Overview

When, where and how did human beings first develop cultures worthy of being called civilizations? How did the classical world of Greece and Rome come into existence, and what were its finest cultural achievements? Which were the first Christian societies, and what were their intellectual and cultural legacies? What were the main features of the Romanesque and Gothic phases of medieval European civilizations? Why did the Renaissance happen, and what fundamental cultural and intellectual changes did it bring about? These are some of the questions examined in HIST 201.

HIST 201 is the first of two, three-credit courses that together survey the development of Western civilization from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the complicated and sophisticated world of the post-industrial era. Although the course employs a historical framework, its overall approach is interdisciplinary, drawing upon the findings of archaeologists, classical scholars, theologians, art historians, literary critics, and philosophers as well as historians of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Outline

Evaluation

To receive credit for HIST 201, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D“ (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Matthews, Roy T., and F. DeWitt Platt. The Western Humanities, Volume 1: Beginnings Through the Renaissance, 6th edition. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2008.

Other Materials

The course materials include a student manual and a study guide. Students borrow videotapes from Athabasca University Library.