Ancient World Civilizations History 140 section 2391 Prehistory-1600 CE/AD Instructor: Edgar Pacas Contact information: epacas@elcamino.edu Office Art Bldg 320 Office hours Tuesdays 5:00-6:00 PM Course Syllabus: History 140 (formerly History 3) History of Early Civilizations 3 units; 3 hours lecture Recommended Preparation: eligibility for English 1A Credit, degree applicable Transfer CSU, UC This course is a survey of the political, economic, social, and cultural development of World Civilizations from the origins of these complex cultures in the Neolithic era to the emergence of the West in the fifteenth century. Topics include the early civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, India, China, the Americas, Greece, and Rome. Course objectives: 1. Assess the significance of agriculture in the development of complex cultures and identify the major characteristics of early agricultural societies. 2. Analyze the impact of geographical features in the formation and evolution of early civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, South Asia, China, and the Americas. 3. Compare and contrast the political, religious, economic, and social institutions of early civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, South Asia, China, and the Americas. 4. Assess the role of Nomadic societies in the development of early agricultural civilizations. 5. Discuss the major characteristics of the Classical Era and identify what distinguishes it from earlier historical periods. 6. Identify and analyze the ways Classical civilizations of the Near East, South Asia, China, and the Mediterranean maintained or transformed earlier institutions and traditions. 7. Examine the various ways in which cultural encounters occurred and identify significant cross-cultural exchanges that took place during the Classical Era. 8. Compare the major legacies of Classical civilizations in the Near East, South Asia, China, and the Mediterranean. 9. Identify the major characteristics of the Post-Classical era and discuss what distinguishes it from earlier historical periods. 10. Assess the contributions of earlier civilizations to the development of the Post-Classical societies of Medieval Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Empire. 11. Analyze the political, economic, social, and cultural evolution of South Asian and Chinese civilizations in the Post-Classical era. 12. Evaluate the spread of South Asian culture throughout the Indian Ocean Basin and the spread of Chinese culture in East Asia. 1
13. Explain and analyze the origins, basic beliefs, and diffusions of the world s major religious traditions: Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. 14. Identify and assess the major legacies of Post-Classical civilizations in the Near East, Africa, South Asia, China, and Europe. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of History of Early Civilizations, students will be able to develop and persuasively argue a historical thesis in a written assignment that identifies and explains major social, economic, political and/or cultural historical themes or patterns in the history of Early Civilizations and apply appropriate historical methods to analyze and use primary and/or secondary sources as evidence to support the thesis. ADA Statement: El Camino College is committed to providing educational accommodations for students with disabilities upon the timely request by the student to the instructor. A student with a disability, who would like to request an academic accommodation, is responsible for identifying herself/himself to the instructor and to the Special Resources Center. To make arrangements for academic accommodations, contact the Special Resources Center. Class attendance/participation: Because of the time constraint we will have to cover plenty of material each week so class attendance and participation are extremely important and count a total of 40 points towards your final grade. If there is an emergency that will force you to miss a class please call or email with enough time to let me know that you will be absent. Please refer to online website or El Camino College Catalog (pg. 11) for add/drop policy of El Camino College. Attendance during semester (El Camino College policy pg. 11 in college catalog) Students are expected to attend their classes regularly. Students who miss the first class meeting or who are not in regular attendance during the add period for the class may be dropped by the instructor. Students whose absences from a class exceed 10% of the scheduled class meeting time may be dropped by the instructor. However, students are responsible for dropping a class within the deadlines published in the class schedule. Students who stop attending but do not drop may still be retained on the course roster and receive a failing grade. Students may view their registration status using the college s website. Required Texts: Jerry H. Bentley. Traditions and Encounters Vol. 1. ISBN 978-0077367947 Assignments, tests, due dates, and grades: Please refer to www.schoolrack.com/edpac13/ for information concerning class syllabus, assignments, weekly readings, updates, due dates and all other pertinent information for the course. 2
Discussion Board Assignments: You will visit the class website www.schoolrack.com/edpac13/ log in with your user account and go to the discussion boards- Based on a prompt that I have provided you will be expected to provide a ½ page length response online and revisit the prompt at a later date and respond to either some other classmate s response to your prompt or respond to another classmate s response yourself, minimum response should be ¼ page length. Please practice courtesy when engaging in the discussion boards as this will also count towards your overall grade. Make sure to be analytical in your response and provide solid support for your argument. (Turabian style is not necessary for the Discussion Board Assignments). Each assignment will be worth 20 points. Due dates- 9/6/12, 9/20/12, 10/4/12, 10/18/12, 11/1/12, 11/15/12, 11/29/12, and 12/6/12. Turabian Style Footnotes Assignment: You will be responsible for choosing a sentence (no more than two lines of script long) enclose them in quotations marks and provide a footnote citation for them using the Turabian format. You will also be responsible for providing a bibliography for all your textbooks using the Turabian format. Please visit the class website at www.schoolrack.com/edpac13/ and use the link for the tutorial on Turabian format for assistance concerning this assignment. This assignment is worth 50 points. Due on 9/11/12 Primary Source Analysis Assignments: You will be responsible for using the Ancient History Sourcebook or the Medieval History Sourcebook website links: Ancient- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.asp Medieval- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.asp * feel free to use any of the other links provided on these sites so long as they keep with the relevant time frame of the class prehistory-1600 CE. and choosing a primary source document. You will draft a one page analysis of the document using the following guidelines. 1. At the top of page you will provide a bibliographical entry for the primary source using the Turabian format. 2. Give a brief synopsis of what the source is about. 3. Analyze the importance/relevance of the source to history and our course. 4. Analyze how it influences the (re)interpretation of the historical narrative. These assignments are worth 40 points each. Due Dates: 9/18/12, 10/2/12, 10/23/12, 11/13/12, and 12/4/12. 3
Outline for Essay (Assignment): Important-this assignment must be completed using Power Point. The following guidelines must be followed in order to get the full credit. In four pages (four slides per page) you will be responsible for drafting 14 slides total. Slide 1- you must draft an analytical question based on readings or lectures. Slide 2- a brief response to the question Slide 3- using the first two slides, draft a thesis statement that will let your reader know what you are intending to argue or analyze and how you will support. Slide 4- Point of support #1 Slide 5-subsection 1 for point of support #1 Slide 6- subsection 2 for point of support #1 Slide 7- Point of support #2 Slide 8- subsection 1 for point of support #2 Slide 9- subsection 2 for point of support #2 Slide 10- Point of support #3 Slide 11- subsection 1 for point of support #3 Slide 12-subsection 2 for point of support #3 Slide 13- Conclusion- idea of thesis/argument restated (feel free to elaborate your argument in this section. Slide 14- A Turabian format bibliography with a minimum of 2 primary sources and 3 secondary sources used to formulate your analysis. This assignment is worth 100 points and must be attached to your 6-8 page analytical essay when that essay is due. (The outline does not count towards the 6-8 pages of analytical essay). Due date for outline: 11/20/12 Analytical Essay (Assignment): You will be responsible for drafting a 6-8 page analytical essay based on your previous outline assignment (which you must attach with this essay when turning essay assignment in). Make sure that you are analytical in your argument and that you provide solid support for your arguments. Your essay should include a minimum of two quotes from any primary or secondary source that supports your argument with an accompanying footnote citation (must be at bottom of page where quote is found) using the Turabian format. You also need to include a bibliography of all the sources you used to formulate your analysis for this essay (in Turabian format). A minimum of 2 primary sources and 3 secondary sources should be included in your bibliography. These guidelines must be followed precisely in order to get full credit for this assignment. Essay assignment is worth 200 points. Due date: 12/11/12 Midterm: 10/18/12 100 points Final: 12/13/12 150 points Both midterm and final are multiple choice and true or false questions so please bring your pencil and scantron. Tests are not open book or notes. 4
Attendance and participation in class count for 40 points towards your overall grade. The class grade is based on a point system. 1000-900 = A 899-800 = B 799-700 = C 699-600 = D 599-0 = F **All assignments are due at the beginning of class and are considered late 15 minutes after class begins. No late papers will be accepted unless you and I have come to some previous agreement. I will not accept papers that are emailed. Please allow time and flexibility so that you can solve any problems that might arise. Week 1: 8/27-8/31 Introduction to the Study of World History: Issues and Problems Origins of Civilizations Paleolithic Hunters and Gatherer Cultures Mesolithic transitional societies Neolithic Agricultural Revolution Read Ch. 1 Week 2: 9/3-9/7 Anatolia, Levant, Iraq, Egypt, India, China, and the Americas Significance of geographical features Political organizations: City States to Kingships Technology: The Early Bronze Age Writing Read Ch. 2 Week 3: 9/10-9/14 Egypt Political Organization The Pharaoh Akhenaten and Monotheism As super power of the Ancient World Invasions by Hyksos, Hittites, and Indo-European people Read Ch. 3 Week 4: 9/17-9/21 South Asia Harappan Civilization 5
Indo-European and Indo-Aryan intrusions Vedas Read Ch. 4 Week 5: 9/24-9/28 China the Yi People, Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty, and the Zhou Dynasty The Tocharians (Yueh Chih) Government Agriculture Writing Read Ch. 6 Week 6: 10/1-10/5 The Americas Hunter Gatherers and the migrations over land and sea Olmecs Teotihuaccan Maya Andean Civilizations Chauvin Nazca Mochica Writing Political structures Read Ch. 7 Week 7: 10/8-10/12 Asia in the Classical Era Persia Zoroastrianism Warring States China Qin China Chinese Philosophers Read Ch. 8 Week 8: Midterm 10/15-10/19 Han China and the Hsiung Nu India in the Classical Era Read Ch. 9 Week 9: 10/22-10/26 6
Ancient Europe in world history The Minoans and Mycenaeans The Greeks Greek philosophers The Polis Mediterranean religions The Etruscans The Romans The Celts The Scythians The Great Wars with Persia The Peloponnesian War Alexander the Great Hannibal The Conquests of Rome Read Ch. 10 Week 10: 10/29-11/2 The Roman Empire Augustus Christianity and Rome Trajan s Conquest Hadrian s borders Marcus Aurelius Diocletian West and East Roman Empire Sorrows of Empire Read Ch. 11 Week 11: 11/5-11/9 The Great Migrations and collapse of empires east and west Hsiung Nu Tueh Chih Huns, Alans, and Sarmatians Hepthalites Kushans Goths Vandals Franks Angles, Saxons, and Jutes Read Ch. 12 Week 12: 11/12-11/16 Out of the Ashes: Byzantium a new Rome 7
Byzantine empire and Asia Bulgars, Khazars, and the Rus Fall of the Sassanids Invasions from the steppes Avars, Magyars, and Turks Week 13: 11/19-11/23 China in the Medieval Period Wei (Toba) Sui Dynasty Tang Dynasty Song Dynasty The Yuan Dynasty Technologies Age of Explorations Read Ch. 14 Week 14: 11/26-11/30 The Rise of Islam Arabs Persians Islamic influences in India Technologies Al Andalus jewel of the West Read Ch. 13 Week 15: 12/3-12/7 Western Europe 700 1400 CE Africa on the eve of European intrusion Asia on the eve of European intrusion The Americas on the eve of European intrusion Read Ch. 15, 17, & 19 Week 16: Final 12/10-12/14 Global history 8