Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

European History I (Face-to-Face)

HIST 1100-01

Course: HIST 1100-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: HSOC
CRN: 11213

Course Description

This course examines the political, social (including gender roles), and intellectual history of Western society from the urban revolution in Mesopotamia to the later Middle Ages. Special emphasis is placed on the reading and analysis of primary historical sources. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Humanities

Required Texts

  • Lynn Hunt et alia, The Making of the West, seventh edition, Volume 1 (to 1750).  Bedford/St. Martin, 2022.  ISBN: 9781319331535.  
  • Sarah Ruden (translator), The Golden Ass. Yale University Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780300198140. 
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300198140/the-golden-ass/
This book is available as an e-book through the SUU Library.

The Following Readings are available on CANVAS
  • The Enuma Elish
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • Foster et alia, "Texts, Storms, and the Thera Eruption" (https://www.jstor.org/stable/545376)
  • Balter, "New Carbon Dates Support Revised History of the Ancient Mediterranean (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3845900)
  • Selections from the Book of Exodus
  • Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus
  • Mabel Lang, The Athenian Citizen
  • Selections from Plato, The Apology of Socrates
  • Plutarch, Life of Julius Caesar
  • Caesar Augustus, Res Gestae
  • Selections from Tacitus, Agricola
  • Pliny and Trajan: Letters on the Christians
  • Selections from Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks
  • Dictatus Papae
  • Selections from Fulk of Chartres, The Capture of Jerusalem
  • Guibert of Nogent

Learning Outcomes

This course is designated as a General Education Humanities Learning Area by the Utah System of Higher Education.

 
By the end of this course, students who have learned the material will be able to: 

(1) Derive evidence from primary sources regarding the complexities and changes in human experience through analytical reading and critical thought; 

(2) Describe how human experience is shaped by social, cultural, linguistic, and/or historical circumstances; 

(3) Demonstrate attentiveness to linguistic, visual, and/or audio texts when communicating meaning; 

(4) Use appropriate verbal, perceptual, or imaginative skills when organizing meanings, developing a sense of self, and balancing potentially disparate values.

 

For more information about General Education and General Education Outcomes, please consult the SUU Catalog:
https://catalog.suu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=27&poid=10375


 

Course Requirements

25%     Best 11 scores on 13 weekly quizzes (to be taken on CANVAS)
25%     Midterm Exam
25%     Essay on The Golden Ass
25%     Final Exam

The final course grade will be based on the best 11 scores on 13 weekly quizzes (25%), a written essay (25%), a midterm exam (25%), and a final exam (25%).

QUIZZES:
With one exception, the Friday quizzes will be taken on CANVAS and will focus generally on the readings for that week, especially the documents found on CANVAS.  The quizzes will be open for about a week, and will close when the due date/time arrives – typically at the start of class on Fridays.  It is generally expected that quizzes will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Students are encouraged to consult the text & documents (but not one another) while taking the quizzes; in other words, they are “open-book” quizzes. Many Friday meetings will assume a knowledge of the readings, so students should be ready to discuss what they have read.

Since students will drop their two lowest quiz scores, there will be no late or make-up quizzes provided. If a student misses a quiz, that quiz will be considered one of the dropped scores.  If a student should miss more than two quizzes, the third (and subsequent) will be recorded as 0.

**The Quiz for Week #3 will be held in class
Students will be expected to attend on that day in order to receive full credit.  

 
EXAMS:
The exams will consist of an objective section and a written essay.  
In addition, there will be a question on the Critical Thinking Exercise.  
The instructor will provide a study guide.

 
ESSAY on
The Golden Ass
The written essay involves the critical examination of a primary document: The Golden Ass by Apuleius. 
Generally speaking, it will entail a 4 – 5 page typed (ca. 1200 – 1500 word) essay explaining what this document is and how it contributes to our knowledge of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
More specific details, guidelines, and grading criteria will be provided under separate cover.  
Papers submitted late will be penalized 25% each day, with Day 1 beginning at the conclusion of class on the due-date (papers are due before class begins).

 

Course Outline

Week 1: Introduction to European History and the Concept of "Western Civilization"
     Introduction: European History & "Western Civilization"
     How to Read a Document and The Enuma Elish

Week 2: Mesopotamia
     Mesopotamia: Sumer, Akkad, Babylon
     The Mediterranean Bronze Age
     The Epic of Gilgamesh

Week 3: The Bronze Age
     The End of the Bronze Age
     Critical Thinking Exercise: Dating the Eruption of Thera (this is Quiz #3)

Week 4: Canaanites, Hebrews, & Assyrians
     Canaanites, Phoenicians, & Assyrians
     Moses & the Hebrews
     Critical Thinking Exercise: Sennacherib against Jerusalem & Egypt

Week 5: Ancient Greece
     The Homeric Epics
     Spartan Totalitarianism
     Athenian Democracy

Week 6: Classical Greek Culture
     Classical Greece
     Ancient Greek Philosophy
     Preparing for the Exam

Week 7: The Persian Wars
     The Persian Wars
     Midterm Exam

Week 8: The Roman Republic
     The Roman Constitution
     The Struggle of the Orders & The Punic Wars
     The Roman Revolution

Week 9: The Roman Empire
     The Augustan Age
     The Julio-Claudians & the Five Good Emperors
     Roman Civilization & Society

Week 10: Christianity & Rome
     The Rise of Christianity
     Why was Christianity Popular & Unpopular?
     Third Century Crisis & Constantine

Week 11: The Heirs of Rome
     The Fall of Rome
     The Rise of Islam
     The Frankish Kingdoms

Week 12: The Middle Ages
     Feudalism & Manorialism
     Monasticism
     Church & State

Week 13: The Culture of the Middle Ages
     Medieval England
     The University
     The Church's Mission: Dominicans & Franciscans

Week 14: Crisis & Renaissance
     The Hundred Years War & the Plague
     The Renaissance
     Conclusions

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Since students will drop their two lowest quiz scores, there will be no late or make-up quizzes provided. If a student misses a quiz, that quiz will be considered one of the dropped scores.  If a student should miss more than two quizzes, the third (and subsequent) will be recorded as 0.

Students who miss an exam must notify the instructor in advance and all make-up exams must be completed within a week. Extreme cases will be addressed on an individual basis.

Late submissions for the essay on The Golden Ass will be penalized 25% per day for each day overdue (with Day 1 beginning at the end of class on the due date).

Attendance Policy

Attendance is encouraged, but not required except for the Friday of Week 3, when we will be doing a "Quiz" in-class and in groups.

Course Fees

There are no additional course fees for this course.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.