This course traces an epic story: the origins of modern Europe. The first unit begins with the Greek City State and the emergence of democracy, and continues through the formation of the Roman Empire. The second unit will trace the emergence of Christianity as a monotheistic cult in the eastern Mediterranean that first very slowly and then all at once conquered the Roman Empire. In the third unit, students will examine the rise of Islam on the Arabian peninsula and its contingent spread from Spain to China. The fourth and final unit will examine the formation of Western society under the dominance of the Church in the European Middle Ages.
