Week 2 Overview and Assignment
Welcome to Western Civilization
up to 1500 c.e. (common era)
"History is what the present considers important about the past."
Week 2, Chapter 1
Birthplace of the West
It's good to have you here.
For Weeks 2 and 3, we will be learning about Prehistory, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt -- what your textbook calls the "roots" of Western Civilization. We will also learn about early Greek society.
After reading and studying this chapter, we should be able to:
- Define Western civilization and discuss the different ways historians understand the term.
- Explain the contributions of Mesopotamian civilizations to Western civilization.
- Identify the differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia.
- Explain the rise of the Hittite, Minoan, and Mycenaean civilizations.
Chapter 1:
Early Western Civilization
400,000 to 1,000 b.c./b.c.e.
Chapter One Summary
This chapter traces the rise of civilizations in the Middle East over a period of three thousand years, and the contributions these cultures and empires made to Western civilization. In Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, we see the development of agriculture and technology accompanied by the emergence of great cities and stratified societies. Art, religion, warfare, law, and, most importantly, writing gained sophistication as these ancient cultures interacted with each other. The ideas of the earliest civilizations were taken up by the cultures that followed. Writing was crucial because it facilitated this process of cross-fertilization.
As you read chapter 1 and learn about the origins of Western Civilization, sidestep the following misconceptions:
1. Many students may think that Western civilization is the first or only civilization. In fact, civilizations in China and the Indus river valley were developing around the same time. Rather than one civilization expanding and inspiring others, it is more likely that these were parallel developments.
2. As some of you will note, modern scientific understandings of the natural world are, of course, not found among ancient peoples. Even so, ancient peoples were interested in explaining the natural world and how it worked. Their explanations generally involved religion. Students are often tempted to dismiss the ancients as simply superstitious. For contrast, ask students to consider the advanced knowledge of astronomy common to ancient peoples even without modern technology.
3. It is a common misconception finally that the great pyramids of Egypt were built with slave labor. Written and archaeological evidence both indicate that the people who built the pyramids and other royal tombs were paid workers. Slavery was practiced in Egypt, as well as in all other ancient civilizations, but slave labor was not used for these building projects.
Summary of Key Terms
Note the key terms at the end of each chapter in our Sherman textbook and sprinkled in boldface throughout the chapters. Be sure that you know them. Many of these terms, as well as others you come upon in reading the chapter, will be used in other assignments.
You cannot claim to have read AND understood the chapter unless you know these terms. To improve your comprehension of the textbook -- an essential skill in college and applicable to all of your courses -- please visit the "How to Read a History Textbook Chapter" page. To find it, click on the hyperlink (in blue) or head to the Student Toolkit.
The Resources that you have for this course are many. It's up to you, however, to use them. Please do.
Read
Read Chapter 1 in The Making of the West, by Lynn Hunt and others. These pages will put flesh on the bare summary I've just given you. There is not much to read for this week, but this will soon change. Please invest most of your time, therefore, in doing good work on the quiz and discussion for this week. If you wish to read ahead, please do. See the reading schedule on our Home Page.
Discuss
Go to this week's Discussion forum by clicking the Next button at the bottom of this screen. You will find it in the Week-2 Module.
In your Initial Posts, which are due by the end of Friday (PST), always, answer all of the questions. Posting your answers in multiple posts will cost you half the points for this assignment -- so please don't. Show me you've mastered the material for that topic. A general rule that tends to pay dividends in the forums is to write more, not less so long as all that you write improves your answer. No plagiarism please.
Then, in your Two Response Posts for the two Discussion Topics you've chosen, respond critically to two posts of two fellow students for each of your chosen Topics. See the About Our Discussions article on the Module page or by clicking the hyperlink.
Submit
Complete the "Reflecting on What We've Learned" Assignment. It is worth 15 points. Read the assignment and submit a file containing your answers to the questions within it.
The Quiz
Take the quiz over Chapter 1. It is over the material assigned for this week. Earlier quiz questions may appear as well.
As usual, all Assignmentsfor Week 2-- unless otherwise noted in the
Assignment -- are due this coming Sunday,
by 11 p.m. (PST). No late work is accepted, so manage your time well!