HIS 102 Western Civilization II

Fall 2015, HYBRID COURSEThursdays, 11:00am – 12:15pm, MP 208

Instructor: Kara Heitz

• What is “Western” and “The West”?

• What is “Civilization”?

- Both highly variable and contentious terms

What is “The West”?

• Europe?

–Geographic Europe?

–Political Europe? Cultural Europe?

• Western v. Eastern Europe• European Union today

Geographic EuropeBoundaries:

Northern – Arctic Sea

Western – Atlantic Ocean

Southern – Mediterranean and Black Seas

Eastern – Ural and Caucus Mountains

Westernv.

Eastern

(Cold War)

European Union today (27 member states)

European Borders, 1140-2010 CE

What is “The West”?

• Europe?

• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?

Alexander the Great’s Empire, 323 BCE

What is “The West”?

• Europe?

• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?

• Cultures dominated by Christianity?

Spread of Christianity 300-800 C.E.

Christianity Today

What is “The West”?

• Europe?

• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?

• Cultures dominated by Christianity?

• Areas colonized by Europe and/or under imperial control?

European Colonialism

What is “The West”?

• Europe?

• Areas influenced by ancient Greece & Rome?

• Cultures dominated by Christianity?

• Areas colonized by Europe and/or under imperial control?

• West of what? What is “the East? What is not part of “the West”?

Jerusalem as the center of the world (1585)

Modern Clash of Civilizations?

What is Civilization?

• Dictionary definitions:1. “An advanced state of human society, in which a

high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached.”

2. ”Any type of culture, society, etc., of a specific place, time, or group. For example: Greek civilization.”

- Both problematic definitions, WHY?

Why do we have Western Civilization courses in the U.S.?

• Connecting U.S. to “Western tradition”• First broadly introduced after WWI• WWII & “Atlantic Civilization”

• Recent focus on World History

- So why do we still study Western Civilization in college today?