Everyone loves Egypt.  Cleopatra!  Ramses!  The Pyramids!  Want to know how it all went down?  This is the class for you.  Once we go learn the history, we will delve deeper into special topics to gain a fuller understanding of ancient Egyptian culture and lifestyle.  This class will include lecture, discussion, documentaries, readings, short written homework assignments, and one research essay per trimester on a related topic of the student's choosing.

Week one: Geographic survey of Egypt.  Why did people settle there?  What made it such a good place to live?  We will also go over the Chicago Manual of Style citation standards, for use in our essays.  Style guides and online references will be provided.
Week two: Predynastic Egypt.  What we know about their way of life and a survey of important sites and material culture.
Week three: The unification of Egypt and the early Dynastic period.  Was there really a Scorpion King, or was that just Hollywood?  A list of potential essay topics will be given to the students, but students are free to come up with their own!  
Week four: The age of the pyramids.  Who built them?  Why?  How?  (Dynasties 3-5)  This week, students will choose a topic for their research essay and submit it to me.  
Week five: The decline of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period.  But wait, things seemed to be going so well!  What happened?  
Week six: The rise of the Middle Kingdom.  Ancient Egyptians of later periods considered this era to be Egypt's "classical" period.  Let's see why.
Week seven: Hyksos?  In my Egypt?  Learn about the Hyksos invasion and the Second Intermediate Period.  Come up with questions to ask my colleague, who is an expert on the Hyksos and this period.
Week eight: Your Hyksos questions will be answered, just in time for you to wave goodbye to them.  Was this the origin of the biblical exodus story?  Who drove them out?  A sneak preview of the rise of the New Kingdom.  Papers due.

Trimester break.  Papers will be returned with comments.

Week nine: The rise of the New Kingdom.     From Ahmose to Amunhotep III, learn about what was arguably the most prosperous period of ancient Egyptian history.
Week ten: Oops!  All sun-disc!  Learn about Akhenaten, and then who cleaned up his mess.
Week eleven: Did somebody say Ramses?  The early 19th dynasty, from Ramses I to his grandson, Ramses II. A list of potential essay topics will be given to the students, but students are free to come up with their own!  
Week twelve: The decline of the New Kingdom and  early Third Intermediate Period. This week, students will choose a topic for their research essay and submit it to me.  
Week thirteen: Who was Piye, and how did he kick so much butt?  The rise and fall of the 25th and 26th Dynasties.
Week fourteen: The Late Period.  Egypt is now a satrapy of the Achnaemenid empire.  Drama!  Revolts!  Strife!   
Week fifteen: The 30th Dynasty.  Egypt is once again under native control.  For now.
Week sixteen: From Alexander to the Ptolemies.  Papers due.

Trimester break.  Papers will be returned with comments.

Week seventeen: Special topic - Ancient Egyptian Religion.  Final short assignment will be discussed.
Week eighteen: Special topic - Daily Life in Ancient Egypt. 
Week nineteen: Special topic - The Life Cycle of the Ancient Egyptian 
Week twenty: Special topic - Ancient Egyptian Funerary Practices. Final short assignment due.