This course covers medieval Japanese society and culture from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries, when political power rested largely in the hands of feudal warriors. Topics include religion (especially Zen Buddhism); changing concepts of “the way of the warrior;” women under feudalism; popular culture; and protest and rebellion. Presentations include weekly feature films. Assigned readings include many literary writings in translation.

This course explores the political, social, and economic factors commonly offered to explain the fall of the Roman Republic: growth of the territorial empire, increased intensity of aristocratic competition, transformation of the Italian economy, growth of the city of Rome and dependence of the urban plebs, changes in military recruitment and dependence of soldiers on their generals. There is an emphasis on the reading of ancient sources in translation, including Cicero, Sallust, Caesar, Augustus, Appian, Plutarch, and Suetonius.

Thousands of tourists and local residents hike Lēʻahi Crater every day. Learn about the moʻolelo of Lēʻahi Crater and how it was used hundreds of years ago.

Focusing on the emperors Augustus and Nero, this course investigates the ways in which Roman emperors used art, architecture, coinage and other media to create and project an image of themselves, the ways in which the surviving literary sources from the Roman period reinforced or subverted that image, and the ways in which both phenomena have contributed to post-classical perceptions of Roman emperors. Material studied will include the art, architecture, and coinage of Augustan and Neronian Rome, the works of Suetonius and Tacitus, and modern representations of the emperors such as those found in I, Claudius and Quo Vadis.

This assignment is designed as a mini-research project with the purpose of having students engage with marginalized actors in history. The purpose is to help students find themselves in the archives by focusing on self-representation that is important to their own socio-economic and ethnic groups. By providing historical research in the form of primary and secondary documents on figures that have been historically "left out" of the historical narrative, the students will help fill the gaps in the archive, be active in the creation of new curriculum, and gain a better understanding of marginalization and the power of historical memory in the process.

This course examines the ways in which people in ancient and contemporary societies have selected, evaluated, and used materials of nature, transforming them to objects of material culture. Some examples are: glass in ancient Egypt and Rome; sounds and colors of powerful metals in Mesoamerica; cloth and fiber technologies in the Inca empire. It also explores ideological and aesthetic criteria often influential in materials development. Laboratory/workshop sessions provide hands-on experience with materials discussed in class. This course complements 3.091.

This course will survey the conditions of material life and changing social and economic conditions in medieval Europe with reference to the comparative context of contemporary Islamic, Chinese, and central Asian experiences. Subject covers the emergence and decline of feudal institutions, the transformation of peasant agriculture, living standards and the course of epidemic disease, and the ebb and flow of long-distance trade across the Eurasian system. Particular emphasis will be placed on the study of those factors, both institutional and technological, which have contributed to the emergence of capitalist organization and economic growth in Western Europe in contrast to the trajectories followed by the other major medieval economies.

The course explores the literary masterworks of three of the most celebrated authors of the Middle Ages in their original literary and historical contexts. The various themes they take up - the importance of writing in the vernacular; the discourse of love as a form of discipline practised upon the self; the personal and political aspirations of the self in society; the constitution of ideal forms of social organization; the role of religion in the life and works of lay authors - transformed the course of much of Western literature for the next five centuries. Readings will include the entire Divine Comedy, generous selections from the Decameron, and all of Troilus and Criseyde in the original Middle English, together with samplings from the Troubadour tradition and the dolce stil nuovo.

As a quasi-historical, quasi-legendary figure of consistently great popularity, King Arthur has been subject to an extraordinary amount of reinvention and rewriting: as a Christian hero and war-leader; as an ineffective king and pathetic cuckold; and as a tragic figure of noble but doomed intentions. As we trace Arthur’s evolution and that of principal knights, we will ask what underlies the appeal of this figure whose consistent reappearance in western culture has performed the medieval prophecy that he would be rex quondam et futurus: the once and future king.

This survey provides a general introduction to medieval European literature (from Late Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century) from the perspective of women writers from a variety of cultures, social backgrounds, and historical timeperiods. Though much of the class will be devoted to exploring the evolution of a new literary tradition by and for women from its earliest emergence in the West, wider historical and cultural movements will also be addressed: the Fall of the Roman Empire, the growth of religious communities, the shift from orality to literacy, the culture of chivalry and courtly love, the emergence of scholasticism and universities, changes in devotional practices, the persecution of heretics, the rise of nationalism and class consciousness. Authors will include some of the most famous women of the period: Hildegard of Bingen, Heloise of Paris, Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc, Margery Kempe, along with many interesting and intriguing though lesser known figures.

Materials developed under a grant from the Michigan Dept of Education. The MI Open Book Project is a multi-year initiative funded as part of the Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG) which will empower groups of master teachers to come together, collaborate, and develop a open education resource for use in classrooms around Michigan. Full textbooks. All books will run on iOS, OSX, Andriod, Windows, and Chrome.

Lillie invites the viewer for a trip back in time to the Mogao Caves in China.

This resource is a lesson plan intended to introduce minoritized freshman and sophomore college students to the study of mythology and to its universal importance as the foundation of our common cultural heritage. The module may also be modified to accomodate high school level language arts courses. This resource will represent approximately three weeks of a typical 10 to 15 week World Literature survey course. 

This online textbook contains short articles on each major deity, hero, monster, etc., in Greek mythology. The text is supplemented with color photographs and maps to enhance the learning experience.

The Spanish were savage and barbaric in Mexico… And the Conquest of the Mexica was extremely bloody. But it’s often told as ONLY the Spanish Vs. the Aztecs. And that’s not true… It’s not even close. The so called, “Conquest” of Mexico-Tenochtitlan was really a NATIVE REVOLT. It was ancient indigenous Mexicans against other Native Mexicans. Clearly… the Spanish were the main manipulators.

But it was Native Mexicans who organized, fought and overthrew: Mexico-Tenochtitlan. So much so…. That Native Mexicans accounted for 99% of all people who fought or assisted in the overthrow of the Aztecs, of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1521.

And… Who were the Indigenous Mexican allies of the Spanish? They were the Tabascans, the Cempoalans, Texcocans, the Totonacs, Huezotzingos, Chalcas, Quauhquecholtecas, the Zapotec, Mixtec, the Yope, the Xochilmcos, the Tlaxcalans, the Tarascans……And many….. Many….. more. And what did Native Allies provide a handful of Spanish….. Food….. Translation… Advice… Medical Assistance… Labor, especially porters… Housing… Clothing… Guides… Spies.. Messengers….Moral Support…Sex….. And …. Warriors to fight the Aztec and their allies. And much, much, more.

Now… this brief film isn’t a history of the so-called Spanish Conquest….. This is a history of the Native Revolt against Mexico-Tenochtitlan …… it’s a Native Revolution… As Cortes and about 500 Spaniards marched to Mexico-Tenochtitlan from the East… (their maximum number perhaps doubled). He was joined by hundreds of thousands of the largest and fiercest army ever assembled in Mesoamerica.

A brief history of the Neolithic Era that covers the end of the Paleolithic Era to the rise of agriculture and domestication of animals to the eventual development of complex societies. 

Many people are fascinated with ancient Egypt. The amazing, unique culture influenced many other civilizations and cultures. If you study the history of math, you will see how this influence included mathematics. Ancient Egypt also lasted an incredibly long time – over 3000 years. According to Egyptologist Bob Brier, “No civilization lasted so long, contributed so much, or repeatedly amazed as did ancient Egypt.”

In this Open Educational Resource activity, students will have the opportunity to learn about ancient Egyptian numerals and basic arithmetic. For motivation, the setting is a scribal school with each student using a clipboard, paper, and fine point black marker to simulate a board, papyrus, and brush with ink. The activity can also be completed on its own without the scribal school setting.

Short Description:
The Odyssey (originally composed in the 8th or 7th century BCE; published in English in 1614) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems by Homer. The story follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. The poem is divided into 24 books and is one of the oldest existing works of literature still read by contemporary audiences.

Long Description:
The Odyssey (originally composed in the 8th or 7th century BCE; published in English in 1614) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems by Homer. The story follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. The poem is divided into 24 books and is one of the oldest existing works of literature still read by contemporary audiences.

Word Count: 114141

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

Short Description:
Written by Sophocles and first performed around 429 BC, Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus, as it is referred to by Aristotle in Poetics. Of the three Theban plays, Oedipus Rex is the first in order of the events depicted in the plays, but was the second to be written. The reading order of the Theban plays is: Oedipus Rex, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and ending with Antigone.

Long Description:
Written by Sophocles and first performed around 429 BC, Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus, as it is referred to by Aristotle in Poetics. Of the three Theban plays, Oedipus Rex is the first in order of the events depicted in the plays, but was the second to be written. The reading order of the Theban plays is: Oedipus Rex, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and ending with Antigone.

Word Count: 13604

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)