Marcus M. Witcher, 20th Century U.S. History
Department of History, Huntingdon College 

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Part One: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Fall of Rome

1. Introductory Lecture
"How to Read a Document" SOW, x-xviii

2. The Ancient Near East

3. Egyptian Civilization 

4. The Early Greeks and the Rise of the Greek Polis

5. Divergent Models of the Polis: Athens, Sparta, and Corinth

6. The Peloponnesian War

7. The Macedonian Empire and its Dissolution 

8. Early Rome 

9. The Roman Republic
Polybius, "The Roman Constitution" SOW, 77-81
Plutarch, "The Life of Cato the Elder" SOW, 93-96

10. The Fall of the Republic and the Beginning of the Imperial Period

11. Imperial Rome and Early Christianity
St. Paul, "Epistle to the Romans SOW, 104-107

12. The Conversion of the Empire and the "Barbarian" Threat
Tacitus, "Germania" SOW, 111-114

13. The Dissolution of the Roman Empire in the West

Part Two: From the Fall of Rome to the Reformation

14. Early Medieval Europe

15. The Franks and Medieval Society
Finhard, "Life of Charlemagne" SOW, 141-143
"Feudal Documents" SOW, 167-171

16. Viking Culture and Society 

17. The Idea of England: Alfred the Great and His Progeny 

18. The Medieval Church and Spiritual-Secular Conflicts

19. Monarchies, Papal and Secular 
The Magna Carta, SOW 186-189

20. The Rise of Islam
The Koran SOW, 152-155
Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad" SOW, 162-166

21. The Crusades
Fulcher of Chartres, "The First Crusade and the Siege of Jerusalem" SOW, 176-182
Iban Al-Qalanisi, "The Damascus Chronicle" SOW, 159-162

22. Medieval Intellectual Life
Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologica" SOW, 195-200
Christine de Pisan, "The Book of the City of Ladies" SOW, 209-214

23. Towns, Trade, and the Black Death

24. Renaissance I: Humanism and Culture
Francesco Petarca, "Letters" SOW, 221-225
Leon Battista Alberti, On the Family SOW, 226-231

25. Renaissance II: Machiavelli and Secular Politics
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince SOW, 236-239

26. Luther and the Protestant Reformation I
Desiderius Erasmus, In Praise of Folly SOW, 240-243
Sir Thomas Moore, Utopia SOW, 244-247
Martin Luther, "The Freedom of a Christian" SOW, 275-279

27. Luther and the Protestant Reformation II