History of Western Civilization 2

*Taught Online*  This sequence fulfills the general education requirement in civilization studies.  The purpose of this three-course sequence is (1) to introduce students to the principles of historical thought and to provide them with the critical tools for analyzing texts produced in the distant or near past, (2) to acquaint them with some of the more important epochs in the development of  European civilization since the sixth century B.C.E, and (3) to assist them in discovering the developmental connections between these various epochs.

13200:  The second course explores major themes in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Reformation.

The sequence does not present a general survey of European history, but rather undertakes an intensive investigation of original documents bearing on a number of discrete topics in European civilization (e.g., the Roman Republic, or the origins of the First World War).  These original documents are contained in the nine-volume series published by The University of Chicago Press, The University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization.  The course also draws on supplementary materials from the work of modern historians.