History 205: European History from Antiquity to 1700

Transcription

1 History 205: European History from Antiquity to 1700 Dr. Carolyn Aslan Office: SOS 261, phone ext Office hours: Thurs. 3:30-5:00 or make an appointment In this course students will gain a broad knowledge of key developments in European History beginning from the Palaeolithic period to 1700 A.D. Students will practice analysis of different sources of information including historical texts, art, architecture, and archaeological evidence. Much of class time will be dedicated to the discussion of historical texts and other primary source evidence. We will be focusing on two broad themes this semester: social values and cultural encounters. During the first half of the semester, we will be discussing what the ancient texts tell us about social values and social roles. During the second part of the semester, we will be examining primary sources about different types of cultural encounters, such as trade, warfare, exploration, intermarriage, and intellectual sharing. We will especially be exploring the various types of cultural syncretism, blending and transformations that occur as a result of these encounters. Another important goal of this course is to give students help and guidance in improving their writing and research skills. Assignment: Percentage Date Research paper 25% Dec. 3 Midterm 20% Nov. 10 Final exam 20% exam period Class participation 15% throughout semester Reading response notebook 20% throughout semester Readings and Reading response notebook The textbook for the class is Western Civilization by Margaret King, which is available at the bookstore and on reserve at the library. There is an additional reading packet for the course that needs to be photocopied and brought to class each day. This semester you will be keeping a reading response journal and you need to write at least one page a week. Sometimes I will assign a specific question or topic that I would like you to write about, while other weeks you should pick some aspect of the readings that interests you. It does not have to be in the form of an academic essay, but rather should be more informal, expressing and exploring some of your thoughts and questions; the purpose is to help you think through writing. You should bring it to class on Tuesdays and I will be doing quick checks to see if you are keeping up with the journal. Several times during the semester I will collect your journal entries to read. Lectures and Class discussions During each class, part of the time will be spent on a lecture and part on discussion of the primary sources in the reading packet. The class participation grades will be based on your level of participation in the discussion. Even though some of you

2 may be shy about speaking in class, it is important that you try and say at least one comment or question during the discussion time. Exams There will be a midterm and final exam. The midterm will cover the ancient period and the final will cover the Medieval to Early Modern period. The format will be essays and short answers. Attendance Students are expected to attend all classes. If you miss 9 or more classes, you will fail the course. Please come to class on time. Students who are found doing non-class related activities during class (ex. using a cell phone, completing homework for other classes, talking incessantly with their friends, sleeping etc.) will be counted as absent on that day. Research Paper One of the main learning exercises in the course is a research paper. For your paper you need to choose a specific person in history to research. The person should have lived in Europe before 1700 A.D. and you should be able to find at least one primary source either about that person or by that person (in the case of a writer, artist etc.). You should research and examine this person within the context of their society and historical period. In what ways did they follow the values, expectations and traditions of their time period and place, or perhaps how did were they different and acted to transform their society (or both)? On Oct. 20, you need to submit a proposed topic and a preliminary bibliography of at least five sources that you have found about your person and their historical context. Do not limit your choice to famous historical people, but pick someone less well-known. In the following week, I will make a schedule for individual consultations with me about your paper. Final papers will not be accepted unless you have met with me to discuss your topic. The papers are due on Dec. 3. The paper should be 8-10 pages long (doublespaced, typed) with a bibliography of at least 8 sources, with at least one primary source. Use MLA format for bibliography and citations. There will be lessons during class on proper citations and bibliography as well as research methods. You will need to first submit the paper to turnitin.com and I will explain how to do this in class. After your paper has been corrected and graded, you have the option to revise your research paper in order to improve your writing and correct your mistakes. If there is significant improvement, the grade will be increased. Students can revise multiple times, but no revisions will be accepted after Jan. 7. If you do not submit your paper on time (Dec. 3), you will not be allowed to revise and resubmit the paper. Academic honesty Students are expected to do their own work on all the assignments and exams and to follow the university rules on plagiarism and cheating. Cases of cheating will result in failure of that assignment and be sent to the academic disciplinary council. Be very careful to properly paraphrase and give reference citations for all the information and

3 ideas in your papers. I will check your citations and paraphrasing when reading your papers. An accidental mistake in citations or paraphrasing can easily look like a case of deliberate cheating. We will discuss proper citations and paraphrasing in class. All of the work you do for this course should be originally completed for this course. For example, if you did a Com 102 paper on a similar topic, you cannot reuse parts of the paper. Instead you should pick a topic that you have never researched before. Schedule Sept 29 Oct. 1 Oct. 6 Oct. 8 Oct. 13 Oct. 15 Oct. 20 Introduction to the course, Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods Ancient Mediterranean: Bronze age cultures Reading: Margaret King, Western Civilization, ch. 1-2 Ancient Mediterranean: Bronze Age Ancient Greece: Iron Age Troy, Homer and the Trojan epics Reading: selections from Homer: the Iliad and the Odyssey Western Civilization, ch. 3-4 Ancient Greece: Archaic period Reading: Herodotus: Histories selections Ancient Greece: Classical period Reading: The Women of Troy, by Euripides (in reader or Turkish translation on reserve in library) Ancient Mediterranean: Hellenistic period Reading: Western Civilization ch. 5 Research topics and preliminary bibliography due Oct. 22 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 5 Romans: early Roman period - Emperor Augustus, Reading: Virgil, The Aeneid Book 1 Roman Civilization: city life, art, architecture, literature, religion Readings: Plutarch Life of Cato the Elder, Livy History of Rome, book 34 selections Western Civilization ch. 6 Roman civilization Readings: Horace, Satires, Ovid, Amores Early Christianity

4 Readings: selections from the New Testament Bible St. Jerome, On the Education of Girls Western Civilization ch. 7 Nov. 10 Nov. 12 Nov. 17 Nov. 19 Nov 24 Midterm, in class Fall of Rome, invasions and new kingdoms Reading: Germania, Tacitus Western Civilizations ch. 8 Early Middle Ages, Charlemagne, Pope Gregory I Reading: The Burgundian Code, The Laws of Canute Western Civilization ch. 9 Medieval Christianity Reading: the Rule of Saint Benedict, Gregory I: Life of St. Benedict, Grant of an estate to the Monks of St. Denis Western Civilization ch. 10 Early Middle Ages, The Vikings Foundation legends of European kingdoms Reading: selections from the Snorri s Prose Edda, Beowulf (funeral description) Bayram holiday Dec. 1 Dec. 3 Middle Ages, Norman conquest of England Primary source: images of the Bayeux tapestry (in reader) Secondary source: W. Grape. The Bayeux Tapestry (in reader) Middle Ages, Feudalism, social structure, politics Reading: The Magna Carta Western Civilization ch. 11 Research Papers Due Dec. 8 Dec. 10 Crusades, Cultural Encounters and Trade Reading: selections from the Autobiography of Usama ibn Munqidh: the Frankish Cavalry, The Noble and Magnificent City of Hangzhou Marco Polo in China, Accounts of the Routes of the Jewish Merchants Western Civilization ch. 11, 12 Life in medieval towns and cities Interactions between Christians and Jews Reading: Ordinances of the Guild Merchant of Southhampton

5 Laws of Valladolid, Bishop of Speyer: Grant of Lands and Privileges to the Jews, Expulsion of the Jews from France Dec. 15 Dec. 17 Dec. 22 Dec. 24 Dec. 29 Dec. 31 Jan 5 Jan. 7 Medieval culture literature, art, architecture Reading: selections from Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot, Late Middle Ages 14 th cent., The Black Death, Hundred Years War Reading: Jean de Venette on the Progress of the Black Death, Boccaccio: The Decameron Introduction Renaissance Reading: excerpts from Giorgi Vasari: Life of Leonardo da Vinci, Petrarch To Homer, Machiavelli The Ancients and Liberty Western Civilizations, ch. 13 Christian syncretism: Santa Claus, Witchcraft Witchcraft documents Aecerbot Ritual, Caesarius of Heisterbach The Eucharist as a Charm Protestant Reformation Reading: Raimon de Cornet, Poem Criticizing the Avignon Papacy, Martin Luther: Letter to the Archbishop of Mainz. Western Civilizations ch. 14 Age of Exploration Reading: Christopher Columbus, Extracts from Journal, Letter to the King and Queen of Spain Western Civilizations ch. 16 Society and economy in the 16 th -17 th centuries, Scientific Revolution Reading: Francis Bacon The New Atlantis Religious wars and State Building, 16 th 17 cent. Reading: Bossuet Work on Kingship Duc de Saint-Simon, Court of Louis 14 th Western Civilizations ch. 15 Final day to submit revised papers Final exam will be scheduled for the exam period