This is the first of a two-part survey of Western civilization. The course provides the beginning student with an understanding of the history of Western civilization from pre-historic times to about 1750.  We will look at Prehistory, Ancient times, the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period.

The class embraces a more tutorial approach to instruction, reducing the emphasis on lectures, rote memorization, and restatement of facts and dates. Instead the class engages students in a  reciprocal process of learning.

HIS 101 seeks a coherent picture of life and society during the formative periods of Western civilization. We will investigate such phenomena as the rise of religions - Christianity and Islam in particular, the development of Greek thought, the fall of Rome, the Crusades, Scholasticism, and the revival of antiquity in the Italian Renaissance, among many other areas generally perceived as important in the development of Western history.

This is a hybrid online/ classroom course. We meet 3 times - see the schedule. There is no required  textbook to buy at the bookstore. Read why, and what it means.   Please read all of the links below: