What is history? According to the French philosopher Voltaire, "History is but a pack of tricks we play on the dead." But to the American historian Fritz Stern, "History is the cognitive expression of the deep-rooted human desire to know the past." Deception or discovery? Take a history course and decide for yourself. History 4 is an introductory course in the history of Western Civilization from the prehistoric period through the Middle Ages. We will examine the beginnings of civilization in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Aegean; the decline of these early societies and the rise of new kingdoms in Israel, Assyria, Persia, and Archaic Greece; the flowering of Classical Greece and the Hellenistic world; the rise and fall of Roman civilization; the birth and spread of Christianity; the transference of power to the Byzantine and Islamic empires; and the European sphere in the early, high, and late Middle Ages.
The focus of the course is on cultural values and social institutions, although political developments will also be addressed. Special attention is paid to how past historians interpreted their periods and defined what history was: these approaches are called historiography (the history of historical writing). An intensive use of primary documents will allow students to do their own analysis of past societies. Lectures and discussions will be illustrated by CD ROM Laserdisk slides. The required booklet, "History 4: A Survival Guide," contains tips on how to study a broad history course, full lecture outlines, questions for analysis of the primary sources, and study reviews. In addition, there is a required textbook, a primary source text, and two short historical studies. For the spring semester the last sources will focus on slavery in the Roman Empire and the role of chivalry in the Middle Ages. Optional projects include internet excercises. You should have a saclink account for this course. There are no prerequisites for the course. 3 units, letter graded. G.E. category C1.
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Page updated: January 16, 1999