Homework 8, Due Oct 5, 2012

For much of last week and during the upcoming week we will be studying the greatest western empire of all time - the empire of ancient Rome. So much of western culture is derived from Rome - our languages, laws and politics, and even forms of recreation. Of course, as you've already noted, Rome was built on the heritage of other cultures that came earlier, but nowhere else do we see all these special western traits come together quite like the Roman empire. You might know, for example, that the Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian languages are all derived from the old Latin (called "vulgar Latin" because it was the language of the common people). You might even know that half of the modern English language is directly descended from the vulgar Latin (we'll discuss why when we talk about the history of England). But did you know that most of the major European cities today are built on the locations of Roman military forts? At the peak of the Roman Empire, not only did Rome control the Mediterranean world and the Middle East, but also North Africa and almost all of western Europe.

If you are a native of Kentucky it is likely that you have very little Roman ancestry, however. It is more likely that your ancestors (and mine) were uncivilized people like the Gaelic (or Celtic) or Germanic tribes. So how did the culture of Rome become the basis for the culture for all the rest of the European people groups? Well, that's an important topic we'll discuss in lecture over the next few days.

Your assignment for this week is to research life in ancient Rome and identify ways that Romans were SIMILAR TO residents of modern Somerset. Go to www.worldbookonline.com (choose the student section) and find the article "Rome, ancient" (found at the link http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar474350&st=life+in+ancient+rome ). You will have to sign in to World Book: your id is "scs" and your password is "cougars". Identify and discuss two topics of similarities that you find.

Remember that your essay must be at least 250 words and you must leave comments on the essays of at least two others (totally 150 words). Your essays are due Friday evening by midnight; the responses are due Sunday evening by midnight. Give it your best effort!

Homework 7, Due September 28, 2012

As we study the history of western culture, you should notice that there are two kinds of governments - limited and unlimited.  A limited government is obliged to obey laws established by a constitution and to recognise that some powers belong to people and organizations outside the government.  An unlimited government, by comparison, has no obligation to obey laws (laws are only for citizens) and controls all rights and authority.  The government of the US is definitely limited - our constitution is the supreme source of authority, and it guarantees certain rights for all citizens.  However, that doesn't mean that there aren't "gray areas" - times when the government and some citizens disagree about who is in charge.  In those instances the disagreement is usually settled in the court system.  (While the courts are technically part of the government, they are designed to work independently, meaning that no one, not even the president or congress, can tell the courts how to do their business or what their decisions should be).  The relationship between the government and the governed (that's us) is constantly evolving, making the decisions of the court system extremely important to all of us.

This week's assignment is to do some research about current events in the Middle East and specifically about a disagreement that has arisen between the US government and the news organization CNN.  First go to the link http://www.npr.org/2012/09/20/161491148/libyan-militiaman-says-he-warned-u-s-of-dangers to read about recent protests and attacks against Americans in the Middle East, and then go to the link   http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/09/22/cnn-posts-report-on-diary-slain-ambassador-stevens-us-state-dept-says-family/ to read about the dispute.  In your essay, answer the following questions:

1) According to the US government, what has caused the recent violence?  Are there other common opinions about the causes?
2)  How do you think the US should respond to these attacks?  Why?
3)  Was CNN right in releasing the information from the diary of US Envoy Christopher Stevens?  What were the issues you think they considered before they made the decision to publish the information?  What ultimately led to the publication?

This is an opportunity for you to gain further understanding of current events and to weigh the important balance between freedom of the press and the trouble "too much information" can cause.  Give this some thought and provide meaningful feedback to your classmates.  The requirements for this assignment are exactly the same as all those that preceded it.

Homework 6, Due September 21, 2012

Perhaps the most important contribution of ancient Greece to modern western culture is the concept of government "by the people." Throughout history in many cultures the ability to govern has belonged to powerful minorities (not necessarily ethnic minorities, just small groups of people) that maintained their position by dominating society with overwhelming power. This concept led to abuses and inequalities that could usually only be corrected by revolution and violence. The Athenians imagined a new power structure - one that can best be described as an "employee government". Government officials are "hired" by the citizens and can be "fired" just as easily.

The practice of democracy in Greece was not exactly like the democracies of today. Because the citizens of a city-state like Athens lived in a relatively small geographic region it was possible for the decision makers to meet in a public forum to discuss the pressing concerns of the day. Imagine if you will what it would be like if all the decisions concerning taxes, war, and building projects for Pulaski County were made in public votes held at the Center for Rural Development. Can you imagine the community involvement and the passionate advocacy that would take place? By comparison, in the modern US democratic system the citizens are so spread out and so numerous that it is impossible for everyone to meet (that's why we choose representatives to speak for us in Frankfort and Washington, D.C.), and often people feel that decisions made in government only barely affect them.
This week's assignment is to visit the following British Broadcasting Company website and read about government in ancient Greece:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml

Answer the questions: Should democracy be updated to better serve US citizens? With the invention of the internet, how could our political system be modernized to become more accessible to citizens?

Your work this past week was especially good - keep it up! Have a good week.

Homework 5, Due September 14, 2012

This week we will begin our study of ancient Greece. The assignment will take us away from ancient history, however, and cover current events in Greece, giving us the opportunity to become familiar with modern news sources. You should remember that the media, while providing our primary source of information about the world around us, is made up of people just like any of the rest of us - usually having beliefs and causes we'd like others to follow as well. You should read every article with the question in mind: "What is the author's argument (point) and should I agree?" For instance, research has shown that members of the modern US media tend to be somewhat more liberal than the rest of the US population, and often those liberal beliefs are subtly reflected in their writing. Rember, there is no law against having an opinion, and the media is under no obligation to refrain from trying to influence you. It is up to you to read carefully and apply the lessons of critical thinking before you form your own opinions.

Go to the link http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1987368,00.html and read the 2010 Time Magazine article dealing with current events in Greece. After reading the article search the web for other quality news sources that will give you and update on these events. In your essay, summarize the events of the article and state your opinion as to why these events are happening. Answer the question: Could this happen in the US? Why or why not?

Remeber that falling behind in your homework will have a detrimental impact on your grade! For those of you who have stayed on top of your assignments, congratulations on your efforts and learning to manage your time successfully. Have a good week!

Homework 4, Due September 7, 2012

This week’s assignment offers you a choice of topics to research. We are going to use the website livius.org, which is similar to Wikipedia.org in that it is a free resource with many contributors, but different in that the contributors are all college history professors whose work is thoroughly checked for accuracy and quality.

The first option is to research and report on the war between Jews and Romans at the time of the fall of Jerusalem and other Jewish strongholds. Read the article found at the link http://www.livius.org/ja-jn/jewish_wars/jwar05.html and write an essay describing your findings. State and defend your opinion about whether the Jews should have rebelled against the Roman Empire, given what you know of the subject.

The second option is to further research the Babylonian Empire. While we have discussed the Old Babylonian Empire, the Assyrian Empire, and the New (Neo) Babylonian Empire, there are several other empires that arose in the area known as Mesopotamia that we did not discuss in class lecture. Follow the link http://www.livius.org/ba-bd/babylon/babylonian_empire.html and read the article there then report your findings on one of the empires that we did not discuss in class. Offer and defend your opinion as to why this region so often saw powerful empires arise only to fall quickly after a few generations.

The third option is to research the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as discussed in the article found at http://www.livius.org/se-sg/7wonders/seven_wonders.html . Which was most impressive? Which was, in your estimation, the least? Defend your opinions by offering critical analysis of both.

As always, be sure to cite your sources. In citing an internet source, be sure to mention the author, the title and URL of the page, and -this is important- the date on which you saw the page. After all, webpages are bound to change. Also, check the website www.akers-scs.blogspot.com for important information regarding lesson plans. Thanks and keep up the good work!