HIS 120: WORLD HISTORY TO 1000
North Island College, Winter 2012
Meeting Times: Tuesday: 6:00 -8:50 pm
Meeting Place: Tyee 201
Instructor: Dan Hinman-Smith
Office: Village G6
Office Hours: Tuesday: 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm (or by appointment)
Office Phone: 250-334-5000, Extension 4024
Home Phone: 250-336-0238 (Do not hesitate to call with course-related questions).
Web-Site: http://www.misterdann.com/
E-Mail: dan.hinmansmith@nic.bc.ca
Tentative Class Schedule
WEEK1
Tuesday, January 10
a) Course Introduction
b) Name That Monument!
c) Video: "Iraq -- Cradle Of Civilization" (65 minutes)
WEEK 2
History Of World In 100 Objects: Making Us Human (2,000,000-9000 BC) [5 episodes] and After The Ice Age: Food And Sex (9000-3500 BC) [5 episodes]. For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #1-5 and #6-10.Tuesday, January 17
a) Introduce Breaking Bread Assignment
b) Introduction To History Of The World In 100 Objects Programme
c) Discussion Topic: Museums And Ancient History (1): The Baghdad Museum
d) Lecture: Between The Rivers -- Ancient Mesopotamia
e) Start Video: "Egypt's Golden Empire -- Pharaohs Of The Sun, 1550 BC"
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in Museums And Ancient History (1): The Baghdad Museum Discussion Topic.
WEEK 3
History Of World In 100 Objects: The First Cities And States (4000-2000 BC). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #11-15.Tuesday, January 24
a) Discussion Topic: Black Athena
b) Lecture: "The Habit of Civilization Was Continuous Here": Ancient Egypt (3000 BCE-30 BCE)
c) Discussion Topic:
Cleopatrac) Video: "Egypt's Golden Empire: Ramesses the Great"
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in Black Athena Discussion Topic.
Browse extensively in
Browse extensively in Ancient Egypt In The News.
WEEK 4
Tuesday, January 31
a) Discussion: David And Solomon
b) Breaking Bread: Food and World Civilization Mini-Presentations
c) Handout: A Chronology Of Ancient Israelite History
d) Video: "Kingdom Of David -- The Saga of the Israelites"
Reading Assignment:
Robert Draper, "David And Solomon: Kings Of Controversy," National Geographic (December 2010).
WEEK 5
History Of World In 100 Objects: Beginning Of Science And Literature (1500-700 BC). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #16-20.Tuesday, February 7
a) Discussion Topic: Museums And Ancient History (2) -- The Elgin Marbles.
b) Lecture: "We Are All Greeks" -- The Glory That Was Greece
c) Video: "The Spartans"
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in Museums And Ancient History (2) -- The Elgin Marbles Discussion Topic.
Viewing Assignment:
Delphi:
Bellybutton Of The World,
BBC Four: An episode in
the Glory of Greece series presented by Michael Scott.
Optional Listening Assignment:
In Our Time, BBC Radio 4, November 19, 2009: An audio documentary from the BBC. Click on the "Listen to This Edition of In Our Time" icon.
WEEK 6 History Of World In 100 Objects: Old World, New Powers (1100-300 BC). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #21-25.
Tuesday, February 14
a) Discussion: Persian Fire
b) Video: "Athens: Dawn Of Democracy"
Reading
Assignment:Tom Holland,
Victor Hanson, "A War Like No Other," New York Times (October 23, 2005).
Reading Break: February 20-24
WEEK 7 History Of World In 100 Objects: The World In The Age Of Confucius (500-300 BC). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #26-30.
Tuesday, February 28
a) Discussion: The Axial Age
b) Lecture: The Axial Age
c) Video: "Power Of Ideas" [Michael Wood, Story Of India, 2008]
Reading Assignment:
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, "Great Schools."
Browse extensively in Axial Age Discussion Topic.
***FIRST-HALF JOURNAL DUE
WEEK 8 History Of World In 100 Objects: Empire Builders (300 BC-1 AD). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #31-35.
Tuesday, March 6
a) An Introduction To Roman History
b) Video: "Lost Civilizations -- The Ultimate Empire"
c) The Grandeur That Was Rome: The Republic
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in
Read at least one article from either
Listening Assignment:
Listen to at least additional
Viewing Assignment:
Listen to at least additional
WEEK 9
Tuesday, March 13
a) Discussion Topic: Pompeii
b) Lecture: Rome -- The Age Of Empire
c) Video: "From Jesus To Christ: The First Christians"
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in Pompeii Discussion Topic.
WEEK 10
History Of World In 100 Objects: Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1-600 AD). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #36-40.Tuesday, March 20
a) Discussion: The Historical Jesus
b) Lecture: Early Christianity
c) Video: "Islam: Empire of Faith -- The Messenger"
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in Historical Jesus Discussion Topic.
Optional Listening Assignment:
In Our Time, BBC Radio 4, June 26, 2008: An audio documentary from the BBC. Click on the "Listen to This Edition of In Our Time" icon.WEEK 11
History Of World In 100 Objects: The Rise Of World Faiths (200-600 AD). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #41-45.Tuesday, March 27
a) Discussion: Guns, Germs And Steel
b) Video: "China: Mandate Of Heaven" [Michael Wood, Legacy]
Reading Assignment:
WEEK 12 History Of World In 100 Objects: The Silk Road And Beyond (400-700 AD). For a downloadable podcast of the entire series, see History Of The World Podcast. These are episodes #46-50.
Tuesday, April 3
a) Lecture: China Under The Ch'in And Han Dynasties
b) Discussion Topic: The Great Wall And The Silk Road
c) Lecture: China In Transition, 581-1279
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in
Listening Assignment:
"China:
The Warring States Period,"
In Our Time, BBC Radio
4, April 1, 2004.
WEEK 13
Tuesday, April 10
a) Ancient Tabloid Mini-Presentations
b) Discussion Topic: The Great Wall And The Silk Road
c) Lecture: The Mayans
d) Video: "Cracking The Mayan Code"
Reading Assignment:
Browse extensively in
**ANCIENT TABLOID ASSIGNMENT DUE
WEEK 14: **SECOND-HALF JOURNAL DUE TUESDAY, APRIL 17
Texts
Tom Holland, Persian Fire: The First World Empire And The Battle For The West (London: Little, Brown, 2005).
Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs And Steel: The Fates Of Human Societies (New York: W.W. Norton, 1999).
My Assumptions About This Course
That you are interested in world history and eager to learn as much about it as possible in this course.
That it will be impossible to learn all that you would like to learn given the massive amount of relevant material and the time constraints involved.
That history should involve not merely the struggle to understand past events but also to find meaning from those events.
That my job as instructor is to strike an appropriate balance between providing a common core curriculum and setting up structures that also allow you to study materials of personal interest.
That this course should help to set you up for future formal or informal study of world history rather than being a survey that teaches you "all that you need to know" about the ancient past.
Evaluation
Letter of Introduction 1%
First-Half Journal 36%
Second-Half Journal 28%
Ancient Civilization Tabloid 20%
Class Participation 15%
a) Letter of Introduction (1%)
Who are you? Where are you from? What are your interests? Why are you taking this course? Do you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions as we start the course? Write two or three informal paragraphs for the second class of the semester to introduce yourself to me.
b) Journal (64%)
The student journal is the main assignment in this class. The purpose of the journal is to provide you the opportunity for frequent thoughtful, analytical and personal commentary upon course—related material. The advantages of the journal, to my mind, are that it breaks work down into regular and manageable chunks, and that it enables you to seize hold of the curriculum in a way which reflects your own interests and style.
The journal will be graded in two installments. It will be due at the mid-point of the semester. This installment will count for 36% of the course grade. The journal will then again be due at the end of the semester. This installment will contribute 28% towards the course grade.
In order to give you a basic structure and to clearly communicate my expectations, I will specify certain mandated entries and suggest a format for some responses. However, while it is required that all work in the journal be your own original writing, you are encouraged to be imaginative in your own investigation and analysis of World History. Part of the logic of the Journal is that it provides you with some space to pursue topics of particular interest.
The excellent journal will:
be approximately 30+ pages long.
include the Breaking Bread mini-essay.
include analytical reviews of Persian Fire and Guns, Germs And Steel.
include at least 3 Discussion Topic commentaries.
include a variety of Reading, Viewing and Listening Responses to the required and supplementary course material
include other entries that draw upon class material and/or your independent research.
demonstrate that you are approaching the readings and the course with care and effort.
The above list of entries is meant as a firm guide rather than as an absolutely-everything-here must be completed. The embedded tension within the assignment between structure and flexibility is deliberate. It possibly to excel in the course either by closely following my guidelines or by diverging from these significantly. The entries will, no doubt, vary in format, length and quality. Do not hesitate to take risks and to express your own opinions. It's fine if some entries read more like summary than analysis; it can be useful to put what you have learned from an article or a video into your own words. Try, however, not to succumb to the temptation to write in an easy, stream—of—consciousness style. There is no inherent tension between analytical rigour and personal insight. This is an assignment designed to encourage and to reward extensive student effort and learning. The work-load is heavy but my expectation is that a good-faith approach to the course will lead to strong success. You can include print-outs from the internet in the journal or quote passages but are expected to identify that which is not your own original work. Formal footnoting is not required but plagiarized/cut-and-pasted material will likely lead to a failing grade for the course. Likewise, you should not recycle any writings from other classes.
c) Ancient Civilization Tabloid (20%)
You will design a mock issue of a newspaper from an ancient civilization of your choice.
d) Class Participation (15%)
The class participation grade will be based upon attendance; pre-class preparation; and the willingness to contribute thoughtfully to full-class and small-group discussion. Although attendance is not required, I will take roll, and those who are not in class regularly will receive a poor grade for this component of the course. I would like to encourage a classroom environment in which all are eager to share their ideas. Particularly shy students will not be penalized for class participation so long that they attend faithfully.
WELCOME TO THE COURSE
