Ordu University Lifelong Learning Programme

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code	Course Unit Title	Type of Course Unit	Year of Study	Semester	Number of ECTS Credits
SNF1052013333	HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION	Compulsory	1	1	5

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle

Objectives of the Course

For most of human history, humans lived in small groups who hunted and gathered their food, but around 8,000 B.C., things changed. Humans developed agriculture, settled in urban communities and eventually built huge empires, created religious institutions and explored the planet. In many areas of life, civilization brought about striking improvements and innovations. On the other hand, oppression, exploitation, and massive human suffering accompanied civilizations. The goal of this course is to provide you with a foundation for understanding the world in which we live, keeping in mind humanity’s accomplishments as well as failures. Learning about history is not just memorizing a sequence of events, or a bunch of facts and dates; the point is to critically examine continuity and change over time. The large scope of this course will encourage more synthesis of ideas and integration of knowledge than thorough information on particular topics. The course is arranged so as to avoid two common pitfalls of teaching and learning about civilizations. First, it will be stressed that the global dominance of Europe is a phenomenon that occurred only after c. 1500 and it is a mistake to project it backwards and read the whole world history from the perspective of European hegemony. Secondly, historians of civilizations usually tell the stories of glorious empires, states, armies, monuments, wars, treaties, great men, etc. and tend to ignore women, the poor, peasants, slaves, and so on. In this course, we will put special emphasis on how important historical developments influenced those social groups who have traditionally been written off of history.

Name of Lecturer(s)

Yrd. Doç. Dr. Tuğrul ÖZCAN

Learning Outcomes

1	Knowing to understand the way the formation of historical knowledge
2	Ability to understand the elements that make up the characteristics of civilization and civilization
3	Understanding general information about Civilizations of Iran, Central Asian, Chinese and Indian
4	Understanding of the importance of the Sumerian civilization and general knowledge about the importance of scientific development in Egyptian civilization

Mode of Delivery

Formal Education

Prerequisites and co-requisities

None

Recommended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Given the very large chronological and spatial scope of the course material and since the lectures and the weekly reading assignments complement each other, it is absolutely crucial that the students complete the weekly reading assignments. Attendance will be monitored. The students are expected to show up at class sessions on time and keep basic classroom etiquette.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week	Theoretical	Practice	Laboratory
1	HISTORY AND EVOLUTION	-	-
2	FROM FORAGING TO THE ‘NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION’	-	-
3	FIRST CITIES, FIRST STATES: THE BIRTH OF CIVILIZATION	-	-
4	BITTER FRUITS OF CIVILIZATION: CLASS AND PATRIARCHY	-	-
5	ANCIENT ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS	-	-
6	ANCIENT GREECE: THE CRADLE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION?	-	-
7	ROMAN EMPIRE AND ‘BYZANTIUM’	-	-
8	THE BIRTH AND SPREAD OF MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS	-	-
9	MID-TERM EXAMINATION	-	-
10	THE RISE OF ISLAM	-	-
11	CHINA: EARLY AND LATER EMPIRES	-	-
12	THE NOMADIC PEOPLES OF THE EARTH	-	-
13	THE MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN EUROPE	-	-
14	BEFORE AND AFTER 1492: CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS	-	-
15	CIVILIZATION: CONTEMPORARY DEBATES	-	-
16	FINAL EXAMINATION	-	-