(week 1) 17 January, Friday: Course Introduction
What we will probably do in class:
- Detailed review of the course.
- Take attendance and answer any questions.
- Reflect on "history."
What you need to do immediately after class:
- Get your books and familiarize yourself with the textbook.
- Look over the entire course syllabus.
- Watch my short video, You and Your Textbook.
- Watch my short video from 1995 on studying the history of civilizations. (Or you can watch the 1995 introduction to HIS 101.)
(week 2) 24 January, Friday: Pre-History
What to do before class:
- Read chapter 1 in the textbook. Remember in this unit of the course, we are focusing on pre-history. That means the time before urban civilization developed, i.e. before 3000 BCE.
- Read my Pre-History Notes
- Check the requirements for Class Presentations.
- Check the principles of Successful Group Work, aka, simply stay in touch and do your assigned part of the work.
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 31 August:
- Post an informal hello in the Canvas welcome forum.
- Complete discussion post 1 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch my short video on pre-history.
- Answer questions from students about pre-history.
- Answer questions about the class presentations.
- Explain the course group work assignment on feudalism.
- Sign up for a required biography class presentation.
- Sign up for a required timeline class presentation.
What you must submit by Sunday (26 January) at midnight:
- Submit the pre-history paragraph (25 points).
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 1 on pre-history (10 points).
You can submit this for extra credit by Sunday (26 January) at midnight:
- 25 points, write a one-page paper, How did the work of Mary Leakey contribute to our knowledge of early hominids and an understanding of human evolution?
(week 3) 31 January, Friday: Ancient Near East
31 January is the last day to drop with a tuition refund or change to audit.
What to do before class:
- Review chapter 1, which you have already read, and then read chapter 2 in Coffin/Stacey.
- Read my notes on the Ancient Near East.
- Watch either BBC - Building the Great Pyramid - 1 of 6 or What The Ancients Did For Us - The Mesopotamians Part 1/6 or the PBS video, "Rise of the Black Pharaohs," on the Kushite kingdom.
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 31 January:
- Discussion post 2 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch my short video on the Ancient Near East
- Answer questions from students about the Ancient Near East..
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (2 February) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 2 on the Ancient Near East (10 points).
You can submit this for extra credit by Sunday (2 February) at midnight:
- 10 points, read Hammurabi's Code of Laws and write a paragraph explaining the social structure of Ancient Babylon.
(week 4) 7 February, Friday: Classical Greece
What to do before class:
- Read chapters 3 and 4 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on Ancient Greece
- Watch one of the videos by Professor Sheda Vasseghi on Cyrus the Great or the Achaemenid Persian Empire (550-330 BCE)
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 7 February:
- Discussion post 3 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch the short, not great but OK, video on Classical Mediterranean civilizations.
- Answer questions from students about Classical Greece.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (9 February) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 3 on the Ancient Near East (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (9 February) at midnight:
- 25 points, You may choose to complete the Ancient paragraph.
- 10 points, you may also choose to do an extra credit assignment on Thucydides.
(week 5) 14 February, Friday: Classical Rome and Christianity
What to do before class:
- Read chapters 5 and 6 in the textbook.
- Read my short notes on Ancient Rome and Early Christianity.
- Check out Professor Campbell's notes on Early Monotheism.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 14 February:
- Discussion post 4 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch my short video.
- Answer questions from students about Classical Rome and Christianity.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (16 February) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 4 on Classical Rome and Christianity (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (16 February) at midnight:
- 25 points, read the Sermon on the Mount and then submit the Sermon paragraph.
- 10 points, read excerpts from the Meditations of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and write a paragraph (What were some of the principles of the Roman philosophy of stoicism reflected in these Meditations?).
(week 6) 21 February, Friday: Islam and Empire
What to do before class:
- Read chapter 7 in the textbook, especially focus on the sections on the origins and expansion of Islam.
- Read the Hadith selections.
- Read my short notes on Early Islam.
- Watch some of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 21 February:
- Discussion post 5 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch the very short video. I also have an older video available that I did in about 1995.
- Answer questions from students about Islam and its early spread.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (23 February) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 5 on Islam and empire (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (23 February) at midnight:
- 25 points, submit the Hadith paragraph.
- 10 points, read the Pact of Umar, from the seventh century, and comment, in a paragraph, on the nature of Muslim-Christian relations.
(week 7) 28 February, Friday: Charlemagne
What to do before class:
- Review chapter 7 in the textbook especially the sections on western Europe and Charlemagne.
- Read my notes on Charlemagne.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 28 February:
- Discussion post 6 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch the short video. You can also watch my longer remarks on Charlemagne from the mid 1990s that I used on the TV version of the HIS 101 course.
- Answer questions from students about Charlemagne.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (1 March) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 6 on Charlemagne (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (1 March) at midnight:
- 10 points, read Einhard's Life of Charlemagne and write a long paragraph: How did Charlemagne use the church to his advantage during his reign?
- 10 points, read the Capitulary of Charlemagne (802; English translation), and in a long paragraph comment upon Charlemagne's conception of political leadership.
(week 8) 6 March, Friday: Russia and Byzantine Civilization
What to do before class:
- Review chapter 7 in the textbook, especially the section dealing with the Byzantine Empire.
- Read my HIS 241 remarks on the early Kievan state.
- Read my notes on the Byzantine Empire.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 6 March:
- Discussion post 7 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch my short video.
- Answer questions from students about Russia and Byzantine civilization.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (8 March) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 7 on Russia and Byzantine civilization (10 points).
You can submit this for extra credit by Sunday (8 March) at midnight:
- 10 points, read Grand Prince Vladimir Monomakh's Instruction to His Children (Use the PDF if the website is unavailable.) and write a paragraph in which you explain the Grand Prince's conception of the political state.
(week 9) 13 March, Friday: NO CLASS
(week 10) 20 March, Friday: Early Middle Ages
25 March is the Last day to withdraw without grade penalty.
What to do before class:
- Read chapters 8 and 9 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on the Middle Ages.
- Watch these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 20 March:
- Discussion post 8 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch the video on The Medieval Mind: How To Build A Cathedral (Another great movie about the making of a medieval cathedral is David Macaulay's Cathedral. You might be able to find excerpts online somewhere.)
- Answer questions from students about the Early Middle Ages.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
What you must submit by Sunday (22 March) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 8 on the Early Middle Ages (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (22 March) at midnight:
- 50 points, read Sir Gawain and the Green Night and write a one-page paper in which you examine some of the main characteristics of a knight it the Middle Ages.
- 10 points, read Pope Urban II's speech at Clermont--there are several versions--that started the Crusades. Explain in a
paragraph or so what you found most amazing about the Pope's remarks.
(week 11) 27 March, Friday: Feudalism
What to do before class:
- Review chapter 8 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on feudalism.
- Review some online sources for feudal documents.
- Check out the PBS site In Search of Myths and Heroes - King Arthur
- Watch some of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 27 March:
- Discussion post 9 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Answer questions from students about feudalism.
- Work on the feudalism group project
Submit by Sunday (29 March) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 9 on feudalism (10 points).
- Submit the Feudalism group project (100 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (29 March) at midnight:
- 10 points, in a long paragraph, using the Court Rolls of The Manor of Wakefield, identify some of the main features of medieval, feudal society.
- 10 points, medieval judicial procedures were quite amazing. Write a long paragraph and comment upon some of the different kinds of "trial by ordeal" practiced in the Middle Ages. Please be sure to cite your sources such as Ordeal of Boiling Water and Ordeal Formulas.
(week 12) 3 April, Friday: Medieval Russia
What to do before class:
- Read my remarks on the Rise of Moscow and Ivan IV and the Time of Troubles.
- Read the section on the Mongol Empire in Chapter 10, since the rise of the Mongols were important to the development of medieval Russia.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
- Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols: Crash Course World History #20
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 3 April:
- Discussion post 10 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch my new, short video.
- Answer questions from students about Medieval Russia.
- Review group work results.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
Submit by Sunday (5 April) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 10 on medieval Russia (10 points).
You can submit this for extra credit by Sunday (5 April) at midnight:
- 10 points, read some comments about Ivan IV by a contemporary Englishman and--in the realm of "Can you believe it?"--this account of Ivan's life and write a paragraph commenting on the life of Ivan IV.
(week 13) 10 April, Friday: Late Middle Ages
What to do before class:
- Read chapters 10 and 11 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on the Magna Carta and Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
- The Crusades - Pilgrimage or Holy War?: Crash Course World
- History Channel - The Plague (sometimes you can find this online, maybe here)
- History's Turning Points - AD 1347 The Black Death (sometimes you can find this online)
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 10 April:
- Discussion post 11 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Answer questions from students about the Late Middle Ages.
- Review requirements for the Digital Project assignment.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
Submit by Sunday (12 April) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 11 on the Late Middle Ages (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (12 April) at midnight:
- 50 points, read Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (only those tales in the Dover Thrift paperback edition: the General Prologue, Knight's Tale, Miller's Prologue, Miller's Tale, Wife of Bath's Prologue and the Tale of the Wife of Bath) and submit the Chaucer paper.
- 25 points, read
Cantar 1 of the Cid poem and write a one-page paper in
which you comment on Christian-Muslim relations in the Cid poem. The Robert Southey translation from 1637 is also available.
- 25 points, watch the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Considering that the movie is a satirical comedy, write a one-, or two-page paper concerning the aspects of life in the Middle Ages that were well portrayed in the film. There is no better movie that examines some of the bizarre features of life in the Middle Ages.
(week 14) 17 April, Friday: Reformation
What to do before class:
- Read chapter 13 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on the Protestant Reformation and
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 17 April:
- Discussion post 12 (10 points)
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch my short video.
- Answer questions from students about the Reformation.
- Discuss the Machiavelli paper assignment.
- Remind students about the Digital Project assignment.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
Submit by Sunday (19 April ) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 12 on the Reformation (10 points).
- Complete your Digital Project (150 points). Please email your project URL to me before the deadline.
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (19 April):
- 10 points, read the Council of Trent: Rules on Prohibited Books and in a paragraph explain what the Church was attempting to do with these regulations.
- 10 points, read the Condemnation of Wycliffe, and his reply and comment in a long paragraph on the exchange of religious views by pope and Wycliffe.
(week 15) 24 April, Friday: Renaissance
What to do before class:
- Read chapter 12 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on the Renaissance.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 24 April:
- Discussion post 13 (10 points)
What we will do in class:
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch the short video. You can also watch my longer videos from 1995 on the origins of the Renaissance and the key individuals of the Renaissance.
- Answer questions from students about the Renaissance.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
Submit by Sunday (26 April) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 13 on the Renaissance (10 points).
- Submit the Machiavelli paper (100 points).
You can submit this for extra credit by Sunday (26 April):
- 10 points, read the excerpts from Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), Leonardo da Vinci, and write a long paragraph in which you explain how da Vinci was a perfect expression of the Renaissance ideal.
(week 16) 1 May, Friday: Exploration
What to do before class:
- Review chapter 12 in the textbook.
- Read my notes on the Age of Exploration.
- Watch one of these recommended videos:
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 1 May:
- Discussion post 14 (10 points)
- A student may review the previous class (optional for extra credit).
- Watch the short video on exploring the jungles of Reston.
- Answer questions from students about the voyages of exploration.
- Student biography presentations
- Student timeline presentations
- Final exam reminder
Submit by Sunday (3 May) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 14 on the voyages of exploration (10 points).
You can submit one of these for extra credit by Sunday (3 May) at midnight:
- 10 points, after reading The Discovery of North America by Leif Erickson, c. 1000 (from The Saga of Eric the Red, 1387), write a paragraph in which you assess whether it really matters who "discovered" America first.
(week 17) 8 May, Friday: Final Exam
What to do before class:
- Review your notes on all the student presentations.
- Read my short notes on the future and watch my short video? You can probably come up with similar thoughts.
Submit by 8 AM on Friday 8 May:
- Discussion post 15 (10 points)
- Take the New, improved and shorter final exam (50 points). IMPORTANT, as we come to the end of the course: To earn a grade of A, B, C or D, you must complete all required course assignments.
Submit by Sunday (10 May) at midnight:
- Complete the short Canvas quiz 15 on the final exam (10 points).
You can submit this for extra credit by Sunday (10 May):
- 10 points, choose one of the famous quotes about the study of history--scroll down that page to find a list of quotes--(Get permission from your instructor first.) and write a long paragraph in which you explain who the author of the quote was, what he/she meant by the quote and then your evaluation of the quote's accuracy. You can also use the material on these two links, Historians and Why We Study History. Don't forget to cite your sources.