Western Civilization I with John Thorburn
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For your journey through World Civilization I, join Dr. John Thorburn, an award-winning teacher and professor of Latin and Greek with more than 25 years of experience in traditional and online classrooms. Known to his students as “Dr. T” or Dr. Theta, John has published books, articles, and given public lectures on four continents and in eight different countries. Dr. T has visited many of the countries you will study in World Civilization and has even led students on tours of various major sites around the Mediterranean. Let Dr. T be your guide as you travel through thousands of years of civilizations that have shaped the world that is our modern America.
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the development of early civilizations from Neolithic times to 1715. Early and contemporary Western cultures are compared and contrasted, as are major religious, social, and political reforms. Other topics include the religious influence of Judaism and the Bible, the rise and fall of ancient Greece, and the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire. The Crusades, the origins of feudalism, and the evolution of Christianity are examined, as is the evolution of the European economy during Westward expansion. The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment period are also discussed.
Buy the course for only $109 and get a copy of "The Western Experience, Volume I" at no additional cost
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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A study of history from the transitions of hunter/gatherers to food producing cultures to the 17th Century.
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A study of history from the transitions of hunter/gatherers to food producing cultures to the 17th Century.
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I was already a Classics major, but he inspired me to become a first-year composition instructor at a university, while still pursuing my artistic interests. He rapped, played instruments, and stayed consistently goofy. I only have a few characters left, so let me just emphasize this: He rapped. In Greek AND English. [Comment from RatemyProfessor.com]
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Super nice and really funny guy - makes class interesting and grades fairly. Definitely recommend this class. [Comment from RatemyProfessor.com]
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Entertaining! He makes pop references all the time, which is fun. I would be shocked if you don't love Greek Mythology by the end of this class. He covers a lot more material in class than is assigned in the reading so if you want an A it is important to be at every class. I highly recommend taking his class! [Comment from RatemyProfessor.com]
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He is a great guy-- off beat, but really funny and entertaining. He has a good time with the content and doesn't take it too seriously. You will always laugh in class and learn something new. Its a fresh twist on the Classics [Comment from RatemyProfessor.com]
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This guy is awesome and really funny. He sang songs about the plays we read, and let us watch Strongbad emails at the beginning of class. We had a quiz every day, which wasn't bad as long as you did the reading. [Comment from RatemyProfessor.com]
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Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Identify the major concepts, persons, and events that contributed to the development of early civilizations from Neolithic times to 1715.
- Compare and contrast early and contemporary Western cultures.
- Describe the religious influence of Judaism and the Bible on early Near Eastern political, social, and economic organization.
- Explain the rise, fall, and legacy of Ancient Greece.
- Describe the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire.
- Examine the secularization of religious authority to develop a deeper understanding of the political underpinnings of the Medieval world.
- Explain how the Crusades contributed to the establishment of a stable political order in the Western World.
- Define and describe the origins of feudalism.
- Compare and contrast the major religious, social, and political reforms that contributed to the rise of Papal Supremacy in the late Middle Ages.
- Describe the evolution of Christianity during the Reformation.
- Explain the evolution of the European economy during westward expansion.
- Explain both the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment.
Topic | Lesson Topic | Subtopics | Objectives |
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1 |
Early Civilizations and the Ancient World |
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2 |
Classical Greece |
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3 |
The Hellenistic World |
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4 |
The Rise of Rome |
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5 |
The Roman Empire |
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6 |
The Early Middle Ages |
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7 |
Islam in the Medieval World |
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8 |
The Restoration of Order |
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9 |
The Crusades |
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10 |
The Late Middle Ages |
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11 |
The Renaissance |
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12 |
The Reformation of the Church |
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13 |
The New World |
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14 |
The Age of Revolution |
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15 | Course Review |
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There are no prerequisites to take Western Civilization I.
The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost. More information on StraighterLine eTextbooks
Prefer the hard copy? Simply purchase from your favorite textbook retailer; you will still get the eTextbook for free.

The Western Experience offers a thorough, analytical overview of Western civilization, giving students an introduction to the major achievements in Western thought, art, and science as well as the social, political, and economic context for understanding those developments. To demonstrate the connected nature of all histories, these various aspects of history are examined in an integrated way. To help readers develop their reasoning and writing skills, each chapter is constructed to serve as an example of a historical essay: A historical problem is presented and arguments are developed using historical evidence. The ninth edition features many improvements, including the work of Lisa Tiersten in her new chapter on Nineteenth Century Empires.
Chambers, Mortimer, Barbara Hanawalt, Theodore Rabb, Isser Woloch, Raymond Grew, and Lisa Tiersten. The Western Experience, Volume I, 9th edition. McGraw-Hill 2006. ISBN: 9780073259994
StraighterLine provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.
If you have chosen a
to award credit for this course, your final grade will be based upon that college's grading scale. Only passing scores will be considered by Partner Colleges for an award of credit.There are a total of 1000 points in the course:
Topic | Assessment | Points Available |
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4 |
Graded Exam #1 |
125 |
7 | Graded Exam #2 | 125 |
7 | Midterm Exam | 250 |
11 | Graded Exam #3 | 125 |
14 | Graded Exam #4 | 125 |
15 | Graded Final Exam |
250 |
Total | 1000 |
Final Proctored Exam
The final exam is developed to assess the knowledge you learned taking this course. All students are required to take an online proctored final exam in order complete the course and be eligible for transfer credit.
For your journey through World Civilization I, join Dr. John Thorburn, an award-winning teacher and professor of Latin and Greek with more than 25 years of experience in traditional and online classrooms. Known to his students as “Dr. T” or Dr. Theta, John has published books, articles, and given public lectures on four continents and in eight different countries. Dr. T has visited many of the countries you will study in World Civilization and has even led students on tours of various major sites around the Mediterranean. Let Dr. T be your guide as you travel through thousands of years of civilizations that have shaped the world that is our modern America.
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the development of early civilizations from Neolithic times to 1715. Early and contemporary Western cultures are compared and contrasted, as are major religious, social, and political reforms. Other topics include the religious influence of Judaism and the Bible, the rise and fall of ancient Greece, and the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire. The Crusades, the origins of feudalism, and the evolution of Christianity are examined, as is the evolution of the European economy during Westward expansion. The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment period are also discussed.