Oak+Park++Hon+W-H+Archive+1st


 * Unit 1: The First Humans**

**Major themes and questions will include:**
== **1. What was life like for the earliest humans? What do we know about their religious and moral beliefs and about how they survived? What do we know about their art and music?** == == **2. How, when and why did humans make the leap from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture and village life, and ultimately to urban life?** == == **3. Was the move to agriculture and civilization entirely positive? What were some advantages to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle? Describe how the move to agriculture and civilization affected women?** == == **4. What were law, morality, social class, and religion like in the first river valley civilizations?** ==

Tuesday, August 23rd

Freshman Day.

Wednesday, August 24th

==== Introductions. Class website. Discuss major themes of Unit 1. Introduce our textbook, __Traditions and Encounters__ by Jerry Bentley. ====

==== Homework = read Genesis chapters 1-5, and the excerpt from Thomas Hobbes in your "First Humans Packet" ====

=== **Come with detailed notes and be prepared to discuss the following questions in tomorrow's class:** ===


 * 1. According to Genesis, how was the world created?**


 * 2. In what sense can Adam and Eve be considered hunter-gatherers?**


 * 3. What's up with that serpent? Do you trusssssst him?**


 * 4. What is Hobbes is view of human nature. What did he think life must have been like for early humans.**

Discuss Genesis' picture of hunter-gatherer life.

Introduce Rousseau and Hobbes.

=== **Homework = Read excerpt from Rousseau's "Discourse on the Origin of Inequality" and "Born to Run" section of "First Humans Packet"** ===

=== **Come with detailed notes and be prepared to discuss the following questions in tomorrow's class:** ===

=== **1. How do Genesis, Hobbes, and Rousseau differ in their view of what H-G life must have been like?** ===

=== **2. In what ways do Rousseau, Hobbes and Genesis view H-G life as positive, in what ways do they see it as negative? Be very specific in your answers and be prepared to discuss the differences in their views. Or if you find their language impenetrably difficult, come with very specific questions about difficult passages.** ===


 * 3. Which view of early humans is most supported by the Born to Run excerpt? Why? Provide detail to support your answer.**


 * 4. Born to Run is an awesome, thrilling book, which I recommend you read in its entirety. However, before you throw out your shoes, you might want to read [|this debate about barefoot running]and you might want to read[| this review]of the hip, new 'shoe' that is meant to simulate barefoot running.**


 * Friday, August 26th**

Discuss the picture of hunter-gatherer-life drawn in Genesis and Rousseau and Hobbes, and also what these writers believed about human nature.

Introduce ethnographic studies of hunter-gatherers: Nisa and Katherine Milton

Homework for Monday = read: "Amazon Hunter Gatherers," by Katherine Milton. This article can be found in your "The First Humans" packet. Pay special attention to whether life in these real H-G societies fits the picture suggested by Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes. This question will be the subject of your first essay so come to class with detailed notes on this subject.

This is the essay assignment

(about which we will talk a great deal more)

.

and here is the rubric I will use when grading it:

Monday, August 29th

Class Topics Discuss Hunter-Gatherer articles: In what ways do these real-life pictures of Hunter-Gatherers support or contradict the speculation of Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes about the way hunter-gatherers lived? Have specific examples ready for discussion.
 * Homework =** **read** "Memories of a !Kung Girlhood" by Marjorie Shostak. This article can be found in your "The First Humans" packet. Pay special attention to whether life in these real H-G societies fits the picture suggested by Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes. This question will be the subject of your first essay so come to class with detailed notes on this subject.


 * < **“** || The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said "This is mine," and found people naive enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody. ||> **”** ||
 * || — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, //[|Discourse on Inequality]//, 1754 ||

Tuesday, August 30th

Class Topics
Discuss Hunter-Gatherer articles: Nisa and Katherine Milton. In what ways do these real-life pictures of Hunter-Gatherers support or contradict the speculation of Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes about the way hunter-gatherers lived? Have specific examples ready for discussion. 1. Explain HOW and why hominids, a comparatively physically weak species, came to dominate other species on the planet. Be very specific in your answer, especially the how part.
 * Homework =** **read your textbook, //Traditions and Encounters//, by Bentley, pages 5-17 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**

2. What were the different kinds of hominids? What distinguished Homo Sapiens from Homo Neandertalensis? What does the evidence suggest about the relationship between these two groups of hominids?

3. Describe the artistic and cultural achievements of the Paleolithic (old stone age) peoples?

4. What, if any, moral codes does the evidence suggest existed among Paleolithic peoples?



Wednesday, August 31th The art and music of early humans. Questions on your paper. Can you trust Milton and Shostak? Homework = work on your essay. An outline will be checked for credit on Friday.media type="youtube" key="YIyEvomUz14?fs=1" height="385" width="640" This brilliant video mash-up of Avatar and Pocohantas should make us skeptical of Rousseau. Think about why. media type="youtube" key="uGOCodaM4UM" height="345" width="560" Here's another (unrelated) but brilliant side-by-side video. Enjoy. media type="custom" key="9983213"

Class Topics Include:
Discuss the essay. The Tarahumara. Last thoughts on Nisa. History is about the present. History is a weapon. Discuss. Why did Hobbes and Rousseau speculate. Discuss whether history is really [|about the present.] Finally, remember what God told the serpent: "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Well it turns out that nearly all cultures fear snakes, even children who have never seen them are kind of freaked out by them. [|This article traces the relationship between humans and snakes back to the dawn of humans and]

[|This article tries to explain why we hate them so]

Homework = work on your essay. An outline will be checked for credit tomorrow.
Meanwhile, let's try some[| teen repellent!]Friday, September 2nd Collision at Cajamarca and Yali's question. Introduce "Collision at Cajamarca" by Jared Diamond. ** Collision at Cajamarca by Jared Diamond and as you read, keep in mind the following instructions: ** ** 1. Read the Collision at Cajamarca handout and circle or highlight unfamiliar vocabulary words ** ** 2. This primary document contains descriptions of two very different systems of religion, one for the Incas and one for the Spanish. Describe them ** ** 3. Take notes on evidence of how highly stratified each society is. (//stratified means arranged// //into separate social classes, castes or social layers)// ** ** 4. The Spanish were victorious at Cajamarca despite the fact they had fewer men. List as many possible reasons why you believe the Spanish won. Rank them in order of importance. ** Mr. G will check your outline as you read "Collision," in class.

Homework = work on your essay. The essay is due on Wednesday of next week, that's Wed. Sept. 7th.
No School on Monday, September 6 Labor Day

Tuesday, September 6 Class Topics How to make a dog, and why you'd want to. [|"How Do You Make a Dog?]

Here's why you'd want to:

media type="youtube" key="D2FX9rviEhw" height="345" width="560" Reenact and discuss "Collision at Cajamarca" by Jared Diamond. [|Also, why does my dog roll in that dead fish and eat his own vomit, and why don't I do that too?] Also, a new study suggests that we domesticated dogs for a [|delicious reason]. Discuss Yali's question, and 1. What was Yali's question, as he posed it to Jared Diamond? 2. How does Diamond reformulate this question? 3. Why is this question important? 4. How would you begin to answer this question? 5. Yali seems to think that the "cargo" Westerners possess is wholly good. Do you believe he is right about that? Why or why not? Homework = Finish your essay. It is due tomorrow

media type="custom" key="10344494"

Wednesday, September 7 Class Topics

Finish discussing the invention of the dog. From wolves to labs.

Inventions that give and take away. Do you believe in progress? Is Human nature good? Do babies have morality? Introduce English Passengers. media type="custom" key="10324546" Begin to answer Yali's question. Does cargo actually make life better? Continue to discuss the transition from H-G society to farming. How did it happen? Homework = Read English Passengers parts I, 2 and 3 for Monday and be prepared to discuss the following questions:
 * 1) Explain what Peevay saw when he looked down into the water?
 * 2) Explain the mystery of Peevay’s parents. Be prepared to defend your answer with details from the story.
 * 3) How did Peevay’s people survive and find food?
 * 4) Peevay says the Tarkiner (another band of Tasmanian aborigines) are //almost//friends. In what ways are they friendly to Peevay’s people, and in what ways are they different. Be specific and use your words.
 * 5) Evaluate the technological sophistication of Peevay’s people. Compare them to the Incas.
 * 6) In what ways do the three “ghosts” that appear on page 55 seem so strange to Peevay’s people? Give examples.
 * 7) According to George Alder’s letter, why is there so much violence between the aborigines (he calls them blacks) and the English settlers in Tasmania.

‍**Class Topics**
English Passengers. Cajamarca. Act it out. Discuss Yali's question, Peevay's Question, Atahuallpa's question, Junior's question. Introduce GGS PPT. Homework -Read English Passengers parts I, 2 and 3 for Monday and be prepared to discuss the following questions:
 * 1) Explain what Peevay saw when he looked down into the water?
 * 2) Explain the mystery of Peevay’s parents. Be prepared to defend your answer with details from the story.
 * 3) How did Peevay’s people survive and find food?
 * 4) Peevay says the Tarkiner (another band of Tasmanian aborigines) are //almost//friends. In what ways are they friendly to Peevay’s people, and in what ways are they different. Be specific and use your words.
 * 5) Evaluate the technological sophistication of Peevay’s people. Compare them to the Incas.
 * 6) In what ways do the three “ghosts” that appear on page 55 seem so strange to Peevay’s people? Give examples.
 * 7) According to George Alder’s letter, why is there so much violence between the aborigines (he calls them blacks) and the English settlers in Tasmania.

Monday, September 12
Finish Cajamarca. English Passengers. GGS PPT.
 * Homework = Read "Farmer Power" by Jared Diamond and come with detailed notes, ready to discuss the following question:**
 * 1. What advantages do farming peoples have over non-farming peoples? Be specific. Can you think of some historical examples to back up these claims?**

**Tuesday, September 13**
‍Discuss Farmer Power and view Zen version of G,G,S PPT.
 * English Passengers and GGS PPT.**

**Homework = Read History's Haves and Have Nots. Be prepared to discuss the following questions"**

 * Where, when, and how did food production develop in different parts of the globe?**

Wednesday, September 14
1. Why did the world's first cities begin in Mesopotamia? What was special about it? 2.Who was Gilgamesh? What is the point of the story about the magical plant? Does it remind you of anything? 3. How was city life in Mesopotamia different from the village life that preceded it? Be specific. 4. Did everyone benefit from the new kinds of governments and societies that cropped up in Mesopotamia, or were there winners and losers. If so, who won and who lost? 5. Was Hammurabi's Code fair or unfair? Explain.
 * Work on variables for GGS. Pick the five most important variables, read about them, and be prepared to defend your choices. [|Click here to go to the GGS variable page.]**
 * Homework =for Friday read pages 31-38 of your textbook and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**

Define Civilization. Hammurabi's Code. Discuss. Here is a definition of civilization, borrowed from Wikipedia and then altered by me. "A civilized society is often characterized by advanced agriculture, long-distance trade, and urbanism. Aside from these core elements, civilization is often marked by any combination of a number of secondary elements, including a developed transportation system, writing, standards of measurement (currency, etc.), complex legal systems, monumental architecture, mathematics, and sophisticated metallurgy." 1. Why did the world's first cities begin in Mesopotamia? What was special about it? 2.Who was Gilgamesh? What is the point of the story about the magical plant? Does it remind you of anything? 3. How was city life in Mesopotamia different from the village life that preceded it? Be specific. 4. Did everyone benefit from the new kinds of governments and societies that cropped up in Mesopotamia, or were there winners and losers. If so, who won and who lost? 5. Was Hammurabi's Code fair or unfair? Explain
 * Thursday, September, 15**
 * Homework =for tomorrow read pages 31-38 of your textbook and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**

Friday, September 16
Go to computer lab. Period 8 Room 300. Period 4 and 7 room 366. CSI: Oak Park---The Mystery of the Lost Society.

Homework = Read Bentley pages 87-93; stop at the section titled, “The Indo-European Migrations and Early Aryan India.”
1. Write detailed IDs (include who, what, where, when, and the significance) of the following terms: Harappa, Harappan, Mohenjo-Daro, Dravidian 2. Compare the Indus Valley with Mesopotamia. Are they more similar or more different?

‍and here is a less zen version of Diamond's argument.
===‍ ===





Monday, September 19
Discuss Foucault--"Drawn and Quartered" "Why do we punish?" Why do we Punish?. media type="youtube" key="gaEGK1bbxCQ?fs=1" height="385" width="480"
 * Homework =** **Read Ancient Religion packet and fill out document chart. Come ready to discuss.**
 * Also, though we don't intentionally torture criminals now, the way the French did to Damiens, sometimes [|things go wrong on death row.]**

Tuesday, September 20
Finish with punishment. Discuss Ancient religion packet. What questions does do these documents answer? Which questions do they not answer?

Wednesday, September 21
Continue discussing Ancient Religion. What questions do these documents answer? Which questions do they not answer? Discuss the cosmology of Classical India and last night's reading.
 * No Homework**

Thursday, September 22
Hello Unit 2! Compare the Flood stories. Are Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley more similar or more different from each other?
 * Homework = read pages 93-101 of your textbook pages and prepare for a quiz. Make yourself a SPER chart (SPER stands for Social-Political-Economic-Religious) that helps you organize information about what Classical, Vedic India was like. Because I like you, you will be able to use this SPER chart on your quiz**.

Friday, September 23
Quiz on pages 93-101 1. Make a list of 12 English vocabulary words used in the chapter that you did not fully understand on first read. Look these words up in the dictionary (or if you don’t have a dictionary, look them up on dictionary.com). Then write a sentence using this word properly.
 * Discuss the cosmology of Classical India and last night's reading.**
 * Introduce Karen Armstrong's Buddha.**
 * Homework = For Monday--Read the first half of Karen Armstrong's Buddha, Chapter 1--pages 1-20 and answer the following reading questions:**

2. Describe the “Perennial” world and beliefs of Vedic India. Be specific.

3. According to Armstrong, what are the possible causes of the Axial transformation?

Explain in detail.

‍Monday, September 26


 * What is the Buddha's story?**


 * If time permits, read Buddha's first sermon in class and analyze for Axial vs. Perennial.**

‍Homework = finish Karen Armstrong's Buddha, Chapter 1. and answer this question: How is Buddha’s story a quintessentially Axial story? Explain in detail.

‍Tuesday, September 27

‍Class Topics

Discuss Buddha by Karen Armstrong. Indian Cosmology. What are the Axial religions? Why did the Axial religions emerge when they did? How is Buddha's story Axial.

===‍ ‍Homework = Read Buddha primary documents: 2/3 through the yellow Buddha Packet: "The Middle Way," "The Story of the Buddha, Gotama's Discovery." and "Buddha's First Sermon." As you read annotate for Buddha's message.===

‍Wednesday, September 28

‍Class Topics


 * From Iron Age to Axial-**

Homework = read Buddhist ethics primary documents. These are pages 1-8 of the yellow Buddhist packet.
 * Introduce Buddhist comic book.**

‍Thursday, September 29
Discuss Jainist morality, Buddhist morality and the 5 spheres.

Click here if you are curious about [|what Jains can eat].

==‍Homework = For Monday, read 9 Lives chapter on the Jainist Nun. Also, study for Monday's==

quiz on Hindu-Buddhist terms.

 * Unit 2: The Axial Age**
 * Major themes and questions include:**
 * 1. What are the chief characteristics of Perennial religions?**
 * 2.What are the major Axial relgions and what are their chief characteristics?**
 * 3. How can we explain why so many Axial religions arose simultaneously and independently during the first millennium B.C.E?**
 * 4. Though the Axial religions have much in common, they also have significant differences. In what important ways do they differ?**
 * How can we account for these differences?**
 * 5. Why is the Buddha's story fundamentally an Axial story?**
 * 6. Religious belief seems to emerge from specific times and places. If this is so, how can we explain the continued, enduring popularity and resilience of Axial religions thousands of years after their first emergence?**
 * 7. Describe the political, economic, and religious development of China.**[[file:hindu glossary 2010.doc]]

[|Comic Life]
[|Try this site for free Mac trial of Comic Life]

[|Try this site for Windows Comic Life]

[|or for comic book templates try this]

[]

==‍  ==

= **Friday,** September 30=

Jainist and Buddhist morality. 5 moral spheres dilemmas. Several of you have asked for more sources on the Buddha's life. Here are a bunch... 1. This is about [|Buddha's first teachers during his ascetic phase.] 2. Here's a bit more detail on [|The Eightfold Path] 3. This is an account of the [|Buddha entering Nirvana]

Quiz on Hindu-Buddhist terms.

The 5 spheres of morality. [|Five Universal Human Moral Spheres-1.doc]

Moral dilemmas.

**Homework = work on comic book** it is due Wednesday**, October 12.**

Tuesday, October 4

Also, which of the Five Universal Moral Spheres: does Buddha seem most interested in? Which is he least interested in?

Which of the If Five Universal Moral Spheres are the Jains most interested in? Which are they least interested in?

Also, if you find this Moral Sphere stuff interesting,

[|read this article]

by Steven Pinker. It's long but good.Moral spheres. Moral dilemmsas.


 * Homework = start storyboarding your comic book, it is due** Wednesday**, October 12.**

**Wednesday, October 5**

Jainist and Buddhist Morality.

The 5 spheres of morality.

Moral dilemmas.

Living Perennial in an Axial religion.

Questions about Buddhist Comic book.

Which moral spheres are most important in the US?

Discuss the Jainist nun.

‍ Thursday, October 6
Intro to China. Chinese political cosmology. media type="custom" key="10754996" Class participation self-eval. This includes the quotations on the 5 Confucian relationships, Confucius' Analects, and the Analects for Women. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:‍1. What are the chief values of the Confucian system? What moral spheres do they mostly fall under?‍2. How do Confucianism's demands differ for men and women? ‍ Homework = work on your comic book, it is due Wednesday, October 12. Also read the chapter about the Jainist nun for Friday.

Begin to read Confucius' Analects.

Read in the China packet up through page 10. This includes the quotations on the 5 Confucian relationships, Confucius' Analects, and the Analects for Women. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. What are the chief values of the Confucian system? What moral spheres do they mostly fall under?

2. How do Confucianism's demands differ for men and women?

Read in the China packet up through page 10. This includes the quotations on the 5 Confucian relationships, Confucius' Analects, and the Analects for Women. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:‍1. What are the chief values of the Confucian system? What moral spheres do they mostly fall under?‍2. How do Confucianism's demands differ for men and women?

A Chinese House.

[|chinese house.pdf]

Tuesday, October 11

Read about my Taiwanese students.

Finish discussing and identifying Confucian values. 5 Moral Spheres? Compare Confucius to Buddha. Discuss gender and family.

Introduce the Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Begin reading in class?


 * Homework = finish your comic book, it is due Wednesday, October 12.**

Wednesday, October 12.
Collect and exchange comic books. Moral Spheres? Compare Confucius to Buddha. Discuss gender and family. Introduce the Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Begin reading in class?

For Friday Homework = Read Chapters 1 and 2 of the Good Earth and be prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. Who is Wang Lung? Is he a good son? 2. Describe life in the House of Hwang? What problems do you see there? 3. How stratified does Chinese society seem to be? 4. What are the marriage customs among the Chinese peasants? 5. Describe Wang Lung’s physical appearance and his character. 6. What are Wang Lung's religious beliefs? Are they primarily Axial or Perennial?

media type="custom" key="7204071"
 * Homework = work on your comic book, it is due Wednesday, October 12.**

media type="custom" key="7236989"media type="custom" key="6985495" Thursday, October 13Discuss Confucianism and Taoism.

For Friday Homework = Read Chapters 1 and 2 of the Good Earth and be prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. Who is Wang Lung? Is he a good son? 2. Describe life in the House of Hwang? What problems do you see there?3. How stratified does Chinese society seem to be? 4. What are the marriage customs among the Chinese peasants? 5. Describe Wang Lung’s physical appearance and his character. 6. What are Wang Lung's religious beliefs? Are they primarily Axial or Perennial? Friday, October 14

Confucius' top values.

Confucius’ values can be summarized as the following:

** 1. **** Respect for Hierarchy **.


 * 2. **** Filial Piety **


 * 3. **** Kindness **

4. ** Modesty **


 * 5. **** Education **


 * 6. **** Sexism **

Discuss the Good Earth. Mole hair. Footbinding. Relations between spouses. Introduce Han Fei Tzu and Legalism--Compare to Confucianism on govt. Homework =**Read the Good Earth Chapters 3-6 and be prepared to answer the following reading questions:**=
 * 7. **** Hard Work. **


 * 1. People of Wang’s culture and class held definite attitudes towards women. What were these attitudes as shown by Wang’s relationship to O-lan? ****2. Wang’s good luck continues, resulting in a good harvest, but how does he also make his own good fortune?****3. As Wang’s fortunes rise, what is happening to the House of Hwang? Why?****4. How does Wang’s character deepen and develop as the story unfolds?**

[|chinese house.pdf]



Monday, October 17

Confucius' chief moral spheres compared to the Buddha. And the Buddha. Wang Lung's religious beliefs. Read about legalism. Begin to Discuss the Good Earth. Axial? Perennial? Gender?

Homework = read the Analects for women, pages 8-11 of the China packet.

Tuesday, October 18 Continue discussing Good Earth. Women in Confucian China. Homework =Read textbook on classical China, pages 181-189 and be prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. Explain Confucius' political views. What was his view of human nature? 2. Describe the teachings of Mencius and Xunzi. What did they believe about human nature? 3. What was the political philosophy of the Tao Te Ching 4. Explain Legalism. Who were its chief thinkers?

Wednesday, October 19 House of Wang? Fat Mary Lincoln?
 * Homework = Read the Tao of Pooh, pages 48-60 of China packet and come prepared to discuss the chief values of Taoism.**

media type="youtube" key="C6IJ3DIXADM?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

[|Lincoln writes Mary]

Thursday, October 20 Discuss Tao of Pooh in class and begin to read the Tao Te Ching in class. What the heck is Lao Tzu saying? Does Lao Tzu Agree or disagree with Confucius? Han Fei Tze. Axial? 1. What is Legalist philosophy and how does it differ from Confucianism? 2. Which philosophy, Legalism or Confucianism has a better understanding of human nature. 3. Who was Qin Shihuangdi? Who were his advisers? 4. Describe the accomplishments (they are many) of Qin Shihuangdi? 5. Why was Qin Shihuangdi so hated by his people? Why did his dynasty collapse?
 * Homework= read textbook pages 189-193 and Read in your China packet about the debate over Chinese government between Confucians and Legalists. This is pages 42-45 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**

Friday, October 21 More on Taoism. Read Mr. G's Cheat sheet. Chinese art slideshow. Homework Read " The First Emperor" article about Qin Shihuangdi and answer these questions: 1. Who was Qin Shihuangdi? Who were his advisers? 2. Describe the accomplishments (they are many) of Qin Shihuangdi? 3. Why was Qin Shihuangdi so hated by his people? Why did his dynasty collapse?

Monday, October 24, Murder in Hai Tien Unit 2: The Axial Age Major themes and questions include: 1. What are the chief characteristics of Perennial religions? 2.What are the major Axial relgions and what are their chief characteristics? 3. How can we explain why so many Axial religions arose simultaneously and independently during the first millennium B.C.E? 4. Though the Axial religions have much in common, they also have significant differences. In what important ways do they differ? How can we account for these differences? 5. Why is the Buddha's story fundamentally an Axial story?

6. Religious belief seems to emerge from specific times and places. If this is so, how can we explain the continued, enduring popularity and resilience of Axial religions thousands of years after their first emergence? 7. Describe the political, economic, and religious development of China.Tuesday, October 13 Exchange comic books with another person.



Friday, October 21 Taoism. Legalism. Guess the Chinese Art. Review for test. Homework = review for test on China. This test is on Tuesday and covers everything going back to the Shang Dynasty and your entire China packet, including the Good Earth. Also, if Shihuangdi standardized Chinese written language, [|the same thing is now happening to Chinese spoken language], courtesy of the communists.

Can you spot the Taoism in this clip? media type="youtube" key="91uPid7ufCA?fs=1" height="385" width="480" Monday, October 24 Wrap up unit on China. Guess the art. Legalism vs. Taoism. Murder in Ha Tien! Homework = study for quiz on China. See the review guide.

Tuesday, October 25 Review for Quiz on China. Introduce Unit 3, The Trial of Socrates. Why the Greeks rock! Homework = study for quiz on China. See the review guide.

Wednesday, October 26 Quiz on China. Begin reading in class about Socrates Introduce Unit 3 Introduce Classical Greece. High points of Greece---Humanism-Art-Theater-The Olympics-The Golden Age. Parmenides vs. Heracitis. Discuss the Athenian city states and the context of the Peloponnesian War as presented in Don Nardo's "Trial of Socrates" Homework = read "Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo pages 8-28 and and be prepared to answer the following questions: 1. Describe the achievements of Athens. Why was it a brilliant age? 2. Describe Socrates early career and life. 3. Who were the Sophists? What did Socrates think of them? 4. Explain Socrates encounter with the Oracle of Delphi. 5. How is Socrates' story a profoundly Axial story?

media type="custom" key="11014138"
media type="custom" key="11016448"

**Thursday, October 27**
The context of the Peloponnesian war. Who was Socrates? **Homework = For Monday Finish Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo and be prepared to discuss the following questions: ** 1. Who was Antiphon the Sophist? What did he believe? 2. What was Socrates method of determing the truth? Explain "Socratic Irony" 3. What did Socrates think about Democratic government. Explain why he thought this. 4. Explain the political crisis in Athens during the 5th century BC. Why does the author call Athens a "paranoid society?" 5. What were the charges against Socrates? Who were his accusers?

<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Friday, October 28**
Continue with high points of Greek culture. Parmenides and Heraclitis. Discuss the political climate of Athens before 400 BC. Who was Socrates? Introduce Aristophanes the Clouds Begin reading aloud. media type="custom" key="11016416" <span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Homework = For Monday Finish Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo and be prepared to discuss the following questions: ** 1. Who was Antiphon the Sophist? What did he believe? 2. What was Socrates method of determing the truth? Explain "Socratic Irony" 3. What did Socrates think about Democratic government. Explain why he thought this. 4. Explain the political crisis in Athens during the 5th century BC. Why does the author call Athens a "paranoid society?" 5. What were the charges against Socrates? Who were his accusers?

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Monday, October 31
<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">The charges against Socrates. Timeline of Athens. Continue reading Clouds. <span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Homework = Read Aristophanes Clouds up to line 800. Identify the charges in Clouds, and ** <span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">also come with questions about stuff you don't understand. **

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Tuesday, November 1
Timline of Athens and Peloponesian War.

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Discuss Clouds. Go over the charges. Where are they in Clouds.

<span style="font-size: 22px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Homework = Finish Clouds and be prepared for a quiz on it.**

<span style="font-size: 22px; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Why is the play called Clouds? What is Aristophanes' critique of Socrates.**

For more on the causes of the Peloponnesian War, C[|lick here.]

And for a detailed timeline of the events of the Peloponnesian War [|click here.]

=Wednesday, November 2=

Quiz. Discuss the "charges" in Clouds. How are they similar to or different from the real charges upon which Socrates was tried. Introduce Plato's Euthyphro. Begin reading aloud. <span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Homework = For tomorrow Read //Euthyphro 41-51// and be prepared to discuss the following question: Assess the validity of the following statement and be prepared to back your answer up with evidence: Euthyphro represents the beliefs of a Perennial culture and Socrates represents the beliefs of an Axial culture." Come with specific questions if you don't understand particular passages.

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Thursday, November 3
Discuss Euthyphro. How does it help the case against Socrates? Continue with timeline of Peloponnesian War. Introduce Allegory of the Cave.
 * <span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Homework = For tomorrow Read //Euthyphro 51-61// and be prepared to discuss the following question: Assess the validity of the following statement and be prepared to back your answer up with evidence: Euthyphro represents the beliefs of a Perennial culture and Socrates represents the beliefs of an Axial culture." Come with specific questions if you don't understand particular passages. **

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Friday, November 4
====<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">The author of Born to Run [|demonstrates how learn to run properly]with a simple excercise. ====

Finish discussion of Clouds and Euthyphro. Discuss the Republic, Read the Allegory of the Cave and discuss the implications for government.

===<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Homework = Read "the Allegory of the Cave" from Plato's Republic and be prepared to discuss these questions. ===

1. In what ways were Socrates' views about government similar to the governing philosophy utilized in Sparta?

2. What does the Allegory of the Cave imply about the nature of truth?

3. Assess the validity of the following statement: The Allegory of the Cave relies on a grim view of human nature.

4. If the Allegory of the Cave is correct, is there any hope for democracy?

Allegory of the Cave.

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Homework = Read Bertrand Russell's "The Influence of Sparta" and be prepared to answer the following question: **

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">What critique would you make of Spartan govt. and of Plato's views about government? **

Tuesday, November 8
The Divided Line. The strange society of Sparta. How to post on the discussion board. Homework = Post on the Discussion Board. Compose your own thoughts. Post them, then reply, thoughtfully to someone else's post. Please do not forget to do this, as you will be graded on whether you post thoughtfully. Make sure you identify yourself.

Wednesday, November 9 Introduce Apology. ==<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">For Monday read Apology and carefully, outline Socrates' arguments that he makes in his own defense. I will check your outline on Monday. Really, I will. ==

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Also be prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. Is Socrates deliberately trying to provoke the jury? If so how? 2. How does Socrates' deal with the accusations made by Aristophanes?

Library Pathfinder for Trial of Socrates

Monday, November14 Discuss Apology. Make teams.

Homework = read Crito and come prepared to answer the following questions:
== 1. What arguments does Crito make to try to convince Soc. to run away? 2. How does Soc. refute Crito's arguments? 3. In what way does this dialogue show Soc. to be axial? ==

Tuesday, November 15
Go to Library to prepare for Trial.

Homework = Prepare for Trial
=Wednesday, November 16= Back in classroom to work on Socrates Trial and to discuss our paper on Socrates. Homework = Prepare for Trial =Thursday, November 17= Meet in second floor of Library to work on trial.

Friday, November 18
Trial of Socrates. =Homework= Prepare for Trial and begin to work on your essay on Socrates.= Homework = work on your short essay on Socrates--it's due Tuesday November 29

Monday, November 21 Trial of Socrates Homework = work on your short essay on Socrates--it's due Tuesday November 29

Tuesday, November 22 Trial of Socrates. Homework = work on your short essay on Socrates--it's due Tuesday November 29

= Unit 4: Islam and Islamic Civilization =

**Unit Questions Include**
1. Why was the Arabian Peninsula a seemingly unlikely place for a world religion to emerge? 2. What are the principal beliefs of Islam, including the 5 pillars? 3. How is Islam similar to and different from Christianity and Judaism? In what ways is it an Axial religion? 4. What were the high points of Islamic civilization? 5. What were the origins of the Sunni-Shia split? How are Sunni and Shia Islam different from each other? 6. What are the distinguishing features of Islamic art? 7. What was life like for women in Arabia in the time of Mohammed? How did life for women change over time as the Islamic Empire expanded?

BRING YOUR BOOKS THIS WEEK!!!!

**Monday, November 29** Review Unit 3 questions. Introduce Unit 4. Introduce Islam. Islam in the news. Ground Zero Mosque You probably saw this story about the attempted bombing in Portland by a young man who claimed to be acting in the name of Islam. [|This article] tells the story really well. **[|Jon Stewart's take]on the Mosque controversy** (warning strong language---though it's all bleeped). And [|more from Jon Stewart](get's good at about 3:10 mark) on whether mosques should be built anywhere in the US. **Homework = for tomorrow finish your essay and for Wednesday read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 345-353 and answer th****e following reading questions:** 1. The Arabian Peninsula was a very unlikely place for the first global civilization” to originate. Why was this so? Be specific. 2. Despite its desert induced isolation, Arabia still benefited from contact with other civilizations in Eurasia. How? Be specific. 3. Who was Muhammad? What were the major events in his life? 4. Describe religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia. 5. What influence did Christianity and Judaism have on Islam? 6. Describer the Five Pillars of Islam. How was Islam Axial? 7. Explain Jihad and Sharia. == Also bring your textbook to class tomorrow! ==

Tuesday, November 29
Finish PPT. on Islam. Begin maps of Middle East. **Homework = read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 345-353 and answer th****e following reading questions:** 1. In some ways, the Arabian Islamists believe that nearly every aspect of society should be governed by Islam. 1. The Arabian Peninsula was a very unlikely place for the first global civilization” to originate. Why was this so? Be specific.

2. Despite its desert induced isolation, Arabia still benefited from contact with other civilizations in Eurasia. How? Be specific.

3. Who was Muhammad? What were the major events in his life?

4. Describe religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia.

5. What influence did Christianity and Judaism have on Islam?

6. Describer the Five Pillars of Islam. How was Islam Axial?

7. Explain Jihad and Sharia.

**Wednesday, November 30**
Finish Maps of Middle East.

Overview of Judaism, Roman Empire, Christianity,

Islam continued. Discuss Islamic Civilization. Work on SPERM Charts.

To say that Islam [|remains in the news,] is a bit of an understatement, [|as this article about Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain's views] on Islam shows.

**Thursday, December 1**
Discuss SPERM chart.

Homework for Friday read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 353-370 and make a SPERM chart about Islamic society.Also, bring your textbook to class.

**Friday, December 2**
Discuss SPERM chart. Discuss history electives. Do you know more than you[|r Congressperson about Islam?] [|Jon Stewart thinks you might.] You probably will after you read tonight's homework. Shia and Sunni article. 1. What is the historical origin of the Sunni Shiite split? 2. What beliefs do these sects have in common? 3. What are the major differences? 4. Which sect is more Perennial and which is more Axial? Explain. Discuss Shia vs. Sunni ==[|This is really, really sad and depressing]. But note in the article that the awful treatment of this poor woman stems from Afghani tribal traditions, not from Islam.==
 * Homework = ** Read Islam: Sunnis and Shiites. [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png link="file:greenstone/Shiites and Sunnis.pdf"]] ** [[file:greenstone/Shiites and Sunnis.pdf|Shiites and Sunnis.pdf]] **By Christopher Blanchard and answer the following questions:

Monday, December 5
Islamic art. Sunni and Shia.
 * Homework = Review for test on Islam on Wednesday.**

Review for test on Islam. Shia and Sunni. [|The Shia-Sunni conflict continues. Here's a terrible story from today's news] [|The attack was intended to disrupt the Shia holy day of Ashura] [|Ashura] See review guide. Writing sample from Socrates essay.
 * Tuesday, December 6**
 * Homework = Review for test on Islam on Wednesday.**

Test on Islam. Introduce Crusades.
 * Wednesday, December 7**

Click here for [|Awesome North Korean Propaganda]
[|Christian Terrorist in Norway, Jon Stewart's Take] [|Minister plans to burn Koran]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="[]" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> media type="youtube" key="8A3VLcdFnys" height="315" width="560" [|Are these people really this sad because of the death of their leader, Kim Jong Il? Or are they faking it?]

Test on Map.
 * Thursday, December 8**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Homework **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Read and annotate “Conquest By Crusade.” Your annotations should include answers to the following question: What factors motivated the Crusades?

Shia vs. Sunni [|John Stewart Explains] [|and John Stewart Explains Pt. 2] [|Taliban---Sharia Article] and discuss the difficulty of preserving ancient religion in the modern world.

Also, in spite of the Prophet Muhammad's admonition that Muslims should be colorblind, [|people of African descent, living in Iraq, face plenty of racism.] == [|Taliban---Sharia Article] ==

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">In-class read The Crusades Through Arab Eyes and answer the following questions: <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">**HW**: Read/Finish source #58, the first of the Crusades documents. <span style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Answer the questions on the green packet about this document. There are 9 of them.
 * __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Friday 12/9 __**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Class **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Introduction to the Crusades. Begin reading documents. How to interrogate a document. How to group documents. Grouping with shoes.

__<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Background Information: __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;"> **__Franks__** (//Franj//): a Germanic tribe located in much of what is currently France. The royal house of the Franks, the //Carolingians//, grew in strength during the 8th century. Charlemagne (or Charles the Great) was the Carolingian leader during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. His armies battled and defeated the Muslim forces in Spain in 732.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Preliminary list of motives. Terms that link up with our last unit on Islam. <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Stereotypes and moral spheres. <span style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Answer the questions on the green packet about these documents.
 * __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Monday, 12/12 __**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Class **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: The Crusades through Arab eyes.
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Homework **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Read the Crusades packet, #59, and 60. Interrogate each document using the method practiced in class.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">* __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Note __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Ishmaelites is the Byzantine Christian name for Muslims (descendents of Ishmael)

<span style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Answer the questions on the green packet about these documents.
 * __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Tuesday, 12/13 __**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Class **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: More on the Crusades.
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">[|Daily Show on the Crusades (and other things).] **
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Homework **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Rea d the Crusades packet, numbers 61 and 62.

<span style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Answer the questions on the green packet about these documents.
 * __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Wednesday, 12/14 __**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Class **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: More on the Crusades. Solomon and Urban. Motives, tone.
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Homework **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Read from the Crusades packet numbers 63, 64 and 65.

‍‍ ** ‍ ** **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Homework = read Bentley (your textboook) pages 582-590 and be prepared to answer the following questions: **
 * __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Thursday, 12/15 __**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Class **<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">: Grouping documents and writing a thesis. Introduce Birth of Venus.


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">1) From where did Renaissance artists and scholars draw their inspiration? **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">2)What were the guiding themes of the Renaissance? **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">3) Define Humanism **. What other cultures have we studied before that were humanist?

4) Was the Renaissance an assault on the Church? Explain

5) Who was Zheng He? Describe his expeditions. When and where did he sail? What was he (personally) lacking?

6) Why did the Chinese voyages end?

7) What motivated the European explorers?

8) How did Portuguese traders change the slave trade?

9) Why was a sea route to Asia attractive to the Portuguese?

10) What was Columbus' big idea?
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">3 Worlds Collide: Unit Questions **


 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">1. What technological and military advantages did Europeans have over societies in Africa and the Americas? **
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">2. What were the goals and methods of the Spanish Conquistadores? What made them so spectacularly successful **
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">3. What were the achievements of the Incas and the Aztecs? Describe their religious and moral values **
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">4. What were the achievements of the major African civilizations? Describe their religious and moral values **
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">5. What were the effects of the Columbian exchange for Europe, Africa and the Americas? **
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 16px;">6. Were the Spanish more cruel and more greedy than the people they conquered? **

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">media type="custom" key="11857574" Homework = Read "Birth of Venus" excerpts by Sarah Dunant and come prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. Describe Savonarola. What effect did he seem to have on Florence. What did he believe? What kind of life did he lead? What was the message of his sermon? 2. Which aspects of Savonarola's belief system were Axial and which were Perennial? 3. How and why did the city's view of Savonarola begin to change? 4. What was the Bonfire of the Vanities? 5. What was the Ordeal by Fire? 6. What connections can we make between this story and our other units so far this year?
 * __<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Friday, 12/16 __**
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Class **
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">Introduce Birth of Venus **
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 19px;">To computer lab for half the period for survey. **

Birth of Venus and the Renaissance.
 * Monday, 12/19**

** Homework for Wednesday, Read "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico." **
1. Was Aztec religion Axial or Perennial? List specific examples to support your answer. 2. Evaluate Motecuhzoma's leadership. Was he a strong king? Give examples to support your answer. 3. Evaluate why the Spanish defeated the Aztecs. In doing so, rank the four following reasons in order of importance and be prepared to explain your reasoning: 1. Disease 2. Spanish technological advantage 3. Help for the Spanish from Native American enemies of the Aztec 4. Weak Aztec leadership

**Tuesday, 12/20**
Finish The Spanish in the New World. Columbus, Birth of Venus and the Renaissance.

** Homework for Wednesday, Read "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico." **
1. Was Aztec religion Axial or Perennial? List specific examples to support your answer. 2. Evaluate Motecuhzoma's leadership. Was he a strong king? Give examples to support your answer. 3. Evaluate why the Spanish defeated the Aztecs. In doing so, rank the four following reasons in order of importance and be prepared to explain your reasoning: 1. Disease 2. Spanish technological advantage 3. Help for the Spanish from Native American enemies of the Aztec 4. Weak Aztec leadership



Discuss Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico.
Finish with Savanrola. Homework: Read Textbook pp. 695-705 and bring your book. Reading Questions: 1. How did the rise of global trading networks affect African societies? 2. What did the states of Ghana, Mali and Songhay have in common that allowed them to gain and maintain their power? 3. Does the fall of the Songhay to the Portuguese remind you of any other encounters between Europeans and indigenous people that we have studied? 4. What choices did the kingdom of Kongo make in dealing with the Portuguese? How did those choices benefit and harm the Kongolese? 5. The textbook (pp. 703-705) describes "syncretic" African versions of Islam and Christianity. What does this mean? What were some of the characteristics of syncretic African versions of those two religions? How did Arabic Muslims and European Christians react to the African versions of their faiths? 6. What is manioc? How is it an example of both the global trading networks that influenced Africa and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs & Steel" thesis? ==‍ ==

‍ ‍Thursday, December 12/22
Computer lab. Renaissance art. Google Tour of the Uffizi. ==‍ ‍ ‍Friday, December 12/23 == Current events. Finish Renaissance, Birth of Venus. Begin Aztec Account of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.
 * Homework = no homework**
 * Homework = no homework**

if you liked those Daily Show clips from class today, you will certainly like [|this overview of the Swiss Minaret controversy,] from Jon Stewart

** Monday, January 9th **
Welcome back!

Introduce tonight's readings.

Discuss 4 reasons that Spanish beat Aztecs. Which were most important?

Aztec vs. Spanish. What were the decisive factors?

Failure of Leadership of Montezuma

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Spanish superiority in weapons and strategy

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Spread of Disease Among Aztecs

Help (for the Spanish) from Native Allies.

Hand out finals review guides.


 * Homework: Read Textbook pp. 695-705 and bring your textbook **

Reading Questions:

1. How did the rise of global trading networks affect African societies?

2. What did the states of Ghana, Mali and Songhay have in common that allowed them to gain and maintain their power?

3. Does the fall of the Songhay to the Portuguese remind you of any other encounters between Europeans and indigenous people that we have studied?

4. What choices did the kingdom of Kongo make in dealing with the Portuguese? How did those choices benefit and harm the Kongolese?

5. The textbook (pp. 703-705) describes "syncretic" African versions of Islam and Christianity. What does this mean? What were some of the characteristics of syncretic African versions of those two religions? How did Arabic Muslims and European Christians react to the African versions of their faiths?

6. What is manioc? How is it an example of both the global trading networks that influenced Africa and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs & Steel" thesis?

** Tuesday, January 10th **
Early globalism impact on Africa and GG&S.

Discuss last night's reading questions.

Define slavery. 3 kinds of slavery.

Introduction to African slavery and the Atlantic slave trade.

1. What were the characteristics of African slavery of Africans in pre-modern times? Which of the three kinds of slavery was this?

2. What were the characteristics of Islamic slavery of Africans in pre-modern times?

Which of the three kinds of slavery was this?

3. What were the characteristics of European slavery of Africans?

Which of the three kinds of slavery was this?

4. Why did the Portuguese and Spanish need large numbers of slaves? Why did they chose to purchase slaves rather than simply kidnap them?

5. Did some Africans benefit from the Atlantic slave trade? How?

6. What were the characteristics of the plantation system? Why did Caribbean and South American plantations require continual resupply of slaves?

Discuss last night's reading questions and look at primary documents in slavery packet. Watch clip from Amistad.


 * Homework: Read "Spirits, Sugar & Slaves" **

Reading Questions:

1. How are distilled spirits (liquor) made?

2. Why did they not become especially popular with Arabs?

3. What happened to Charles the Bad? Why would you not want this to happen to you? Explain.

4. Explain how the introduction of sugar into Europe spurred slavery.

5. Explain how and why spirits were central to the slave trade.

6. Which spirit (kind of liquor) ultimately became the most important in the slave trade? Why?

The global significance of the Atlantic slave trade

Here's how they make sugar down under.

Baby's first taste of sugar:

media type="youtube" key="LYmI6WXuzA8" height="315" width="420"

media type="youtube" key="6SgkolWWcLM?fs=1" height="385" width="480" What are your pet names for your loved ones. [|Here's an interesting list]

Here's [|Wikipedia's history of sugar]. Note how it tracks the history of the slave trade.

=== ** Homework: ** Review for finals. ===

Friday, January 13th

Review for finals.

Discuss slavery primary documents.

Homework = study for finals.

Read Packet pages 18-28, primary documents relating to the Atlantic Slave Trade

Reading Questions:

1. Where did most slaves in the Atlantic slave trade go? Why?

2. Compare Newton and Snelgrave's descriptions of life on a slave ship. What were their respective motivations in writing their separate accounts?

3. Does either Newton or Snelgrave's account strike you as more credible? Why?

4. What do you think Walsh's purpose was in writing his "Impressions of the Valongo Slave Market?" What technique does he use to achieve that purpose?

5. What are the principal arguments of "A Defense of the African Slave Trade?" Are any of them persuasive if you concede the author's assumptions?

6. Recent scholars have suggested that Olaudah Equiano was born in South Carolina, not Africa, and that, although he was a slave, he never made the Middle Passage that he wrote about so effectively. Does that influence how you view his documents?

Homework: Read handout from "The Cartoon History of the Modern World" on abolition (~10 pages), Textbook pp. 715-718 (abolition) and Packet pp. 29-34 (Abolition Act and two articles on modern slavery). Reading Questions: 1. What was //The Zong//? What was its significance in the abolition movement? 2. How did morality, economics and international politics come together to lead to British abolition of the slave trade? 3. The "Legal Abolition of the Slave Trade" is written in 19th Century legalese but it should be read closely. What precisely does the Act prohibit? What does the Act not do? 4. How do modern slavers keep girls like Pross under their control? 5. What do the various slaves that Miller describes have in common?

** Monday, January **
Abolition Introduction to modern slave trade

[|Long Pross video] === ** [|Somaly Mam Interview w/ Kristof] ** === === ** [|Kristof frees a slave] ** ===

=== Reading Questions:===

1. What does Kapstein argue are self-interested reasons for abolishing the new slave trade?

2. How many people are there currently living in forced servitude? How does that number compare to the Atlantic slave trade?

3. What age and gender are most modern slaves? What tasks are they doing?

4. Why is modern slavery so profitable and appealing to criminals?

5. What political and economic interests have impeded the United States' efforts to combat modern slavery?

6. Why does Kapstein argue that anti-slavery efforts must focus on the supply side rather than the demand side?

7. Wilson states "There is no military solution to modern slavery" (p. 34) but Kapstein argues "Just as force was ultimately needed to halt the slave trade in the nineteenth century, so will force be necessary in some cases today." (p. 46) Which statement is more persuasive?

** Tuesday, January **
Begin comparison of Atlantic slave trade to modern slave trade

** Homework: Read Packet pp. 48-57, "Nobodies" **
Reading Questions:

1. What does South Florida agriculture described by Bowe have in common with the plantation systems of the Atlantic slave trade?

2. What are the principal obstacles to slavery prosecutions of the South Florida growers?

3. What agency do the pickers have?

Some have expressed a special interest and concern in the topic of 21st Century slavery. If that includes you, you may want to check out the[|Somaly Mam Foundation], which tries to help former child sex slaves in Cambodia recover.

** Wednesday, January 12th **
Finish comparison and ask "How can this be?"

** Homework: **[|Post on the discussion board]
Please be sure to post before Friday at 8:00 AM. Make sure you identify yourself and that you discuss all issues sensitively and politely.

Thursday, January

Review for Final

** Friday, January 14th **
Review for Final

** HW: More studying! **
Check out thisTime Magazine a[|rticle from Friday, Jan 15th about slavery in present-day Italy]

Type in the content of your page here.

**1: The First Humans**
==**Major themes and questions will include: 1. What was life like for the earliest humans? What do we know about their religious and moral beliefs and about how they survived? What do we know about their art and music?**==

**6. To what extent has geography determined the destiny of people from different continents? Thursday August 27th**
====**Class Topics** Introductions. Class website. Discuss major themes of Unit 1. Introduce our textbook, __Traditions and Encounters__ by Jerry Bentley. Handout "First Humans" reading packet. [|The First 13.73 Billion Years of the Universe] Groups will note changes over time in====

**Come with detailed notes and be prepared to discuss the following questions in tomorrow's class:**
1. According to Genesis, how was the world created?

2. In what sense can Adam and Eve be considered hunter-gatherers?

3. What's up with that serpent? Do you trusssssst him?

**Class Topics**
Continue

D. Significant Astronomical Events.
Discuss Genesis' picture of hunter-gatherer life.

Introduce Rousseau and Hobbes.

**1. How do the three pieces of writing differ in their view of what H-G life must have been like?**
===**2. In what ways do Rosseau, Hobbes and Genesis view H-G life as positive, in what ways do they see it as negative? Be very specific in your answers and be prepared to discuss the differences in their views. Or if you find their language impenetrably difficult, come with very specific questions about difficult passages.**===

Also, you may want to note, by looking ahead, that Monday's reading is relatively long. If you think you will be busy that night, you may want to plan ahead and get some of that done over the weekend.

**Class Topics**
Discuss the picture of hunter-gatherer-life drawn in Genesis and Rousseau and Hobbes, and also what these writers believed about human nature.

Introduce ethnographic studies of hunter-gatherers: Nisa and Katherine Milton.

===**Homework for Tuesday = read: "Amazon Hunter Gatherers," by Katherine Milton and "Memories of a !Kung Girlhood" by Marjorie Shostak. These articles can be found in your "The First Humans" packet. Pay special attention to whether life in these real H-G societies fits the picture suggested by Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes. This question will be the subject of your first essay so come to class with detailed notes on this subject.**===

**This essay (about which we talk a great deal more) is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, September 9.**
This is the essay assignment.

and here is the rubric I will use when grading it:

**Class Topics**
Discuss Hunter-Gatherer articles: Nisa and Katherine Milton. In what ways do these real-life pictures of Hunter-Gatherers support or contradict the speculation of Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes about the way hunter-gatherers lived? Have specific examples ready for discussion.

Homework = read your textbook, //Traditions and Encounters//, by Bentley, pages 5-16 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. Explain HOW and why hominids, a comparatively physically weak species, came to dominate other species on the planet. Be very specific in your answer, especially the how part.

2. What were the different kinds of hominids? What distinguished Homo Sapiens from Homo Neandertalensis? What does the evidence suggest about the relationship between these two groups of hominids?

3. Describe the artistic and cultural achievements of the Paleolithic (old stone age) peoples?

4. What, if any, moral codes does the evidence suggest existed among Paleolithic peoples?

**Class Topics**
Discuss Bentley.

Work in groups to generate a list of key traits or characteristics that define what it means to be human.


 * Homework = Write an outline for your essay.** **Your essay will be evaluated according to this rubric:** [[file:genesisRubric.rtf]].

The outline will be checked in class tomorrow.

**Class Topics**
Mr. G will check your outline as you work in groups to determine whether [|Neanderthals] were human. Also, we introduce"Yali's Question," and begin to read it in class.

**Homework = Read "Yali's Question" excerpt from Guns, Germs and Steel. Come to class prepared to discuss the following:**
1. What was Yali's question, as he posed it to Jared Diamond?

2. How does Diamond reformulate this question?

3. Why is this question important?

4. How would you begin to answer this question?

5. Yali seems to think that the "cargo" Westerners possess is wholly good. Do you believe he is right about that? Why or why not?


 * < **“** || The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said "This is mine," and found people naive enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody. ||> **”** ||
 * || — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, //[|Discourse on Inequality]//, 1754 ||

**Class Topics**
Discuss Yali's question. Does cargo actually make life better? Begin to discuss the transition from H-G society to farming. How did it happen?

<span class="wiki_link_ext">[|"How Do You Make a Dog?]

Here's why you'd want to:

[|Also, why does my dog roll in that dead fish and eat his own vomit, and why don't I do that too?]

Finally, remember what God told the serpent: "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Well it turns out that nearly all cultures fear snakes, even children who have never seen them are kind of freaked out by them.

[|This article traces the relationship between humans and snakes back to the dawn of humans and]

**Class Topics**
Do you believe in progress? Is Human nature good?

Why did Hobbes and Rousseau speculate. Discuss whether history is really [|about the present.]

Discuss Yali's question. Does "cargo" actually make life better? Inventions that give and take away.

Last questions on your essay. Discuss formatting and writing styles.

**Class Topics**
Collect essays.

Would somebody, somewhere, please [|give Mr. Thomas Hobbes a little bit of love]? Are Nisa and Katherine Milton reliable?

Explain discussion boards and introduce first discussion topic.

Introduce "Collision at Cajamarca" by Jared Diamond.

Homework = read Collision at Cajamarca by Jared Diamond and as you read, keep in mind the following instructions:

1. Read the Collision at Cajamarca handout and circle or highlight unfamiliar vocabulary words

2. This primary document contains two very different systems of religion, one for the Incas and one for the Spanish. Describe them

3. Take notes on evidence of how highly stratified each society is. (//stratified means arranged// //into separate social classes, castes or social layers)//

4. The Spanish were victorious at Cajamarca despite the fact they had fewer men. List as many possible reasons why you believe the Spanish won. Rank them in order of importance.

Also, a new study suggests that we domesticated dogs for a [|delicious reason].

**Class Topics**
Discuss Cajamarca and go over discussion board posting instructions.

===**Homework = Post on the [|Discussion board], and also, Read "Farmer Power" by Jared Diamond and come with detailed notes, ready to discuss the following question:**===

1. What advantages do farming peoples have over non-farming peoples? Be specific. Can you think of some historical examples to back up these claims?

Also, tonight is parent-open house. Tell your folks to come by.

**Friday, September 11**
No school

===**Homework = Post on the [|Discussion board], and also, Read "Farmer Power" by Jared Diamond and come with detailed notes, ready to discuss the following question:**===

1. What advantages do farming peoples have over non-farming peoples? Be specific. Can you think of some historical examples to back up these claims?

**Monday, September 14**
Continue discussing Cajamarca---Why did Spanish triumph?

Discuss Farmer Power and begin Zen version of G,G,S PPT.

==**Homework = " Work on variables for GGS. Pick the five most important variables, read about them, and be prepared to defend your choices. [|Click here to go to the GGS variable page.]**==

Disease from domesticated animals may have helped Eurasians conquer the world,[|as swine flu demonstrates], they can still cause us plenty of trouble.

Here are two less zen, more detailed version's of Diamond's argument.

**Class Topics**
Discuss variables. Rank them.

Finish PPT.

It's not a "5 Paragraph Essay"

**Homework = study for in-class outline of Yali's Question.**
=**Attention: Bring your textbooks on Friday, September 18!**=

**Class Topics**
Write Outline on GGS, Yali's question.

Homework = No homework.

**Class Topics**
CSI: Oak Park---The Mystery of the Lost Society.

Introduce Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc.

**Homework = Read pages 31-38 of your textbook and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Why did the world's first cities begin in Mesopotamia? What was special about it?

2.Who was Gilgamesh? What is the point of the story about the magical plant? Does it remind you of anything?

3. How was city life in Mesopotamia different from the village life that preceded it? Be specific.

4. Did everyone benefit from the new kinds of governments and societies that cropped up in Mesopotamia, or were there winners and losers. If so, who won and who lost?

5. Was Hammurabi's Code fair or unfair? Explain.

Fill out your answer sheets for CSI: Oak Park--Come to class prepared to defend your hypotheses. And bring your textbooks on Friday!

**Friday, September 18**
Discuss CSI: Oak Park---The Mystery of the Lost Society.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 11pt;">Homework = Read Bentley pages 87-93; stop at the section titled, “The Indo-European Migrations and Early Aryan India.”

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 11pt;">1. Write detailed IDs (include who, what, where, when, and the significance) of the following terms: Harappa, Harappan, Mohenjo-Daro, Dravidian

2. Compare the Indus Valley with Mesopotamia. Are they more similar or more different?

Be warned: there might be a quiz on Monday on pages 31-38 and 87-93 of your textbook.

**Class Topics**
Quiz on Mesopotamia and Harrappan Civilization

Hammurabi's Code---

Why do we Punish?

**Unit 2: The Axial Age**
Major themes and questions include:

1. What are the chief characteristics of Perennial religions?

2.What are the major Axial relgions and what are their chief characteristics?

3. How can we explain why so many Axial religions arose simultaneously and independently during the first millennium B.C.E?

4. Though the Axial religions have much in common, they also have significant differences. In what important ways do they differ?

How can we account for these differences?

5. Why is the Buddha's story fundamentally an Axial story?

6. Religious belief seems to emerge from specific times and places. If this is so, how can we explain the continued, enduring popularity and resilience of Axial religions thousands of years after their first emergence?

7. Describe the political, economic, and religious development of China.Tuesday, October 13

Exchange comic books with another person.

=**Tuesday, September 22**=

**Class Topics**
Wrap up Hammurabi

Discuss Foucault--"Drawn and Quartered"

"Why do we punish?"

Introduce Ancient Religion packet.

**Class Topics**
Go over quiz.

Goodbye Unit 1... Hello Unit 2!

Discuss Ancient Religion packet. Introduce Axial and Perennial Chart.

**Homework = Read Noah and Gilgamesh Flood Stories and do a Venn diagram.**
Also, though we don't intentionally torture criminals now, the way the French did to Damiens, sometimes [|things go wrong on death row.]

=**Thursday, September 24**=

**Class Topics**
Discuss Noah and Gilgamesh, differences and similarities, Axial and Perennial.

==**Homework = read pages 93-101 of your textbook pages and prepare a SPER chart (SPER stands for Social-Political-Economic-Religious) that helps you organize information about what Classical, Vedic India was like. I may check to see if you have done this chart.**==

Friday, September 25

**Class Topics**
Discuss the cosmology of Classical India and last night's reading.

Introduce Karen Armstrong's Buddha. Read some in class.

**Homework = For Friday--Read the first half of Karen Armstrong's Buddha, Chapter 1--pages 1-20 and answer the following reading questions:**
1. Make a list of 12 English vocabulary words used in the chapter that you did not fully understand on first read. Look these words up in the dictionary (or if you don’t have a dictionary, look them up on dictionary.com). Then write a sentence using this word properly.

2. Describe the “Perennial” world and beliefs of Vedic India. Be specific.

3. According to Armstrong, what are the possible causes of the Axial transformation?

Explain in detail.

=**Monday, September 28**=

**Class Topics**
Today is a high holy day for some. If you will miss school, come by to discuss what you will miss. Bill Cosby's Noah:

Bill Cosby's Noah

media type="custom" key="4425543"

And here is Bill Cosby's controversial, sexist take on the Garden of Eden:

media type="custom" key="4425603"

What is the Buddha's story?

If time permits, read Buddha's first sermon in class and analyze for Axial vs. Perennial.

Go over Quiz and how to read the textbook.

**Tuesday, September 29**
Discuss Buddha by Karen Armstrong. Indian Cosmology. What are the Axial religions? Why did the Axial religions emerge when they did? How is Buddha's story Axial.

**Homework = Read Buddha primary documents "Buddha's First Sermon" and The Story of the Buddha.**
=**Wednesday, September 30**=

**Class Topics**
Introduce Buddhist Comic book and rubric, Discuss Armstrong--Last night's reading.--Axial versus Perennial, causes,

If time permits, discuss Buddha's first sermon and his story in class and analyze for Axial vs. Perennial. Discuss, view sample comic book on overhead. Buddhist Art--[]

**Homework = Read Buddhist Morality article. and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. How was Buddhist morality different from the morality of the Perennial age. Be specific.

=**Thursday, October 1**=

**Class Topics**
From Iron Age to Axial--The flow chart.

The Buddha, a quintessentially Axial life.

Introduce Buddhist Comic book and rubric.

Discuss Jainist morality, Buddhist morality and the 5 spheres.

=** Homework **=

Work on Buddhist Comic Book. It is due Tuesday, October 13.= Also, this is one of Pixar's first films. Cool.

media type="youtube" key="PvCWPZfK8pI" height="344" width="425"



=**Friday, October 2**=

**Class Topics**
Watch excerpts of Little Buddha and decide if it is an Axial or Perennial interpretation of the story.

View sample comic book on overhead. Buddhist Art-- []

Living Perennial in an Axial religion.

Questions about Buddhist Comic book.

Buddhism, Jainism and the Five Moral Spheres.

Which moral spheres are most important in the US.

**Class Topics**
==**[|Watch video on Jainists] Click here if you are curious about [|what Jains can eat].**==

Which of the Five Universal Moral Spheres: does Buddha seem most interested in. Which is he least interested in.

Which of the If Five Universal Moral Spheres are the Jains most interested in. Which are they least interested in.

Also, if you find this Moral Sphere stuff interesting, [|read this article] by Steven Pinker. It's long but good. Test on Hindu-Buddhist vocabulary.

moral spheres. Moral dilemmsas.

**Homework = textbook pages 112-123 and be prepared to discuss these questions:**
1. How did geography shape China?

2. How was China similar to and different from the other river valley Civilizations (Mesopotamia--Indus River)?

3. Explain the Chinese dynastic cycles.

4. Describe the most impressive accomplishments of the old dynasties.

=**Tuesday, October 6**=

**Bring your textbook tomorrow!**
Finish Moral Spheres and the moral dilemmas.

Introduce Ancient China--PPT.

Homework = work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13. Also,

Bring your textbook tomorrow!
Also, as students of history, we talk about change over time. [|This article, about David Letterman], shows how blackmail has changed over time.

Several of you have asked for more sources on the Buddha's life. Here are a bunch...

1. This is about [|Buddha's first teachers during his ascetic phase.]

2. Here's a bit more detail on [|his ideas]

3. This is an account of the [|Buddha entering Nirvana]

=**Wednesday, October 7**=

**Class Topics**
Intro to China PPT.

media type="custom" key="4521240"

and students work in groups to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the Chinese system of government during Ancient China. Be sure to explain the Mandate of Heaven, dynastic cycles and to examine whether China was

more of an empire or a feudal Kingdom.

2. What are key features of Ancient Chinese religion?

3. What light can Jared Diamond's theories shed on the development of Ancient China?

4. How was China similar to and different from other Ancient River Valley Civilizations?

=**Homework**=

work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13 .=

=**Thursday, October 8**=

**Class Topics**
Continue discussing questions about China from yesterday.

Read "Confucius Says" in class and discuss. Which moral spheres are emphasized. What are the chief moral values of Confucius. Are the Analects Axial?

My students in Taiwan.

Chief Confucian values. The five relationships. Begin to introduce Taoism.

Introduce China. Discuss dynastic cycles and background. []

=**Homework ---work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13.**=

**[]**
[|Buddist Cartoon.doc]

[|Comic Life]

[]

==**[] **==

=**Friday, October 9**=

**Class Topics**
Continue discussion of Ancient China. Wrap up PPT. Complete "Confucius Says".

Is he Axial or Perennial?

Which of the Moral Spheres is Confucius most interested in? Compare him to Buddha and the Jains.

=**Homework**=

work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13 ==

=media type="custom" key="4521240"=

=**Monday, October 12**=

No schoolColumbus Day. While you work on your comic book, I'll be fishing. This is a picture of my fishing trip from last year's Columbus day weekend.



=media type="custom" key="4577768"=

==**Homework = Read in the China packet up through page 10. This includes the quotations on the 5 Confucian relationships and the Book of Filial Piety for Women which is presented side by side with the Book of Filial Piety. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:**==

**2. How do Confucianism's demands differ for men and women?**
A Chinese House. [|chinese house.pdf]

**Wednesday, October 14**
Read about my Taiwanese students.

Finish discussing and identifying Confucian values. 5 Moral Spheres? Compare Confucius to Buddha. Discuss gender and family.

Introduce the Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Begin reading in class?

=**Homework**=

**Thursday, October 15**
Introduce Han Fei Tzu and Legalism--China packet pages 42-45 of China packet. Compare to Confucianism on govt.

Begin to Discuss the Good Earth. Axial? Perennial? Gender?

Homework = Read the Good Earth Chapters 3-6 and be prepared to answer the following reading questions:

Friday, October 16
Discuss Good Earth reading questions.

Relations between spouses. [|chinese house.pdf]

Mole hairs?



Fat Mary Lincoln?

Confucius chief moral spheres.

And the Buddha.

Wang Lung's religious beliefs.

Homework = read Tao of Pooh, pages 48-60 of China packet and come prepared to discuss the chief values of Taoism.

**Monday, October 19**
Continue discussing Good Earth.

Discuss Tao of Pooh in class and begin to read the Tao Te Ching in class.

What the heck is Lao Tzu saying? Does Lao Tzu Agree or disagree with Confucius? Han Fei Tze. Axial?

Homework = finish the Tao Te Ching and Read textbook on classical China, pages 181-189 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. Explain Confucius' political views. What was his view of human nature?

2. Describe the teachings of Mencius and Xunzi. What did they believe about human nature?

3. What was the political philosophy of the Tao Te Ching

4. Explain Legalism. Who were its chief thinkers?

**Tuesday, October 20**
Discuss Taoism and last night's reading.

Guess the Chinese Art PPT.

media type="custom" key="4644242"

media type="custom" key="4560100"

**Homework= read textbook pages 189-193 and be prepared to answer the following questions:**
1. Who was Qin Shihuangdi? Who were his advisers?

2. Describe the accomplishments (they are many) of Qin Shihuangdi?

3. Why was Qin Shihuangdi so hated by his people? Why did his dynasty collapse?

=**Please bring your textbook on Wednesday, October 21**=



Identify Confucius' chief values. Read the Five Relationship, and about my students from Taiwan, pages 46-47 of China packet. Introduce China packet and Book of Filial Piety for Women.

5 Moral Spheres?

Wednesday, October 21
Legalism and Confucianism. Discuss last night's readings. Qin Shihuangdi and his accomplishments and failures.

Homework = read "Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo pages 8-28 and and be prepared to answer the following questions:

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1. Describe the achievements of Athens. Why was it a brilliant age?

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2. Describe Socrates early career and life.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3. Who were the Sophists? What did Socrates think of them?

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4. Explain Socrates encounter with the Oracle of Delphi.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5. How is Socrates' story a profoundly Axial story?

Thursday, October 22
Wrap up China. Legalism and Confucianism. Murder in Ha Tien.

Friday, October 23
Review for test. Introduce Trial of Socrates. Discuss the reading questions from Nardo. Self evaluation for class participation.

**Homework = review for test on China. This test is on Friday and covers everything going back to the Shang Dynasty and your entire China packet, including the Good Earth.**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Here is the review guide for the China test.

Also, if Shihuangdi standardized Chinese written language, [|the same thing is now happening to Chinese spoken language], courtesy of the communists.

**Monday, October 26**
Test on China

**Homework = Finish Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Who was Antiphon the Sophist? What did he believe?

2. What was Socrates method of determing the truth? Explain "Socratic Irony"

3. What did Socrates think about Democratic government. Explain why he thought this.

4. Explain the political crisis in Athens during the 5th century BC. Why does the author call Athens a "paranoid society?"

5. What were the charges against Socrates? Who were his accusers?

**Tuesday, October 27**
media type="custom" key="4661643"

media type="custom" key="5028171"

Unit
Introduce Classical Greece. High points of Greece---Humanism-Art-Theater-The Olympics-The Golden Age. Parmenides vs. Heracitis.

Discuss the Athenian city states and the context of the Peloponnesian War as presented in Don Nardo's "Trial of Socrates"

**Homework = Read your textbook pages 248-255 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Describe family and society in Classical Greece. How does it compare with Classical China?

2. Explain culture, religion and philosophy in Classical Greece. How were the Greeks were a humanist culture? Which parts of Greek religion were Axial and which were Perennial?

**Wednesday, October 28**
Continue with high points of Greek culture. Parmenides and Heraclitis.

Discuss the political climate of Athens before 400 BC. Who was Socrates?

Introduce Aristophanes the Clouds Begin reading aloud.

**Thursday, October 29**
Review: 1) A brilliant age. 2) Socrates makes enemies 3) Fighting with Shadows.

Continue to discuss Aristophanes. Read in Class.

**Friday, October 30**
Quiz. Discuss the "charges" in Clouds. How are they similar to or different from the real charges upon which Socrates was tried. Introduce Plato's Euthyphro. Begin reading aloud

==**Homework = Read //Euthyphro// from page 41-page 51, and be prepared to discuss the following question: Assess the validity of the following statement and be prepared to back your answer up with evidence: Euthyphro represents the beliefs of a Perennial culture and Socrates represents the beliefs of an Axial culture."**==

**Monday, November 2**
Discuss Euthyphro. How does it help the case against Socrates?

==**Homework = Finish Euthyphro and be prepared to discuss the following question: Assess the validity of the following statement and be prepared to back your answer up with evidence: Euthyphro represents the beliefs of a Perennial culture and Socrates represents the beliefs of an Axial culture."**==

**Homework = Finish "the Allegory of the Cave" from Plato's Republic and read Bertrand Russell's "The Influence of Sparta" and be prepared to answer the following questions:**
1. In what ways were Socrates' views about government similar to the governing philosophy utilized in Sparta?

2. What does the Allegory of the Cave imply about the nature of truth?

3. Assess the validity of the following statement: The Allegory of the Cave relies on a grim view of human nature.

4. If the Allegory of the Cave is correct, is there any hope for democracy?

Also, for Bertrand Russell's article

**Tuesday, November 3**
Finish discussion of Clouds and Euthyphro. Discuss the Republic, Read the Allegory of the Cave and discuss the implications for government. Discuss "Sparta" by Bertrand Russell.

**Wednesday, November 4**
Discuss the Allegory of the Cave and introduce //Apology.//

**Homework = Read Apology and answer the following questions:**
1. Outline Socrates' arguments in his "defense." **This may be checked for credit.**

2. Is Socrates deliberately trying to provoke the jury? If so how?

3. How does Socrates' deal with the accusations made by Aristophanes?

**Monday November 9**
Explain posting for discussion board. Finish Allegory of the Cave. How does Plato reconcile Heraclitus and Parmenides.

Discuss the influence of Sparta.

Discuss //Apology//. Introduce Crito.

**Homework = read Crito and come prepared to answer the following questions:**
1. What arguments does Crito make to try to convince Soc. to run away?

2. How does Soc. refute Crito's arguments?

3. In what way does this dialogue show Soc. to be axial?

**Part II of Homework = Discussion board posting---[|Click here to go to the discussion board]**
You must post before 9 am on Wednesday morning.

**Tuesday, November 10**
Discuss the influence of Sparta, and break down the arguments of Apology.

**Discussion board posting---[|Click here to go to the discussion board]**
You must post before 9 am on Wednesday morning.

=Unit 3: The Death of Socrates=

Major themes and questions will include:

1. In what way is Socrates' story fundamentally an Axial story?

2. How did the Peloponnesian War set the stage for the accusations against Socrates?

3. What exactly was Socrates accused of?

4. How much merit was there in the charges levelled against Socrates?

5. What was Aristophanes critique of Socrates?

6. Why did Socrates not resist his death sentence?

7. According to Socrates and Plato, what is the nature of truth and what is the meaning of life?

8. In what ways are the versions of truth and meaning promoted by Socrates/Plato similar to or different from the ideas taught by other Axial sages?

Readings will include:

Clouds

Euthryphro

Apology

Crito

Phaedo (excerpt)

Don Nardo's "The Trial of Socrates" (excerpts)

Here's a map of the Peloponnesian War



For more on the causes of the Peloponnesian War, C[|lick here.]

And for a detailed timeline of the events of the Peloponnesian War [|click here.]

Wednesday, November 11 Introduce Trial rules and procedures. Break into teams.

Work with your teams on the trial. Go over dialogue instructions. Look at one page of a sample dialogue.

Homework = Prepare for the trial and work on your dialogue. Your dialogue project is due next Wednesday.
Your dialogue should demonstrate deep engagement with some of the following themes that our unit on Socrates has raised: Man vs. State; Fathers vs. Sons; Tradition vs. Skepticism; Axial vs. Perennial; the relationship of drama/poetry to philosophy/religion; Democracy vs. Oligarchy; Being vs. Becoming; and the meaning of Justice.

[|socessay wha1.doc]

Thursday, November 12
Deposition. and work with your teams.

Friday, November 13
Prepare for Dialogue. Read //Phaedo//. Die, Socrates, Die!

Discussion of the Dialogue. Current events.

Monday, November 16
Prepare for dialogue. Prepare for depositions and start working on opening and closing statements. Big speech.

Homework = Dialogue due Wednesday. Make it really good. Dazzle me.
Your dialogue should demonstrate deep engagement with some of the following themes that our unit on Socrates has raised: Man vs. State; Fathers vs. Sons; Tradition vs. Skepticism; Axial vs. Perennial; the relationship of drama/poetry to philosophy/religion; Democracy vs. Oligarchy; Being vs. Becoming; and the meaning of Justice.

== [|socessay wha1.doc]==

Wednesday, November 18
Dialogues due. Exchange dialogue. Team time. Begin reading Women in Ancient WLD. documents. Were women primarily treated as property?

Thursday, November 19
Trial part I--

Friday, November 20
Wrap up trial. Self-evaluation for trial.

**Monday, November 23**
Wrap up trial. Self-evaluation for trial. Women in the Ancient WLD. Docs. Were women property?

**Homework = Finish reading documents about women in world history. Also Discussion Board Post due by Sunday night November 29.**
=**Unit 4: Cross Cultural Exchanges**=

**Tuesday, November 24**
Women in the Ancient WLD. Docs. Were women property? Current Events.

**Monday, November 30**
Comments on the Discussion Thread.

Introduce Islam.

media type="custom" key="4983787"


 * Homework = read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 345-353 and answer the following reading questions:**

1. In some ways, the Arabian Islamists believe that nearly every aspect of society should be governed by Islam.

1. The Arabian Peninsula was a very unlikely place for the first global civilization” to originate. Why was this so? Be specific.

2. Despite its desert induced isolation, Arabia still benefited from contact with other civilizations in Eurasia. How? Be specific.

3. Who was Muhammad? What were the major events in his life?

4. Describe religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia.

5. What influence did Christianity and Judaism have on Islam?

6. Describer the Five Pillars of Islam. How was Islam Axial?

7. Explain Jihad and Sharia.

**Tuesday, December 1**
Finish PPT. on Islam.

Islam continued. Discuss women in World history.

Especially the Roman eulogy. Also, recap the discussion board.

Discuss Islamic Civilization. Work on Sperm Charts.

Homework = for Thursday read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 353-370 and make a SPERM chart about Islamic society. Also bring your textbook to class.


 * Wednesday, December 2**

To say that Islam [|remains in the news,] is a bit of an understatement, as this article about intolerance in Switzerland shows. This [|includes banking.]

And then there is this view, from[|Thomas Friedman of the NYT.]

==also, tonight, Obama reveals his plan to add more troops to Afghanistan. Here are two opinions, [|one pro] and [|one con] about this decision. Notice how both authors use history to make their argument more persuasive. History is a weapon. Use it wisely.==

=**Homework for Thursday**=

read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 353-370 and make a SPERM chart about Islamic society.Also, bring your textbook to class.

Thursday, December 3
Discuss SPERM chart. Do you know more than you[|r Congressperson about Islam?]

You probably will after you read tonight's homework. Shia and Sunni article.

Homework = **Read Islam: Sunnis and Shiites. [[file:Shiites and Sunnis.pdf]]By Christopher Blanchard and answer the following questions:**
1. What is the historical origin of the Sunni Shiite split?

2. What beliefs do these sects have in common?

3. What are the major differences?

4. Which sect is more Perennial and which is more Axial? Explain.

Islamic Art.

Friday, December 4
Discuss Shia vs. Sunni

[|John Stewart Explains]

[|and John Stewart Explains Pt. 2]

[|Taliban---Sharia Article] and discuss the difficulty of preserving ancient religion in the modern world.

==Homework = Study for quiz on Islam. The textbook company has some study guides and review exercises available for free. [|Click here] to see.==

Also, in spite of the Prophet Muhammad's admonition that Muslims should be colorblind, [|people of African descent, living in Iraq, face plenty of racism.]



if you liked those Daily Show clips from class today, you will certainly like [|this overview of the Swiss Minaret controversy,] from Jon Stewart.

Monday, December 7
Quiz on Islam.

Explain tonight's homework.



[[file:New Wld ppt2.doc]]
Introduce Encounters PPT. Project.



**Homework = read Bentley (your textbook) pages 582-590 and be prepared to answer the following questions:**

 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">1) From where did Renaissance artists and scholars draw their inspiration? **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">2)What were the guiding themes of the Renaissance? **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">3) Define Humanism **. What other cultures have we studied before that were humanist?

4) Was the Renaissance an assault on the Church? Explain

5) Who was Zheng He? Describe his expeditions. When and where did he sail? What was he (personally) lacking?

6) Why did the Chinese voyages end?

7) What motivated the European explorers?

8) How did Portuguese traders change the slave trade?

9) Why was a sea route to Asia attractive to the Portuguese?

10) What was Columbus' big idea?

**Bring your textbook tomorrow!!**
=Tuesday, December 8=

Introduce Birth of Venus. Think-Aloud--Walkabout--Slideshow and discussion. Renaissance humanism.

media type="custom" key="4971471"

Homework = Read "Birth of Venus" excerpts by Sarah Dunant and come prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. Describe Savonarola. What effect did he seem to have on Florence. What did he believe? What kind of life did he lead? What was the message of his sermon?

2. Which aspects of Savonarola's belief system were Axial and which were Perennial?

3. How and why did the city's view of Savonarola begin to change?

4. What was the Bonfire of the Vanities?

5. What was the Ordeal by Fire?

6. What connections can we make between this story and our other units so far this year?

There may be a quiz tomorrow on the Birth of Venus reading.

media type="custom" key="5028091"

Homework = Read read Bentley (your textbook) about your topic for the PPT. This will give you background on your subject and help you start thinking about how to do your PPT
=**3 Worlds Collide: Unit Questions**=

**6. Were the Spanish more crue1: The First Humans**
==**Major themes and questions will include: 1. What was life like for the earliest humans? What do we know about their religious and moral beliefs and about how they survived? What do we know about their art and music?**==

**6. To what extent has geography determined the destiny of people from different continents? Thursday August 27th**
====**Class Topics** Introductions. Class website. Discuss major themes of Unit 1. Introduce our textbook, __Traditions and Encounters__ by Jerry Bentley. Handout "First Humans" reading packet. [|The First 13.73 Billion Years of the Universe] Groups will note changes over time in====

**Come with detailed notes and be prepared to discuss the following questions in tomorrow's class:**
1. According to Genesis, how was the world created?

2. In what sense can Adam and Eve be considered hunter-gatherers?

3. What's up with that serpent? Do you trusssssst him?

**Class Topics**
Continue

D. Significant Astronomical Events.
Discuss Genesis' picture of hunter-gatherer life.

Introduce Rousseau and Hobbes.

**1. How do the three pieces of writing differ in their view of what H-G life must have been like?**
===**2. In what ways do Rosseau, Hobbes and Genesis view H-G life as positive, in what ways do they see it as negative? Be very specific in your answers and be prepared to discuss the differences in their views. Or if you find their language impenetrably difficult, come with very specific questions about difficult passages.**===

Also, you may want to note, by looking ahead, that Monday's reading is relatively long. If you think you will be busy that night, you may want to plan ahead and get some of that done over the weekend.

**Class Topics**
Discuss the picture of hunter-gatherer-life drawn in Genesis and Rousseau and Hobbes, and also what these writers believed about human nature.

Introduce ethnographic studies of hunter-gatherers: Nisa and Katherine Milton.

===**Homework for Tuesday = read: "Amazon Hunter Gatherers," by Katherine Milton and "Memories of a !Kung Girlhood" by Marjorie Shostak. These articles can be found in your "The First Humans" packet. Pay special attention to whether life in these real H-G societies fits the picture suggested by Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes. This question will be the subject of your first essay so come to class with detailed notes on this subject.**===

**This essay (about which we talk a great deal more) is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, September 9.**
This is the essay assignment.

and here is the rubric I will use when grading it:

**Class Topics**
Discuss Hunter-Gatherer articles: Nisa and Katherine Milton. In what ways do these real-life pictures of Hunter-Gatherers support or contradict the speculation of Rosseau/Genesis/Hobbes about the way hunter-gatherers lived? Have specific examples ready for discussion.

Homework = read your textbook, //Traditions and Encounters//, by Bentley, pages 5-16 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. Explain HOW and why hominids, a comparatively physically weak species, came to dominate other species on the planet. Be very specific in your answer, especially the how part.

2. What were the different kinds of hominids? What distinguished Homo Sapiens from Homo Neandertalensis? What does the evidence suggest about the relationship between these two groups of hominids?

3. Describe the artistic and cultural achievements of the Paleolithic (old stone age) peoples?

4. What, if any, moral codes does the evidence suggest existed among Paleolithic peoples?

**Class Topics**
Discuss Bentley.

Work in groups to generate a list of key traits or characteristics that define what it means to be human.


 * Homework = Write an outline for your essay.** **Your essay will be evaluated according to this rubric:** [[file:genesisRubric.rtf]].

The outline will be checked in class tomorrow.

**Class Topics**
Mr. G will check your outline as you work in groups to determine whether [|Neanderthals] were human. Also, we introduce"Yali's Question," and begin to read it in class.

**Homework = Read "Yali's Question" excerpt from Guns, Germs and Steel. Come to class prepared to discuss the following:**
1. What was Yali's question, as he posed it to Jared Diamond?

2. How does Diamond reformulate this question?

3. Why is this question important?

4. How would you begin to answer this question?

5. Yali seems to think that the "cargo" Westerners possess is wholly good. Do you believe he is right about that? Why or why not?


 * < **“** || The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said "This is mine," and found people naive enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody. ||> **”** ||
 * || — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, //[|Discourse on Inequality]//, 1754 ||

**Class Topics**
Discuss Yali's question. Does cargo actually make life better? Begin to discuss the transition from H-G society to farming. How did it happen?

<span class="wiki_link_ext">[|"How Do You Make a Dog?]

Here's why you'd want to:

media type="youtube" key="D2FX9rviEhw" height="340" width="560"

[|Also, why does my dog roll in that dead fish and eat his own vomit, and why don't I do that too?]

Finally, remember what God told the serpent: "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Well it turns out that nearly all cultures fear snakes, even children who have never seen them are kind of freaked out by them.

[|This article traces the relationship between humans and snakes back to the dawn of humans and]

**Class Topics**
Do you believe in progress? Is Human nature good?

Why did Hobbes and Rosseau speculate. Discuss whether history is really [|about the present.]

Discuss Yali's question. Does "cargo" actually make life better? Inventions that give and take away.

Last questions on your essay. Discuss formatting and writing styles.

**Class Topics**
Collect essays.

Would somebody, somewhere, please [|give Mr. Thomas Hobbes a little bit of love]? Are Nisa and Katherine Milton reliable?

Explain discussion boards and introduce first discussion topic.

Introduce "Collision at Cajamarca" by Jared Diamond.

Homework = read Collision at Cajamarca by Jared Diamond and as you read, keep in mind the following instructions:

1. Read the Collision at Cajamarca handout and circle or highlight unfamiliar vocabulary words

2. This primary document contains two very different systems of religion, one for the Incas and one for the Spanish. Describe them

3. Take notes on evidence of how highly stratified each society is. (//stratified means arranged// //into separate social classes, castes or social layers)//

4. The Spanish were victorious at Cajamarca despite the fact they had fewer men. List as many possible reasons why you believe the Spanish won. Rank them in order of importance.

Also, a new study suggests that we domesticated dogs for a [|delicious reason].

**Class Topics**
Discuss Cajamarca and go over discussion board posting instructions.

===**Homework = Post on the [|Discussion board], and also, Read "Farmer Power" by Jared Diamond and come with detailed notes, ready to discuss the following question:**===

1. What advantages do farming peoples have over non-farming peoples? Be specific. Can you think of some historical examples to back up these claims?

Also, tonight is parent-open house. Tell your folks to come by.

**Friday, September 11**
No school

===**Homework = Post on the [|Discussion board], and also, Read "Farmer Power" by Jared Diamond and come with detailed notes, ready to discuss the following question:**===

1. What advantages do farming peoples have over non-farming peoples? Be specific. Can you think of some historical examples to back up these claims?

**Monday, September 14**
Continue discussing Cajamarca---Why did Spanish triumph?

Discuss Farmer Power and begin Zen version of G,G,S PPT.

media type="custom" key="4616952"

==**Homework = " Work on variables for GGS. Pick the five most important variables, read about them, and be prepared to defend your choices. [|Click here to go to the GGS variable page.]**==

Disease from domesticated animals may have helped Eurasians conquer the world,[|as swine flu demonstrates], they can still cause us plenty of trouble.

Here are two less zen, more detailed version's of Diamond's argument.

**Class Topics**
Discuss variables. Rank them.

Finish PPT.

It's not a "5 Paragraph Essay"

**Homework = study for in-class outline of Yali's Question.**
=**Attention: Bring your textbooks on Friday, September 18!**=

**Class Topics**
Write Outline on GGS, Yali's question.

Homework = No homework.

**Class Topics**
CSI: Oak Park---The Mystery of the Lost Society.

Introduce Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc.

**Homework = Read pages 31-38 of your textbook and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Why did the world's first cities begin in Mesopotamia? What was special about it?

2.Who was Gilgamesh? What is the point of the story about the magical plant? Does it remind you of anything?

3. How was city life in Mesopotamia different from the village life that preceded it? Be specific.

4. Did everyone benefit from the new kinds of governments and societies that cropped up in Mesopotamia, or were there winners and losers. If so, who won and who lost?

5. Was Hammurabi's Code fair or unfair? Explain.

Fill out your answer sheets for CSI: Oak Park--Come to class prepared to defend your hypotheses. And bring your textbooks on Friday!

**Friday, September 18**
Discuss CSI: Oak Park---The Mystery of the Lost Society.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 11pt;">Homework = Read Bentley pages 87-93; stop at the section titled, “The Indo-European Migrations and Early Aryan India.”

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 11pt;">1. Write detailed IDs (include who, what, where, when, and the significance) of the following terms: Harappa, Harappan, Mohenjo-Daro, Dravidian

2. Compare the Indus Valley with Mesopotamia. Are they more similar or more different?

Be warned: there might be a quiz on Monday on pages 31-38 and 87-93 of your textbook.

**Class Topics**
Quiz on Mesopotamia and Harrappan Civilization

Hammurabi's Code---

Why do we Punish?

**Unit 2: The Axial Age**
Major themes and questions include:

1. What are the chief characteristics of Perennial religions?

2.What are the major Axial relgions and what are their chief characteristics?

3. How can we explain why so many Axial religions arose simultaneously and independently during the first millennium B.C.E?

4. Though the Axial religions have much in common, they also have significant differences. In what important ways do they differ?

How can we account for these differences?

5. Why is the Buddha's story fundamentally an Axial story?

6. Religious belief seems to emerge from specific times and places. If this is so, how can we explain the continued, enduring popularity and resilience of Axial religions thousands of years after their first emergence?

7. Describe the political, economic, and religious development of China.Tuesday, October 13

Exchange comic books with another person.

=**Tuesday, September 22**=

**Class Topics**
Wrap up Hammurabi

Discuss Foucault--"Drawn and Quartered"

"Why do we punish?"

Introduce Ancient Religion packet.

**Class Topics**
Go over quiz.

Goodbye Unit 1... Hello Unit 2!

Discuss Ancient Religion packet. Introduce Axial and Perennial Chart.

**Homework = Read Noah and Gilgamesh Flood Stories and do a Venn diagram.**
Also, though we don't intentionally torture criminals now, the way the French did to Damiens, sometimes [|things go wrong on death row.]

=**Thursday, September 24**=

**Class Topics**
Discuss Noah and Gilgamesh, differences and similarities, Axial and Perennial.

==**Homework = read pages 93-101 of your textbook pages and prepare a SPER chart (SPER stands for Social-Political-Economic-Religious) that helps you organize information about what Classical, Vedic India was like. I may check to see if you have done this chart.**==

Friday, September 25

**Class Topics**
Discuss the cosmology of Classical India and last night's reading.

Introduce Karen Armstrong's Buddha. Read some in class.

**Homework = For Friday--Read the first half of Karen Armstrong's Buddha, Chapter 1--pages 1-20 and answer the following reading questions:**
1. Make a list of 12 English vocabulary words used in the chapter that you did not fully understand on first read. Look these words up in the dictionary (or if you don’t have a dictionary, look them up on dictionary.com). Then write a sentence using this word properly.

2. Describe the “Perennial” world and beliefs of Vedic India. Be specific.

3. According to Armstrong, what are the possible causes of the Axial transformation?

Explain in detail.

=**Monday, September 28**=

**Class Topics**
Today is a high holy day for some. If you will miss school, come by to discuss what you will miss. Bill Cosby's Noah:

Bill Cosby's Noah

media type="custom" key="4425543"

And here is Bill Cosby's controversial, sexist take on the Garden of Eden:

media type="custom" key="4425603"

What is the Buddha's story?

If time permits, read Buddha's first sermon in class and analyze for Axial vs. Perennial.

Go over Quiz and how to read the textbook.

**Tuesday, September 29**
Discuss Buddha by Karen Armstrong. Indian Cosmology. What are the Axial religions? Why did the Axial religions emerge when they did? How is Buddha's story Axial.

**Homework = Read Buddha primary documents "Buddha's First Sermon" and The Story of the Buddha.**
=**Wednesday, September 30**=

**Class Topics**
Introduce Buddhist Comic book and rubric, Discuss Armstrong--Last night's reading.--Axial versus Perennial, causes,

If time permits, discuss Buddha's first sermon and his story in class and analyze for Axial vs. Perennial. Discuss, view sample comic book on overhead. Buddhist Art--[]

**Homework = Read Buddhist Morality article. and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. How was Buddhist morality different from the morality of the Perennial age. Be specific.

=**Thursday, October 1**=

**Class Topics**
From Iron Age to Axial--The flow chart.

The Buddha, a quintessentially Axial life.

Introduce Buddhist Comic book and rubric.

Discuss Jainist morality, Buddhist morality and the 5 spheres.

=** Homework **=

Work on Buddhist Comic Book. It is due Tuesday, October 13.= Also, this is one of Pixar's first films. Cool.

media type="youtube" key="PvCWPZfK8pI" height="344" width="425"



=**Friday, October 2**=

**Class Topics**
Watch excerpts of Little Buddha and decide if it is an Axial or Perennial interpretation of the story.

View sample comic book on overhead. Buddhist Art-- []

Living Perennial in an Axial religion.

Questions about Buddhist Comic book.

Buddhism, Jainism and the Five Moral Spheres.

Which moral spheres are most important in the US.

**Class Topics**
==**[|Watch video on Jainists] Click here if you are curious about [|what Jains can eat].**==

Which of the Five Universal Moral Spheres: does Buddha seem most interested in. Which is he least interested in.

Which of the If Five Universal Moral Spheres are the Jains most interested in. Which are they least interested in.

Also, if you find this Moral Sphere stuff interesting, [|read this article] by Steven Pinker. It's long but good. Test on Hindu-Buddhist vocabulary.

moral spheres. Moral dilemmsas.

**Homework = textbook pages 112-123 and be prepared to discuss these questions:**
1. How did geography shape China?

2. How was China similar to and different from the other river valley Civilizations (Mesopotamia--Indus River)?

3. Explain the Chinese dynastic cycles.

4. Describe the most impressive accomplishments of the old dynasties.

=**Tuesday, October 6**=

**Bring your textbook tomorrow!**
Finish Moral Spheres and the moral dilemmas.

Introduce Ancient China--PPT.

Homework = work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13. Also,

Bring your textbook tomorrow!
Also, as students of history, we talk about change over time. [|This article, about David Letterman], shows how blackmail has changed over time.

Several of you have asked for more sources on the Buddha's life. Here are a bunch...

1. This is about [|Buddha's first teachers during his ascetic phase.]

2. Here's a bit more detail on [|his ideas]

3. This is an account of the [|Buddha entering Nirvana]

=**Wednesday, October 7**=

**Class Topics**
Intro to China PPT.

media type="custom" key="4521240"

and students work in groups to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the Chinese system of government during Ancient China. Be sure to explain the Mandate of Heaven, dynastic cycles and to examine whether China was

more of an empire or a feudal Kingdom.

2. What are key features of Ancient Chinese religion?

3. What light can Jared Diamond's theories shed on the development of Ancient China?

4. How was China similar to and different from other Ancient River Valley Civilizations?

=**Homework**=

work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13 .=

=**Thursday, October 8**=

**Class Topics**
Continue discussing questions about China from yesterday.

Read "Confucius Says" in class and discuss. Which moral spheres are emphasized. What are the chief moral values of Confucius. Are the Analects Axial?

My students in Taiwan.

Chief Confucian values. The five relationships. Begin to introduce Taoism.

Introduce China. Discuss dynastic cycles and background. []

=**Homework ---work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13.**=

**[]**
[|Buddist Cartoon.doc]

[|Comic Life]

[]

==**[] **==

=**Friday, October 9**=

**Class Topics**
Continue discussion of Ancient China. Wrap up PPT. Complete "Confucius Says".

Is he Axial or Perennial?

Which of the Moral Spheres is Confucius most interested in? Compare him to Buddha and the Jains.

=**Homework**=

work on your comic book. It is due Tuesday, October 13 ==

=media type="custom" key="4521240"=

=**Monday, October 12**=

No schoolColumbus Day. While you work on your comic book, I'll be fishing. This is a picture of my fishing trip from last year's Columbus day weekend.



=media type="custom" key="4577768"=

==**Homework = Read in the China packet up through page 10. This includes the quotations on the 5 Confucian relationships and the Book of Filial Piety for Women which is presented side by side with the Book of Filial Piety. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:**==

**2. How do Confucianism's demands differ for men and women?**
A Chinese House. [|chinese house.pdf]

**Wednesday, October 14**
Read about my Taiwanese students.

Finish discussing and identifying Confucian values. 5 Moral Spheres? Compare Confucius to Buddha. Discuss gender and family.

Introduce the Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Begin reading in class?

=**Homework**=

**Thursday, October 15**
Introduce Han Fei Tzu and Legalism--China packet pages 42-45 of China packet. Compare to Confucianism on govt.

Begin to Discuss the Good Earth. Axial? Perennial? Gender?

Homework = Read the Good Earth Chapters 3-6 and be prepared to answer the following reading questions:

Friday, October 16
Discuss Good Earth reading questions.

Relations between spouses. [|chinese house.pdf]

Mole hairs?



Fat Mary Lincoln?

Confucius chief moral spheres.

And the Buddha.

Wang Lung's religious beliefs.

Homework = read Tao of Pooh, pages 48-60 of China packet and come prepared to discuss the chief values of Taoism.

**Monday, October 19**
Continue discussing Good Earth.

Discuss Tao of Pooh in class and begin to read the Tao Te Ching in class.

What the heck is Lao Tzu saying? Does Lao Tzu Agree or disagree with Confucius? Han Fei Tze. Axial?

Homework = finish the Tao Te Ching and Read textbook on classical China, pages 181-189 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. Explain Confucius' political views. What was his view of human nature?

2. Describe the teachings of Mencius and Xunzi. What did they believe about human nature?

3. What was the political philosophy of the Tao Te Ching

4. Explain Legalism. Who were its chief thinkers?

**Tuesday, October 20**
Discuss Taoism and last night's reading.

Guess the Chinese Art PPT.

media type="custom" key="4644242"

media type="custom" key="4560100"

**Homework= read textbook pages 189-193 and be prepared to answer the following questions:**
1. Who was Qin Shihuangdi? Who were his advisers?

2. Describe the accomplishments (they are many) of Qin Shihuangdi?

3. Why was Qin Shihuangdi so hated by his people? Why did his dynasty collapse?

=**Please bring your textbook on Wednesday, October 21**=



Identify Confucius' chief values. Read the Five Relationship, and about my students from Taiwan, pages 46-47 of China packet. Introduce China packet and Book of Filial Piety for Women.

5 Moral Spheres?

Wednesday, October 21
Legalism and Confucianism. Discuss last night's readings. Qin Shihuangdi and his accomplishments and failures.

Homework = read "Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo pages 8-28 and and be prepared to answer the following questions:

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1. Describe the achievements of Athens. Why was it a brilliant age?

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2. Describe Socrates early career and life.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3. Who were the Sophists? What did Socrates think of them?

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4. Explain Socrates encounter with the Oracle of Delphi.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5. How is Socrates' story a profoundly Axial story?

Thursday, October 22
Wrap up China. Legalism and Confucianism. Murder in Ha Tien.

Friday, October 23
Review for test. Introduce Trial of Socrates. Discuss the reading questions from Nardo. Self evaluation for class participation.

**Homework = review for test on China. This test is on Friday and covers everything going back to the Shang Dynasty and your entire China packet, including the Good Earth.**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Here is the review guide for the China test.

Also, if Shihuangdi standardized Chinese written language, [|the same thing is now happening to Chinese spoken language], courtesy of the communists.

**Monday, October 26**
Test on China

**Homework = Finish Trial of Socrates" by Don Nardo and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Who was Antiphon the Sophist? What did he believe?

2. What was Socrates method of determing the truth? Explain "Socratic Irony"

3. What did Socrates think about Democratic government. Explain why he thought this.

4. Explain the political crisis in Athens during the 5th century BC. Why does the author call Athens a "paranoid society?"

5. What were the charges against Socrates? Who were his accusers?

**Tuesday, October 27**
media type="custom" key="4661643"

media type="custom" key="5028171"

Unit
Introduce Classical Greece. High points of Greece---Humanism-Art-Theater-The Olympics-The Golden Age. Parmenides vs. Heracitis.

Discuss the Athenian city states and the context of the Peloponnesian War as presented in Don Nardo's "Trial of Socrates"

**Homework = Read your textbook pages 248-255 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Describe family and society in Classical Greece. How does it compare with Classical China?

2. Explain culture, religion and philosophy in Classical Greece. How were the Greeks were a humanist culture? Which parts of Greek religion were Axial and which were Perennial?

**Wednesday, October 28**
Continue with high points of Greek culture. Parmenides and Heraclitis.

Discuss the political climate of Athens before 400 BC. Who was Socrates?

Introduce Aristophanes the Clouds Begin reading aloud.

**Thursday, October 29**
Review: 1) A brilliant age. 2) Socrates makes enemies 3) Fighting with Shadows.

Continue to discuss Aristophanes. Read in Class.

**Friday, October 30**
Quiz. Discuss the "charges" in Clouds. How are they similar to or different from the real charges upon which Socrates was tried. Introduce Plato's Euthyphro. Begin reading aloud

==**Homework = Read //Euthyphro// from page 41-page 51, and be prepared to discuss the following question: Assess the validity of the following statement and be prepared to back your answer up with evidence: Euthyphro represents the beliefs of a Perennial culture and Socrates represents the beliefs of an Axial culture."**==

**Monday, November 2**
Discuss Euthyphro. How does it help the case against Socrates?

==**Homework = Finish Euthyphro and be prepared to discuss the following question: Assess the validity of the following statement and be prepared to back your answer up with evidence: Euthyphro represents the beliefs of a Perennial culture and Socrates represents the beliefs of an Axial culture."**==

**Homework = Finish "the Allegory of the Cave" from Plato's Republic and read Bertrand Russell's "The Influence of Sparta" and be prepared to answer the following questions:**
1. In what ways were Socrates' views about government similar to the governing philosophy utilized in Sparta?

2. What does the Allegory of the Cave imply about the nature of truth?

3. Assess the validity of the following statement: The Allegory of the Cave relies on a grim view of human nature.

4. If the Allegory of the Cave is correct, is there any hope for democracy?

Also, for Bertrand Russell's article

**Tuesday, November 3**
Finish discussion of Clouds and Euthyphro. Discuss the Republic, Read the Allegory of the Cave and discuss the implications for government. Discuss "Sparta" by Bertrand Russell.

**Wednesday, November 4**
Discuss the Allegory of the Cave and introduce //Apology.//

**Homework = Read Apology and answer the following questions:**
1. Outline Socrates' arguments in his "defense." **This may be checked for credit.**

2. Is Socrates deliberately trying to provoke the jury? If so how?

3. How does Socrates' deal with the accusations made by Aristophanes?

**Monday November 9**
Explain posting for discussion board. Finish Allegory of the Cave. How does Plato reconcile Heraclitus and Parmenides.

Discuss the influence of Sparta.

Discuss //Apology//. Introduce Crito.

**Homework = read Crito and come prepared to answer the following questions:**
1. What arguments does Crito make to try to convince Soc. to run away?

2. How does Soc. refute Crito's arguments?

3. In what way does this dialogue show Soc. to be axial?

**Part II of Homework = Discussion board posting---[|Click here to go to the discussion board]**
You must post before 9 am on Wednesday morning.

**Tuesday, November 10**
Discuss the influence of Sparta, and break down the arguments of Apology.

**Discussion board posting---[|Click here to go to the discussion board]**
You must post before 9 am on Wednesday morning.

=Unit 3: The Death of Socrates=

Major themes and questions will include:

1. In what way is Socrates' story fundamentally an Axial story?

2. How did the Peloponnesian War set the stage for the accusations against Socrates?

3. What exactly was Socrates accused of?

4. How much merit was there in the charges levelled against Socrates?

5. What was Aristophanes critique of Socrates?

6. Why did Socrates not resist his death sentence?

7. According to Socrates and Plato, what is the nature of truth and what is the meaning of life?

8. In what ways are the versions of truth and meaning promoted by Socrates/Plato similar to or different from the ideas taught by other Axial sages?

Readings will include:

Clouds

Euthryphro

Apology

Crito

Phaedo (excerpt)

Don Nardo's "The Trial of Socrates" (excerpts)

Here's a map of the Peloponnesian War



For more on the causes of the Peloponnesian War, C[|lick here.]

And for a detailed timeline of the events of the Peloponnesian War [|click here.]

Wednesday, November 11 Introduce Trial rules and procedures. Break into teams.

Work with your teams on the trial. Go over dialogue instructions. Look at one page of a sample dialogue.

Homework = Prepare for the trial and work on your dialogue. Your dialogue project is due next Wednesday.
Your dialogue should demonstrate deep engagement with some of the following themes that our unit on Socrates has raised: Man vs. State; Fathers vs. Sons; Tradition vs. Skepticism; Axial vs. Perennial; the relationship of drama/poetry to philosophy/religion; Democracy vs. Oligarchy; Being vs. Becoming; and the meaning of Justice.

[|socessay wha1.doc]

Thursday, November 12
Deposition. and work with your teams.

Friday, November 13
Prepare for Dialogue. Read //Phaedo//. Die, Socrates, Die!

Discussion of the Dialogue. Current events.

Monday, November 16
Prepare for dialogue. Prepare for depositions and start working on opening and closing statements. Big speech.

Homework = Dialogue due Wednesday. Make it really good. Dazzle me.
Your dialogue should demonstrate deep engagement with some of the following themes that our unit on Socrates has raised: Man vs. State; Fathers vs. Sons; Tradition vs. Skepticism; Axial vs. Perennial; the relationship of drama/poetry to philosophy/religion; Democracy vs. Oligarchy; Being vs. Becoming; and the meaning of Justice.

== [|socessay wha1.doc]==

Wednesday, November 18
Dialogues due. Exchange dialogue. Team time. Begin reading Women in Ancient WLD. documents. Were women primarily treated as property?

Thursday, November 19
Trial part I--

Friday, November 20
Wrap up trial. Self-evaluation for trial.

**Monday, November 23**
Wrap up trial. Self-evaluation for trial. Women in the Ancient WLD. Docs. Were women property?

**Homework = Finish reading documents about women in world history. Also Discussion Board Post due by Sunday night November 29.**
=**Unit 4: Cross Cultural Exchanges**=

**Tuesday, November 24**
Women in the Ancient WLD. Docs. Were women property? Current Events.

**Monday, November 30**
Comments on the Discussion Thread.

Introduce Islam.

media type="custom" key="4983787"


 * Homework = read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 345-353 and answer the following reading questions:**

1. In some ways, the Arabian Islamists believe that nearly every aspect of society should be governed by Islam.

1. The Arabian Peninsula was a very unlikely place for the first global civilization” to originate. Why was this so? Be specific.

2. Despite its desert induced isolation, Arabia still benefited from contact with other civilizations in Eurasia. How? Be specific.

3. Who was Muhammad? What were the major events in his life?

4. Describe religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia.

5. What influence did Christianity and Judaism have on Islam?

6. Describer the Five Pillars of Islam. How was Islam Axial?

7. Explain Jihad and Sharia.

**Tuesday, December 1**
Finish PPT. on Islam.

Islam continued. Discuss women in World history.

Especially the Roman eulogy. Also, recap the discussion board.

Discuss Islamic Civilization. Work on Sperm Charts.

Homework = for Thursday read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 353-370 and make a SPERM chart about Islamic society. Also bring your textbook to class.


 * Wednesday, December 2**

To say that Islam [|remains in the news,] is a bit of an understatement, as this article about intolerance in Switzerland shows. This [|includes banking.]

And then there is this view, from[|Thomas Friedman of the NYT.]

==also, tonight, Obama reveals his plan to add more troops to Afghanistan. Here are two opinions, [|one pro] and [|one con] about this decision. Notice how both authors use history to make their argument more persuasive. History is a weapon. Use it wisely.==

=**Homework for Thursday**=

read your textbook, by Bentley, pages 353-370 and make a SPERM chart about Islamic society.Also, bring your textbook to class.

Thursday, December 3
Discuss SPERM chart. Do you know more than you[|r Congressperson about Islam?]

You probably will after you read tonight's homework. Shia and Sunni article.

Homework = **Read Islam: Sunnis and Shiites. [[file:Shiites and Sunnis.pdf]]By Christopher Blanchard and answer the following questions:**
1. What is the historical origin of the Sunni Shiite split?

2. What beliefs do these sects have in common?

3. What are the major differences?

4. Which sect is more Perennial and which is more Axial? Explain.

Islamic Art.

Friday, December 4
Discuss Shia vs. Sunni

[|John Stewart Explains]

[|and John Stewart Explains Pt. 2]

[|Taliban---Sharia Article] and discuss the difficulty of preserving ancient religion in the modern world.

==Homework = Study for quiz on Islam. The textbook company has some study guides and review exercises available for free. [|Click here] to see.==

Also, in spite of the Prophet Muhammad's admonition that Muslims should be colorblind, [|people of African descent, living in Iraq, face plenty of racism.]



if you liked those Daily Show clips from class today, you will certainly like [|this overview of the Swiss Minaret controversy,] from Jon Stewart.

Monday, December 7
Quiz on Islam.

Explain tonight's homework.



[[file:New Wld ppt2.doc]]
Introduce Encounters PPT. Project.



**Homework = read Bentley (your textbook) pages 582-590 and be prepared to answer the following questions:**

 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">1) From where did Renaissance artists and scholars draw their inspiration? **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">2)What were the guiding themes of the Renaissance? **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">3) Define Humanism **. What other cultures have we studied before that were humanist?

4) Was the Renaissance an assault on the Church? Explain

5) Who was Zheng He? Describe his expeditions. When and where did he sail? What was he (personally) lacking?

6) Why did the Chinese voyages end?

7) What motivated the European explorers?

8) How did Portuguese traders change the slave trade?

9) Why was a sea route to Asia attractive to the Portuguese?

10) What was Columbus' big idea?

**Bring your textbook tomorrow!!**
=Tuesday, December 8=

Introduce Birth of Venus. Think-Aloud--Walkabout--Slideshow and discussion. Renaissance humanism.

media type="custom" key="4971471"

Homework = Read "Birth of Venus" excerpts by Sarah Dunant and come prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. Describe Savonarola. What effect did he seem to have on Florence. What did he believe? What kind of life did he lead? What was the message of his sermon?

2. Which aspects of Savonarola's belief system were Axial and which were Perennial?

3. How and why did the city's view of Savonarola begin to change?

4. What was the Bonfire of the Vanities?

5. What was the Ordeal by Fire?

6. What connections can we make between this story and our other units so far this year?

There may be a quiz tomorrow on the Birth of Venus reading.

media type="custom" key="5028091"

Homework = Read read Bentley (your textbook) about your topic for the PPT. This will give you background on your subject and help you start thinking about how to do your PPT
=**3 Worlds Collide: Unit Questions**=

Thursday, December 10
Work in computer lab on Encounters PPT.

7th and 8th, 299.

6th in 414.

Friday, December 11
Work in computer lab on Encounters PPT.

6th and 8th, 366

7th in 364.

**Homework for Tuesday = be ready for your presentation. Hit a homerun.**
=Monday 12/14=

**Tuesday 12/15**
Present PPTS.

[|John Gibbon's group]

**[|Larkin Neal]**
[|Edward, Francesca, Charlotte]

**Wednesday 12/16**
Present PPTS, discuss "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico."

**Homework = Read "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico" Part II for Thursday and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Was Aztec religion Axial or Perennial? List specific examples to support your answer.

2. Evaluate Motecuhzoma's leadership. Was he a strong king? Give examples to support your answer.

Thursday 12/17

Finish PPT presentations. 8th period is Poetry Slam for Sophomores. Make sure you present Tuesday or Wednesday if you want to go. In class, read "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico," Part III.

Homework = Evaluate why the Spanish defeated the Aztecs. In doing so, rank the four following reasons in order of importance and be prepared to explain your reasoning:

1. Disease

2. Spanish technological advantage

3. Help for the Spanish from Native American enemies of the Aztec

4. Weak Aztec leadership

**Friday 12/18**
Discuss Aztec vs. Spanish.

Current events.

=**Winter Break - No Homework. Enjoy!**=

**January 2010**
Welcome back! We are going to spend the first two weeks of the year studying slavery in the early modern world (~1450-1800) and in the present day. In many ways, it is a terribly grim story but there are important lessons for us, as well as, perhaps, some small reasons for optimism. Please note that we __will__ be covering slavery on the final exam.

=**Unit 5: Slavery, Then and Now**=

**3. Compare and Contrast the Atlantic Slave Trade with the 21st Century Slave Trade.**
==4. Why has slavery been so hard to eradicate from human life? What does its persistence indicate about human nature? Is it easier to take a stand against injustice in the past than in the present? Why or why not?==

**January 4th**
Introduction to Africa. Lecture and slide show.

media type="custom" key="5092105"

**Homework: Read Textbook pp. 695-705**
Reading Questions:

1. How did the rise of global trading networks affect African societies?

2. What did the states of Ghana, Mali and Songhay have in common that allowed them to gain and maintain their power?

3. Does the fall of the Songhay to the Portuguese remind you of any other encounters between Europeans and indigenous people that we have studied?

4. What choices did the kingdom of Kongo make in dealing with the Portuguese? How did those choices benefit and harm the Kongolese?

5. The textbook (pp. 703-705) describes "syncretic" African versions of Islam and Christianity. What does this mean? What were some of the characteristics of syncretic African versions of those two religions? How did Arabic Muslims and European Christians react to the African versions of their faiths?

6. What is manioc? How is it an example of both the global trading networks that influenced Africa and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs & Steel" thesis?

Finally, my daughters are of the opinion that this is cutest photo ever. Thoughts?



**January 5th**
Early globalism impact on Africa and GG&S point.

What is this? What is the relevance to Africa and globalism?



**Homework: Read Textbook pp. 706-715, Packet pp. 14-17.**
Reading Questions:

1. What were the characteristics of African slavery of Africans in pre-modern times?

2. What were the characteristics of Islamic slavery of Africans in pre-modern times?

3. What were the characteristics of European slavery of Africans?

4. Why did the Portuguese and Spanish need large numbers of slaves? Why did they chose to purchase slaves rather than simply kidnap them? What does that say about African agency?

5. Did some Africans benefit from the Atlantic slave trade? How?

6. What were the characteristics of the plantation system? Why did Caribbean and South American plantations require continual resupply of slaves?

**January 6th**
Introduction to African slavery and the Atlantic slave trade.

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 1-13, focusing particularly on pp. 8-13, "Spirits, Sugar & Slaves"**
Reading Questions:

1. How are distilled spirits (liquor) made?

2. Why did they not become especially popular with Arabs?

3. What happened to Charles the Bad? Why would you not want this to happen to you? Explain.

4. Explain how the introduction of sugar into Europe spurred slavery.

5. Explain how and why spirits were central to the slave trade.

6. Which spirit (kind of liquor) ultimately became the most important in the slave trade? Why?

**January 7th**
The global significance of the Atlantic slave trade

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 1-2, 18-28, primary documents relating to the Atlantic Slave Trade**
Reading Questions:

1. Where did most slaves in the Atlantic slave trade go? Why?

2. Compare Newton and Snelgrave's descriptions of life on a slave ship. What were their respective motivations in writing their separate accounts?

3. Does either Newton or Snelgrave's account strike you as more credible? Why?

4. What do you think Walsh's purpose was in writing his "Impressions of the Valongo Slave Market?" What technique does he use to achieve that purpose?

5. What are the principal arguments of "A Defense of the African Slave Trade?" Are any of them persuasive if you concede the author's assumptions?

6. Recent scholars have suggested that Olaudah Equiano was born in South Carolina, not Africa, and that, although he was a slave, he never made the Middle Passage that he wrote about so effectively. Does that influence how you view his documents?

media type="custom" key="5114119"

media type="youtube" key="LYmI6WXuzA8" height="344" width="425"

**January 2010**
Welcome back! We are going to spend the first two weeks of the year studying slavery in the early modern world (~1450-1800) and in the present day. In many ways, it is a terribly grim story but there are important lessons for us, as well as, perhaps, some small reasons for optimism. Please note that we __will__ be covering slavery on the final exam.

**3. Compare and Contrast the Atlantic Slave Trade with the 21st Century Slave Trade.**
==4. Why has slavery been so hard to eradicate from human life? What does its persistence indicate about human nature? Is it easier to take a stand against injustice in the past than in the present? Why or why not?==

**January 8th**
The human impact of the Atlantic slave trade

===**Homework: Read handout from "The Cartoon History of the Modern World" on abolition (~10 pages), Textbook pp. 715-718 (abolition) and Packet pp. 29-34 (Abolition Act and two articles on modern slavery).**===

Reading Questions:

1. What was //The Zong//? What was its significance in the abolition movement?

2. How did morality, economics and international politics come together to lead to British abolition of the slave trade?

3. The "Legal Abolition of the Slave Trade" is written in 19th Century legalese but it should be read closely. What precisely does the Act prohibit? What does the Act not do?

4. How do modern slavers keep girls like Pross under their control?

5. What do the various slaves that Miller describes have in common?

**January 11th**
Abolition

Introduction to modern slave trade

media type="youtube" key="PHpye0M34JQ" height="344" width="425"

[|Long Pross video]

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 35-47, "The New Global Slave Trade"**
Reading Questions:

1. What does Kapstein argue are self-interested reasons for abolishing the new slave trade?

2. How many people are there currently living in forced servitude? How does that number compare to the Atlantic slave trade?

3. What age and gender are most modern slaves? What tasks are they doing?

4. Why is modern slavery so profitable and appealing to criminals?

5. What political and economic interests have impeded the United States' efforts to combat modern slavery?

6. Why does Kapstein argue that anti-slavery efforts must focus on the supply side rather than the demand side?

7. Wilson states "There is no military solution to modern slavery" (p. 34) but Kapstein argues "Just as force was ultimately needed to halt the slave trade in the nineteenth century, so will force be necessary in some cases today." (p. 46) Which statement is more persuasive?

**January 12th**
Begin comparison of Atlantic slave trade to modern slave trade

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 48-57, "Nobodies"**
Reading Questions:

1. What does South Florida agriculture described by Bowe have in common with the plantation systems of the Atlantic slave trade?

2. What are the principal obstacles to slavery prosecutions of the South Florida growers?

3. What agency do the pickers have?

Some have expressed a special interest and concern in the topic of 21st Century slavery. If that includes you, you may want to check out the[| Somaly Mam Foundation], which tries to help former child sex slaves in Cambodia recover.

**January 13th**
Finish comparison and ask "How can this be?"

**Homework: Discussion thread**
Please be sure to post before Friday at 8:00 AM. Make sure you identify yourself and that you discuss all issues sensitively and politely.

**January 14th**
Sorry to link to such depressing news, but as your WH teacher, I feel the need to mention important current events, especially when they touch on countries that we've recently studied. Most of you have heard that there was a truly horrific earthquake in Haiti, site of the first successful slave revolution. [|This article gives the details]. They are profoundly depressing.

Also, believe it or not, Pat Robertson, a very well known tv minister and former candidate for president [|blamed the quake on Haiti's syncretic religious practices].

Review for Final

**January 15th**
Review for Final

**HW: More studying!**
==** Check out thisTime Magazine a[|rticle from Friday, Jan 15th about slavery in present-day Italy] l and more greedy than the people they conquered?**==

Thursday, December 10
Work in computer lab on Encounters PPT.

7th and 8th, 299.

6th in 414.

Friday, December 11
Work in computer lab on Encounters PPT.

6th and 8th, 366

7th in 364.

**Homework for Tuesday = be ready for your presentation. Hit a homerun.**
=Monday 12/14=

**Tuesday 12/15**
Present PPTS.

[|John Gibbon's group]

**[|Larkin Neal]**
[|Edward, Francesca, Charlotte]

**Wednesday 12/16**
Present PPTS, discuss "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico."

**Homework = Read "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico" Part II for Thursday and be prepared to discuss the following questions:**
1. Was Aztec religion Axial or Perennial? List specific examples to support your answer.

2. Evaluate Motecuhzoma's leadership. Was he a strong king? Give examples to support your answer.

Thursday 12/17

Finish PPT presentations. 8th period is Poetry Slam for Sophomores. Make sure you present Tuesday or Wednesday if you want to go. In class, read "Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico," Part III.

Homework = Evaluate why the Spanish defeated the Aztecs. In doing so, rank the four following reasons in order of importance and be prepared to explain your reasoning:

1. Disease

2. Spanish technological advantage

3. Help for the Spanish from Native American enemies of the Aztec

4. Weak Aztec leadership

**Friday 12/18**
Discuss Aztec vs. Spanish.

Current events.

=**Winter Break - No Homework. Enjoy!**=

**January 2010**
Welcome back! We are going to spend the first two weeks of the year studying slavery in the early modern world (~1450-1800) and in the present day. In many ways, it is a terribly grim story but there are important lessons for us, as well as, perhaps, some small reasons for optimism. Please note that we __will__ be covering slavery on the final exam.

=**Unit 5: Slavery, Then and Now**=

**3. Compare and Contrast the Atlantic Slave Trade with the 21st Century Slave Trade.**
==4. Why has slavery been so hard to eradicate from human life? What does its persistence indicate about human nature? Is it easier to take a stand against injustice in the past than in the present? Why or why not?==

**January 4th**
Introduction to Africa. Lecture and slide show.

media type="custom" key="5092105"

**Homework: Read Textbook pp. 695-705**
Reading Questions:

1. How did the rise of global trading networks affect African societies?

2. What did the states of Ghana, Mali and Songhay have in common that allowed them to gain and maintain their power?

3. Does the fall of the Songhay to the Portuguese remind you of any other encounters between Europeans and indigenous people that we have studied?

4. What choices did the kingdom of Kongo make in dealing with the Portuguese? How did those choices benefit and harm the Kongolese?

5. The textbook (pp. 703-705) describes "syncretic" African versions of Islam and Christianity. What does this mean? What were some of the characteristics of syncretic African versions of those two religions? How did Arabic Muslims and European Christians react to the African versions of their faiths?

6. What is manioc? How is it an example of both the global trading networks that influenced Africa and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs & Steel" thesis?

Finally, my daughters are of the opinion that this is cutest photo ever. Thoughts?



**January 5th**
Early globalism impact on Africa and GG&S point.

What is this? What is the relevance to Africa and globalism?



**Homework: Read Textbook pp. 706-715, Packet pp. 14-17.**
Reading Questions:

1. What were the characteristics of African slavery of Africans in pre-modern times?

2. What were the characteristics of Islamic slavery of Africans in pre-modern times?

3. What were the characteristics of European slavery of Africans?

4. Why did the Portuguese and Spanish need large numbers of slaves? Why did they chose to purchase slaves rather than simply kidnap them? What does that say about African agency?

5. Did some Africans benefit from the Atlantic slave trade? How?

6. What were the characteristics of the plantation system? Why did Caribbean and South American plantations require continual resupply of slaves?

**January 6th**
Introduction to African slavery and the Atlantic slave trade.

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 1-13, focusing particularly on pp. 8-13, "Spirits, Sugar & Slaves"**
Reading Questions:

1. How are distilled spirits (liquor) made?

2. Why did they not become especially popular with Arabs?

3. What happened to Charles the Bad? Why would you not want this to happen to you? Explain.

4. Explain how the introduction of sugar into Europe spurred slavery.

5. Explain how and why spirits were central to the slave trade.

6. Which spirit (kind of liquor) ultimately became the most important in the slave trade? Why?

**January 7th**
The global significance of the Atlantic slave trade

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 1-2, 18-28, primary documents relating to the Atlantic Slave Trade**
Reading Questions:

1. Where did most slaves in the Atlantic slave trade go? Why?

2. Compare Newton and Snelgrave's descriptions of life on a slave ship. What were their respective motivations in writing their separate accounts?

3. Does either Newton or Snelgrave's account strike you as more credible? Why?

4. What do you think Walsh's purpose was in writing his "Impressions of the Valongo Slave Market?" What technique does he use to achieve that purpose?

5. What are the principal arguments of "A Defense of the African Slave Trade?" Are any of them persuasive if you concede the author's assumptions?

6. Recent scholars have suggested that Olaudah Equiano was born in South Carolina, not Africa, and that, although he was a slave, he never made the Middle Passage that he wrote about so effectively. Does that influence how you view his documents?

media type="custom" key="5114119"

media type="youtube" key="LYmI6WXuzA8" height="344" width="425"

**January 2010**
Welcome back! We are going to spend the first two weeks of the year studying slavery in the early modern world (~1450-1800) and in the present day. In many ways, it is a terribly grim story but there are important lessons for us, as well as, perhaps, some small reasons for optimism. Please note that we __will__ be covering slavery on the final exam.

**3. Compare and Contrast the Atlantic Slave Trade with the 21st Century Slave Trade.**
==4. Why has slavery been so hard to eradicate from human life? What does its persistence indicate about human nature? Is it easier to take a stand against injustice in the past than in the present? Why or why not?==

**January 8th**
The human impact of the Atlantic slave trade

===**Homework: Read handout from "The Cartoon History of the Modern World" on abolition (~10 pages), Textbook pp. 715-718 (abolition) and Packet pp. 29-34 (Abolition Act and two articles on modern slavery).**===

Reading Questions:

1. What was //The Zong//? What was its significance in the abolition movement?

2. How did morality, economics and international politics come together to lead to British abolition of the slave trade?

3. The "Legal Abolition of the Slave Trade" is written in 19th Century legalese but it should be read closely. What precisely does the Act prohibit? What does the Act not do?

4. How do modern slavers keep girls like Pross under their control?

5. What do the various slaves that Miller describes have in common?

**January 11th**
Abolition

Introduction to modern slave trade

media type="youtube" key="PHpye0M34JQ" height="344" width="425"

[|Long Pross video]

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 35-47, "The New Global Slave Trade"**
Reading Questions:

1. What does Kapstein argue are self-interested reasons for abolishing the new slave trade?

2. How many people are there currently living in forced servitude? How does that number compare to the Atlantic slave trade?

3. What age and gender are most modern slaves? What tasks are they doing?

4. Why is modern slavery so profitable and appealing to criminals?

5. What political and economic interests have impeded the United States' efforts to combat modern slavery?

6. Why does Kapstein argue that anti-slavery efforts must focus on the supply side rather than the demand side?

7. Wilson states "There is no military solution to modern slavery" (p. 34) but Kapstein argues "Just as force was ultimately needed to halt the slave trade in the nineteenth century, so will force be necessary in some cases today." (p. 46) Which statement is more persuasive?

**January 12th**
Begin comparison of Atlantic slave trade to modern slave trade

**Homework: Read Packet pp. 48-57, "Nobodies"**
Reading Questions:

1. What does South Florida agriculture described by Bowe have in common with the plantation systems of the Atlantic slave trade?

2. What are the principal obstacles to slavery prosecutions of the South Florida growers?

3. What agency do the pickers have?

Some have expressed a special interest and concern in the topic of 21st Century slavery. If that includes you, you may want to check out the[| Somaly Mam Foundation], which tries to help former child sex slaves in Cambodia recover.

**January 13th**
Finish comparison and ask "How can this be?"

**Homework: Discussion thread**
Please be sure to post before Friday at 8:00 AM. Make sure you identify yourself and that you discuss all issues sensitively and politely.

**January 14th**
Sorry to link to such depressing news, but as your WH teacher, I feel the need to mention important current events, especially when they touch on countries that we've recently studied. Most of you have heard that there was a truly horrific earthquake in Haiti, site of the first successful slave revolution. [|This article gives the details]. They are profoundly depressing.

Also, believe it or not, Pat Robertson, a very well known tv minister and former candidate for president [|blamed the quake on Haiti's syncretic religious practices].

Review for Final

**January 15th**
Review for Final

**HW: More studying!**
Check out thisTime Magazine a[|rticle from Friday, Jan 15th about slavery in present-day Italy]