HIS 105: Historical Foundation of Global Cultures
Spring 2022, TTh 11-12:15, DHC 208 or on Zoom if there is a snow day or the professor must quarantine.
Professor Jonathan Skaff
E-mail: jkskaf@ship.edu; Office Telephones: 477-1907 (MOW 246 during office hours) or 477-1255 (DHC 215)
Website: http://webspace.ship.edu/jkskaf/
Office Hours in Mowrey 246: MW 3:00-4:00, T 1:00-1:50, Th 1:15-3:15, and by appointment.
I. Course Description
This course is an introduction to global history until approximately the year 1500. It begins at the dawn of humankind and ends at a time when the world’s cultural zones were coming into closer and more intense contact. This course will help you to appreciate the origins of some of the world’s diverse cultures, religions, and technologies. You also will learn about the key role of cultural contact and exchange in humanity’s development.
The class investigates six major trends in humanity’s early history in Parts 1 through 6 of the syllabus. We will try to understand these trends by studying important and illuminating case studies. One of your goals as a student will be to understand how each case study relates to the historical trend. Comparisons of case studies play an important role in this process.
The class also will concentrate on developing general education foundational study skills that help students succeed in college and the real world. You will have the opportunity to improve your reading, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking. Discussions, papers, and essays on exams are meant to encourage students to think critically. Like historians, students will be expected to analyze and interpret source materials (readings, photographs, videos, and lectures) and compare different historical case studies. My goal is to help you become a better student.
Do you want to be a successful student? This course has an important study aid: my personal website where the syllabus for this class is posted (http://webspace.ship.edu/jkskaf/). Each class session on the syllabus has a link to a study guide. Each study guide lists KEY TERMS from the lecture marked with *asterisks, and STUDY QUESTIONS about the lecture and readings. All exams are based on the *key terms and study questions. All students should look at the study questions before class and bring the textbook, supplementary readings, and notes on reading study questions to class.
II. Requirements
1. Attend class and take notes on the lectures and discussions (See Policy 1 below, 5%)
2. Serve 3 times as in-class spokesperson on assigned dates. There are opportunities to make-up or redo assignment at end of semester (See Policy #4 below, 15%)
3. Paper 1: Diagnosis of Study Skills (10%)
4. Paper 2: Historical Critique of a Documentary Film (20%)
5. 2 one-hour exams with essays and multiple-choice questions (30%)
6. Cumulative two-hour final exam with essay and multiple-choice questions (20%)
Extra Credit: Write a 1-page summary and review of up to 3 approved events. The events will be announced in class. Each paper earns a bonus of 1 to 10 points on 1 spokesperson grade. Submit a hard copy in class and electronic copy to the D2L Extra Credit Dropbox. Each paper is due two weeks after the event.
THE FINAL EXAM IS CUMULATIVE: Take good notes throughout the semester.
III. Policies
1. Health and safety are of primary importance during the COVID-19 pandemic!
· All students are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the safety of the community.
· Students attending class MUST wear a face mask.
· Students on the SU COVID office quarantine list will be permitted to attend remotely via Zoom during quarantine periods. To be placed on the quarantine list, students should self-report any symptoms, exposures or positive tests to the SU COVID office at covid19@ship.edu or 717-477-1007.
2. The class normally will be held in person in DHC 208. Class will be held remotely over Zoom on snow days or if the professor is quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure or infection.
3. I take attendance at the beginning of each session. The attendance grade is based on the percentage of classes that you attend. For example, coming to 95% of class sessions is an A.
4. Each student will be assigned to one of seven spokesperson cohorts. Each cohort has 3 assigned dates on the syllabus. Spokesperson grades will be awarded individually according to the following standards:
90-100: Spokesperson demonstrates mastery of readings by making insightful comments and pointing out specific lines of text that support his/her ideas.
80-89: Spokesperson demonstrates that he/she has completed reading assignments.
60-79: Spokesperson participates in discussion without giving evidence of having completed the reading.
50: Spokesperson attends class on assigned date without answering any questions.
0: Spokesperson has an unexcused absence on assigned date.
5. Absences will be excused if you can document a serious illness, family emergency, varsity athletic event, military duty or religious observance. Only students with documented excuses can make up exams and discussant assignments. Students who were sick must submit a doctor’s note. For a family emergency, I require a phone call from a parent or guardian or an obituary. Athletes should provide a memo from the head coach with the team schedule. If you have military duty, inform your dean’s office. They will send notification to all of your professors. The university’s policy on religious observances is the following: “At the beginning of each academic session (fall, spring, summer), the student will be required (in writing) to provide his/her faculty with the dates of scheduled religious observances.”
6. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. I encourage you to study together with other students, but all exams and papers must be completed without the assistance of others. To prevent cheating during tests, no cell phones, electronic devices, notes, papers, books or other objects may be handled or looked at. Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to the policies in the “Academic Policies and Procedures” chapter of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students who violate university policies on academic dishonesty may receive a penalty of a grade of “F” for the course.
7. “Smartphones make you dumb in class.” All electronic devices are banned in class, except for those used to take notes or view course readings. Educational research has shown that electronic communications, including text messaging, create distractions that interfere with learning. Violations of this policy will result in attendance grade of zero for that day’s class session. Students looking at or handling electronic devices during exams will receive a grade of “F”.
8. HIS 105 is a general education “Foundations” course that you must pass in order to graduate. If you are having academic problems, please see me during office hours, or seek help from the Student Success Center in Mowrey Hall.
9. I comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to keep your academic records confidential, and Title IX requirements to “report incidents of sexual violence shared by students.” To read the full Title IX syllabus statement, click on this link: https://www.ship.edu/EIC/title_ix_statement/
10. I welcome students with disabilities in my classroom. Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) in Mowrey 252 to discuss specific needs. For more information, see the website: www.ship.edu/oar
11. I assign letter grades to the following numerical scores:
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 70-76
D 60-69
F Below 60
IV. Readings
A. Main Textbook
Hansen, Valerie, and Kenneth R. Curtis. Voyages in World History, Volume 1: To 1600. 3rd edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2017. Bring the textbook to each class session!
B. Supplementary Readings for Spokesperson Class Discussion Assignment: Free!
Supplementary readings are available on D2L>Content. Bring each reading to class in hardcopy or electronic format!
V. Class Schedule (Complete all assigned readings before class.)
T 1/18: Introduction to Global History, Class Organization, Skaff’s Website, Assignments, and Grading
Part 1: Human Origins
Th 1/20: Hominin Origins in Africa: Theories
Reading: Hansen, et al., 2-7
Supplementary Reading: 01) “Imagining the Past”
T 1/25: Hominin Origins: Methods (Spokesperson Cohort 1)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 7-18
Supplementary Reading: 02) “Shanidar Cave Yields New Signs of Neanderthal Emotions”
Th 1/27: Food: Gatherer-hunter and Agricultural Economies (Spokesperson Cohort 2)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 18-27
Supplementary Reading: 03) “Women and Men at Çatalhöyük”
Paper 1: “Diagnosis of Study Skills” Assigned
Part 2: Complex Society: Independent Origins
T 2/1: Mesopotamia (Spokesperson Cohort 3)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 28-40
Supplementary Reading: 04) “The Judgments of Hammurabi”
Th 2/3: Egypt (Spokesperson Cohort 4)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 40-51, 57-59
Supplementary Reading: 05) “Tale of the Eloquent Peasant”
Paper 1: “Diagnosis of Study Skills” Due
T 2/8: China (Spokesperson Cohort 5)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 90-100
Supplementary Reading: 06) “China’s Hidden City”
Th 2/10: Mesoamerica; Review of Human Origins and Complex Society (Spokesperson Cohort 6)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 116-134
Supplementary Reading: 07) “Life in the City of Gods”
Part 3: Complex Society: Contacts and Exchanges
T 2/15: Hebrews and their Religion (Spokesperson Cohort 7)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 52-57
Supplementary Reading: 08) “The Book of Deuteronomy”
Th 2/17: Phoenicians and Greeks: Spread of Complex Society in the Mediterranean Sea (Spokesperson Cohort 1)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 144-147, 155, 158-163
Supplementary Reading: 09) “When the Ancient Greeks Began to Write”
T 2/22: Classical Greece: Athens and Sparta (Spokesperson Cohort 2)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 163-172
Supplementary Reading: 10) “The Rise of Women in Ancient Greece”
Th 2/24: EXAM 1 on all material from Th 1/20 to T 2/22
Part 4: Empires: Origins and Expansion
T 3/1: China: From Warring States to Qin Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 3)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 88-90, 99-107
Supplementary Reading: 11) “The Writings of Master Han Fei”
Th 3/3: China: The Enduring Han Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 4)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 107-115
Supplementary Reading: 12) “Factory of Wealth”
T 3/8-Th 3/10: No Class: Spring Break!
T 3/15: Rome: From City-state to Republican Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 5)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 181-187
Supplementary Reading: 13) “Carthage: The Lost Mediterranean Civilisation (sic)”
Th 3/17: Augustus’s Policies and the Roman Principate (Spokesperson Cohort 6)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 187-194, 209
Electronic Reserves Readings: 14) “Rome's Imperial Port”
Part 5: Universal Religions: Origins, Popularization and Spread
T 3/22: Early South Asia and the Origins of Buddhism (Spokesperson Cohort 7)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 62-74
Supplementary Reading: 15) “Buddha’s First Sermon”
Paper 2: “Historical Critique of a Documentary Film” Assigned
Th 3/24: Read Voyages in World History and Watch: On the Trails of World Religions: Buddhism
Click here to watch the film: SHIP PERMALINK
Reading: Hansen, et al., 60-62, 74-87
T 3/29: Buddhism: On the Silk Road to East Asia (Spokesperson Cohort 1)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 212-219, 225-242
Supplementary Reading: 16) “Tales of the Bodhisattva Guanshiyin”
Th 3/31: Christianity: Origin, Spread and Popularization in the Roman Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 2)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 178-180, 194-208, 210
Supplementary Reading: 17a) "The Gospel of St. Matthew"; 17b) "The Gospel of St. Thomas"
T 4/5: Islam: Origin in Arabia (Spokesperson Cohort 3)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 246-253, 266-71
Supplementary Reading: 18) “The Quran”
Paper 2: “Historical Critique of a Documentary Film” Due
Th 4/7: Islam: Popularization in the Middle East (Spokesperson Cohort 4)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 244-46, 254-266, 271-72
Supplementary Reading: 19) “The True Caliph of The Arabian Nights”
T 4/12: Islam: Spread and Popularization in Sub-Saharan Africa (Spokesperson Cohort 5)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 306-322, 327-330, 332-333
Supplementary Reading: 20) “The Book of Routes and Realms”
Th 4/14: EXAM 2 on all material from T 3/1 to Th 4/12
Part 6: Medieval Military Conflicts, Economic Growth and Technological Exchanges
T 4/19: Medieval Europe and the Crusades (Spokesperson Cohort 6)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 277-288, 384-393
Supplementary Reading: 21) “Speech of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont, 1095”
Th 4/21: Mongol Empire (Spokesperson Cohort 7)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 400-418, 423-426, 431
Supplementary Reading: 22) “Journey to the Land of the Tartars”
T 4/26: Eurasian Commercial Revolutions and Technological Exchanges: Paper and Printing (Open spokesperson day)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 234, 338-340, 344-358
Supplementary Reading: 23) “Silk Road or Paper Road?”
Th 4/28: Eurasian Commercial Revolutions and Technological Exchanges: Gunpowder and Firearms (
Open spokesperson day)
Reading: Hansen, et al., 342, 368-384, 393-398
Supplementary Reading: 24) “When Powder Proved its Worth”
Final Exam: Tues, 5/3, 10:30-12:30 Location: DHC 208