MW Professor Schnucker A survey of the Western tradition from the beginning through the 16th century, together with study of selected classic works of literature, religion, and philosophy. Every age of history is rooted in the age before it. The 21st Century is derived from the 50 centuries previous to this one. Ancient humanity was our great grandfathers and great grandmothers. What they did and what they thought is the foundation of what we do and what we think.
History is about people and so the dynamics of history are the dynamics of the human psyche.
In this course, we study the great books and ideas that shaped Western civilization from the earliest days through the Renaissance and Reformation. I focus on different ways of seeing the human interact with the divine, the dynamics of social class, and we take an occasional look at the way men have fought and died. When dealing with the historical material, emphasis is placed on those elements of the past most influential in shaping the present. Above all, we are to learn that events have causes and actions have consequences. This course, through readings and class lectures, examines the development of western civilization and culture from its beginnings in the ancient Near East through the 16th century.