Course Description: This course will deal with the development of civilization on a world scale from its beginnings in pre-history to the fifteenth century of the modern era. Beginning with the Paleolithic period, we will trace the development of organized agriculture, with its attendant technological advances, and their effects on early civilizations, as well as the subsequent development of political, social, cultural, and religious institutions.

Lectures: 3 per week. You will be able to review the weekly lectures/PowerPoint presentations on the Web, by going to the following address: www.etsu.edu/cas/history/wc1lec.htm. These lectures do not contain the graphics you will see in class, but the text outline is available. Go to this site and follow the instructions.

This is a college class, not high school where they spoon feed you the book so they will look good for No Child Left Behind. YOUR basic responsibility is to read the book. My basic responsibility it to explain and to expand on the book. You have an obligation to prep for the class, just as I do.

Attendance: Attendance is not required as an aspect of your grade. However, this is difficult and unfamiliar material. Failure to attend on a regular basis may materially affect your grade. There is normally a direct relationship between consistency of attendance and grades. I do not mind if you are occasionally late, but if you are late, please be quiet when coming in to the classroom.

Your responsibilities: You are expected to read the book. You are expected to be mature, polite, attentive, and responsible.

My responsibilities: I am expected to summarize and discuss for you a wide variety of subjects. By training, I am an historian of antiquity and I have fields in (1) Greece, (2) Rome, (3) Medieval Europe, (4) Byzantium, and (5) Greek and Latin. I am not an evolutionary biologist, an Asian historian, an anthropologist who deals with the Americas before European invasions, and so forth. When I talk about things other than those in which I have fifteen years of graduate training and twenty more years of reading and experience, I am doing my best to summarize the general consensus ("middle of the road") opinions of scholars in those fields. You need to make an effort to understand this, because I am sick unto dying of students who have neither critical listening or critical thinking skills. I am sick unto dying of students who are so parochial and narrow-minded that they are unable to distinguish between what I am trying to explain that scholars in this field or that consider to be true, and "me", who are unwilling to even listen to a discussion of such thing in a civil fashion. If you cannot listen to discussions of other religions, other political systems, other cultures without exhibiting anger and resentment, and if you insist on identifying me with anything about the ancient world that you may not like, then please do me a favor and drop this class right now.

In addition, I am not required to repeat the book to you, and I am allowed to disagree with the book; simply because it is "in the book" does not mean that it is either (1) true, or (2) beyond discussion. The book represents one set of opinions, and one only.

Examinations: a six week, twelve week and final exam will be given in this course. Examinations will be primarily objective in style. This will require that you have a clear grasp of both the lecture material and the reading assignments. You are responsible for both.

Grading: exams count 33% each. However, your final grade need not necessarily reflect a strict numerical average of your individual grades. Grades will not be "curved": I refuse to penalize those who study by lowering their grades so that slackers can pass. However, some credit may be given for improvement over the course of the semester, if, in my professional judgment, it is warranted. No extra-credit. I have an ethical problem with agreeing to have you do extra work, when all you need to do is to concentrate on the basic work expected of everyone. Again, no extra credit. Please do not embarrass us both by asking.

Online Study Sessions: Before each exam I will do two evenings of online study sessions in the History Department's Chat room.

Class participation: Please do the reading assignments and participate in class discussions, as well as you can, given the size of the class. Failure to do so will not hurt your grade, but participation may cause you to be given the benefit of the doubt in computing your final average.

Class behavior: This is a large class. As a consequence, you may believe that you able to talk to your neighbors and to be disruptive to a degree not possible in a smaller classroom. Nothing could be further from the truth. Please, do not make the mistake of acting as if you do think this. No disruptive behavior will be tolerated. If you make it difficult for your fellow students to be attentive, you are basically stealing from them. If you make it difficult for me to lecture, you are doing the same thing, besides being rude and redneck. If you are causing problems, I will point it out. If I have to do it a second time, you are out of the class. If you find that you are unable to control your compulsive urge to be rude and disruptive, please don't come to class.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that because you "paid for this class," you are entitled to do whatever you want. That is the attitude of a five year old. There are a whole lot of people here who also paid for this class, who are hard-working, decent people, parents (some single parents) with children and others who have to work full time and spend a large portion of their income on tuition and books, and you are not entitled to make it difficult for them. If you cannot act like an adult, then drop the class. We have the forms available for you, and will be more than happy to supply you with one, if you find that rudeness and thoughtlessness toward others often permeates your social behaviors.

Cell-phones, beepers, and assorted electronic devices: Turn off your cell-phones, beepers, and other such devices, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF such as heart or insulin monitors. Unless you are a doctor, nurse, EMT, or a parent with a sick child, there is nothing which cannot wait until the class is over. If you fall into one of the above categories, let me know now.

Avian Flu Epidemic : In the event of an outbreak of avian flu, we will make an effort to complete the course via the Internet. In the event of an avian flu outbreak, if you are ill or have been around someone who is ill or someone you even suspect might be ill, DO NOT COME TO CLASS!!!! Given a projected mortality rate of more than thirty percent, if you are ill or members of your family are ill, do not risk giving an illness to healthy classmates, as there is a very real chance that such an infection by you may result in their deaths. If you have any flu at all, do not come to class. In fact, if you are ill with anything at all, do not come to class!!!! No one is impressed by your "stick-to-it-tivness"; no one cares. Don't come and cough in my face. Don't try to shake hands with snotty fingers. Stay away.

Additional "I-don't-cares": I have no interest in, your political affilation, your religion, your sex life or lack of it,your disintegrating marriage or partnership, your hemorrhoid surgery, your elective cosmetic surgery. your tattoos in odd places, members of your family imprisoned or currently holding political office and about to be imprisoned, your nightmares, your "visions", your belief in aliens and black helicopters, your hallucinations, your belief in crop circles, your frat party, or whether or not you like brussel sprouts. I am not your priest, your parent, or your therapist; I am your professor. These are private matters; keep them to yourself. I don't care and I quite frankly have neither the time or the inclination to listen. So don't start.

I will not be the faculty advisor for your frat. I will not come drinking with you and you cannot come to my house and "hang out". I will not come and smoke pot with you. I will not take your mother/girlfriend/boyfriend to the doctor. I will not use my truck to help you move. I will not talk to your mother to explain your grade. I will not intervene with your therapist or pay for your medication. I will not make you a webpage.

Office hours: 107 Rogers-Stout, T 2:00 to 4:30, WF 2:00 to 4:30 or else by appointment

Telephone: (423) 439-6691

Email: Burgessw@etsu.edu

History Department Chat Room: http://www.etsu.edu/cas/history/chat.htm

History Department Web Page: http://www.etsu.edu/cas/history/hist.htm

It is hugh and useful. Please go and look at it and let me know if you have suggestions for useful additions or pages with links for interesting subjects. Thanks

If there is any student in the class who has need for test-taking or note-taking accommodation, please feel free to come and discuss this with me.

Books: Buy them!! Read them!!...

Bentley and Ziegler. Traditions and Encounters

Wolfe. Problems and Personalities, vol. 1

Reading assignments: You are responsible for the reading assignments. It is not my job to simply recite the book to you. You are responsible for the basic information in the books; I am responsible for explanation and elaboration on that information.

1. Pre-History

Traditions, 5-28

2. Primary Phase Cultures: Mesopotamia and Egypt

Traditions, 31-45,60-80; Wolfe, Ch. 1

3. Primary Phase Cultures: India and China

Traditions, 87-131

Wolf Ch. 3 (Confucius), Ch. 5 (Sima Qian), Ch. 6 (Shi

Huangdi)

4. Primary Phase Cultures: the Americas

Traditons, 133-148

5. Persia and the Early Hebrews

Traditions, 159-179,45-48 Wolfe Ch. 1, (Moses), Ch. 2 (Zoroaster)

6. Classical India and China

Traditions, 207-229 , 181-203

Wolf Ch. 2 (Buddha), Ch. 4 (Mahavira), Ch. 4 (Asoka)

7. Classical Greece

Traditions, 231-254

Wolf Ch. 3 (Plato), Ch. 4 (Diogenes) Ch. 5 (Thucydides)

8. Rome: The Republic and the Empire

Traditions, 259-284

Wolf, Ch. 5

9. Cross-Cultural Exchanges: Europe and Asia: this will be part of other lectures

Traditions, 287-308

10. The Later Roman Empire: Byzantium

Traditions, 317-342

11. The Rise and Spread of Islam

Traditions, 345-371

12. Diffusion of Cultures: Japan, Sub-Saharan Africa

Traditions, 59-83,383-504

13. China: The Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties

Traditions, 375-394

14. Medieval Europe

Traditions, 333-354,509-534

Wolf, Chapter 8, 9

15. The Mongols and Tartars

Traditions, 461-480