The Roots of Western Civilization

Paleolithic Cultures through the Rise of Islam

YIHS Grade 10 2nd Quarter ** Jacob Hundt
November 14, 2017 January 26, 2018

During this quarter, we will examine the most

ancient roots of our own culture. We will
attempt to get inside the minds of the people
who lived thousands of years ago in some of the
worlds first civilizations. Our journey will begin
with the artifacts and artwork left behind by
some of the earliest modern humans in Ice Age
Europe and proceed to an examination of the
great ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Greece, and Rome. These civilizations are the
source of many technologies, institutions, and
ways of seeing the world that shape our world
today, including ideas of morality, government,
economy, and religion. Following the December break, we will turn our attention
fully to an examination of the three great Western monotheistic religions: Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. We will read portions of the Bible and the Koran, examine
artwork inspired by these faiths, and, during a field trip to Chicago, visit their holy
places and hear from believers themselves. Above all, we will consider the
meaning and role religion in history, and in our world today.

We will examine these topics and others through images of works of art, artifacts,
buildings, and through ancient texts, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, Egyptian
mythology, Greek philosophy, the Bible, and the Koran. Students will work on
developing a vocabulary for analytical observation and description of artwork and
primary literary sources and we will work together on seeing what can be learned
about ancient civilizations from the objects and ideas they leave behind.
 Assignments and Expectations -

1. Class Participation 10 points
Students in this class are expected to be present, attentive, engaged, and respectful of other
participants in the class. Students should come having completed their assignments, usually
including some reading, and prepared to keep careful notes during class discussions. YIHS 25/50
Attendance Policy will be in force: students who are absent from 6 or more sessions or who are
either late or absent from 12 or more sessions will receive a Fail for the class.

2. Tests 30 points
There will be three tests over the course of the quarter roughly on Dec. 8, Jan. 12, and Jan. 25.
Possible questions might include comparison and contrast between two ancient civilizations,
analysis and description of a work of art, analysis of how a technological development, political
innovation, or new religion changed a society, a critical analysis of one of our readings,
identification of vocabulary, map reading, or philosophical questions about the nature of history
and progress in human society. Each test will be worth 10 points towards the class total.

3. Artifact Project 30 points
During the first part of the class students will be asked to select a specific artifact created in Europe,
Africa, or the Middle East anytime before the year 500 BCE and create a polished, display-quality
artistic rendering of it, accompanied by a 3-4 page written description and interpretation. Projects
will be presented in class on Dec. 14 or 15.

4. Religion Project 30 points

During the second portion of the class, students will complete a multi-faceted project related to
one of the three great Abrahamic faiths Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. Details of this project will
be presented at the appropriate time.

Students with 70 or more points Pass the block.