History 3000
Arts and Ideas, Ancient and Medieval
Dr. Steven R. Cartwright, Instructor
0147 Waldo Library
Phone: 387-5176
E-mail: steven.cartwright@wmich.edu
In this course we will examine the artistic, intellectual, and cultural foundations of Western Civilization, from the caves of Lascaux to about A.D. 1300. We will look at the ancient origins of the West in the Middle Eastern civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel, as well as the classical foundations of Greece and Rome, and then at the later developments of the Byzantine Empire, Islam, and medieval Europe. We will discover how and why the West thinks and acts as it does, and why it often seems at conflict with itself.
My goals for students in this class are twofold: First, to master the course content and gain a working knowledge of how the different strains and influences within these early influences continue to affect us; and second, to gain practical skills in critical thinking, research, and writing.
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