Announcements
Bookmark this page as your main entry point to the course website. That way, you’ll be sure to see any changes and other information I’ve posted here.
Midterm Exam review sheet posted
30 September 2024
The midterm review sheet is now available on the Exams page, either as a web page or as a PDF. The first page details the content and structure of the midterm, which will cover everything up through the October 10 class meeting. There is no meeting on Tuesday, October 15.Read more…
Important notes on Essay #1 (due October 7)
21 September 2024
Here are a few brief reminders about the Gilgamesh essay, which is due very soon on Monday, October 7.Read more…
Current Announcements (2)
Sample Essay posted
2 October 2024
As promised, I have posted a sample essay on the website. This example PDF is meant to give you an idea of how an interpretive essay can be structured and formatted, and the way evidence is used and cited. It’s posted on the Essay Musts page and also on the Print/PDF page.
I hope it proves helpful. Feel free to email me with any questions.
Welcome to Week 6!
28 September 2024
This week we’re talking about the early Iron Age, exploring the stories of the Phoenicians, Philistines, and Hebrews before looking at the first major empire of the new age, the Neo-Assyrians. The section is called “How not to run an empire,” so that gives you an idea of how it went.
Things to ponder as you explore the materials. Was the Neo-Assyrian empire really a failure? What went wrong, and why did it come apart so catastrophically?
Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Tuesday!
Reminder: there are no class meetings on Thursday, October 3.
Archive
Quiz #3 grades and markups posted
1 October 2024
The grades and markups for Quiz #3 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Random reminder about quizzes
25 September 2024
I mention to remind everyone at our last meeting:
Quizzes are always based on the readings assigned for that class meeting on the Schedule page. This is true even when I am a little behind schedule in lecture—the quizzes are made up based on the readings for the day the quiz is given. Just bringing that up in case there was any confusion on that point.
Also, if you have any trouble accessing the My Grades page, let me know. The password there is used just for that page, which can be emailed automatically using “Email me my password” or by asking me in an email.
Quiz #2 grades and markups posted
24 September 2024
The grades and markups for Quiz #2 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Welcome to Week 5!
21 September 2024
This week we’re talking about the Bronze Age Aegean: the indigenous inhabitants, especially the mysterious Minoans, and the invading Greeks, who swarm in from the north and take over the Aegean world before bringing about their own spectacular collapse, bringing down the whole Bronze Age with them.
There are a lot of things to talk about here. What strikes you as most intriguing about the Minoans—what we know of them? Why do you think the Mycenaean Greeks were so successful in surpassing them? If you were to talk about what was important to the Minoans and to the Mycenaean Greeks, what would be similar, and what would be distinctive? Were the Mycenaean Greeks their own worst enemy in too-greedily building a trade empire, or should we emphasize other factors in the great cataclysmic collapse of the Bronze Age and its civilizations?
We’re also talking about the dawn of the Iron Age, which we see first in Canaan—now that it’s not being warred over by the surrounding Bronze Age empires, the lands along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean are free to develop their own strength and economic reach. And they’re very characteristic of how the Iron Age differs from the Bronze Age. We’re focusing on three very distinct peoples who are rivals for land and independence in early Iron Age Canaan: the Phoenicians, the Philistines, and the Hebrews.
Why is the Iron Age so different, do you think? Why does a shift to iron matter so much? What do you think most sets apart a trade empire like that of the Phoenicians from the empires of the Bronze Age we discussed? What do you think are the biggest factors in the Hebrews being able to create their own state in Canaan despite huge disadvantages? How does religion factor into the story?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions. See you Tuesday!
Quiz #1 grades and markups posted
17 September 2024
The grades and markups for Quiz #1 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
Each quiz is scored out of 5. Normally on the My Grades page you’ll see the current quiz average, including the lowest quiz being dropped, but I won’t start showing that until we’ve had a couple more quizzes. That’s why right now it says there are too few grades to show an average in the Quizzes line on the My Grades pages. Later, you’ll see the average quiz grade there.
If your quiz grade isn’t what you’d like it to be, don’t panic! It’s still very early and there are lots of opportunities to improve the quiz grade, as well as getting other kinds of grades to balance things out. Quiz averages tend to improve over the semester as the quiz process and the material becomes more familiar. The key step is to come into class on time and prepared, and ask questions—by email, in office hours, and in class.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Reminder: Responses due Sunday
14 September 2024
Just a reminder to post this week’s online response if you haven’t already. Responses are due by the Sunday after the class meetings for that week.
To post your response, go to the course website (follow the links sent previously, or find markbwilson dot com and click on Courses), then click on Responses on the side menu. Use the buttons at the top of the page to go to the right week, or click on Due Dates to see the full list.
Actually, I’d recommend clicking on Due Dates and bookmarking that page to use as your starting point each week. That way you have the full list of meetings and the dates for each in front of you each time.