20803220History of Western Civilization
Course Information
Description
This course introduces students to the history of western culture using the materials from the humanities, including history, art, architecture, literature, drama, philosophy and religion, and music. Course examines the history of western societies from the earliest civilizations up to the Renaissance (approx. 3000 BC to 1500 AD). Class will discover and explore the cultural legacy created by past societies that we embrace as part of western culture and to evaluate the style or cultural essence of the different peoples who have made important contributions to that culture. Students explore historical materials that reflect the human response to physical and social experiences in order to discover what being human involves over time in different places and situations. We also explore the humanities materials to discover how humans have expressed their humanity.
Total Credits
3
Course Competencies
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Analyze origins of civilizationAssessment StrategiesEssay and/or Research PaperCriteriadefine the concept of civilization in order to understand ancient societiesexamine the role of politics and religion in Egypt and Mesopotamiaexamine the social order in ancient civilizationcompare the social organization of Egypt and Mesopotamia and how it works in each societyexplore the influence of gods/godesses in the art and literature of ancient societiesconnect the physical environment to specific attributes that ancient societies develop
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Analyze the nature of the classical traditionsAssessment StrategiesEssay and/or Research PaperCriteriadefine organizing concepts or perspectives of myth and empiredefine the nature of classical traditionexplore the historical context (Greece and Rome) in which the elements of the classical tradition develops or emergesconnect historical context of Greece and Rome to the art, architecture, and literature (modes of expression) of those societiesdefine general terms used to describe art, architecture, and literature, e.g., ionic, doric, corinthian columnsexplore the role of the Greek polis in molding Greek societyexplore the Roman Empire as another historical contextanalyze the imperial impulse of the Romansexamine the physical attributes of the Roman Empireevaluate the contributions of Greece and Rome to the classical traditionexplore manifestations of the classical tradition in the contemporary world
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Examine the Judeo-Christian traditionAssessment StrategiesEssay and/or Research PaperCriteriadefine basic features of the Judeo-Christian traditionexplore manifestations of Judeo-Christian tradition (in its own time) in the contemporary worldexamine the culmination of medieval culture in terms of religion, the arts, and political organizationsdetermine the causes of the decline of medieval society
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Analyze the emergence of modernity in EuropeAssessment StrategiesEssay and/or Research PaperCriteriadetermine how a new outlook (modernity) appearsexamine the Renaissance as an era of political and cultural changeconnect changes to the creation of a new outlookdefine humanism as an organizing conceptexplore the explosion in the arts and architecture in Renaissance Italy as an element of the new outlookexamine the connections between the new outlook and the classical traditionexamine manifestations of change in Europe as the beginning of modern society: new technologies and expanding physical horizons
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Analyze the European medieval world viewAssessment StrategiesEssay and/or Research PaperCriteriaexamine the elements of medieval culture: religion, ethnicity, social hierarchy, feudal system, and village lifecompare medieval culture to the classical traditioncompare early medieval society with later medieval society to look at the development over timeevaluate the influence of Christianity in medieval societyexplore the role of the medieval warrior in medieval societyexamine the interaction of various religions and cultural groups to form medieval cultureexamine the role of Islamic people and culture in the formation of medieval culturecompare the image of medieval culture in art and literature to the historical image
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Write about historical topicsAssessment StrategiesWritten ProductCriteriaemploy primary and secondary sourcescomply with the conventions of standard written Englishpresent information which directly addresses historical issuesorganize thoughts logically and coherently
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Analyze historical materialsAssessment StrategiesEssay and/or Research PaperCriteriabreak apart a specific time period or concept into economic, social, political, and cultural elementsdraw conclusionsmake inferencesconnect information to ideasemploy techniques of visual and auditory analysis
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Use elements of researchAssessment StrategiesWritten ProductCriteriaincorporate research into written work appropriatelycompile a bibliographysupport a thesis with sufficient evidencedocument sources using standard academic documentation