Honors Technology and Civilization, Part I Mr. Trimble

History 1217 Fall 2001

0800-0850 e mail: trimbwf@auburn.edu

Web Site: http://www.auburn.edu/~trimbwf

Textbooks: Guy V. Beckwith, and Betsy Bishop, eds., Readings in Technology and Civilization (3d ed.) volume 1

Lindy Biggs, ed.., Readings in Technology and Civilization (2d ed.) volume 2

Richard W. Bulliet, et al., The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History

This is the first course in a two-semester sequence surveying technology in history. History 1217 will carry the development of technology from the origins of the human species to the Industrial Revolution. The purpose of the course, and the other in the sequence, will be to expose students to a variety of perspectives regarding the role of technology in the development of human culture. The course will explore issues relating to the evolution of human beings, the connection between tool-making and tool use and "humanness," and the emergence of agriculture and civilization in the Near East river valleys. Additionally, the course will examine the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Eastern civilizations, stressing how technology helped to shape those societies. The course will also cover medieval society and technology, the Scientific Revolution, and the rise of capitalism and the age of exploration.

This course has strong discussion and writing components. Students in all HIST 1217 sections will be required to attend a lecture at the beginning of each week, in which a member of the faculty will present an overview of the topic for that week. The remaining two class periods will be used for discussion. Students will have to make sure that they have done the reading before each class and they must be prepared to discuss various issues and questions raised by the material they have read.

Please note that the discussion format might mean that we will not necessarily cover all of the material from the readings each week. Students will still be responsible for that reading material on the quizzes and exams.

The Web: Each week students will be required to visit one Web site as indicated in the syllabus. Please note that information from the site will be incorporated into the quizzes and exams. Impressions of what students find on the Web sites will be included in the students' journals.

Exams: Grades will be determined by the student's performance on four quizzes, two hour exams, and a final. The quizzes will be given during the second, seventh, twelfth, and fourteenth weeks. The hour exams will include IDs or objective questions on the reading material, plus an essay question in which the student will be required to integrate all of the material covered during the course to that point. The final exam will be similar to the hour exams, with IDs or objective questions from the reading material and an essay question requiring the student to summarize and interpret all the information covered in the course.

Journal: During the course the student will keep a journal in which he or she records relevant information, thoughts, and interpretations based on the lectures, readings, Web sites, and discussions. This journal will not be a day-by-day diary, but a workbook in which the student records ideas, concepts, and important factual information pertaining to the history of technology. Some of the general themes that the student may want to consider during the course and keep track of in the journal are: where technology comes from; the process of technological change; the role of nontechnical factors in the creation of new technology; the relationships among technology, society, politics, economics, and culture; whether technology is good, bad, or neutral; and how the history of technology can help us make decisions about complex present-day technologies and problems.

When the student completes a section of the readings, he or she should write a brief summary of the contents of the material and a critical commentary on what the author's main points are. Also jot down some of the major issues discussed in class during the week. Plan to make journal entries two or three times a week, preferably before each class meeting. By the end of the term, the journal should be about 15-25 typed pages. If it is handwritten, it should be in a standard College-rule composition book. You will find that going over the journal before the final exam will be useful in studying for the exam. I want to look at your journals on Thursday, Sept. 6. I will return them to you the following class period with comments, but no grades. The completed journals will then be handed in before the final exam (Dec. 14).

Quizzes: There will be four half-hour quizzes, based on the readings and Web sites. They are not cumulative. The first quiz will cover all of the material from the beginning of the course; the second will cover the material since the second quiz; and so forth. The hour and final exams will incorporate questions from the readings much like the quizzes.

Grades will be calculated by the following formula:

Quizzes 100 points

2 Hour Exams 200 points

Journal 100 points

Final exam 150 points

Discussion 50 points

Total 600 points

Attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken at the lectures and before each class period (for administrative and record-keeping purposes). Students are required to write a question on the attendance slip given out at each Monday lecture. (No, you cannot have a friend do it for you.) Although the student's attendance record will not be used in directly calculating the course grade, when there is an instance of "borderline" grade situations, attendance may be taken into consideration. That is, a student with a strong attendance record will be more likely to receive the higher grade. Therefore, I strongly urge all students to attend class.

Makeups: Students with written excuses are permitted to miss one of the quizzes. Makeup quizzes for these students will be administered on Friday, Dec. 7, at 4:00. Students with valid excuses can make up the hour exams, which will be given at times to be announced during the semester. All students must take the final exam as scheduled to pass the course.

Cell Phone Policy: All cell phones must be turned off before coming to class. If a cell phone rings during class, the student will be marked absent for that day and asked to leave. If a cell phone rings during a quiz or an exam the quiz or exam will be marked as a zero.

Note: For accepted university policies on attendance, academic honesty, and other matters, consult pp. 86-96 of the the most recent Tiger Cub.

Any students needing special accommodations in this class should contact the Student Disabilities office for appropriate documentation.

Office hours: Students may consult me in Thach Hall 315. My hours this semester will be MTWRF , 0900-1000. Prior arrangements must be made to meet with me outside these hours.

WEEK 1 (Aug. 20-23)

Introduction and course requirements; the ascent of man (and woman); erect walking and large brains; toolmaking and tool use; language; the emergence of culture.

Lecture (Mon., Aug. 20): Technology and Culture in the Paleolithic Age

Readings: Bulliet, pp. xxiii-xxv, 1-17

Beckwith and Bishop, chaps. 1-4

The Web: A visit to Lascaux. http://www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/

Click on the opening image and follow the links "Discover" and "Learn."

The agricultural revolution; communities and settlement; technological change and society; the emergence of civilization.

Lecture (Mon., Aug. 27): Technology and Culture in the Neolithic Age

Readings: Bulliet, pp. 17-26

Beckwith and Bishop, chaps. 5-6

The Web: A visit to Catal Huyuk. http://www.focusmm.com/civcty/cathyk00.htm

Click on: Settlement Region; Neolithic Settlement; Catal Huyuk Architecture; Ongoing Excavations; When the Goddess Ruled; and Catal Huyuk on Kilims.

First quiz: Tues., Aug. 28

The rise of advanced river valley civilizations in the Middle East: Mesopotamia and empire.

No Monday lecture (Labor Day)

Readings: Bulliet, pp. 27-40, 93-103

Beckwith and Bishop, chap. 7

The Web: A visit to the ziggurat at Ur. http://www-lib.haifa.ac.il/www/art/ur.html

Click on all links.

Journal Check: Thur., Sept. 6.

WEEK 4 (Sept. 10-13)

The rise of advanced river valley civilizations in the Middle East: Egypt.

Lecture (Mon., Sept. 10): Technology and Culture in Ancient Egypt.

Readings: Bulliet, pp. 40-48, 65-69

Beckwith and Bishop, chaps. 8-9

The Web: A visit to the Step Pyramid. http://www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/glk?http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/

Click on everything but e-mail.

Mediterranean and Greek civilization; the emergence of "classical" society, learning, and technology; maritime trade and influence.

Lecture (Mon., Sept. 17): Technology in the Ancient Mediterranean.

Readings: Bulliet, pp. 73-79, 103-109, 113-42

Beckwith and Bishop, chaps. 10-12

The Web: With the Phoenicians through the Pillars of Hercules. http://www.cal-pe.com/

Click on all links.

First hour exam: Thur., Sept. 20 (Bring blue books)

Rome and the Classical World.

Lecture (Mon., Sept. 24): Technology and Empire in the Mediterranean World

Readings: Bulliet, pp. 145-60

Beckwith and Bishop, chap. 13

The Web: Life in ancient Rome. http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/romans/home.html

Click on anything you find interesting.

WEEK 7 (Oct. 1-4)

Lost Civilizations: Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lecture (Mon. Oct. 1): Technology and Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Readings: Bulliet, pp. 69-73, 210-19

Beckwith and Bishop, chap. 17

The Web: Electronic passport to ancient Africa. http://www.mrdowling.com/609ancafr.html

Click on Many Mysteries, Trade, the Nok, Timbuktu, Ghana, and Zimbabwe.

Second quiz: Tues., Oct. 2