excellent participation: show up on-time with readings,
attentive, participate with especially strong comments at least three times
during all 8 discussion sections |
|
95 (A) |
Perfect attendance, outstanding participation: show up on-time with readings,
attentive, participate as much as possible and relevant (without dominating
and speaking just to speak) during all 9 discussion sections, distinguish
yourself by the sophistication and eloquence of your comments. |
|
100 (A+) |
This grade will be awarded to the most outstanding
student in each discussion section. |
Points will be deducted from your final grade for each
incident of the following. All of these should be very easy to avoid.
Absence: 10 points
Lateness (more than 2 minutes, not more than 10): 2 points
Unprepared (not bringing
readings): 3 points
Rude, disrespectful, or disruptive behavior: 5 points (rare, but possible)
Quizzes: You will take two (2) short, 20-minute quizzes worth
5% of your grade each. These will be based on lectures and readings.
Exams: You will take one 75-minute midterm consisting of IDs
and short answer questions based on material from lectures and supplementary
readings. The final will consist of IDs and short answer questions, passage
identifications from all supplementary readings, as well as several short
answer questions that will test your knowledge of major issues from the entire
semester.
Papers: You will write two 1200-1500 word (4-5 pages),
thesis-driven essays based on supplementary readings discussed in discussion.
Specific questions and instructions for writing these essays will be given out
well in advance of their due dates.
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 papers, as you have the opportunity to submit these in
advance. Such events must also be
documented. Ten points will be
deducted from your papers for each 24-hour period that they are late, beginning
five minutes after the start of the class period in which they are due. 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 Thursday, December 15, from
12:00-3:00 pm in Murphy 116. Please
do not plan to travel before then, as it is very difficult to schedule a
make-up final.
|
Assignments |
Weight |
Grading
Scale |
|
|
Midterm Exam |
20% |
> 93 |
A |
|
Paper 1 |
15% |
> 90 |
A- |
|
Paper 2 |
15% |
> 87 |
B+ |
|
Quizzes (2) |
10% |
> 83 |
B |
|
Participation |
15% |
> 80 |
B- |
|
Final Exam |
25% |
> 77 |
C+ |
|
|
|
> 73 |
C |
|
|
|
> 70 |
C- |
|
|
|
> 67 |
D+ |
|
|
|
> 61 |
D |
|
|
|
0-60.9 |
F |
Attendance and Tardiness: Attendance at lectures is not mandatory, although it
will be hard to pass this class if you do not attend them regularly. Attendance at discussion section,
however, is mandatory. Unexcused
absences from discussion will result in a 10-point deduction from your
participation grade. Please make every effort to arrive on time for both
discussions and lectures If you are late for lecture (not more than five
minutes), please take a seat closest to the door in the back row. Please try to be as quiet as you can and
do not walk in front of me if you
arrive late or have to leave the room. 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
Laptops: Please turn
your cell phones off - not to
vibrate, but off – before class
begins. Now, the chances are pretty good that cell phones will ring a few times
in the course of the semester. If yours does, turn it off quickly. No need to
apologize. However, if you are a repeat offender, you may be asked to leave.
You may, of course, use your laptop to take notes. Do not, however, use your
laptop or cell phone to email, surf the web, watch movies, instant message, or
check each other out on Facebook. 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 do them someplace where I wonÕt disturb you with my
lecture. In addition, such unauthorized used of electronic devices may also be
considered Òdisruptive behavior,Ó and thus constitute a violation of the UNC Honor Code. If youÕd like to use your laptop to take
notes, please print out, sign and return this Laptop Usage Agreement
to your teaching assistant or Professor Hunziker by
Tuesday, August 30.
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 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 so
not worth it.
Problems,
Concerns, and Difficulties: We would like to talk to you about any
concerns 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 first with him or her.
Remember, email can sometimes lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and
confusion. ItÕs sometimes best to
discuss things in person. When you
do write us emails, please put something in the subject line, begin with a
ÒDearÓ or ÒHiÓ and end with a ÒSincerelyÓ or ÒThanks,Ó followed by your
name. WeÕll extend the same
courtesy to you, but wonÕt respond to emails lacking subjects, greetings and
names.
Schedule
of Classes and Assignments
(This
schedule, the readings, and assignments are subject to change at the discretion
of the instructor.)
Submit
Discussion Assignments Here:
Audra
Yoder
Zaheer
Abbas Sam
Finesurrey
Part
I: The Ancient World
|
Week 1 |
|
|
8/23 |
Introduction:
ÒWestern CivilizationÓ and the ÒWestern CivÓ Course |
|
8/25 |
|
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 1 |
Introduction: ÒDoing
HistoryÓ Together Read: 1) Gerald Schlabach, ÒA Sense of
History: Some ComponentsÓ (In Course Reader)
2) David Koeller,
ÒUsing Historical SourcesÓ |
|
Week 2 |
|
|
8/30 |
Ancient
Greece: Politics and Society Read: 1) Thucydides, ÒFuneral
Oration of PericlesÓ from History of the
Peloponnesian War
2)
The Old Oligarch, ÒThe Polity of the AtheniansÓ
3) Xenophon, ÒThe Polity of the SpartansÓ
4) Plato, excerpts from The
Republic
5) Aristotle, excerpts from The
Politics |
|
9/1 |
From
Unity to Civil War: A 5th-Century Greek Tragedy |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 2 |
Politics and Constitutions
in Ancient Greece |
|
Week 3 |
|
|
9/6 |
Greek
Philosophy and History 2) Plato,
ÒThe ApologyÓ and The Republic
3) Aristotle, Ethics |
|
9/8 |
Alexander
the Great and the Hellenistic Philosophy Read:
1) Plutarch, ÒOn the Fortune and Virtue of Alexander the GreatÓ
2) Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 3 |
Philosophy and the
Individual in Greek Culture NOTE: Click
here for Paper #1 – Due at 12:30 in-class on September 27 |
|
Week 4 |
|
|
9/13 |
The
Roman Republic: Constitution and Expansion Quiz #1 |
|
9/15 |
The
Crisis of the Republic and the Imperial Solution Read: 1) Sallust, The Catiline Conspiracy and The Jurgurthine War |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 4 |
The Roman Constitution:
Strengths and Weaknesses |
|
Week 5 |
|
|
9/20 |
The
ÒPax RomanaÓ and the ÒFallÓ of the Roman Empire Read: 1)
Aelius Aristes, ÒThe Roman OrationÓ
2) Tacitus, Annals, speech
of Claudius on Admitting Provincials to the Senate
3) Tacitus, Agricola, speech
of Calgacus on Roman
Imperialism
4) Flavius Josphesus, The Wars
of the Jews |
|
9/22 |
|
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 5 |
What Have the Romans Done
For Us? Apologists and Critics of the Roman Empire |
Part
II: Christianity and Medieval Europe
|
Week 6 |
|
|
9/27 |
The
Early Church, the Germans, and Charlemagne Paper
#1 Due (click
here for paper assignment) |
|
9/29 |
Feudalism
and Medieval Society Read: 1) Fulbert of
Chartres, ÒOn Mutual DutyÓ
2) The Magna Carta |
|
No Discussion |
No Discussion Section this
Week |
|
Week 7 |
|
|
10/4 |
Popes,
Kings, and Crusades: Politics and Religion in the Middle Ages
2) Dictatus Papae
3) Henry IV, Letter to Gregory VII
4) Gregory VII, First Deposition and Banning of Henry IV
5) Gregory
VII, Decrees Forbidding Lay Investiture
6) Gregory VII to Bishop Hermann of Metz
7) Concordat of Worms
8) Marsilius of Padua, Defender
of the Peace |
|
10/6 |
Agricultural
Revolution, Urban Revival and Intellectual Renewal Read:
1) Peter Abelard, Sic et Non
2) Bernard of Clairvaux, Letter to Innocent III
3) Thomas Aquinas, Summa
Theologica *NOTE: You
will discuss these texts along with the film ÒThe Name of the RoseÓ on week
10. |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 6 |
Pope vs.
King, Church vs. State: Religion and the State in the Middle Ages |
|
Week 8 |
|
|
10/11 |
Midterm
Exam |
|
10/13 |
|
|
Thur/Fri No Discussion |
No Discussion Section this
Week |
|
Week 9 |
|
|
10/18 |
In-Class
Film: The Name of the Rose (75
minute class) (click
here for some questions to think about while you watch the film) |
|
10/20 |
Fall Break |
|
Week 10 |
|
|
10/25 |
In-Class Film: The Name of the
Rose (75 minute class) |
|
10/27 |
The
Renaissance in Italy
2) Pico della Mirandola, Oration
on the Dignity of Man |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 7 |
History and Film: Critiquing The
Name of the Rose *In addition to the film, you will discuss the texts by Peter
Abelard, Sic et Non, Bernard of
Clairvaux, Letter to Innocent III; Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica this
week. |
Part
III: Early Modern Europe
|
Week 11 |
|
|
11/1 |
Politics
and War in Renaissance Italy Read: 1) Machiavelli, Discourses
I, #9 and #55 (Republics and Monarchies)
2) Machiavelli, The Prince,
pp. 1-80 (available for purchase at bookstore or online) |
|
11/3 |
The
Northern Renaissance and the Origins of the Protestant Reformation |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 8 |
The Power of Virtœ:
Politics and Philosophy in MachiavelliÕs The
Prince |
|
Week 12 |
|
|
11/8 |
Martin
Luther and the Protestant Reformation in Germany
2) Martin Luther, ÒAddress to the Christian Nobility of the German
Nation, 1520
3) Martin Luther, On the Jews
and Their Lies |
|
11/10 |
The
Spread of the Reformation: Calvinism and the Henry VIIIÕs Reformation Quiz #2 |
|
No Discussion |
No Discussion Section This
Week |
|
Week 13 |
|
|
11/15 |
The
Catholic Reformation and Religious War, 1530-1648
2)
The Formula of the Institute of the Society of
Jesus 3) De Thu on the St. BartholomewÕs Day Massacre |
|
11/17 |
Read:
1) Galileo, ÒLetter to the Grand Duchess Christina of TuscanyÓ
2) Francis Bacon, Novum Organum
3) RenŽ Descartes, Discourse on
Method |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 9 |
Science
and the (Re-)Secularization of the European Mind |
|
Week 14 |
|
|
11/22 |
European
Overseas Expansion and the Commercial Revolution Read: 1) Bartholemew de Las Casas,
Short Account of the Destruction of the
Indies 2)
Juan GinŽs de Sepœlveda, Just War
Against the Barbarians Paper #2 Due (click
here for paper #2 assignment) |
|
11/24 |
Thanksgiving
Break |
|
Week 15 |
|
|
11/29 |
Absolutism
in France
2) Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
3) Cardinal Richelieu, Political
Testament |
|
12/1 |
Read: 1) The Petition of Right
2) John
Locke, Second Treatise on Government 3) English Bill of Rights
4) Thomas Jefferson, The
Declaration of Independence |
|
Thur/Fri Discussion 10 |
Theories of Sovereignty for
the Early Modern State |
|
Week 16 |
|
|
12/6 |
On
the Cusp of the Modern Age: The Enlightenment 1)
Immanuel Kant, What is Enlightenment? Evaluations
and Review |
Final Exam:
Thursday, December 15 at 12:00
p.m. in
Murphey 116