History of Western Civilization I (HIS223)
Course Description
This course deals with the recurring political, economic, intellectual, diplomatic, and social themes in the history of the Western world from the time of the ancient Greeks until the middle of the seventeenth century.
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: none
Additional Details
Western Civilization is a term that is often used but rarely discussed in-depth in the modern world. In this course, we will explore the roots of Western Civilization and seek to start to form an answer as to what it is and is not. In order to do so, we will look at the Biblical, Greek, and Roman strands of Western Civilization and discuss how they culminated in medieval Europe. Covering a period of time that stretches from the creation of the world through the Protestant Reformation is daunting. However, it also provides for invigorating discussion of the intellectual, religious, and political roots of the world we live in today.
This is an introductory survey course with no prerequisites. Students are expected to possess a high school knowledge of European and world history. Like Patrick Henry College’s other freshman-level courses, however, this course is equivalent (in terms of rigor, content, and expectations) to sophomore courses at typical colleges. Students will take three major exams during the semester. Students will also read several books and write essays on two of them. Weekly participation on the threaded Discussion Forums is required. There are no scheduled chat sessions or time-specific online class meetings; all instruction is asynchronous.
A typical week in this course involves reading the week's textbook assignment, reading the assigned primary source documents for that week, and interacting with classmates and course instructor on the threaded Discussion Forum. There are no weekly assignments except for participating in class discussions on the Discussion Forums. Students also devote additional time each week to reading the supplementary assigned books and working on the two essays. To earn a B in this course, students probably need to work ten to fifteen hours per week on class-related assignments.
