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Western Civilization Part 1: The Ancient Mesopotamian World
Brandon Katz
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(26)
In this 13-week course, students will immerse themselves in the Cradle of Civilization in Ancient Mesopotamians, follow its most sensational stories, and explore its impact on us today.
Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
Beginner Level
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Start the year with a partial discount! KATZY4A5510 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...
13 lessons//13 Weeks
Week 1Lesson 1Ancient Near Eastern World, Intro, Ch. 1-3The beginnings of civilization. All lessons will be based on the assigned reading from "The Ancient Near Eastern World."Week 2Lesson 2Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 4Introduction of WritingWeek 3Lesson 3Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 5KingsWeek 4Lesson 4Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 6ReligionWeek 5Lesson 5Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 7GilgameshWeek 6Lesson 6Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 8Sargon of AkkadWeek 7Lesson 7Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 10HammurabiWeek 8Lesson 8Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 11Justice in MesopotamiaWeek 9Lesson 9Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 16Fall of BabylonWeek 10Lesson 10Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 18King David and JudahWeek 11Lesson 11Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 21Assyrian EmpireWeek 12Lesson 12Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 22Babylonian EmpireWeek 13Lesson 13Ancient Near Eastern World, Ch. 23Cyrus the Great and the Persians
- 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 prima
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.
0 - 1 hours per week outside of class
Homework
Frequency: available upon requestFeedback: available upon requestDetails: Students will do the assigned readings from the book in between lessons.Assessment
Frequency: available upon requestDetails: 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.
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
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
Joined August, 2023
4.9
26reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Teaching Certificates
Maryland Teaching Certificate in Foreign Language
Maryland Teaching Certificate
2 Degrees
Master's Degree from Westminster Seminary California
Bachelor's Degree from University of Maryland College Park
Hello! I am here to welcome you to the wonderful classical world of learning, where we critically learn from the wisdom of the past. I will introduce you to languages such as Greek and Latin, along with the Greco-Roman worlds that originated...
Group Class
$15
weekly or $195 for 13 classes1x per week, 13 weeks
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-13
2-9 learners per class
