Overview
The purpose of this class is to inform and equip the student with the heritage of the civilization of the West, especially pertaining to the morals and values. Moreover, this course will seek to provide a Judeo-Christian lens to Western history as well, with the workings and allowances of GOD bearing in mind.
At the conclusion of this course, the student will…
A. Identify key characters in the Medieval and Modern Western world, as well as their impact on such.
B. Understand classical texts and how they shape or record Western history and culture.
C. Grasp the vitality of the ingredients that make the West the most unique civilization ever recorded—namely, the West’s religious, philosophical, political, economic, geographical, and cultural components.
D. Surmise and ascertain the will of GOD—as best as one can—in the unfolding of Western civilization.
E. Make immediate and relevant associations between our class material and their own lives.
Categories
1. Introduction - Western Civilization II
A brief review and necessary recap of part 1 of the Western Civ. class, including vital first principles, and the momentous Greek and Roman values. A helpful overview of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid is given too.
2. Renaissance - Western Civilization II
Da Vinci and Michelangelo and Shakespeare—oh my! An exploration into both this indelible cultural movement and time period; the profound architectural, artistic, and literary considerations of this era is covered as well.
3. Reformation - Western Civilization II
A visitation into the causes and ramifications of primarily the religious, but also the social, economic, and political components of this time period. Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII and his unfortunately beheaded wives—it’s all here. And we cover the 5 Solas, in addition to the Counter Reformation from the Catholic Church.
4. Age of Exploration - Western Civilization II
The faith, fame, and fortune mindset that spurred on this expeditious era is taught. Also included is the Columbian Exchange, the Atlantic Triangle Trade system, the enormous uptick in slavery, and the ferocious conquistadors.
5. Scientific Revolution - Western Civilization II
We unabashedly geek out on Sir Isaac Newton—the preeminent figure indeed of this epoch. We also touch on all the myriad fields that the Scientific Revolution inexorably altered: medicine, anatomy, astronomy, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology.
6. Enlightenment - Western Civilization II
We examine how the Philosophes mostly mucked up this “intellectual” movement. But nevertheless, the Enlightenment wasn’t all bad, as key considerations in law and governance, crime and punishment, and education took on a more humane and reasonable flavor. We address Locke, Montesquieu, Bacon, Rosseau, and capitalism itself.
7. Sparks of Revolutions - Western Civilization II
Who and where did revolutions transpire?--America, Haiti, Latin and South America, and the epic-ness of the French. Plus the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Lastly, we squeeze in a revolution in music too via the Romantic era, and study both Mozart and the incomparable master himself: Beethoven.
8. 19th and 20th Centuries - Western Civilization II
This is where the West really begins to flex its modern muscles, for good and for bad. Ending slavery, American Civil War, World War 1 & 2, the United Nations, Civil Rights with Martin Luther King, Jr., and a bevy of inventions carry this particular lecture.
9. Present Day and Future - Western Civilization II
An attempt to summarize the entirety of Western Civilization’s irreplaceable impact on the world takes place. An inclusion into the West’s top three contributions, a warning for dangers on the horizon, and confidence reasserted in God’s hand and providence on His people closes out this class.
Instructor
