Course requirements include essay examinations, a research paper, and an oral presentation. Franklin Baumer, Main Currents of Western Thought . Crane Brinton, Ideas and Men . This course covers the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt from the neolithic period to about 500 B.C. Topics include political theory and history, cultural and social history, source problems, and modern theories of interpretation. Students are expected to be able to gain the basic narrative history from the assigned readings, freeing class periods for exploration of particular topics.
Examinations are essay.
Students prepare a lengthy annotated bibliography of works dealing with a specialized topic. John A. Wilson, The Culture of Ancient Egypt . Georges Roux, Ancient Iraq . W. Ceram, The Secret of the Hittites . Harry Orlinsky, Ancient Israel .