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CIV 101

I. TITLE: World Civilizations and Cultures to 1500

II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION: An interdisciplinary survey of the origins of humankind, the emergence of civilized life, the evolution of and interaction among environmental, social, economic and political influences in the major civilizations of the world prior to 1500 CE.

III. PURPOSE:  To provide a common learning experience for all MSU students that will ensure that they become broadly educated in their own culture and the cultures of others and gain an understanding of the origins and history of the world in which they live.

IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will build upon and expand the skills of self expression taught in freshman composition courses by utilizing those skills on required essay exams, a writing assignment(s) of 3-5 pages, and in oral discussion or presentations.
2. students will obtain a base of knowledge for HUM 211/212 and other general education courses by putting into historical context the humanities, social sciences, and sciences;
3. students will further develop critical thinking skills by applying social science concepts, illustrated with reference to significant historical figures and events, to the interpretation of diverse information and by considering chronologically and comparatively the political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental forces affecting the development of major civilizations, as well as their primary legacies; and
4. students will demonstrate a degree of cultural literacy consistent with a university education.

V. CONTENT OUTLINE:  The following universal theme will be developed throughout the three major sections of the course.  The emergence of urban centers and their interaction with (pastoral) nomads affects the rise, expansion, decline, and legacies of all major civilizations to 1500 CE through the processes of trade, colonization, and war.

Part One: Emergence of Major Civilizations
1. Path to Civilizations -- prehistory, the emergence of homo sapiens; adaptation and control of their environment
2. Early Near Eastern Civilizations -- the Tigris-Euphrates and Nile valley; theocracy and urbanization
3. Early Chinese Civilization -- rise of civilization from the Yellow valley to the Han period with attention to Confucianism as the key to social organization
4. Early Indian Civilizations -- the development of the subcontinent before and after the arrival of the Ayrans; caste system, and the emergence of Buddhism.
5. Eastern Mediterranean Civilizations -- Persians, Greeks, Hebrews and the emergence of humanism, philosophy, and monotheism

Part Two: The Spread of Civilizations
6. The Great Empires -- Rome and Han China --  comparative, with emphasis on empire building, long-distance trade by the Silk Road, and the legacy of legal and political concepts
7. Rome's Decline and Fall and the Emergence of Christianity -- with emphasis on the rise of Christianity, the collapse of long distance trade, and the origins of Europe in the Germanic pastoral nomadic invasions
8. The Byzantine and Islamic Worlds: Political and Religious Unity -- the rivalry of two great civilizations at the center of Eurasian long-distance trade through the Abbassid period with attention to religion as cohesive force in each
9. India and China: Enduring Civilizations of the East -- Chinese dynasties through the Mongol period and at India from Kushan to the Moguls and the Indo-Chinese civilizations of Southeast Asia emphasizing the spread of Buddhism and long-distance trade

Part Three: Roots of European Expansion
10. Feudalism: Socioeconomic and Political Structures -- feudal systems compared, Europe and Japan
11. Medieval Europe -- church-state conflict and the effect of the crusades on the revival of towns and trade
12. Sub-Saharan Africa --  Kush-Axum-Ethiopa/Eastern Mediterranean trade; the Ghana-Mali-Songhai empires/trans-Saharan trade; and Swahili Cities and the rise of Zimbabwe
13. The Americas -- major centers of civilization developed in isolation from those of Eurasia -- Mesoamerica, the Mississippian cultural area, and South American Pacific coast/highlands
14. Crisis and Rebirth - a study of demographic contraction and political instability leading to the New Monarchies, Europe's Renaissance and expansion

VI. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
A. Instructors will:

1. use a common text and workbook;
2. require a minimum of approximately 200 pages of outside (non-textbook) reading which students will be asked to discuss in class or in written work;
3. require at least one three to five page paper (or the equivalent in shorter papers) typed on a computer word-processing program, clearly written, with proper spelling and grammar, and content that demonstrates critical thinking skills and ability to organize and present historical information and arguments;
4. give quizzes over the text and/or workbook;
5. give at least two formal, hour examinations (to include at least 50% essay questions) in addition to the final examination;
6. engage students actively in the learning process through discussion and interaction between the instructor and students and/or among the students themselves or in such varied class activities as case studies, role playing, or other appropriate activities;
7. test mastery of major concepts, events, individuals, and developments by a multiple-choice Common Final on which students must score 50% to pass the course and which will count 40% to 60% of the final exam grade.

1. performing satisfactorily on text or workbook quizzes by placing items in proper chronological and geographical settings and identifying distinguishing features of persons, ideas, or events;
2. demonstrating in essay exam questions acceptable analytical and interpretive skills by bringing together diverse information to describe and explain the causes and consequences of individual actions and/or related events and by comparing the differing factors affecting the development of different civilizations;
3. demonstrating in a written paper acceptable grammatical and language usage and sufficiently well developed critical thinking skills to develop a clear thesis based on accurate data and supported by relevant fact and logical inference;
4. communicating ideas clearly and logically both in written papers and oral discussion or presentations;
5. evidencing an acceptable level of cultural literacy relative to major events, individuals, and developments in world history by scoring at least 50% on a comprehensive Common Final examination.

VIII. RESOURCES: Supplemental educational videos shown on MSU channel 11 and on reserve in Waterfield Library.

IX. GRADING PROCEDURES:
1. Quizzes and exams (which test basic knowledge and ability to analyze cause and effect or comparative data) will constitute 60-80% of the course grade.
2. Written papers reflecting writing and critical thinking skills will count 15-30%.
3. Discussion, student presentations, or other activities requiring effective oral communication and an ability to support a position with accurate evidence and logical argument will count 5-25%.
4. A Common Final based on test items with which educated people should have some general familiarity and taken by all CIV students will comprise 40-60% of each instructor's final exam grade; a score of 50% or better on the Common Final is required to pass the course.

X. ATTENDANCE POLICY:  Attendance is mandatory. Excess absences will adversely affect grades.

XI. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY:  the college policy (posted in all classrooms and printed in course workbook) is in effect.

XII. TEXTS:
William Duiker/Jackson Spielvogel, World History
Ken Wolf, CIV 101: World Civilizations to 1500: Student Guide.

XIII. PREREQUISITES:  None.

Last updated February 8, 2000. Designed and maintained by Kyosung Koo