SOUTHWESTERN ASSEMBLIES OF GOD UNIVERSITY

 

HIS 3313-00 ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

 

Professor Gary D. McElhany, Ph.D.                                                           Fall 2001

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

A study of the Egyptian, Israelite, Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman Empires along with the civilizations of lesser importance that were also found in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions.  The course traces the history, religion, government and society of each civilization. (Prerequisite: HIS2213).

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

1.      Trace the rise and fall of the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Hittite, Persian, Greek, and Roman civilizations.

2.      Describe the customs, social divisions, cultures, religions, and forms of government of those civilizations.

3.      Outline the effect these civilizations had on the nation of Israel and the early Christians, and interrelationship of the many cultures and societies of the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean.

4.      Perform the following, from the Texas Social Studies Standards (Grades 8-12): 8.15k, 9.2k, 9.3k, 4.1k, 4.3k, 4.8k, 4.10k, 4.3s, 4.4s, 4.6s, 4.11k, 4.12k, 4.13k, 4.20k, 4.21k, 5.2k, 5.3k, 5.4k, 5.7k, 5.9k, 5.10k, 5.4s, 5.14s, 5.13k, 5.14k, 5.15k, 5.16k, 5.20k, 5.21k, 5.22k, 5.23k, 7.16k, 8.3s, 8.13s, 8.14s, 9.1k , 9.1s, 9.2s, 9.3s, 9.4s, 9.5s, 9.6s, 9.13k, 9.15k, 9.21k, 9.13s, 9.26k, 9.28k, 9.29k, 9.14s, 10.4s, 10.5k, 10.6k, 10.11s, 10.11k , 10.12s.

 

TEXTBOOKS

 

Nagle, D. Brendan.  The Ancient World:  A Social and Cultural History. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.

 

COURSE PLAN

 

1.      Study by means of textbook reading preparation for course content evaluations

2.      Study by means of journal articles

3.      Book review

4.        Objective evaluations of course content

 
TOPICS OF STUDY

 

CHAPTER ONE

Early Civilization

Mesopotamia the Cradle of Civilization

Sumer

Archaic Egypt

The Old Kingdom

 

CHAPTER TWO

Time of Turmoil

Hammurabi and His World

The Hittites

Article:  The Hittities

The Egyptian Empire and Decline

 

CHAPTER THREE

Assyria and New Babylon

Persia

Article:  “The Philistines”

Israel

 

EXAM ONE

 

CHAPTER FOUR

Greece: The Land and the People

Minoans and Micenaeans

Sparta and Athens

 

CHAPTER FIVE

Persians and Greeks

Internal Conflict

 

CHAPTER SIX

Classical Greece

Athenian Society

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Hellenistic World

 

EXAM TWO

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Roman World

Early Rome

The Republic

 

CHAPTER NINE

Wars and Expansion

 

CHAPTER TEN

The Fall of the Republic

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Augustus and the Severan Emperors

 

EXAM THREE

 

CHAPTER TWELVE

Pax Romana

The government, the Army, and society

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Diocletian and Constantine

The Collapse of the West

The Byzantine Empire

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Empire and the Church

The Barbarians

 

FINAL EXAM

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

Students must

1.      complete reading assignments (text and articles)

2.       Successfully complete four exams covering material in the textbook and reading assignments.

3.      Complete all research assignments.

 

NOTE: Assignments and dates are subject to change contingent upon the needs of the class.

 

 

 

COURSE EVALUATION

 

4 Exams Equally Weighted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 %

Research Project . .  . ………………………..20 %

 

EXAM DATES

 

Unit 1                           09/17/01

Unit 2                           10/17/01

Unit 3                           11/07/01

Final Exam            12/13/01  (8:00-9:20)

 

NOTE: Contingent upon the needs of the class, exam dates may be revised if necessary.

 

Assignments

All class assignments should be completed with due consideration for the professional work expected of students of this university. Work should be neat, organized, typewritten (when appropriate) with double line spacing, pages properly joined and numbered, and an appropriate title page. Students should as a matter of course proofread their work prior to turning it in to the instructor so that typographical, grammatical, and syntactical errors may be corrected. It is also advisable that students make a photocopy of work being turned in to provide for coverage of potential errors in processing.

 

Late Work

Late work will be accepted, but the grade will be lowered by ten percent for each class day the assignment is late.

 

Academic Dishonesty and Cheating.

Students are expected to be honest in fulfilling all academic requirements and assignments.  This pertains to examinations, themes, book critiques, reading reports, etc.  A student will not be allowed to withdraw from a course if he/she is under investigation for academic dishonesty.  In the event that the student is determined guilty of academic dishonesty, then the student will not be allowed to withdraw from the course and will receive the grade determined by the faculty member, either “F” for the assignment and/or an “F” for the course.  Dishonesty could possibly result in further disciplinary action.  Refer to Major infractions in the Student Handbook.

 

Plagiarism, the use of another’s uncited material, as one’s own, is not permissible. Reproducing material from other students by photocopy, computer media transfer or by rewriting is cheating.

 

OFFICE HOURS (A113-D)

MWF 10:00-11:00, 2:00-3:00; Th 9:15-11:00, or by appointment.

 

E-mail is the best means of contact (gmcelhany@sagu.edu) or you may call 1-888-937-7248.  Ex 3231.