Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations

This course, on the books as HI 2201, examined the history and culture of the major civilizations of the Mediterranean basin from 3000 BC to 640 BC. This was my first class and I was very conservative in my course design. Each week the students read a chapter in the textbook and then read a text lecture (usually one to two pages in length) where I addressed any shortcomings or errors in the textbook and introduced the sources and pictures for the week. These lectures were frequently supplemented by mini-lectures, which were usually a page or so long and addressed a very specific issue that I felt the textbook neglected or misrepresented, such as the place of women in Classical Athens or the Sassanid Empire and its relationship to Rome. Graded assignments were standard and included weekly online discussion of primary sources, quizzes, a final exam, and the option for a short paper or midterm. Although this class improved as I incorporated student feedback and the lessons learned through an online teaching development course that I took in the spring of 2015, I am still disappointed in it in retrospect. I designed the course while I was studying for generals, and took shortcuts to make it easier for me to design and run instead of thinking of what was best for the students. Consider this a public apology and a lesson in what not to do. Below are the syllabi for the three semesters along with a document called the syllabus ancillary which contained information on how to take an online course. Starting in the Spring of 2015, I also began sending out a welcome letter two weeks before class.