Welcome to Dr. Laughran's Honors Western Civ!

This course will cover not only the major political developments in the West from the first evidence of civilizations through the Middle Ages, but will examine social and cultural aspects as well (in other words, how people lived everyday life in the past and how they perceived their world). Throughout we will also examine a lot of historical "material culture," that is, art and artifacts which help us understand better the past societies we are studying!

Emphasis will be placed on developing basic historical research skills, critical thinking essential for the interpretation of historical facts, and good communications skills in order to communicate an historical analysis in writing and in discussion (all skills appreciated by employers!)...

What do you get out of studying history?

Not just the ability to understand and explain the nature of past societies (and the forces which affected them and which can still affect us to this very day), but also the ability to:

· know the difference between "knowledge" and "data," and an understanding of how to extract knowledge from data (a very important skill in today's " Information Economy"!!!)

· manage vast amounts of different kinds of information from a wide-range of sources.

· use historical knowledge and skills to develop one's own insights and interpretations. (History helps us not only to recognize long-term trends but also to make greater sense out of the world we live in.)

· address and resolve problems. (This involves linking the knowledge you learn to the knowledge you already have in order to arrive at a new, greater understanding of the whole!)

· think creatively within and beyond one's studies. (History helps us to develop a critical imagination which allows us to connect not just with the past, but also allows us to be more open to new ideas and the differences of others…)

· work and learn with others. (This is "knowledge in action" instead of just possessing knowledge… It involves asking informed questions and communicating your understanding and ideas in discussion with others or in writing.)

· manage your own learning within and beyond your academic studies. (It's all about encouraging your own personal sense of curiosity and recognizing that life is really nothing more than one long learning process that we can embrace and
enjoy!)

(from The Practice of University History Teaching, eds. Alan Booth and Paul Hyland [Manchester, 2000]).

On that note, I myself do this job because I believe history is both challenging and a lot of fun, and this is the philosophy I try to communicate in class! Likewise, whether you are interested in understanding how our society came to be the way it is, or you want to learn about the world and the past beyond New England today, or you are just taking this class because you have to, you should find that if you try to have fun by honestly fulfilling your own curiosity about history, a handy and pleasant side effect is that often the grade you earn is much higher because curiosity and interest are the best recipe for motivating you to do good work!

At the same time, as an Honors course, this class will be more challenging than standard Western Civ. But it is my firm belief that it should also be even more rewarding as a result, and I will thus attempt to add unique learning opportunities whenever possible!

So... let's have fun and get started!!

Welcome, and see you in class!!