Week 1 Schedule

Week 1 Schedule:

Due Date Activity

Jan 21

Read & Examine: Syllabus, Getting Started Module, Week 1 Module

Textbook: Chapter 1

Watch: All Videos
Jan 21

Quiz: Quiz # 1, Class Intro Quiz

Jan 21

Discussion: Check-in Discussion

Image: Royal Helmet from Ancient Mesopotamia   

Topic:

Introduction: Prehistory, History, and the rise of civilizations

Western civilization traces its origins to the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, or Mesopotamia, and was enriched through its contacts with other cultures, including those of Asia and Africa. At the same time, western civilization acquired a defining combination of features: cities, writing, artwork, commerce, religion, codified law, political structures, and social stratification. The Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Indo-Europeans, Phoenicians, Israelites and Persians all made innovative contributions to the evolution of western civilization. This week we will also outline the development of human economy from hunting, gathering and primitive tool-making by kin groups during the Paleolithic age (ca. 40,000-10,000 B.C.) to the agricultural revolution of the Neolithic age (ca. 10,000-3,000 B.C.), when production surpluses led to the gradual development of trade, labor specialization and urban culture.

 Goals:

Learning Objectives:

  1. Introduction to the study of history.
  2. Examine some of the major events that led to the rise of civilization:
    • Focus: Mesopotamia
    • Agriculture
    • Domestication of Animals