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HIS 102 Western Civilization II
Fall 2015, HYBRID COURSEThursdays, 11:00am – 12:15pm, MP 208
Instructor: Kara Heitz
• What is “Western” and “The West”?
• What is “Civilization”?
- Both highly variable and contentious terms
What is “The West”?
• Europe?
–Geographic Europe?
–Political Europe? Cultural Europe?
• Western v. Eastern Europe• European Union today
Geographic EuropeBoundaries:
Northern – Arctic Sea
Western – Atlantic Ocean
Southern – Mediterranean and Black Seas
Eastern – Ural and Caucus Mountains
Westernv.
Eastern
(Cold War)
European Union today (27 member states)
European Borders, 1140-2010 CE
What is “The West”?
• Europe?
• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?
Alexander the Great’s Empire, 323 BCE
What is “The West”?
• Europe?
• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?
• Cultures dominated by Christianity?
Spread of Christianity 300-800 C.E.
Christianity Today
What is “The West”?
• Europe?
• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?
• Cultures dominated by Christianity?
• Areas colonized by Europe and/or under imperial control?
European Colonialism
What is “The West”?
• Europe?
• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?
• Cultures dominated by Christianity?
• Areas colonized by Europe and/or under imperial control?
• West of what? What is “the East? What is not part of “the West”?
Jerusalem as the center of the world (1585)
Modern Clash of Civilizations?
What is Civilization?
• Dictionary definitions:1. “An advanced state of human society, in which a
high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached.”
2. ”Any type of culture, society, etc., of a specific place, time, or group. For example: Greek civilization.”
- Both problematic definitions, WHY?
Why do we have Western Civilization courses in the U.S.?
• Connecting U.S. to “Western tradition”• First broadly introduced after WWI• WWII & “Atlantic Civilization”
• Recent focus on World History
- So why do we still study Western Civilization in college today?