History 101: Western Civilization to 1500
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Spring 2000-1

Prof. Martha Carlin

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Office: Holton 328
Office phone: (414) 229-5767
Messages: History Department, tel. (414) 229-4361
E-mail: carlin@uwm.edu
Home page: www.uwm.edu/~carlin
Office hours: Mondays, 2:00-3:00 PM, and by appointment

TA: Abigail Theys
Office: Holton 375
Office phone: (414) 229-6700
E-mail:  artheys@uwm.edu

This course will survey Western civilizations, from prehistoric times to 1500. There will be two lectures and one discussion section each week.

There is one required textbook for this course:

Jackson J. Spielvogel. Western Civilization. Volume A: To 1500. 4th edn. St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing, 2000.Your TA will also assign Internet readings from the collection called “Western Civilization to 1500: Online Readings,” located on my home page (www.uwm.edu/~carlin). You will require an e-mail account and access to the Internet for this class. All UWM students are automatically assigned a free UWM e-mail account, and have free Internet access via UWM computer terminals.

Papers: There is one required, 5-page, research paper (described at end of syllabus).

Exams: There will be two exams: an in-class midterm (covering material from weeks 1-6) on Wednesday, 28 Feb. 2001, and a final exam (covering material from weeks 7-15) on Thursday, 17 May 2001, from 10 AM to 12 noon. The final exam date and time are set by the Unversity and cannot be altered.

Grading: Your final grade will be based on your research paper (25%); your midterm (25%); your final exam (25%); and your attendance, participation and work in your discussion section (25%). The research paper is due and exams will be held on the dates specified above. Late work will not be accepted, except in cases of major illness or emergency (please contact me immediately in such a case).

If you have a disability, please feel free to contact me early in the semester for any help or accommodations you may need.
                                                                      TOPICS AND READINGS
Week 1    INTRODUCTION; ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

22 JAN.     Introduction to course

24 JAN.     Spielvogel, pp. xxix-xxx, 1-16
Week 2    ANCIENT EGYPT; THE HEBREWS

29 JAN.     Spielvogel, pp. 16-31

31 JAN.     Spielvogel, pp. 32-40
Week 3     THE ASSYRIAN AND PERSIAN EMPIRES; THE MINOANS AND MYCENAEANS

5 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 40-54

7 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 55-61
Week 4     THE CIVILIZATION OF THE GREEKS

12 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 61-72, 84-88

14 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 72-84, 88-90
Week 5     THE HELLENISTIC WORLD; THE RISE OF ROME

19 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 91-113

21 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 114-128
Week 6     SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

26 FEB.     Spielvogel, pp. 128-146

28 FEB.     [IN-CLASS MIDTERM]
Week 7     THE ROMAN EMPIRE

5 MARCH     Spielvogel, pp. 147-160

7 MARCH     Spielvogel, pp. 160-170, 175-177
Week 8     THE EMERGENCE OF MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION:  THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
AND THE GERMANIC KINGDOMS

12 MARCH     Spielvogel, pp. 170-175, 178-185

14 MARCH     Spielvogel, pp. 185-197
                                                            [SPRING RECESS: 18-25 MARCH 2001]
Week 9     THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE AND THE RISE OF ISLAM

26 MARCH     Spielvogel, pp. 197-203, 228-231

28 MARCH     Spielvogel, pp. 203-8, 232-234
Week 10     THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE AND THE VIKINGS, 750-1000

2 APRIL        Spielvogel, pp. 209-228, 235-236

4 APRIL         [PAPER DUE]     FILM
Week 11     RECOVERY AND GROWTH IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES; THE CRUSADES

9 APRIL         Spielvogel, pp. 237-252

11 APRIL       Spielvogel, pp. 252-265
Week 12     CITIES AND KINGDOMS IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES

16 APRIL        Spielvogel, pp. 266-282

18 APRIL        Spielvogel, pp. 282-295
Week 13     THE TURBULENT FOURTEENTH-CENTURY; THE CHURCH, THE ARTS, AND
SOCIETY IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES

23 APRIL        Spielvogel, pp. 296-312

25 APRIL        Spielvogel, pp. 312-325
Week 14     THE RENAISSANCE

30 APRIL        Spielvogel, pp. 326-345

2 MAY            Spielvogel, pp. 345-361
Week 15     THE RENAISSANCE (CONTINUED)

7 MAY            FILM

9 MAY            REVIEW

                                THE FINAL EXAM IS ON THURSDAY, 17 MAY 2001, 10 AM TO 12 NOON

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                                                         RESEARCH PAPER FOR HISTORY 101
There is one required paper. For it, you are to imagine yourself to be a traveller to one of the following:

Imperial Rome, in the first century AD

Medieval London, c. 1200-1400

Renaissance Florence, c. 1300-1500

Write a letter home, describing the city and what you saw and did there. You can be a real person or a fictitious one, and you can be travelling for any reason you choose — business, study, pleasure, crime, captivity, diplomacy, religion . . . it’s up to you. The point of the paper is to produce a genuine piece of historical research, packed with factual details from a variety of sources, so no fantasy and no “time-travellers,” please. (Be sure to include the date. If you are doing the Roman topic, remember to use an authentic, Roman-style date.)

Your paper must be five, double-spaced, typescript pages long.

On an additional page you must include a detailed, scale map of your city, hand-drawn by you. (You may trace a printed map, but you may not simply submit a photocopy of a printed map). Your map must include:

a north-point

a scale in both feet and meters                                        the basic features of the city as it was in your period

all places mentioned in your lettera legend of any symbols usedYour paper must be based on a minimum of two primary (“eye-witness”) sources and three scholarly secondary (later) sources. Encyclopedias are permissible as sources of general background reading (and must be cited if used), but cannot be used as any of the three required secondary sources. At least three of your five required sources must be from printed books; two may be from the Internet. (Any additional sources you use may be taken either from the Internet or from printed books.)  Do not use non-scholarly sources, such as amateur Internet sites, games, or novels, as sources for this paper. There is a small selection of primary and secondary sources for these paper topics on reserve in the Library.

Full documentation — endnotes or footnotes, plus bibliography — is required. (Do not use parenthetical citations.) College-level writing, using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, also is required. For guidelines on paper-writing and documentation, see handout, or consult any of the online style guides listed on my home page.

The paper is due in class on Wednesday, 4 April 2001. No extensions will be allowed on the paper except in the case of major illness or emergency.