IS 116 and 117
Summer Readings and Homework Questions

Instructions:

• Read the following books this summer in anticipation of our fall semester in Europe. The readings are intentionally correlated to encourage you to think integratively about the history of ideas, art and culture.
• For each unit, do the assigned reading carefully and completely, then respond to each question posed in a short essay of at least one paragraph, but no more than one page (typed single-spaced).
• E-mail submissions are strongly preferred. Please observe the following schedule (though earlier submissions are welcome):
  • by July 1st: Units 1-7 to Dr. Fisk (fisk@westmont.edu)
  • by August 1st: Units 8-14 to Dr. Pointer (srpointer@aol.com)

Texts: All references are to the following texts.

• Marvin Perry, Western Civilization: A Brief History, 4th ed., Houghton Miflin, 2001.
• John Walford, Great Themes in Art, Prentice Hall, 2002.

Readings and Homework Questions: Units 1 to 7

Unit 1 Introduction and Ancient Near East Perry: Preface; Geography of Europe; ch. 1 & 2 Walford: Preface; ch. 1 & 2		1. Define and briefly describe what is meant by "civilization" and by the "Neolithic Revolution." (Include insights from both Perry and Walford.) 2. Compare and contrast the religions of the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Hebrews. (Again, draw on both Perry and Walford.) 3. Guided by Walford's discussion on pages 15-27, compare and contrast one artifact (painting, sculpture, relief, monument, structure) from Walford's section on Mesopotamian art (pp. 36-42) with one from his section on Egyptian art (pp. 42-49).
Unit 2 The Greeks Perry: ch. 3 Walford: ch. 3		1. Compare and contrast Sparta and Athens. Describe the features and limitations of Athenian democracy. 2. Discuss the importance to Greek civilization of three of the following: the sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, and Thucydides. 3. Armed with evidence and examples from Walford, discuss whether, and how, Greek art was "realistic and naturalistic" but also "idealistic" (Perry, 67).
Unit 3 The Romans Perry: ch. 4 Walford: ch. 4		1. How were the Romans influenced by Greek civilization? (Draw on both Perry and Walford.) And what did the Romans contribute to Western civilization? 2. What factors contributed to the shift from Roman Republican to Roman Empire? Be sure to note the significance of the Gracchi brothers, Julius Caesar and Augustus. 3. Discuss Rome's devotion to its rulers or to war (and its god, Mars), with the help of at least two works of art examined by Walford.
Unit 4 Early Christianity Perry: ch. 5 Walford: ch. 5		1. How does Perry describe the relationship of early Christianity to Judaism? 2. What factors contributed to the triumph of Christianity in the Roman Empire? 3. Discuss at least three aspects of early Christian thought (theology, worldview, hopes, values, symbols) and how they are depicted in the art and architecture surveyed by Walford.
Unit 5 Medieval Civilization Perry: ch. 6 & 7 Walford: ch. 6		1. Summarize the rise of Islam and the Crusades. 2. Identify and explain the importance of three of the following: the Magna Carta, the Investiture Controversy, the Concordat of Worms, the Babylonian Captivity of the church, the Great Schism, Anselm, Aquinas, Dante, John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and William of Ockham. 3. Distinguish between Romanesque and Gothic architecture (include examples), and describe how Gothic style was designed to express Christian faith in material form.
Unit 6 Renaissance and Reformation Perry: chp 8 Walford: ch. 7 & 8		1. What is the connection between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance? What special conditions gave rise to the Italian Renaissance? How was the Renaissance a departure from the Middle Ages and the beginning of modernity? 2. What features characterize Renaissance art? What distinguishes Italian from Northern Renaissance art? (Illustrate your answer with specific examples.) 3. How did Luther's theology mark a break with the church? Why did many Germans become followers of Luther? What was the Radical Reformation?
Unit 7 Political and Economic Transformation Perry: ch. 9 Walford: ch. 9 & 10		1. Why did England move in the direction of parliamentary government, while most countries on the Continent embraced absolutism? Describe the main factors. 2. What was the Counter-Reformation and how did its themes find expression in Roman Catholic art of the period? Illustrate your answer by referring to at least two works from different artists.

Readings and Homework Questions: Units 8 to 14

Unit 8 Intellectual Transformation: Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment Perry: ch. 10 Walford: ch. 11		1.Explain how and why the new scientific theories of men like Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton contributed to the shaping of the modern mentality. 2. What were the main beliefs of the Enlightenment; what did it attack and what did it promote in religion, politics and economics? 3. Compare and contrast the styles of Rococo and Neoclassicism.
Unit 9 Two Revolutions: French and Industrial Perry: ch. 11 & 12		1. Discuss the statement that Napoleon both preserved and destroyed the ideals of the French Revolution. 2. What were the causes of the Industrial Revolution and why did it begin in Britain? Compare and contrast the conditions of life in western Europe before and after industrialization.
Unit 10 The Age of Isms Perry: ch. 13 & 14 Walford: ch. 12		1. How did the French Revolution and Romanticism contribute to the rise of modern nationalism? 2. Between 1820 and 1850, where were revolutions in Europe successful and where unsuccessful? Why? 3. Discuss the statement that the Romantic movement was a reaction against the dominant ideas of the Enlightenment.
Unit 11 Europe in the Second Half of the 19th Century Perry: ch. 15 & 16 Walford: ch. 13		1. Identify the distinctive features of realism and naturalism, positivism, Darwinism, Marxism, and feminism; discuss how each is connected to the ideals of the Enlightenment. 2. Discuss the various motives for the New Imperialism; describe the different forms of political control exercised by Europeans over other parts of the world; and evaluate its impact in terms of costs and benefits for Africa and Asia. 3. How and why did art become "avant-garde" in the 19th century?
Unit 12 Modern Consciousness and World War I Perry: ch. 17 & 18 Walford: ch. 14		1. Drawing on at least one specific example from each of the following fields explain how significant challenges to the Enlightenment tradition were developed by the early 20th century: psychology, social thought, physics and art. 2. Why was the First World War such a turning point in Western European history? Think about this question both in terms of the war itself and its long-term impact. 3. How does modern art in the early 20th century become metaphors of Western life?
Unit 13 Totalitarianism and World War II Perry: ch. 19 & 20		1. Compare and contrast the two ideologies of communism and fascism in terms of their use of nationalism and the actual practice of totalitarian control. Why were citizens of Russia, Italy and Germany attracted to these ideologies during the inter-war period (1920s and 1930s)? 2. In what sense was World War II "Hitler's war"? Explain Hitler's goals, strategy and actions; analyze the part they played in placing Europe on the road to war; and discuss the ways in which they were an extension of Hitler's world view.
Unit 14 Post-war to Postmodern Perry: ch. 21 Walford: ch. 15		1. Describe the respective policy objectives of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and discuss some specific instances of Cold War conflict in either Eastern Europe or the Third World. Explain why the "revolution of 1989" was a relatively peaceful one. 2. What theme or development in art in the last half century do you find most compelling? Most disturbing? Explain your responses.