HIST 111 Western Civilizations from Antiquity to the Renaissance
This course begins with the development of agriculture, writing, and cities in the ancient near east and then considers the cultures and civilizations that developed in antiquity, including the Mesopotamian, Hebrew, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Germanic. The course will then disentangle the thousand years of history lumped under the term 'Middle Ages,' examining the events and the societies that developed from the fourth and fifth century fall of the Roman empire in the west to the 1453 fall of the Roman empire (Byzantium) in the east. The course will conclude with the Renaissance. A major emphasis of the course will be on historical and cultural literacy, so that students can orient themselves in time and be fluent with some of the landmark events and cultures of the past. This course counts as a foundational course in History or Political Theory within the liberal arts core requirements.