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H 113 History of Western Civilization I, Section 8736Dr. Thomas A. Mason
Syllabus of CourseClassroom: Cavanaugh Hall 217
Fallsemester 2012E-mail:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30–5:45 PMOffice: Cavanaugh Hall 313 E
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00–4:00 PM
Texts(which all students are required to purchase):
Kishlansky, Mark, Patrick Geary, and Patricia O’Brien.Civilization in the West, volume I: To 1715.
7th edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Earlier editions are also acceptable.
Xenophon, The Persian Expedition. Translated by Rex Warner with an introduction and notes by George Cawkwell.
New York: Penguin Books, 1972. Also available as a Kindle e-book.
Bede et al., The Age of Bede. Translated by J. F. Webb, edited with an introduction by D. H. Farmer.
New York: Penguin Books, 2004. Also available as a Kindle e-book.
Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince. Translated with notes by GeorgeBull, introduction by Anthony Grafton.
New York: Penguin Books, 2003.Also available as an e-book (Kindle and Nook).(Note that for the analytical essay due on November 29, you have the option of reading and reviewing this book or analyzing a work of art that you see at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. If you choose that latter option, you are not required to purchase the book.)
Course objectives: This course is designed to instill an awareness of the origins and development of Western Civilization from its ancient origins through the early modern period. The course implements and supports the IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning ( core communication (moderate emphasis)and quantitative (minor emphasis)skills; critical thinking; integration and appreciation of knowledge; intellectual depth, breadth, and adaptiveness; understanding society and culture(major emphasis); and values and ethics.
Course requirements: You will write a descriptive essay (500–700 words) on Xenophon; an explanatory essay (750–1,000 words) on Bede; and an analytical essay(750–1,000 words) on either Machiavelli or a work of art that you see at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I post outlines / instruction sheets on Oncourse, under the link to “Assignments,” for these essays, which are due on the dates listed below.
Quizzes and examinations: There will be three quizzes (paragraph-length identifications), a mid-semester examination (essay and matching), and a final examination (essay and matching). These will cover the contents of the textbook, lectures, and books assigned for review. The History Department provides bluebooks for quizzes and examinations. I post review sheets for the quizzes and examinations on Oncourse, under the link to “Resources,” subfolder “Review Sheets.”
Please note:
- You are welcome to take quizzes and examinations early (give me advance notice so I can have the quiz or examination made up early).
- You are welcome to turn in book reviews / essays early and to transmit them as attachments to e-mail before the due date.
- On the due date, book reviews / essays must be turned in in class, in person, and in hard copy / printout. Email transmissions of book reviews / essays,transmitted on the due date, when the student is absent from class, will be considered late.
- No more than one late assignment (book review / essay) or makeup quiz / examination will be allowed to any student.
- After the due date, you may transmit a book review / essay as an attachment to e-mail for full credit but subject to the abovementioned limit of one late assignment (book review / essay) or makeup quiz / examination per student.
- I encourage communication. When communicating with me, please use the regular university e-mail (). I have not activated the “Messages” option on Oncourse for this course.
Weighting of course requirements for grade: Quizzes (10% x 3 = 30%); book reviews (10% x 3 = 30%); examinations (20% x 2 = 40%).
Administrative Withdrawal: A basic requirement of this course is that you will participate in class and conscientiously complete writing and reading assignments. Keep in touch with me if you are unable to attend class or complete an assignment on time. I will take the roll of attendance, and if you miss more than half our class meetings within the first four weeks of the semester without contacting me, I will administratively withdraw you from this section. Our class meets twice per week; thus if you miss more than four classes in the first four weeks, you may be withdrawn. Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications. Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and if you are administratively withdrawn from the course you will not be eligible for a tuition refund. If you have questions about the administrative withdrawal policy at any point during the semester, please contact me.
Students needing accommodations because of a disability will need to register with Adaptive Educational Services (AES) and complete the appropriate forms issued by AES before accommodations will be given. The AES office is located in Taylor Hall, UC 100. You can also reach the office by calling 274-3241. Visit for more information.
Academic Honesty: You warrant and represent that in-class quizzes and examinations, and essays and book reviews prepared outside of class, are your own work. You warrant and represent that any words not within quotation marks are your own. Any variation from this standard becomes a false representation, which is an offense under the IUPUI Student Code of Conduct ( and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class, and I will explain the correct way to acknowledge the words and ideas of others. If you have any questions on this or any other subjects, please ask!
Page 1 of 2● August 16, 2012
H 113 History of Western Civilization I, Section 8736Dr. Thomas A. Mason
DateLecture topics (approximate)Textbook (Kishlansky et al.)Chapter
August 21Tuesday Introduction. What is a civilization? Ancients and Moderns
23 ThursdayThe earliest civilizations; Mesopotamia 1
28 TuesdayEgypt; Israel; Assyria; Babylonia; Persia
30 ThursdayQuiz 1 (covers chapter 1)
September 4Tuesday Greece in the Bronze Age and the Archaic Age 2
6 ThursdayThe World of Xenophon
11 TuesdayHellenic and Hellenistic Greece 3
13 ThursdayDescriptive essay (review of Xenophon) due
18 TuesdayRepublican Rome 4
20 ThursdayImperial Rome 5
25 TuesdayChristian Rome 6
27 ThursdayQuiz 2 (covers chapters 2–6)
October 2Tuesday Byzantium and Islam 7
4 ThursdayThe Carolingian Empire 8
9 TuesdayThe West Encounters the East: Feudalism and the Crusades 9
11 ThursdayMid-semester Examination (covers chapters 7–9)
16 TuesdayFall Break: Please celebrate responsibly!
18 ThursdayThe World of Bede
23 TuesdayExplanatory essay (review of Bede) due
25 ThursdayThe Hundred Years’ War and the Plague 10
30 TuesdayThe Proto-Reformation and the Proto-Renaissance
November 1Thursday The Renaissance: The Rediscovery of Antiquity 11
6 TuesdayThe Reconnaissance: The Seaborne Empires and the New Monarchies 12
8 ThursdayVisit to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road.
Meet inside the main entrance.
13 TuesdayQuiz 3 (covers chapters 10–12)
15 ThursdayThe Reformations: The Rediscovery of the Patristic Age 13
20 TuesdayThe World of Niccolò Machiavelli
22 ThursdayThanksgiving Holiday: Happy Thanksgiving!
27 TuesdayThe French Wars of Religion, the Revolt of the Netherlands, and the Thirty Years’ War 14
29 ThursdayAnalytical essay (review of Machiavelli or analysis of work of art) due
December 4Tuesday Economy and Society in Early Modern Europe 15
6 ThursdayAbsolutism and Resistance 16
14 FridayFinal Examination, 3:30–5:30 PM (covers chapters 13–16).
Please note the day and time (set by the University Registrar) of the exam: on a Friday, and an hour earlier than our usual meeting time.
Location is our usual room, Cavanaugh Hall 217.
Remember:“The past isn’t dead; it isn’t even past.”
—William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun (1951)
“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.”
—L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between (1953)
“We contend, however, that war is nothing more than a continuation of politics with the mixing in of other means.”
—Carl von Clausewitz, On War (1832)
Reporter: “What do you think of western civilization?”
Mohandas Gandhi: “I think it would be a good idea.” (1931)
“Study history. Study history. In history are all the secrets of statecraft.”
—Winston Churchill, The Age of Revolution (1957)
“‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.’”
—George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
“The supposed ‘clash of cultures’ is in reality nothing more than a manifestation of mutual ignorance.”
—The Aga Khan, Spirit & Life: Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection (2007)