World Civilizations 1
HIS 101 Summer 2009
Times: MWF 1:00-2:30 TT 12:40-2:50
Location: LAB 102
Kevin Dougherty
The University of Southern Mississippi
Phone: 601-266-4455 (leave a voice mail at your own risk)
Email: kevin.dougherty@usm.edu
Website: http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w416373/
Office: Room 449 Liberal Arts Building (College of Arts and Letters)
OBJECTIVE: This course is designed to examine some of the most important events and trends in the first half of World History and will be thematic in nature. The course includes five basic blocks that address specific themes. These themes are what is a civilization?, religion, population control, warfare, and the rise of the West and globalization.
TEXTS : Upshur, Terry, Holoka, Goff, and Cassar, World History , Compact Fourth
Edition
History Dept, University of Southern Mississippi , Envisioning World Civilizations
GRADING:
90 to 100 A
80 to 89 B
70 to 79 C
60 to 69 D
Below 60 F
Mid-term Exam
Map Quizzes (2 at 20 points each)
Writing Assignment First Paragraph
Writing Assignment
260 points
40 points
100 points
300 points
Final Exam 300 points
The mid-term exam will be a combination of Identify and State the Significance (ID &
SIG) Terms, Short Answer, and Essay. The map quizzes will require the student to identify the location of selected places and ID & SIGs on a blank world map. The writing assignment first paragraph is due at the beginning of class on July 8 and the entire paper is due at the beginning of class on July 21. You must turn in your graded first paragraph with your final paper. Except in a case of truly extraordinary circumstances in which a substantial amount of preparatory time was unavoidably lost to reasons beyond the student’s control, papers will not be accepted late. If the student cannot make it to class for an excused reason the period the paper is due, he will email it to the instructor’s

account to ensure it arrives prior to the beginning of the class. It remains the student’s responsibility to ensure any work emailed to the instructor is actually received by the instructor. The paper will be 700 to 1000 words-- typed, doublespaced, and stapled-- defending a thesis built around one of the following topics:
Nineteenth-century Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle wrote, “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” Although most historians now consider a variety of other factors beyond Carlisle’s theory, an individual can clearly make a difference. In this essay you must read the selections in Envisioning World Civilizations on Hector vs. Achilles (69), Augustus (129), Cyrus (41), Mansa Musa (215), and Joan of
Arc (269) and use at least three of them to explain how one individual can influence history and how these individuals did so.
In your textbook Upshur writes that “If one were to seek a common denominator, perhaps the most pervasive underlying factor in the human experience was the striving for order” (52). In this essay you must read the selections in Envisioning World
Civilizations on Aristotle (87), Confucius (97), Hammurabi (23), Cicero (125), and
Pericles (75) and describe the importance of maintaining order in a society and how at least three of these individuals proposed to do so.
Papers will be graded based on the rubric at the end of this syllabus. At least four sources are required, of which no more than two can be from the internet. Students may use the text books and class slides if properly cited, but they will not count as one of the four required sources. Use the MLA or APA format.
The final exam will be comprehensive and will be a combination of ID & SIGs, short answer, and essay.
SCHEDULE :
Introduction.
Lsn 1 July 1: During this lesson we will go over the syllabus and the course requirements, identify the learning objectives, and outline the semester.
Block 1
What is a Civilization?
During this block we will gain an understanding of what the word “civilization” entails. Traditionally, civilizations are characterized by:
• Intensive agricultural techniques
•
Specialization of labor
•
Cities
• A social hierarchy
•
Organized religion and education
•
Development of complex forms of economic exchange
•
Development of new technologies

•
Advanced development of the arts. (This can include writing.)
We will use this list of characteristics to examine several sample civilizations:
Lsn 2 July 2: (Upshur, 16-31)
Part 1: Characteristics of a civilization
Part 2: Mesopotamia ID & SIG: Babylon, Code of Hammurabi, cuneiform, Epic of
Gilgamesch, lex talionis, metallurgy, temple communities, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, wheel
Lsn 3 July 6: Egypt (Upshur, 24-31) ID & SIG: Amon-Re, hieroglyphs, Lower Egypt,
Memphis, mummification, Nile River, pharaoh, pyramids, Queen Hatshepsut, Thebes,
Upper Egypt
Lsn 4 July 7:
Part 1: Ancient (Shang and Zhou) China (Upshur, 73-91) ID & SIG: Book of Songs, dynasty, bronze production monopolization in Shang and Zhou China, mandate of heaven, Shang Dynasty, tian, veneration of ancestors, Yellow River, Zhou Dynasty
Part 2: Resurgent (Tang and Song) China (Upshur, 309-328) ID & SIG: bureaucracy of merit, equal-field system, fast-ripening rice, Grand Canal, gunpowder, letters of credit, movable type, paper money, Song Dynasty, Tang Dynasty
Lsn 5 July 8: (Upshur, 45-50, 352-358, 361-369)
Part 1:Mayans ID & SIG: bloodletting rituals, cocoa, maize, Maya, Mayan calendar,
Mayan decline, Olmec, Popol Vuh, Temple of the Giant Jaguar, Tikal
Part 2: Incas ID & SIG: Cuzco, Inca roads, quipu, terrace farming
Lsn 6 July 9: Greece (Upshur, 32-35, 38-40)
ID & SIG: ID & SIG: advantages of women in Sparta, architecture, Hellenikon, helot,
Homer, myths, Olympic Games, patriarchal society, polis, tragic drama
Lsn 7 July 10: Byzantium (Upshur, 106-123, 262-270) ID & SIG: Byzantine bureaucracy, Byzantine Empire, caesarpapism , Constantine, Constantinople, Council of
Nicea, Eastern Orthodox Church, iconoclasm, Justinian Code, Schism, theme system
Lsn 8 July 13: Sub Sahara Africa (Upshur, 369-387) ID & SIG: Bantu iron metallurgy,
Bantu migrations, chiefdoms, Gao, gold trade, Great Zimbabwe, Islam in Africa, kinbased society, Kilwa, Kingdom of Ghana, Kingdom of Kongo, Kingdom of Mali,
Kingdom of Songhay, Mansa Musa, Swahili Coast, Timbuktu, trans-Sahara trade route
Lsn 9 July 14: Writing Workshop
Turn in typed introductory paragraph containing your thesis statement, three proofs, and concluding sentence. Also bring in 2 blue books (without your name on them) in order to receive study guides in the future.

Block 2
Religion . One of the characteristics of civilizations is organized religion. Religious traditions give a society guidance on moral, religious, political, and social issues. These traditions often have served as foundations for educational systems that prepare individuals for careers in government. As a result, in many cases they have shaped the values of people who have made law and implemented policy. Several cultural and religious traditions have attracted large popular followings and have created institutional structures that enabled them to survive over a long term and extend their influence through time. Along the way, many religions had made changes and adaptations. We will examine the doctrines and influences of several major world religions:
Lsn 10 July 15: (Upshur, 67-73, 123-132, 290-292, 306-309, 315-317)
Part 1: Buddhism ID & SIG: Buddhism in China, Buddhism in India, Chan Buddhism, dharma, Dunhuang, Four Noble Truths, Mahayana Buddhism, nirvana, Siddhartha
Gautama (Buddha)
Part 2: Hinduism ID & SIG: Bhagavad Gita, moksha, reincarnation, Upanishads, Vedas
Lsn 11 July 16: (Upshur, 101-106, 225-234, 252-255, 478-489)
Part 1: Judaism ID & SIG: Abraham, Canaan, covenant, diaspora, Joshua, Kingdom of
David, Kingdom of Solomon, Moses, Passover, Talmud, Temple, Ten Commandments,
Torah, Yahweh, Yom Kippur
Part 2: Christianity ID & SIG: Calvin, epistles, Gentiles, Hermensen (Arminius), Jesus,
Luther, New Testament, Paul (Saul), Pharisees, Reformation, salvation by faith, spread of early Christianity, St. Augustine
Lsn 12 July 17: (Upshur, 270-279, 396-405 and Polushin, 157-159)
Islam ID & SIG: Allah, Five Pillars of Islam, jihad, Mecca, Medina, Muhammad,
Quran, Ramadan, sharia, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, umma
Handout mid-term exam study guide
Block 3
Maintaining Order and Population Control . Civilizations inherently include large populations. This phenomenon is reflected in the characteristics of cities and a social hierarchy. Societies are confronted with the challenges of administering territory, maintaining order, and organizing daily life. We will examine several representative approaches to this problem:
Lsn 13 July 20: (Upshur, 40-45, 56-73, 132-147)
Part 1: Persia ID & SIG: Darius, Persepolis, Royal Road, satrap
Part 2: India ID & SIG: caste system, jati , untouchables, varna
Part 3: China ID & SIG: Confucianism, Daoism, dynasty, Han Feizi, junzi, legalism, mandate of heaven, Period of the Warring States
Lsn 14 July 21: (Upshur, 106-123, 165-167) Map Quiz #1

Part 1: Map Quiz Byzantium , China, Constantinople , Euphrates River, Gao, Great
Zimbabwe, Greece, Inca civilization, India, Israel, Kilwa, Kingdom of Mali, Mayan civilization, Mecca, Medina, Memphis, Mesopotamia, Nile River, Persepolis, Swahili
Coast, Thebes, Tigris River, Tikal, Timbuktu, Trans-Sahara trade route, Yellow River
Part 2: Greece ID & SIG: Aristotle, Athens, Corinth, democracy, oligarchy, Pericles,
Plato, Socrates, Solon, Sparta, The Republic , tyrants
Lsn 15 July 22: (Upshur, 168-185)
Part 1: Roman Empire ID & SIG: Augustus (Octavian), dictators, empire, Julius
Caesar, patricians, plebeians, latifundia, pax romana, republic
Part 2: Medieval Europe
ID & SIG: chivalry, feudal system, lords, manors, serfs, “three estates”
Lsn 16 July 23: Mid-term Exam
Block 4
Warfare . War is violence with a purpose, and the purpose is for the society to achieve an end-state it considers better than the beginning-state. Societies are presented with both internal and external military challenges. Internal challenges can take the forms of rebellion, civil war, or conflict between powerful factions. External threats include competition for resources, territorial aggression, and ethnic hatred. We will examine several civilizations and periods in which warfare played a major role:
Lsn 17 July 24: (Upshur, 111-113, 157-164)
Part 1: Greece Delian League, Marathon, Peloponnesian War, Persian Wars,
Thermopylae
Part 2: Alexander the Great ID & SIG: Alexander the Great, Darius, Gaugamela
(Arbela), phalanx, Philip, siege, Tyre
Hand out final exam study guide.
Lsn 18 July 27: (Upshur, 359-361, 405-413) Writing assignments due.
Part 1: Aztecs ID & SIG: Aztecs, Aztec warriors, Cortes, Huitzilopochtli, Mexica,
Tenochtitlan, sacrificial bloodletting, tribute
Part 2: The Crusades ID & SIG: Constantinople, Crusades, Italian city-states,
Jerusalem, reasons for the Crusades, Reconquista , results of the Crusades, Pope Urban,
Richard the Lion Heart, Saladin
Hand out final exam study guide.
Block 5
Rise of the West and Globalization . Warfare is not the only way that societies collide.
As travel, communications, technology, trade, and populations expand, societies and civilizations exchange a variety of entities. The overall phenomenon is called
“globalization” which some perceive as positive, others negative. Those who favor globalization point to greater mobility, opportunity, and exchange. Those against

globalization fear exploitation and the increased irrelevance of their own societal, national, and cultural identity.
Lsn 19 July 28: (Upshur, 211-212 and 463-474)
Part 1: Long-distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network ID & SIG: Antioch,
Antonine Plague, Bubonic Plague, classical empires, Dunhuang, influences of long distance trade, Manichaeism, silk and spices, Silk Roads, Taklamakan Desert
Part 2: Renaissance ID & SIG: Bubonic Plague, da Vinci, humanists, Hundred Years’
War, movable type, Renaissance, Renaissance art, state building
Lsn 20 July 29: (Upshur, 489-505) Map Quiz #2
Part 1: Map Quiz Antioch , Athens, Caspian Sea, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Constantinople,
India, Jerusalem, Macedonia, Mediterranean Sea, Mexico, Mongolia, Persia, Persian
Gulf, Red Sea, Rome, Sparta, Taklamakan Desert, Tenochtitlan, Tyre, Spain
Part 2:European Exploration ID & SIG: Columbian Exchange, conquistadors, de
Gama, global trade, joint-stock companies, motives for European explorations, Seven
Years’ War, smallpox, trading posts, volta do mar
Lsn 21 July 30: Final Exam Review
Lsn 22 July 31: Final Exam.
The final exam will be comprehensive and will focus on the five themes presented throughout the course.
OFFICE HOURS : Except on rare occasions, I will be in my office from 11:30 to 12:30
TT for walk-ins and would be happy to meet with you by appointment at other times.
ACADEMIC HONESTY : Refer to the Student Handbook and Undergraduate Bulletin for specific guidance on academic honesty and plagiarism. Suffice it to say that any representation of another’s work as your own or other form of cheating will not be tolerated and may result in getting an F for the work involved or in the course as well as other disciplinary action to include probation, suspension, and/or expulsion. Papers will be documented using MLA or APA documentation. Among other places, the format may be obtained at the USM library’s website http://www.lib.usm.edu/ . Upon request, students will turn in a disc copy of the paper, and the instructor reserves the right to use plagiarism detection software on any product a student submits for a grade.
ABSENCES: It is the student’s responsibility to make necessary arrangements with the instructor surrounding absences. Excused absences must be verified by a note from student services, the clinic, a doctor, a parent, the police, the Student Academic
Enhancement Program, or some other authority. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the note, coordinate with the instructor, and make up any missed work within five days of the absence. If the student does not do this or if the absence is unexcused, the student will receive a 0 for the missed work.
CLASSROOM CONDUCT : The goal is to have an environment that facilitates learning, respects both students and the instructor, and fosters an atmosphere of civility

and proper decorum. Students who create disturbances by arriving late, talking, having cell phones ring, engaging in activities unrelated to the academic subject matter, interrupting, distracting other students, being rude, or any other conduct inappropriate for a learning environment will be told to leave the classroom and will receive an F for that day’s grade.
AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA): If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies.
Address:
The University of Southern Mississippi
Office for Disability Accommodations
118 College Drive # 8586
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
Voice Telephone: (601) 266-5024 or (228) 214-3232 Fax: (601) 266-6035
Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi
Relay Service at 1-800-582-2233 (TTY) or email Suzy Hebert at
Suzanne.Hebert@usm.edu
.
World Civilization First Paragraph Writing Assignment
Grading Rubric (100 points total)
Introductory sentence (thesis)
First proof
Second proof
Third proof
Concluding sentence
Overall readability
20 points
20 points
20 points
20 points
10 points
10 points
World Civilization Writing Assignment
Grading Rubric (300 points total)
Introduction
___/10pts. Thesis: Articulation of clear, coherent, and forceful thesis statement. Thesis is related to one of the subjects assigned in the syllabus. Thesis is first sentence.
___/10pts. Proofs: Paragraph clearly states three proofs that best prove the thesis.
___/5pts. Conclusion: Concluding sentence summarizes introductory paragraph.

Body
___/50pts. Cause and Effect: Discussion of proofs demonstrates cause and effect.
___/25pts. Factually Correct: Paper is historically correct, includes necessary relevant facts, and does not become an editorial or opinion piece.
___/25pts. Vocabulary and Development: Paper shows familiarity with the vocabulary associated with the subject. Uses ID & SIGS as appropriate. Student demonstrates ability to put thoughts in his own words. Sufficiently develops the subject. Conforms to length requirement in syllabus.
Conclusion
___/25pts. Conclusion: Concluding paragraph is a restatement of thesis/argument without sounding redundant or introducing new material beyond the scope of the paper.
Writing
___/25pts. Grammar: Punctuation, capitalization, spelling, verb tense, sentence structure, voice, etc conform to rules of standard English.
___/50pts. Structure/Organization: Ideas flow logically from one another and all point back to the thesis statement. Paper can be read in a single rapid reading. Each paragraph has a topic sentence that reflects the main idea of the paragraph. Bottom line up front
(BLUF).
___/25pts. Citations and Format: Proper formatting and use of citations IAW MLA or
APA format.
___/50pts. Sources: Reliable, college level, and expert sources. No overreliance on a single source. Not a simple regurgitation of material presented in class. Reflective of significant outside research. Conforms to requirement for sources in the syllabus.