Study Guide #2

Hist 161 Summer 2011 

In addition to the geographic areas that we have discussed in this section of class, including (and continuing from earlier):

China: Xia, Shang, Zhou eras (chap 3)

India: Harrupan, Aryan, Vedic (chap 2 and 7)

Greece: Minoan, Mycenaean, Classic (chap 5)

Alexandrian Empire (chap 5)

Roman Empire (maybe - chap 6)

We will deal more primarily with concepts (what we in the “ed” biz call “linkages”) that make interconnections, or make comparative aspects to the fact that it’s a WORLD history class.  Pay less attention to chronology (mantra: dates don’t matter) and focus on the concepts that are interchangeable between different societies, and how you might compare those.  These would include:

Religion vs. Philosophy

Schools of philosophy and how they relate to the world around them

Who are the major philosophers we’ve discussed and/or read, and what arguments do they put forth (you should focus particularly on the west in this case, but keep in mind how they might stack up against eastern)

Philosophy in the absence of religion

Concepts of Empire Building (think eastern vs. the western empires): What makes an empire succeed or fail?

Transitions: caused by history, or history caused by transitions? Think Alexandrian transitions; Hellenic-vs. Hellenistic

What connotes a “Golden Age” (i.e., your chapter 7 talks about India’s “Golden Age” – how does this stack up to Greece’s Golden Age)

Wars:  What makes them interactive; is there a difference between internal wars (like the Peloponnesian) or the wars of expansion (like Punic)?

Texts:  Why are the texts that you’re looking at online in this time period mostly religious? Why not the previous types you’ve seen in other civilizations? What would you use as an example to demonstrate your case?

Economics:  Discuss the ramifications of increased international trade.  Where is it going on, and is it a good thing?