This 8-week class is an in-depth introduction to Ancient Civilizations. Students will learn about the cultural, political, geographical, and economic history of early societies from the early humans, to Sumer (Mesopotamia) and Norte Chico (present-day Peru) -two of the first civilizations known to date, to the rise and fall of Ancient Egypt.

We'll meet once a week for a fun and interactive lesson with images, videos, and lectures. We'll analyze ways in which human groups have interacted with one another, including systems of communication, migration, commercial exchange, conquest, and culture. We'll find answers to age-old questions: How did man travel out of Africa to populate the world? Why did homo-sapiens survive, and thrive, when no other group did? How did hunters and gatherers become farmers and city dwellers? How did the age of kings and emperors start? Who was the first, and the last, pharaoh of Egypt?

Schedule:
-Week I : Early Humans: how and when the human species began.
-Week II : Early humans: how and when the world was populated by Homo-Sapiens.
-Week III : From roaming to farmers and city dwellers
-Week IV : Private property and kings
-Week V : Mesopotamia p1
-Week VI : Mesopotamia p2
-Week VII : Ancient Egypt p1
-Week VIII : Ancient Egypt p2

By the end of this course students will be able to: 
-Describe the theory of evolution.
-Recognize the difference between history and pre-history.
-Describe how man traveled out of Africa and populated the world.
-Explain how homo-sapiens survived, and evolved when no other group did.
-Analyze why and how hunters and gatherers become farmers and city dwellers.
-Compare two of the first civilizations known to date: Mesopotamia and Norte Chico.
-Analyze the history and legacy of ancient Egypt.
-Understand how gender roles were like in early civilizations.
 
 
Structure:
-Icebreaker/greetings (5 mins)
-Teacher lecture/slides (30-35 mins)
-Group discussion (15 mins)