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Western Civilization Part 1: The Ancient Mesopotamian World
Ages 11-13
Live Group Course
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(87 reviews)
Live video meetings
1x per week, 13 weeks
2-9 learners per class
50 min
Overview
Live Group Course
Meet over live video meetings13 live meetings
10 hrs 50 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students will do the assigned readings from the book in between lessons.Assessment
Students will submit a 5-paragraph argumentative essay, reflecting on the part of Mesopotamian society and history that they found most interesting. The essay must include a thesis statement with three body paragraphs defending it.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
Beginner Level
Coupon code good until 9/11/2025 KATZWV97C15 This class will equip students with skills in historical memory and analysis. With a mixture of primary and secondary sources, students will tour Mesopotamia in the following periods and topics: Grades optional for parents who want to use this class for credit! Sumer - feat. Gilgamesh Akkad - feat. Sargon the Great Old Babylonia - feat. Hammurabi Assyria - feat. Assurbanipal Neo-Babylonian Empire - feat. Nebuchadnezzar Persia - feat. Cyrus the Great
Learning Goals
Students will develop the following skills:
-Historical Investigation: learning from primary and secondary sources about historical events, their causes, and their effects.
-Historical Writing: Learning to argue for a position about history based on primaSyllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum13 Lessons
over 13 WeeksLesson 1:
Ancient Near Eastern World, Intro, Ch. 1-3
The beginnings of civilization. All lessons will be based on the assigned reading from "The Ancient Near Eastern World." 50 mins online live lesson
1 assignment
Lesson 2:
Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 4
Introduction of Writing 50 mins online live lesson
1 assignment
Lesson 3:
Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 5
Religion 50 mins online live lesson
1 assignment
Lesson 4:
Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 6
Kings 50 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Much of the morality reflected in Mesopotamia will differ from what we know. For example, the Code of Hammurabi issues the death penalty for theft.
We are only reading excerpts, so material inappropriate for a middle school student will be excluded.
Due to the nature of the study in ancient Mesopotamia, some portions from the Hebrew Bible will be read in order to assess Ancient Israel's relationship with the rest of the Ancient Near East
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Our main source will be "The Ancient Near Eastern World," available in print and on Audible. Each lesson will be based on the assigned readings from this book, so ordering it will be required.
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Near-Eastern-World-Times/dp/0195161599/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GBO3EFS07QMG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dtWZ_RiAVe-QhxhbP4i-DvVVGkfFED7WwHZfdpbbk3pSIVYFslp6V2ejmBWFOgS5.oCYZAfP0c_P8ci8LvGd2uSuTbh3F-sPtWdFoBkYv48Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+ancient+near+eastern+world+amanda+polony&qid=1719028698&sprefix=the+ancient+near+eastern+world+amanda+polony%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-1
Specializing in the Middle and Late Bronze Age, Author Amanda H. Podany is Professor Emeritus of History at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She has helped shape many history programs in schools, and she has taught a 24-lecture course on our subject on "The Great Courses." Marni McGee, having earned her BA in English with Highest Honors at UNC and her MA in Religion at UCLA, has written 22 children's books.
We will read excerpts from the following primary sources.
Sumerian King's List
https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr211.htm
Enuma Elish (creation story)
https://sacred-texts.com/ane/enuma.htm
Atrahasis
https://www.livius.org/sources/content/anet/104-106-the-epic-of-atrahasis/
The Epic of Gilgamesh
chrome-extension://hbgjioklmpbdmemlmbkfckopochbgjpl/https://uruk-warka.dk/Gilgamish/The%20Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf
The Code of Hammurabi
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp
Ozymandius
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/ozymandias
Hebrew Bible
The Annals of Sennacherib
chrome-extension://hbgjioklmpbdmemlmbkfckopochbgjpl/https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip2.pdf
The Destruction of Sennacherib
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43827/the-destruction-of-sennacherib
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Teaching Certificates
Maryland Teaching Certificate
Maryland Teaching Certificate in Foreign Language
2 Degrees
Masterās Degree from Westminster Seminary California
Bachelorās Degree from University of Maryland College Park
My expertise is in reading and interpreting ancient texts, and I have taught students for college credit how to apply these skills to Ancient Mesopotamian texts. With an MA in Biblical Studies, I have had to study the Ancient Near East as historical background.Reviews
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