MMW 11 Pre-History and Ancient Foundations.

This course offers an exploration of the Ancient World, examining the ways in which antiquity established a critical foundation which later eras built upon and transformed.  The course begins with the emergence of diverse cultures across the planet, including the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, the Olmecs in Meso-America, and Vedic (and non-Vedic) peoples in South Asia, and concludes in the first century with the Han Dynasty in East Asia and the Roman Republic in the Mediterranean region. In this course, students explore:

• Diverse and formative modes of creative expression, from the Paleolithic era through the Iron Age
• The emergence of agriculture and its environmental, social, and cultural consequences
• The rise of cities and their ecological, economic, and socio-cultural impact
• Relationship between nomadic and sedentary peoples
• The development of foundational religious and philosophical traditions
• Intercultural and inter-regional encounter, exchange, and/or conflict
• Diverse forms of political authority, power, and social hierarchy
• Ideological justifications for that authority, power, and social hierarchy
• Narratives of identity and meaning, including origin stories, epic poetry, and historical writing

By the end of this course, students will:

-strengthen skills in reading and analyzing historical evidence across genres and forms

-acquire a broad knowledge of developments in world history to ca. 100 BCE

-learn how to engage critically with historical questions