HIST121 The Ancient World (to c.500 A.D.)

Department of Social & Behavioral Science: History

  1. Course Number and Title

    HIST121 The Ancient World (to c.500 A.D.)

  2. Number of Credits

    3 credits

  3. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester

    2250

  4. Prerequisites

    None

    Corequisites

    None

  5. Other Pertinent Information

    None

  6. Catalog Course Description

    This course is a survey of the early societies and the development of the civilizations of the ancient world to the fall of Rome in the West.

  7. Required Course Content and Direction

    1. Learning Goals:

      1. Course
        2. Students will:
        1. identify the defining features of the major civilizations of the Ancient Near East such as the Babylonians, Sumerians, Persians and Assyrians;
        2. identify some of the minor civilizations of the ancient world such as the Hittites, Hebrews and Phoenicians;
        3. identify the major civilizations of Ancient Mediterranean such as Egypt, Greece and Rome;
        4. explain the social, economic, and political factors behind the rise and fall of Ancient Greek civilization;
        5. explain the social, economic, and political factors behind the rise and fall of the Roman Empire; and
        6. evaluate the unique cultural contributions of the ancient Western and Near Eastern civilizations to the modern world.

      2. Core (if applicable)
        3. This course is not included in the Core.

    2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

      1. Mesopotamian Origins
        1. Sumer to Old Babylon
        2. Mesopotamian Culture
      2. Ancient Egypt
        1. The Three Kingdoms
        2. Egyptian Culture
      3. The Lesser Cultures
        1. Hittites
        2. Hebrews
        3. Phoenicians
      4. Near East After 1000 BC
        1. Assyrian Empire
        2. Neo-Babylonian Empire
        3. Persian Empire to Alexander''s Rise
      5. Greece
        1. Roots
          1. Minoa
          2. Mycenaea
          3. Cyclades
        2. "Dark Ages"
        3. Rise of the Polis to 490 BC
          1. Recovery from the "Dark Ages"
          2. Role of Sparta
          3. Role of Athens
        4. Persian Wars Era
        5. Golden Age
        6. Peloponnesian War Era
        7. Decline of the Polis to Philip II
        8. Greek Culture
      6. Hellenistic Age
        1. Philip of Macedon
        2. Alexander the Great
        3. Successor states
        4. Hellenistic Culture
      7. Rome
        1. Etruscan Monarchy
        2. Early Republic to 264 BC
        3. Over-seas Expansion to 146 BC
        4. Early Culture
        5. Gracchi Reform
        6. End of the Republic
        7. Augustan Consolidation
        8. Golden Age Culture
        9. Pax Romana
        10. Crisis of the Third Century
        11. Christian Religion in the Empire
        12. Reforms of Diocletian-Constantine
        13. Fall of the Empire 4th-5th Centuries

    3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

      1. Course
        2. Student assessment consists of in-class exams, electronically administered exams, essays, written assignments, multi-media projects, and/or participation in classroom/online discussions.

      2. Core (if applicable)
        3. This course is not included in the Core.

    4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:

      See course format

  8. Teaching Methods Employed

    Section VIII is not being used in new and revised syllabi as of 12/10/08.

Review/Approval Date -2/99; Revised 5/2012