HIST 103H: History of World Civilization up to 1500 C.E./Honors

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2021
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Prerequisite: Student must be eligible for the Citrus College Honors Program or obtain a recommendation from an Honors instructor.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101 or ENGL 101H.
District General Education: D1. History and Political Science
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

The course is a survey of emerging regional cultures and societies from the earliest civilizations to 1500. Consideration will be given to comparative and integrative analysis of their contributions to the fabric of world civilization. Particular focus will be given to cultural evolutionary parallels and the diffusion of ideas through migration and trade on a global scale. Students are expected to work and participate at an honors level which includes strong critical thinking skills, thorough analysis of historical readings, presentation and leadership skills demonstrated through class participation/presentation, and service learning in the community. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Compare the ideals, practices, and historical developments of the major world religions and belief systems.
  • Analyze origin and functions of global institutions and evaluate their contributions to human political, economic and cultural evolution.
  • Evaluate the role of networks of trade, warfare, cultural exchange, migration, and biological exchange in shaping human interactions.
  • Demonstrate the ability to interpret primary and secondary sources and use them to both build and deconstruct an argument, as appropriate.
  • Critically examine the role that analytical categories of race, gender, class, and ethnicity have played in the development of civilization
  • Explain the ways in which the environment has both shaped and has been shaped by developments in human history.
  • Identify the major discoveries, inventions and intellectual achievements as well as their historical significance.
  • Explain broad patterns of change across regional and cultural boundaries.

Major Course Content

  1. Prehistory
    1. Understanding Evidence
    2. Emergence of humankind in Africa
    3. Paleolithic food gatherers and Neolithic farmers
    4. Transition to civilization
  2. Early Civilizations (3500 - 200 BCE)
    1. River Valley Civilizations: Euphrates , Indus , Nile , Yellow
    2. Empire and religion in the Middle East 1200-500 BCE
    3. Greek Civilization to 500 BCE: Minoan Crete to Classical Greece
    4. Early Indian religious systems and the Mauryan Empire
    5. China : Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin Dynasties
    6. Africa : Kush , Carthage , Western Sudan
    7. The Americas : Olmec, Chavin
    8. Cultural evolution and parallel development
  3. Classical Civilizations/Axial Age Empires (200 BCD – 500 CE)
    1. Axial Thought and World Religions
    2. Persia: Imperial Synthesis
    3. Rome : early republic and empire
    4. Golden Age on the Ganges : Gupta Empire
    5. Empire of the East: Han China
    6. The Americas : Mochica to the Mayans
    7. Cultural diffusion: migration, trade, and ideas
  4. Cross Cultural Systems (500 – 1500 CE)
    1. Europe : Feudalism
    2. The Arab Empire and the Islamic Golden Age
    3. India between the Gupta and the Mongols
    4. East Asia : Tang and Song in China and Heian Japan
    5. Eurasian Empire: Mongols
    6. Africa : Ghana , Mali , Ethiopia , Western Sudan
    7. The Americans: Toltecs to Chimu

The course includes written examinations which measure the ability of the student to evaluate and synthesize concepts, developments, and ideas. Both the essay examinations and book review assignments emphasize the necessity of presenting material where conclusions are supported by analysis. The homework assignments, which require extensive writing, challenge the student to analyze, evaluate and reach valid conclusions.

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

For class preparation, students will read: 1. Primary source materials 2. Secondary source supplemental readings 3. Additional text pertinent to the research paper assignment

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Students will writes short, focused chapter summary/review papers.
Students will write a formal 10-12 page research paper that relies on critical analysis, synthesis, and presentation of a thesis supported with evidence. They will utilize primary source material, a secondary source (monolith), peer-reviewed journal articles, and book reviews to frame an interpretation of the selected topic.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Students will take objective quizzes as a measure of reading comprehension.
Students will write chapter summary papers to demonstrate an understanding of the larger concepts and debates that frame the course.
Students will complete a 10-12 page research paper that relies on primary and secondary sources.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities

IGETC Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

4F. History