CIVILIZATIONS I SPRING 2012 NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY JERSEY CITY, NJ DEPARTMENT: GSC MEETING TIME: Tuesdays, 7:00 PM CLASS NUMBER: 1874 ROOM: Science 228 TEXTS: Fiero, Gloria. The Humanistic Tradition (6th Ed.). Book 1: The First Civilizations and the Classical Legacy. McGraw-Hill, New York: 2010, ISBN # 978-0073523972 Fiero, Gloria. The Humanistic Tradition (6th Ed.). Book 2: Medieval Europe and the World Beyond. McGraw-Hill, New York: 2010, ISBN # 978-0077346188 INSTRUCTOR: E-MAIL: WEBSITE: Marie Curry curry.njcu@gmail.com OR MCURRY1@njcu.edu www.currynjcu.weebly.com COURSE DESCRIPTION: Civilizations I explores the human experience through the disciplines of history, philosophy, literature, and the arts. The purposes of the course are for students to develop an awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on the present, and to appreciate the achievements of the collective human experience. The course explores a variety of cultures in order to understand the diversity within our common humanity. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Students will develop an awareness of the most important achievements of the civilizations covered in the course. 2. Students will understand the processes leading to the development of civilizations. 3. Students will develop an appreciation of the factors that have produced the value systems underlying various civilizations. 4. Students will develop their critical thinking skills through the analysis and interpretation of course readings and individual research. 5. Students will identify, assess, and appreciate those factors that have influenced their own and their society's values and beliefs. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Attendance: Students should attend class regularly. Lectures will focus on material that is not part of the scheduled reading. Extra credit is given for faithful attendance. Reading: Essays: Exams: Students should complete all reading assignments. Knowledge of the readings will be tested on the exams and quizzes. Students should hand in essays on their due dates. If an essay is handed in late, a 20% lateness penalty will be deducted from the grade for each week that it is overdue. There are 2 preliminary exams and 1 final exam. It is assumed that all students will be present for
all three exams. If a student must be absent for one of the preliminary exams, he or she should notify me in advance if possible, in person or via email. I will administer a makeup exam at the next class meeting. However, there will be NO opportunities for making up exams later than one week after the originally-scheduled date. There are absolutely NO makeups if a student misses the final exam. EVALUATION: The final grade for the course will be based upon the following: Preliminary Exam #1 20% Philosophy Paper 10% Preliminary Exam #2 25% Museum Paper 10% Final Exam 25% Quiz 5% Oral Report 5% SCHEDULE & ASSIGNMENTS: DATE: TOPIC: TITLE OF READING SELECTION: BEGINNING ON PAGE: JAN 17 PREHISTORY & THE BEGINNINGS OF CIVILIZATION People and Nature 13 (Book 1) Myth and the Quest For Beginnings 13 (Book 1) READING 0.1- Creation Tales 14 (Book 1) Reminder: Student Contact Info & Oral Report Preferences due Jan 24 (submit via website) JAN 24 MESOPOTAMIA, EGYPT, THE HEBREWS: SOCIETY, LAW, & RELIGION Student Contact Info & Oral Report Preferences due (submit via website) The Gods of Mesopotamia 17 (Book 1) The Search for Immortality 19 (Book 1) READING 1.2 - From The Epic of Gilgamesh 19 (Book 1) READING 1.3 - From the Code of Hammurabi 27 (Book 1) The Hebrews 29 (Book 1)
READING 1.4b - From the Hebrew Bible (Exodus) 31 (Book 1) Law In Ancient Egypt 49 (Book 1) The Social Order 55 (Book 1) Egyptian Women 57 (Book 1) "The Cradle of Cash" JAN 31 GREECE: VALUES & POLITICS The Greek Gods 85 (Book 1) Excerpt from the "Iliad" READING 4.2- From Thucydides' Peloponnesian Wars (ca. 410 BCE) "In Classical Athens, a Market Trading in the Currency of Ideas." 88 (Book 1) Reminder: Quiz on Feb 7 FEB 7 THE CLASSICAL WORLD: PHILOSOPHY Quiz - on material from Jan 24 and Jan 31 Greek Philosophy: The Speculative Leap 100 (Book 1) Naturalist Philosophy: The Pre-Socratics 100 (Book 1) Humanist Philosophy: The Sophists 101 (Book 1) READING 4.5- From Plato's Crito (ca. 390 BCE) 102 (Book 1) READING 4.6- The "Allegory of the Cave" from Plato's Republic (ca. 375 BCE) The Diffusion of the Classical Style: The Hellenistic Age (323-30 BCE) 104 (Book 1) 130 (Book 1) Hellenistic Schools of Thought 131 (Book 1) The Roman Contribution to Literature: Roman Philosophic Thought READING 6.2- From Seneca's On Tranquility of Mind (ca. 40 CE) Women and the Law in Rome: Excerpts from Legal Codes 143 (Book 1) 144 (Book 1) Reminder: Preliminary Exam #1 on Feb 14 FEB 14 PRELIMINARY EXAM #1 Exam covers:
Prehistory & the Beginnings of Civilization Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Hebrews: Society, Law, & Religion Greece: Values & Politics The Classical World: Philosophy FEB 21 THE CLASSICAL WORLD: ART & ARCHITECTURE READING 5.1- From Vitruvius' Principles of Symmetry (ca. 46-30 BCE) 114 (Book 1) The Classical Style In Poetry 127 (Book 1) READING 5.2- Sappho's Poems (ca. 590 BCE) 128 (Book 1) READING 5.3 - From Pindar's Odes (ca. 420 BCE) 128 (Book 1) Reminder: Philosophy paper due Feb 28. Instructions posted on website. FEB 28 ROME: RISE & DECLINE OF EMPIRE Philosophy paper due Roman Epic Poetry 146 (Book 1) READING 6.5- From Virgil's Aeneid (ca. 20 BCE) 147 (Book 1) Latin Prose Literature 145 (Book 1) READING 6.3- From Cicero's On Duty (44 BCE) 145 (Book 1) READING 6.4- From Tacitus' Dialogue on Oratory (ca. 100-105 CE) READING 6.1- Josephus' Description of the Roman Army (ca. 70 CE) 146 (Book 1) 140 (Book 1) The Jewish Background 4 (Book 2) The Message of Jesus 6 (Book 2) "Two Thousand Years of Jesus" MARCH 6 MEDIEVAL EUROPE: SOCIETY & THE ARTS The Literature of the Feudal Nobility 78 (Book 2) READING 11.2- From the Song of Roland 78 (Book 2) Christianity and the Medieval Mind: Looking Ahead 95 (Book 2) The Christian Way of Life and Death 95 (Book 2) Medieval Scholasticism 113 (Book 2)
Medieval Scholasticism 113 (Book 2) Sermon Literature 97 (Book 2) READING 12.2- From Pope Innocent III's On the Misery of the Human Condition (ca. 1200 CE) Excerpts from Christine de Pizan's Mirror of Honor The Medieval Romance & the Code of Courtly Love READING 11.3- From Chretien de Troyes' Lancelot (ca. 1170 CE) 98 (Book 2) 85 (Book 2) 89 (Book 2) Dante's Divine Comedy 103 (Book 2) MARCH 13 NJCU SPRING RECESS NO CLASS MARCH 20 THE ISLAMIC WORLD: SOCIETY & THE ARTS The Islamic World: Religion and Culture: Looking Ahead 45 (Book 2) The Religion of Islam: Muhammad and Islam 45 (Book 2) Submission to God 47 (Book 2) The Quran 47 (Book 2) READING 10.1- From the Quran 48 (Book 2) Islamic Prose Literature 58 (Book 2) READING 10.4- From The Thousand and One Nights (ca. 850 CE) "The Arab Roots of European Medicine" 60 (Book 2) Reminder: Preliminary Exam #2 on March 27 MARCH 27 PRELIMINARY EXAM #2 Exam covers: The Classical World: Art & Architecture Rome: Rise & Decline of Empire Medieval Europe: Society & the Arts The Islamic World: Society & the Arts APR 3 NO CLASS [ Time off for Museum visit ] APR 10 AFRICA
"West African Kingdoms" APR 17 PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA "The Americas: Native American Cultures" Reminder: Museum paper due Apr 24. Instructions posted on website. APR 24 INDIA Museum paper due The Bhagavad-Gita 66 (Book 1) Excerpt from the Bhagavad-Gita READING 8.4a - From the Buddha's Sermon at Benares (recorded ca. 100 BCE) READING 8.4b - From the Buddha's Sermon on Abuse (recorded ca. 100 BCE) Readings on Women in Ancient India "Ancient Jewel" 12 (Book 2) 13 (Book 2) MAY 1 CHINA Ancient China 67 (Book 1) READING 3.2- From the Dao de jing (ca. 550 BCE) 71 (Book 1) READING 7.1- From the Analects of Confucius 168 (Book 1) Chinese Poetry 175 (Book 1) READING 7.3- A Selection of Han Poems 175 (Book 1) Technology in the Tang and Song Eras 156 (Book 2) Chinese Music and Poetry 158 (Book 2) READING 14.3- Poems of the Tang and Song Eras (750-900 CE) 159 (Book 2) Chinese Crafts 162 (Book 2) Excerpts from Ban Zhao's Lessons for Women Reminder: Final Exam on May 8 MAY 8 FINAL EXAM Exam covers: Africa
Pre-Columbian America India China