HIS 101 - Introduction to Western Civilization I

1. Describe the transition from the pre-historic era to the historic era.
2. Examine the features of the Greco-Roman world.
3. Describe the Early Middle Ages.
4. Analyze aspects of the Central Middle Ages.
5. Describe the events of the Late Middle Ages.
6. State developments of the Renaissance and Reformation.
7. Engage in historical inquiry utilizing methods appropriate for the Discipline of History (e.g. source selection and evaluation, written historical analysis, qualitative and quantitative data collection, artifact analysis and interpretation, etc.).

1. Intensive Writing and Critical Inquiry.
   1. This course will involve the production of written discourse in more than one assignment through papers, reports, quizzes, tests, etc., which include a minimum word standard of 3,000 words.
   2. It will include written assignments that emphasize critical inquiry, which includes the gathering, interpreting, and evaluation of evidence.
   3. It will include a formal out of class paper of at least 1,500 words, which requires critical inquiry and where the writer develops and supports the main idea.
   4. It will also include explicit writing instruction with timely feedback to help students improve their writing and critical inquiry skills as part of the course content.
   5. The evaluation of written assignments must include the overall quality of the written work and critical inquiry, as measured by a rubric.
   6. At least 50% of the student’s grade must be based upon the written work and critical inquiry assignments.
2. Transition from the Pre-Historic to the Historic Period
   1. Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures
   2. Invention of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent
   3. Civilizations of the Ancient Near East
      1. Peoples of the Ancient Near East
      2. Social and religious elements of the Ancient Near East
      3. Political and economic developments of the Ancient Near East
   4. Invention of writing
3. Greco-Roman World
   1. Pre-Hellenic Civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean
   2. Homer and the Greek “Dark Ages”
   3. Hellenic Civilization
      1. Rise of the Greek Polis
      2. Greek intellectual achievements
      3. Gender roles in Greek society
      4. Persian Wars
      5. Peloponnesian War
   4. Hellenistic Period
      1. Conquests of Alexander the Great
      2. Hellenistic science, math, and philosophy
      3. Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid empires
   5. Roman Republic
      1. Etruscan civilization
      2. Development of Roman political system
      3. Punic Wars
   6. Roman Empire
      1. Imperial dynasties
      2. Territorial conquests and the imperium
      3. Artistic, religious, and societal institutions
      4. Barbarian invasions and collapse of the Roman system
      5. Diocletian, Constantine, and the beginnings of the Byzantine Empire
4. Early Middle Ages
   1. Development and structure of the Christian church
      1. Church fathers
      2. Monastic system
      3. Rise of the papacy
   2. Barbarian kingdoms
   3. Golden Age of Byzantium
   4. Muhammed and the Rise of Islam
      1. Umayyad caliphate
      2. Abbasid caliphate
   5. Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire
   6. Viking invasions
   7. Feudalism and manorialism
5. Central Middle Ages
   1. Invention of new agricultural techniques
      1. Increase in population
      2. Revival of European towns
   2. Creation of the university system
   3. Mendicant orders
   4. Crusades
      1. Four major crusades
      2. Albigensian crusade
      3. Creation of the Inquisition
   5. Rise of the Nation-State
   6. Artistic, architectural, literary and intellectual contributions of medieval thinkers
   7. Social and religious structures of Middle Ages
6. Late Middle Ages
   1. Hundred Year’s War
      1. Joan of Arc
      2. Development of new warfare techniques
   2. Bubonic plague
   3. Peasant uprisings
   4. Babylonian captivity
   5. Great Schism
   6. Collapse of the Byzantine Empire
7. Renaissance and Reformation
   1. Establishment of humanist concept
      1. Visual artists
      2. Literary artists
   2. Scientific revolution
   3. Voyages of “Discovery”
   4. Martin Luther and the 95 Theses
      1. Diet of Worms
      2. Formation of protestant denominations
   5. Council of Trent
   6. Religious warfare
      1. Peace of Augsburg
      2. English Reformation
      3. Thirty Years War