HISTORY 101, WESTERN CIVILIZATION TO 1648

Office: Atrium 206. Phone: is (973) 720-2243.
Office: Atrium 210. History Secretary: (973) 720-2319.
e-mail: cooktf@frontier.wpunj.edu
Course List: H101-08@frontier.wpunj.edu

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE: This course has two main goals:

• Introduce the historical and cultural heritage of Western Civilization from the ancient Near East, Africa, and Greece to the beginning of the Modern World. The shared cultural experience of the human community, even in the non-Western world, owes much to these centuries. Advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences require familiarity with and understanding of many of the leading ideas, problems, and developments that shaped European and later world cultures. This has even been referred to as "cultural literacy."
• Introduce and familiarize each student with the skills of analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and critical thinking as they occur in the study of history and as they can be applied to all Learning.

I hope we will jointly discover the pleasure that can come when an active, engaged encounter with the past contributes to our mutual understanding of the present. History, as a discipline, allows us to feel intellectually for ourselves the experiences of people in places and times far removed from our own. Yet, history requires us to become actively engaged in the study. One must throw oneself into the process of history by actively asking questions. Questions which ask "Why do events occur"? (causation) and questions which ask "What is the significance of historical developments?" (meaning) are basic to the process; they are the main reason we ask "who?", "what?", and "when?"

History is often said to teach us lessons from the past, but not as a rule book, but as a way to better understand human behavior. In the process, we see the past from our current historical vantage point. The more actively we ask questions about the past and other peoples, the more we learn about our own assumptions, and, possibly, the more we can learn about our own time as well.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

1. Historical Documents, "Great Books" and Readings: Each week your Main reading assignments will be from a collection of selected documents and readings. These readings will be discussed in class and each of them is important to your understanding of our general themes. Some weeks we will have be reading "complete" works of literature in English translation. Each of these should be approached as a "project" in which you ask yourself as you read it, "what does this book tell me about the civilization that produced it?" and "what can I learn about the people, the society, and their way of thinking?"
   All reading assignments are to be completed before coming to class. That means the instructor expects you to read them actively and critically. Please put in the time required to try to understand them, but do not be worried if you do not feel you have "mastered" them. Come prepared to ask questions; no matter how basic—or simple—you feel your questions are, you should never be afraid or reluctant to ask them. It is from questions that answers emerge and our class discussions will depend on your willingness to seek answers to questions. The readings will be supplemented by occasional documents, slides, tapes, and short films. These too should be viewed as "documents" or "sources" of information and you are expected to view them actively, take notes as appropriate, and discuss the ideas presented.
2. Examinations: There will be two essay-type examinations during the course. Each will consist of two parts: 1) paragraph identifications, requiring you to write a clear paragraph describing an event, idea, or personage in its historical context; and 2) essays in response to a question calling for you to analyze a problem and support your answer with evidence drawn from your readings. A quiz or two will be given if required. At least one Map Exercise will be scheduled.
3. Written Assignments: There will be several opportunities for each student to try his or her hand at active history, based on the materials you will all have in front of you. Concentration on these "problems" will afford each of us an opportunity to exercise our historical skills. More on these later, but they may involve special readings or activities. They will be factored in under Class Participation.
4. Class Participation: Class attendance is expected. Each unexcused absence will be deducted from your score. You are expected to read the assignments before each class and be ready to discuss them in class. Remember, active participation in class—asking relevant questions and taking part in the discussions— is an important component of learning and will be factored into your final grade. Please be ready to earn your points!
5. Electronic Civilization: This is the adventure of bringing together the computer and the classics, history, and student exchange via "The H101 Class List" and "The History 101 Web Page" to be set up during the semester. All students in History 101 will be signed up to the WPC email system and will be expected to join in our e-mail moderated on-line discussions that will be part of class participation. There is room for fun here, too, as we find out who can build the best Civilization in the electronic universe.

YOUR FINAL GRADE: will be determined by assigning Class Participation and Written Assignments 40% , Mid-Term 30%, and the Final 30%. The instructor will recognize significant improvements between midterm and final.

REQUIRED READINGS:

• Marvin PERRY, Joseph R. Peden, Theodore H. Von Laue, Sources of the Western Tradition Vol. One: From Ancient Times to the Enlightenment. 3rd ed. ALWAYS BRING TO CLASS [Called "SOURCES" below—Remember, always cite the precise author and selection you are using when referring to a reading from Sources.]
• Marvin PERRY, Western Civilization. A Brief History Vol. One: To 1789. 3rd ed. Referred to below as PERRY. This book is intended to be your narrative guide. Look back to it to place your documents in context.
• S. SANDERS, The Epic of Gilgamesh (Penguin Books). The first book.
• EURIPEDES, Medea and Other Plays (Dover Thrift Editions or Penguin Books). Greek classic.
• PLUTARCH, Fall of the Roman Republic (Penguin Books). Roman leadership?
• Geoffrey CHAUCER, Selected Canterbury Tales (Dover Thrift Editions) England late 1300s.
• Niccolo MACHIEVELLI The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions) Politics in Renaissance Italy
• Additional readings will be distributed during the term, put on reserve in the Library, or recommended. Be sure you can find the Library Reserve Shelf for History 101.
• The WORLD WIDE WEB will be a frequent source of information and problem sets in the course.