World History to 1300:
Mr. Tom Richey,
Instructor
In this course, we will study the geography, religion, government, philosophy, art, and literature of
major civilizations of the past and their contributions to the modern world. We will begin with the
study of prehistoric humans, following the progress of civilization through the High Middle Ages.
Special emphasis will be given on the classical era, during which students will engage in in-depth
study of the civilizations of ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome, as these civilizations have had such a
profound effect on the shaping of American institutions.
As this is an Honors level course designed with the intent of preparing interested students for
Advanced Placement courses in the humanities, heavy emphasis will be placed on critical thinking,
the examination of primary sources, and the production of thesis-driven essays.
In what ways are human beings unique in the world? What are humanity’s greatest achievements?
What does it mean to be civilized? How did human beings become more civilized over time?
How have humans competed for scarce resources and cooperated in order the share them?
How did ancient civilizations view their god(s) and how did these conceptions develop over time?
How did civilizations of the past establish the rule of law? How does a good constitution create a stable
and lasting government?
How have power struggles between and within societies influenced the development of political and
social institutions?
How can a government respect the rights of individuals while maintaining a cohesive social fabric?
How has philosophy served to elevate human beings and inspire the pursuit of moral excellence?
At the conclusion of each unit, students will complete a test assessing their understanding of the
unit’s content.
Each quarter, students will be expected to complete at least one essay or multimedia project. Essays
will be typed and written in response to a prompt assigned by the instructor. Essays are expected to
have a clear thesis, supported by historical evidence and logical argument. Projects are expected to
be completed as directed.
Quizzes will be administered regularly in order to assess students’ understanding of course content
and assigned readings. Map quizzes will also be administered during most units.
Day-to-day assignments, such as classwork and homework, will be included in this category.
Twenty percent of each student’s final grade will be determined by cumulative mid-term and final
exams. Students may exempt the final exam if they meet the requirements set forth by the district.
This course does not use a traditional textbook. Students will be directed to online media for general
reference and will read a variety of primary and secondary sources. Copies of most assigned readings
will be distributed to students during the course of each unit.
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Three Ring Binder
Loose Leaf Paper
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Dividers (5)
Writing Utensils
All instructional materials (PowerPoints, handouts, calendar,
assigned readings, review videos) are available on my website.
The School District of Oconee County does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or
handicap in admission to, access to, treatment in or employment in its programs and activities. Please contact the district
office, located at 401 S. Pine St., Walhalla, SC 29691, at 864.886.4400, if you have questions.
Units of Instruction
FIRST QUARTER
Unit 1: Human Origins
Prehistory – c. 3,000 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Humanity, The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation
Human Origins, Darwinism vs. Special Creation, Paleolithic and Neolithic
Civilization
Prometheus and Epimetheus (From Plato’s Protagoras)
Locke, Two Treatises on Government [Excerpt]
QUARTERLY ESSAY:
What Does it Mean to be Human?
[2-3 pages typed (double-spaced)]
Unit 2: Ancient Mesopotamia
c. 3,000 – c. 1,000 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God,
The Rule of Law, Distribution of Power
Mesopotamia, Writing, Mesopotamian Religion, Mesopotamian Social
Hierarchy, Hammurabi’s Code, The Rule of Law
The Enuma elish
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Hammurabi’s Code
Unit 3: Ancient Egypt
c. 3,000 – c. 1,000 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God,
The Rule of Law, Distribution of Power
Egyptian Geography, Pharaohs, Egyptian Social Hierarchy, Egyptian Religion,
Ethical Religion, The Egyptian Empire, The Battle of Kadesh
The Myth of Osiris and Isis
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Thomas Plante, “Do We Need Religion to be Ethical?” Psychology Today (2011)
Multimedia Project:
Students will produce a PowerPoint Presentation or other approved visual aid
for a presentation about an Egyptian pharaoh, god, or myth.
Unit 4: The Origins of Israel
c. 3,000 – c. 1,500 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
Humanity, The Progress of Civilization, Conceptions of God, The Rule of Law
The Hebrew Patriarchs, Abrahamic Religion, Moses and the Exodus, The Ten
Commandments and Their Legacy
Selections from the Books of Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy
“Bricks Without Straw,” From Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery
“Split Rulings on Ten Commandments Displays,” Associated Press (June 27, 2005)
SECOND QUARTER
Unit 5: The Nation of Israel
c. 1,500 – c. 600 B.C.
Time Frame: 2-3 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God,
The Rule of Law, Distribution of Power, Virtue
The Conquest of Canaan, The Tribal Confederation, The Struggle Over
Monarchy, The United Monarchy (Saul, David, and Solomon), Divided Kingdoms
of Israel and Judah, Near East Empires
Selections from the Books of Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel, and I Kings
Excerpt from Theodor Herzl, The Jewish State
Benjamin Netanyahu Speech to the U.N. (23 Sep 2011)
QUARTERLY ESSAY:
“The Israelites were better off after adopting monarchy as a form of government than
they had been as a tribal confederation.” Assess the validity of this statement using
primary sources as evidence.
[2-3 pages typed (double-spaced)]
Unit 6: Ancient Greece (Mythology, Literature, Government, and Athens)
c. 2,700 – c. 400 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God,
Distribution of Power, Virtue
Minoan and Mycenaean Civilization, Greek Mythology, Trojan Wars, Homer,
The Olympics, Athenian Lawgivers and Government, Athenian Democracy
Selections from Aristotle’s Politics
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 1 (Homer)
“The Tyranny of the Majority,” Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Multimedia Project:
Students, in groups of 3-5, students will film a short video based on a Greek
myth of their choice.
BOOK STUDY & QUARTERLY1 ESSAY: Ayn Rand, Anthem
Time Frame: 1 Week
Students will read Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, and produce an essay that responds to
one of the annual prompts for this year’s national Anthem Essay Contest. [900-1200
Words in Length]
Unit 7: Ancient Greece (Sparta, Women, Wars, and Alexander)
c. 600 – c. 300 B.C.
Time Frame: 2-3 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
1
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Distribution of
Power, Human Freedom and the Individual, Virtue
Spartan Government and Society, Individualism vs. Collectivism, Civic Virtue,
Women in Ancient Greece, The Persian Empire, Persian Wars, Peloponnesian
Wars, Alexander the Great, Hellenism
Selections from Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Politics
Plutarch, “Sayings of Spartan Women”
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 6 (Alexander the Great)
Since two essays are assigned during the second quarter, this essay will be posted in the third quarter grades.
THIRD QUARTER
Unit 8: The Love of Wisdom
c. 500 – c. 300 B.C.
Time Frame: 2-3 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
Humanity, The Progress of Civilization, Conceptions of God, The Rule of Law,
Human Freedom and the Individual, Virtue
Philosophy, The Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
Aristophanes, The Clouds
Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave” (From Plato’s Republic)
Selections from Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Meno
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 5 (Plato)
Unit 9: Foundations of the Roman Republic
c. 700 – 264 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Rule of Law, Distribution of Power, Human Freedom and the Individual,
Virtue
Roman Sources of American Culture, The Roman Republic, Republicanism,
Roman Origin Myths (Romulus and Remus, The Aeneid), Roman Honor and
Virtue
Selections from Livy, History of Rome
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 5 (Plato)
Unit 10: The Rise of the Romans
264 – 27 B.C.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
Competition and Cooperation, The Rule of Law, Distribution of Power, Virtue
The Punic Wars, Roman Expansion, Hellenization, The Old Roman Virtues,
Urbanization, The Gracchi, The Roman Civil Wars
Selections from Livy, History of Rome
Selections from Polybius, The Histories
Plutarch, “Life of Cato the Elder”
Selection from Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 7 (Scipio Africanus)
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 8 (Julius Caesar)
U.S. Army Principles of War
Multimedia Project:
Students will create a Facebook profile for a famous Roman figure using a template
provided by the instructor.
Unit 11: The Pax Romana
27 B.C. – 180 A.D.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Progress of Civilization, Conceptions of God, The Rule of Law, Distribution
of Power, Human Freedom and the Individual, Virtue
Augustus, The Principate, Pax Romana, Julio-Claudian Emperors, The Golden
Age of Latin Literature, The Rise of Christianity, Jewish Rebellions, Persecution
of Christians, The Antonines (Five Good Emperors), Stoicism
Selections from Ovid, The Art of Love and Metamorphoses
Selections from Justin Martyr’s First and Second Apologies
Selections from Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 10 (Augustus)
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 11 (Paul of Tarsus)
FOURTH QUARTER
Unit 12: The Christian Empire
284 – 787 A.D.
Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God,
The Rule of Law, Distribution of Power, Human Freedom and the Individual,
Virtue
Tetrarchy, Diocletian’s “Great Persecution,” Constantine, Edict of Milan,
Toleration, The Council of Nicaea, Orthodoxy and Heresy, Christianity and
Hellenism, Julian the Apostate, Theodosius the Great, State Religion, Attila the
Hun, The “Fall of Rome”, The “Byzantine Empire,” Justinian, Hagia Sophia,
Corpus Juris Civilis, Iconoclast Controversy
The Edict of Milan
Basil the Great, “Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature”
Selections from Julian the Apostate, Against the Galileans
Richard, Twelve Greeks and Romans, Chapter 12 (Augustine of Hippo)
QUARTERLY ESSAY:
Document Based Question (DBQ)
Explain how Roman attitudes toward Christianity changed between 30-380 A.D. Use the provided
documents as evidence to support your argument.
[2-3 pages typed (double-spaced)]
Unit 13: The Rise of Islam
570 – 1453 A.D.
Time Frame: 1 Week
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Secondary Readings
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God
Medieval Trade Routes, Bedouin, Mecca, Muhammad, Five Pillars of Islam,
Jesus in Islam, Shia and Sunni Islam, Islamic Conquests, Islamic Golden Age
Letter from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, to George W. Bush
“Answers to Non-Muslims’ Questions About Islam,” Islamic Research
Foundation (www.irf.net)
Unit 14: Philosophies of the Far East
Time Frame: 1-2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Humanity, The Progress of Civilization, Conceptions of God, Virtue
Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism
Selections from Confucius, The Analects
Multimedia Project:
Students will create an original PowerPoint presentation or other approved visual aid to
support an informative presentation about an instructor-approved research topic
related to the Middle Ages.
Unit 15: Feudalism, the Church, and the Crusades
c. 400 – 1300 A.D.
Time Frame: 1-2 Weeks
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
Competition and Cooperation, Conceptions of God, The Rule of Law,
Distribution of Power
The Carolingians, Charlemagne, Feudalism, Chivalry, The Papacy, East-West
Schism, The Crusades, Knights Templar
Speech of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont
Selections from The Song of Roland
Unit 16: Northern Europe to 1300
c. 400 – 1300 A.D.
Time Frame: 1 Week
Theme(s)
Topics
Primary Sources
The Progress of Civilization, Competition and Cooperation, The Rule of Law,
Distribution of Power, Human Freedom and the Individual
The Vikings, Anglo-Saxon England, The Norman Conquest, The Magna Carta
Voltaire, “The English Constitution”