HI 101 -­‐ The Dawn of Europe: Antiquity to the Renaissance Fall 2016: 10-­‐11 AM (M/W/F), EPC 205 Phillip Haberkern ([email protected]) Office: 226 Bay State Rd., Rm. 509 Office Hours: Mon. 11-­‐12, Tues. 10-­‐11, and by appointment Teaching Fellow: Agnes Burt ([email protected]) Office: 226 Bay State Rd., Rm. B01 (in the basement) Office Hours: Mon. 12-­‐1, Wed. 1-­‐3 Course Description: The subject of this course is the history of Western Civilization until about 1550; although we end in the sixteenth century, our examination of nearly five millennia of European history is meant to provide context for the development of many institutions and ideas that continue to be central to our society today. The notions of democracy, monarchy, monotheism, national identity, class, and multiculturalism all began with the earliest origins of urban civilization and continue today. Emphasizing political, social, and cultural history, this course will examine the evolution of these ideas and the cultural frameworks that supported them. It will also analyze how our definitions of Europe (or the West) -­‐ as a cultural region, a geographic area, or a religious unity -­‐ with heavily contingent constituent parts have changed over time. Obviously, this course encompasses a massive amount of material, and we can’t possibly cover it all. As a means of determining what we look at specifically, I have organized this class around a set of three, inter-­‐related questions: 1) How did communities in the past define themselves; 2) How did they create boundaries that that reified those definitions; and 3) How did individuals or dissident groups articulate alternative means of creating collective identities? At various times, linguistic, ethnic, religious, familial, and economic means have predominated as modes of identification in the cultures and communities of the West. The essential purpose of this course is to understand how and why these modes coexisted, conflicted, and ultimately evolved. Goals: Beyond the subject matter, this class is intended to introduce you to the techniques of historical investigation. Through an intensive engagement with primary sources, brief writing assignments, exams, and a more substantial paper, students will become familiar with both the sorts of questions that historians ask and the sorts of arguments and evidence that they find convincing in trying to answer them. It is also my hope that something in this class captures your attention and compels you to learn more. Whether it is the Roman republic, ancient Israel, or the culture of the Crusades, my personal goal is for you all to be so struck by one of our topics that you leave this class with the plan to enroll in another history class. 1
Structure: This is primarily a lecture class, and we will meet three times a week as a group for lectures. On many days, and especially Fridays, however, we will incorporate discussions into our meetings that will either focus on a particular reading from the week or draw on a piece of art, architecture, or literature that clarifies/exemplifies themes from our readings. The instructor will let students know what texts will be discussed in a given week, and students will be expected to have access to them (either in paper or electronic form) during class. We will also have optional discussion sections that will meet during weeks 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 13 (time and place TBD according to student availability). These meetings will serve as a time when students can discuss the week’s readings and assignments with the course TF and each other. Attendance at these meetings is NOT mandatory, but is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, as they will serve as a primary point of contact with Agnes and offer a time to work out the implications of primary source readings for the main themes of the class. Course Requirements: Requirements for this course include two exams, one 5-­‐7 page paper, and a series of shorter writing assignments (ranging from one paragraph to one page long) that are intended both to familiarize students with central tasks of academic writing in history (such as creating thesis statements, utilizing primary source evidence, and recognizing other authors’ intentions, arguments, and biases) and to spur discussion each week. These assignments will be due in lecture on Fridays (marked in the syllabus as such), and must be submitted in a typed, hard copy. Attendance and participation in class are also graded, and the latter can be significantly augmented by your attendance at the discussion sections. These components are weighted as follows: Midterm Exam: 20% Final Exam: 25% Paper: 30% Writing Assignments: 15% Attendance: 10% Late papers will be accepted, but with a penalty of 5 pts. per day late. Exams cannot be rescheduled except under extraordinary circumstances, and I will need to be notified ASAP if you think you will miss a graded assignment. Considerations may be made for family and medical emergencies. 2
Required Texts: Students will be required to purchase two texts for this class. Both are available at the BU Bookstore and online: Brian Levack et al., The West: Encounters and Transformations, Vol.1, 4th ed. (Pearson 2014), ISBN#: 9780205977642 Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince with Related Documents, William Connell, 2nd ed. (Bedford St. Martins, 2005), ISBN#: 9781319048921 Besides these books, however, many primary sources will be available through the course’s Blackboard site, in the “Content” section. Students are responsible for all of these materials, and should have access to relevant items during class meetings. The location of all readings is marked on the syllabus. You will need to consult the class Blackboard page routinely to check for assignments and readings. Writing assignments and lists of key terms (which will be a component of the exams) will also be posted to help direct students’ preparation and participation in class. E-­‐mail Policy: All students should use their BU email address to receive correspondence from the instructor. Regarding student emails, I will do my best to respond within twenty-­‐four hours. Due to the volume of emails I receive, though, that will not always be the case. Please do not email me requesting notes or material covered if you are absent; you should seek these things from your classmates. Also, please frame your emails to me as you would any other sort of correspondence in a formal school or business environment: with a proper salutation and closing, formal punctuation, and correct grammar. Please note that I will not feel obligated to respond to emails that are not written in this manner. Academic Conduct Code: Students are expected to abide by the spirit and letter of Boston University’s Academic Conduct Code. Any breaches of the Code or instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the College of Arts & Sciences and will result in a failing grade for the course. 3
Schedule for Lectures and Readings Two quick notes on course readings: 1) Textbook readings are marked as TWET, with the relevant page numbers. 2) Readings marked with [BB] are available on the course Blackboard site under the “Content” tab. Week 1 (9/7-­‐9/9) The Birth of Urban Civilization – In our first lectures, we will explore how agricultural necessity, theological speculation, and the development of military technology led to the birth of “civilization” along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers more than 5,000 years ago. We will also begin to discuss exactly what words like civilization, state, and empire entail. Reading: TWET, introduction and chapter 1 up to section on Egypt. Week 2 (9/12-­‐9/16) From the Fertile Crescent to the Mediterranean – In this first full week, we will look back to the world of the Hebrew Bible in order to discover the religious roots of the western world, as well as the outlines of the Mediterranean world in which they were planted. We will also discuss the nature of empires and the evolution of imperial ideology. Readings: TWET, end of chapter 1 and chapter 2; The Hebrew Bible: Exodus 3-­‐
6:13 and I Samuel 8-­‐10 [BB]; Homer, The Iliad, bk. 22 (“The Death of Hector”) [BB]. Week 3 (9/19-­‐9/23) Man the Political Animal: Ancient Greece – This week’s discussion will focus on the rise of the Greek cities as political and cultural powers in the ancient world. We will focus particularly on the political theories and realities that shaped Greek society, the rise of a Greek culture of honor and excellence, and explore the origins and intentions of democracy as a system of governance. Readings: TWET, chapter 3; Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, bk. 2: “Pericles’ Funeral Oration” [BB]; Aristotle, The Politics, bks. 1, 3, 7 & 8 [BB]. Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave,” from The Republic [BB]. Sections meet this week/Writing Assignment #1 due in class on Friday Week 4 (9/26-­‐9/30) The Age of Alexandrias – During the fourth century BCE, a radical transformation took place: the urban culture of Greece that had developed over previous centuries was exported to the known world behind the armies of Alexander the Great. For this week, we will examine the incredibly creative and potentially explosive interaction of Asian empires and Greek ideas from Egypt to Israel to Athens. Readings: TWET, chapter 4; Plutarch, “The Childhood of Alexander” [BB]; Arrian, “The Proskynesis Crisis” and “The Hyphasis Mutiny” [BB]; The Hebrew Bible: I Maccabees 1-­‐4 [BB]. 4
Sections meet this week/Writing Assignment #2 due in class on Friday Week 5 (10/3-­‐10/7) From Universal Culture to Universal Empire – During this week we will analyze the growth of Rome from a tiny hilltop village to the center of a world empire. In doing so, we will focus on ideas of citizenship and the opportunities/obligations it entailed, along with the “techniques of power” that allowed Roman power to expand. Readings: TWET, chapter 5; Polybius, Histories, bk. 6: “Rome at the End of the Punic Wars” [BB]; and Cicero, On the Republic, bk. 6: “The Dream of Scipio” [BB]. Week 6 (10/12-­‐10/14) Rome and its Emperors: First Among Equals – In the first centuries BCE and CE, Rome underwent a massive transformation that was cloaked as a return to traditional values. We will analyze both the rhetoric and reality of the transition to imperial Rome during this period, and explore the military, religious, and popular underpinnings of this empire. NOTE: NO CLASS MONDAY, 10/8: COLUMBUS DAY Readings: TWET, chapter 6; The Acts of the Divine Augustus [BB]; Tacitus, Annals, bk. 11: “Admitting Provincials to the Senate” [BB]. Sections meet this week/Writing Assignment #3 due in class on Friday Week 7 (10/17-­‐10/21) “My Kingdom is not of this World:” The Impact of Christianity – During this week, we will begin to explore the development of Christianity and its profound impact on how Romans understood themselves, their communities, and their priorities. We will also ask how religious and political obligations could both complement and contradict each other, in order to understand the seismic shift that occurred in the wake of the execution of Jesus of Nazareth. Readings: TWET, chapter 7; The New Testament: Matthew 26-­‐28; Acts of the Apostles 6:7-­‐8:2 and 9:1-­‐28 [BB]; Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue and chapters 1-­‐7 [BB]. Sections meet this week to review for the midterm exam ***MIDTERM EXAM IN CLASS ON FRIDAY, 10/21!!!*** 5
Week 8 (10/24-­‐10/28) After Rome: From Constantinople to Cordoba – Beginning in the fifth century, the unified sphere of the Roman Mediterranean began to fracture. The migration of Germanic tribes, political chaos, and the rapid growth of a new religion and empire in the East all contributed to the growth of the smaller, if much more diverse, world of Late Antiquity. In this week’s readings and discussions, we will begin to explore the contours of this fragmented world, focusing on Byzantium and the rise of Islam. Readings: TWET, chapter 8; Quran: Surah 21 (“The Prophets”) and 38 (“Sad”) [BB]; The Pact of Umar [BB]; Justinian, excerpts from The Codex and John of Damascus, Second Speech against Those who Reject Images [BB]. Week 9 (10/31-­‐11/4) After Rome: The Barbarian Integration – For this week, we will turn from the imperial worlds of Byzantium and the Abbasid Caliphate to the fractured West, where a distinctive mix of Roman culture, tribal traditions, and Christian institutions led to the rise of new kingdoms and the preliminary mapping of the “European” political landscape. We will focus in particular on how the Christian inheritance inflected the rise of royal power among these new polities. Readings: TWET, chapter 9; Gregory of Tours, “The Conversion of Clovis” [BB]; Charlemagne, Admonitio Generalis [BB]; The Norman Anonymous [BB]. Sections meet this week/Writing Assignment #4 due in class on Friday Week 10 (11/7-­‐11/11) The Two Swords and the Medieval Synthesis – Beginning in the eleventh century, a new political power in Europe began to make its impact known: the papacy. Our discussion this week will focus on the foundation papal claims to power and the mechanisms by which they were exercised, particularly in the domain of holy war, as well as the papacy’s ongoing conflict with the royal and imperial powers of Europe. Readings: TWET, chapter 10; Documents on Papal Primacy from Pope Gelasius and Gregory VII [BB]; “Urban II’s Call for a Crusade,” [BB]; the Canons of Lateran IV [BB] (NOTE: read canons 1 & 3 entirely, then examine the summaries of the remaining articles). Week 11 (11/14-­‐11/18) Power and Purity: The Consolidation of Medieval Europe – In this week, we will examine the growth of medieval kingdoms and their drive to gain and exercise political power. We will also discuss the development of Christian theology within early universities and it expression in popular piety, art, and architecture. Readings: TWET, chapter 11; Magna Carta [BB]; John of Salisbury, “On the Cohesion and Mutual Dependence of the Head and Members of the Commonwealth” [BB]; Marsilius of Padua, The Defender of Peace [BB]. Sections meet this week/Writing Assignment #5 due in class on Friday 6
Week 12 (11/21) Crisis, Waning, Decline: The Late Middle Ages – The fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries are generally considered to be a time of crisis, when plague, war, and religious deviance presumably destroyed the unity of medieval Christian society. In this week’s lecture, we will explore whether or not this narrative reflects historical reality. Readings: TWET, chapter 12. ***NO CLASS 11/23 OR 11/25: THANKSGIVING*** Week 13 (11/28 -­‐12/2) Rebirth and Reorientation – Even as Europe was wracked by military and epidemiological crises, it also experienced an artistic and cultural renaissance in the cities of Italy and northern Europe. In this week, we will explore the fundamental ideas and aspirations that drove this burst of cultural and political creativity. Readings: Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (please read the introductory essay, body of the work, and Document 3: Machiavelli’s letter of Dec. 10, 1513). Sections meet this week to discuss The Prince Week 14 (12/5-­‐12/9) Europe Within the Wider World – In our penultimate week of class, we will examine how Europeans came to grips with the global society that began to emerge at the turn of the sixteenth century. In particular, we will look at how old mental models were stretched (and often rent asunder) by the cultural contact and conflict engendered during the age of exploration. Readings: TWET, chapter 13; Christopher Columbus, Letter on the Newly Discovered Islands [BB]; St. Francis Xavier, Letter from India [BB]; Bartolome de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Juan de Sepulveda, Democrates Secundus [BB]. ***PAPER DUE IN CLASS ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9TH*** Week 15 (12/12) Conclusions – In our last class meeting we will look back over the course of the semester to see if there are certain unifying cultural and institutional aspects of European history that form the core components of “Western” civilization. ***FINAL EXAM WILL BE GIVEN FROM 9-­‐11 AM, ON FRIDAY, 12/16!!!*** 7