HST 102 Western Civilization: Making of Modern Europe

A survey of the historical development of religious and secular value systems, scientific theories, social structures, economies, and political thought and institutions of the Western world from Italian Renaissance through the French Revolution. Topics include Europe’s colonization of the western hemisphere, the Reformation era, the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, and the early Industrial Revolution. The course will also provide students with an overview of diverse peoples, nationalities, and cultures in the context of changing social, political, and economic conditions and values. It will further examine the influence of the events and ideas of this period on the modern world.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply analytical skills to social phenomena in order to understand human behavior. Identify and consider important concepts, movements, and themes to understand peoples in Europe and non- Europeans they came into contact with from the late medieval, Renaissance, approx. 1350, through the French Revolution, 1815. Analyze creation of, and changes in religious and other belief systems and scientific ideas
2. Apply knowledge and experience to foster personal growth and better appreciate the diverse social world in which we live. Analyze how humanists of the Renaissance believed in human progress at the personal and collective level. Look at how Europeans regarded the diverse peoples, individually and in groups, they came into contact with during the age of discovery. Note the variety of interactions between various groups and individuals and how they dealt with change and issues common to all
3. Understand the role of individuals and institutions within the context of society. Look at function of institutions in society, how they are unique or not, and how they influence behavior of individuals or are used by individuals. Ask the question of how and why individualism came to be acknowledged, glorified, and manifest in various ways during the Renaissance and later. Compare the concept of individualism to then and now, how it has changed, and why this is even an outcome for a Social Science class
4. Assess different theories and concepts, and understand the distinctions between empirical and other methods of inquiry. Demonstrate a functional appreciation of various interpretations of history and how they came to be. Identify different schools of thought and the many "lenses" used to look back and study history. Synthesize some main themes of western societies and look at their influence in the modern world
5. Utilize appropriate information literacy skills in written and oral communication. Students evaluate and use relevant evidence to illustrate and support questions and perspectives about the past as well as conclusions they draw from them
6. Understand the diversity of human experience and thought, individually and collectively. Identify and consider the universals and the diverseness in human experience over time. Demonstrate knowledge of geographical time and place and how that changes. Be familiar with processes by which individuals and peoples change over time
7. Apply knowledge and skills to contemporary problems and issues. Identify correlations/analogies between the past and our own time. Consider issues common to all eras and human experience