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.