This 8 week semester course will cover the basics of Ancient Civilizations.  What does "civilization" mean?  How is it achieved? What factors influence the development of a civilization?  We will discuss what are the requirements to be considered a "civilization," how did the first civilizations develop, what features did they share and what were their differences.  We will explore a variety of civilizations from around the world as we discuss the themes and ideas of "civilization."  In class we will discuss, look at images, and read primary documents and short pieces of literature to help the students understand the values and elements of each of these societies we are exploring.  Students will explore the idea of "doing history" by thinking about the information available and what the concepts of history mean in a fun and exciting way.  This class serves as a foundation to the beginnings of World History.  Follow up this course with my courses on the Classical World, Middle Ages, Early Modern World, and Modern World to create a complete World History study.

This is a self-paced version of my Ancient history course.  This course will offer no live class meetings.  Instead, your student will have access to a class recording weekly to watch, as well as additional written and visual documents to augment the recording.  Each week, students are expected to respond to a discussion question on the message board, as well as to respond to at least 2 other student's responses.  We will create a healthy group discussion through messages to engage with the contents of the recordings.  The student will also have various quizzes and interactive assignments to check their understanding of the video content.  This course will involve group brainstorming projects to be completed interactively, as well as a peer review process to ensure maximum interaction during the class, creating a workshop feel during the 5 weeks.  Also each week, student's will have an opportunity to complete their own longer writing assignments related to the class content and to receive individualized teacher feedback.  I will be available for office hours and meetings throughout the course by appointment according to your time zone.  I also recommend students take my evaluating primary documents 1 day course prior to or concurrent with this course.

Week 1-We will discuss the idea of "civilization"-what is it, characteristics, and the Neolithic Revolution
Week 2-Mesopotamia
Week 3-Egypt
Week 4-China
Week 5-Indus Valley
Week 6-Persia
Week 7-Maya
Week 8-Greece