This course serves as an introduction to the historical and cultural heritage bequeathed to us from the societies of the ancient Near East, Greece, Rome, Africa, the Americas, and the ancient civilizations of eastern and southern Asia. Our primary focus will be on the acquisition of the basic skills needed to evaluate, analyze, and understand the principle events and the most important historical figures of these periods. We will also become familiar with the essential chronology, geography, and the political/social institutions of the various societies we will encounter. While the structure of the course is essentially chronological, our main emphasis will be on several key themes that will guide our exploration of Western history. These themes are: 1) the relationship between society and notions of the divine world, 2) the relationship between society and the natural world, 3) the forms and varieties of political, social, military, and religious organization, 4) the shaping of individual and collective identity, and 5) the interaction and competition between states, religious authorities, and/or cultures. We will also gain some familiarity with the variety of sources ? both material and literary ? from which historians construct interpretations of the past. We will learn how to evaluate, analyze, and interpret those historical sources. There are no prerequisites for this course, although an interest in history, healthy curiosity, and a willingness to think carefully about these societies and cultures would be an advantage. Regular attendance, participation and a commitment to complete reading assignments, quizzes, papers, and exams is essential.