AH-100  Ancient Egypt
GG-160  American Peoples and Civilization
GG-170  European Peoples and Civilization
GH-100  African Civilization
GH-110  Chinese Civilization
GH-115  Ancient Greece and Rome
GH-125  Islamic Civilization
GH-130  Latin American Civilization
US-105  American History I
US-107  American History II
WH-101  Early European Civilization
WH-103  Modern European Civilization
 

AH-100    Ancient Egypt 

Catalog Description (including prerequisites)

A study of the development of ancient Egyptian civilization, its culture, art, government and religious beliefs.  (3)

Course Content

The course will include an introduction to the study of Egyptology and cover the following major historic periods:

Old Kingdom
Burial practices – mummification
The Great Pyramid and Sphinx
Middle Kingdom
Temple building
Religious beliefs
Development of Hieroglyphics
New Kingdom
Political development under the Pharaohs
Tutankhamen, Akhenaten, and Ramesses II
 
Nature of Course

This course studies the art, architecture and culture of Ancient Egypt in an historical context.  Emphasis is placed on students working both independently and in groups to actively research selected course topics.  The process, methods and presentation of research and the use of the library are covered.

Student Expectations

Regular class attendance.
Maintenance of appropriate class notes.
Completion of all assignments.
Participation in class discussions.
Success on tests and quizzes.
Individual research project and group project.

A study of contributions of peoples from diverse lands on the development of American civilization and its evolution from colonial origins to the present.  (3)

Course Content

The major premise of the course is that the formation of American civilization has been derived from diverse ethnic groups.  An understanding of American civilization requires the study of the beginnings of American settlement by the English, French, Dutch, German, African and Spanish settlers during the colonial era.  Political institutions e.g., federalism, economic institutions e.g., agriculture, and social institutions e.g., religion, will be examined to understand how American civilization evolved.  The influence of immigrant groups in the nineteenth century is studied for their contributions e.g., music and food.  Lastly, in the course the unique characteristics of the American civilization, such as individualism, are presented.

Nature of Course

Emphasis on Reading:  Most of the assignments will be in the textbook.  There will be additional reading assignments i.e., articles, in American cultural geography.
Group Projects:  Role-playing projects will be used for value issues involving ethnic groups and the interaction of cultures and the environment (total 2-3 in the class).
Emphasis on Writing:  Writing assignments will include a student journal and a paper on an approved topic of the student's choice.
Out-of-Class Projects:  A library assignment is required in the early part of the course to familiarize students with its resources.
Teaching Format:  Lectures and discussions about relevant class topics will be used.

Student Expectations

Exams (3 or 4) will account for 70% of the grade.  These exams will be a combination of objective and short essay or paragraph questions.  Class projects will be used to determine the remaining percentage.

An examination of the geographical expansion of distinctive peoples and regional cultures of Europe.  Themes include hearth areas, patterns of diffusion, areas of distribution, and conflict between cultures.  (3)

Course Content

The focus of interpretation of European civilization in this course emphasizes the cultural diversity of the land of Europe.  The civilization derives from a number of distinct ethnic groups whose cultural heritage contributes to the whole.  Thus, origins, diffusions or expansions and contemporary distributions of the ethnic groups of Europe e.g., the French, Germans, Celts, will be examined.  The unifying features of the civilization, the major European institutions, will be studied as well, such as the Roman empire or the Hanseatic League.  They are often in tension against the disunifying forces of ethnicity.  The development of the cultural landscape of Europe is an important theme in the course and will be studied for both the rural and urban environments.  Lastly in the course the cultural contributions of Europe to the world will be identified such as Marxism and Capitalism.

Nature of Course

1. Emphasis on Reading:  Most of the assignments will be in the textbook.  There will be additional reading assignments i.e., articles, in the library.
2. Group Projects:  Role-playing projects will be used for value issues involving ethnic groups and the interaction of cultures and the environment (total 2-3 in the class).
3. Emphasis on Writing:  Writing assignments will include a student journal and a paper on an approved topic of the student's choice.
4. Out-of-Class Projects:  A library assignment is required in the early part of the course to familiarize students with its resources.
5. Teaching Format:  Lectures and discussions about relevant class topics will be used.

Student Expectations

Exams (3 or 4) will account for 70% of the grade.  These exams will be a combination of objective and short essay or paragraph questions.  Class projects will be used to determine the remaining percentage.

A study of the development of African Civilization from ancient times to the present.  (3)

Course Content

AFRICA BEFORE EUROPEAN COLONIZATION:  Africa has had a rich past long before it was "discovered" by Europe.  Using a rather broad brush, this section will deal with African history from the origins of man to the rise of Africa's great empires in the Medieval period.
KINGDOMS TO COLONIES:  The entrance of Europeans into Africa in the fifteenth century forever changed the continent.  Among the topics covered in section two will be the trading relationships developed between African people and the Europeans, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the development of the colonial system.
MODERN AFRICA:  Modern Africa is more than political history.  This section will deal with the paradoxes of modern African life from its endemic poverty, ethnic discord, governmental problems, religion, and the environment.

Nature of Course

Since African Civilization deals with people very much different than themselves and covers an entire continent over an extended period of time, the course will emphasize general themes and ideas rather than an intensive examination of any particular area or people.

Throughout the semester students will be challenged to think about and analyze issues both individually and as a group.  Besides group activities, the discussion method will be employed extensively for maximum student involvement.
 
Student Expectations

To help develop skills in information gathering and written communication, each student will be required to do some research and writing.  Examinations will include a variety of question types, but there will be some essay questions on all tests so students may elaborate more effectively.

A survey of the history of Chinese Civilization from its inception in ancient times to the contemporary period.  (3)

Course Content

This course will introduce students to a significant culture different from their own.  It will present students with a world view at least as old as their own and one that was the basis for the development of a civilization as great as their own civilization.  Students will encounter aspects of Chinese religion, philosophy, art, history and various other cultural institutions in such a way that their own world view should be challenged and broadened.  When students come to understand the strength and persistence of Chinese culture and values, they then can appreciate the depth and magnitude of change required to bring about the Chinese Revolution of the twentieth century.

Nature of Course

Lecture discussion.

Student Expectations

Students will read a modern textbook, The Rise of Modern China, write a small research paper, and take creatively designed examinations as the major work load required in this course.  They will also be challenged to enter into class discussions on a regular basis.

A study of the development of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, their cultures, art, government, and religious beliefs.  (3)

Course Content

The course will study the most important persons, places, and major events of Greek and Roman history and how these ancient civilizations influenced the development of the modern world.

Nature of Course

This course studies the history and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome in a historical context.  Emphasis is placed on students doing research on selected course topics.  The process, methods and presentation of research and the use of the library are covered.

Student Expectations

Regular class attendance.
Maintenance of appropriate class notes.
Completion of all assignments.
Participation in class discussions
Success on tests and quizzes. 
Individual research project and group project.

GH-125     Islamic Civilization 

Catalog Description (including prerequisites)

A survey of the history of Islamic Civilization from the time of Muhammad until the present.  (3)

Course Content

This course involves an historical study of the development of Islamic Civilization from Muhammad until the present.  Study will center on the Islamic heartland of the Middle East and North Africa.  Stress will be placed on understanding the unique aspects of the Civilization's culture, social organization and political development, with particular attention being given to Islamic religion as a factor in shaping other aspects of the Civilization.  The first half of the course will be primarily concerned with learning what constitutes the traditional elements of Islam, while the second half will concern Islam in the modern world and such contemporary problems as the Arab-Israeli conflict, Middle Eastern oil and Islamic revolution.

Nature of Course

Lecture discussion.

Student Expectations

The subject matter will be dealt with through both lecture and class discussion.  The textbook will be supplemented with additional readings and each student will be required to research and write a short paper.  Examinations will include a variety of types of questions with special stress placed on essay questions.  Students will be expected to maintain lecture notes, participate in class discussions, complete all assignments by the required date and take all tests and examinations.

A survey of Latin American civilization from Pre-Columbian times to the present with emphasis on the mixture of cultures and the struggle for modernity, including an examination of cultural, social, economic and political forces which have shaped Latin American Civilization.  (3)

Course Content

To understand a diverse area of the world such as Latin America, one must begin with the Pre-Columbian Civilizations of the Aztec of Ancient Mexico, the Maya of Yucatan, and the Inca of Peru.  These cultures were similar in many ways to the ancient Bronze Age cultures of the Old World.  The course will focus on their history, economics, society, art, and religion.

The conquest of the Pre-Columbian Civilizations by the Spanish and Portuguese began a great mixing of the European and Amerindian peoples which continues.  It also created a long colonial period culminating in the Latin American Wars for Independence, a major event in the Atlantic World.

Studying the modern world of Latin American Civilization, the course will focus on the problems of nation building.  Emphasis will be upon Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.  Attention will be drawn to the problems of democracy and dictatorship, economic development, and the place of the arts in Latin American society.

Nature of Course

The subject matter will be dealt with through lectures and/or class discussion.

Student Expectations

Students will be expected to participate in class discussions and complete all assignments.

A study of the history of the United States from colonial beginnings to 1877.  (3)

Course Content

This course will emphasize the social, intellectual and political forces which shaped America.

Since the United States is a land of immigrants, a major theme of the course will deal with the variety of peoples who migrated to America, how they interacted with those already here, and how that interaction produced a diverse and pluralistic society.

The creation and development of the American governmental system will also be an important element of the course.  The role played by government in the lives of Americans and the relationship between the federal, state, and local governments is essential to an understanding of the American political process, and this relationship will receive emphasis in the course.

The study of the development of an industrial process in the nineteenth century and subsequent changes in the American social and economic life will provide students with important perspectives on the problems modern Americans have in dealing with an industrialized society.

Nature of Course

Lecture and discussion.

Student Expectations

Students will be expected to take notes, perform acceptably on exams, and participate in class discussions.  They will also be expected to perform satisfactorily on outside reading, research, and writing assignments.

US-107     American History II 

Catalog Description (including prerequisites)

A study of the history of the United States from 1877 to the present.  (3)

Course Content

This course will emphasize the forces that have shaped contemporary American culture.  Emphasis will be placed on social, economic, and political forces that have impacted on contemporary United States culture. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the impact of technology on modern society, the increasing role of the United States as a world power, and the growing diversity of American society. Among the designated University Studies objectives, emphasis will be placed upon critical thinking, locating and gathering information, communication skills, and developing a multi-cultural view.

Nature of Course

The course is taught in two formats. Several sections each semester will be taught in the traditional lecture-discussion model with a written and/or oral research project. Several sections may be taught by professors who emphasize computer-mediated presentations, have an interactive web page, and require students to develop a web site rather than the traditional research paper.

Student Expectations

Students will be expected to take notes, perform acceptably on exams, participate in discussions, read assigned materials, and prepare a research project analyzing one aspect of American history and culture.

WH-101    Early European Civilization

Catalog Description (including prerequisites)

Survey of the history of Early European Civilization from ancient times to the post-Columbian era.  (3)

Course Content

This course entails a systematic study of a variety of human experiences from ancient times to the European expansion into the rest of the world.  It examines social, political, economic, and culture institutions of the various periods of early European history.  It describes the characteristics of the institutions, the particular types of experiences they provided during a given period, how those characteristics were derived from earlier times and how they influences subsequent eras.  In addition, the course investigates the people of Europe, both the elite members of society and their struggles for power and the ordinary people and their efforts to survive in a society where they had little or no power and their voices were seldom heard.

Early European Civilization explores the blending of cultures in the formation of Europe, what common characteristics emerged to mark early Europeans as members of the same civilization and what differences remained to make early Europe a series of cultures and sub-cultures.  It also shows how early European civilization was distinct from the cultures that preceded it and how it interacted with civilizations that preceded it, as well as contemporary non-European civilizations.

Nature of Course

The primary instructional methods employed in this course are lecture and small-group discussions.  Lectures provide broad summaries of historical periods and in-depth explorations of particular developments in a given period.  Electronic maps provide a geographic perspective to many of the lectures.  Small group discussions examine excerpts from the writings of people who lived in particular times and from contemporary historians who have written about the era.  They aim at analysis, summary, and reaction to these excerpts, and they involve discovery of the themes among the various sources.

Early European Civilization provides opportunities for students to locate and gather information, think critically, and communicate both orally and in writing.  These skills are developed through a guided discussion of historical research methods and a bibliographical research activity in Kent Library that use the tools for gathering biographical information about historical figures.  They are cultivated through research into the life and accomplishments of a significant person from early Europe, which is presented in a biographical sketch.  They also are acquired through brief summaries of and reactions to the primary and secondary sources that are discussed in small groups.  In addition to the research and discussion activities, these intellectual skills are fostered by means of essays in answer to examination questions prepared outside of class.

Student Expectations

Students will be expected to read assignments for lecture sessions as well as primary and secondary source assignments for small-group discussions.  They will be required to write and present brief oral summaries of primary and secondary sources from an anthology, to research and write a brief biographical sketch on a significant figure of early European history and answers to essay questions on examinations.  They also will be expected to identify significant historical persons, places, and events, and locate countries, their capitals, and important physical features on a map of Europe.

A survey of the history of European Civilization from the Old Regime to the present.  (3)

Course Content

The course examines the emergence of European Civilization from a post medieval society into the era of the scientific revolution and the eighteenth century Enlightenment.  A close examination of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Europe will demonstrate the break with the past and prepare for the political and intellectual upheavals of the nineteenth century.  The study of the events leading to the explosive opening of the twentieth century with World War I followed by World War II and the Cold War will lead toward an understanding of European Civilization on the eve of the next era.

Nature of Course

The subject matter will be dealt with through lectures and/or class discussion.

Student Expectations

Students will be expected to participate in class discussions and complete all assignments. 
 
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