Introduction to Western Civilization

Some people believe that the study of history is boring and useless, but that is probably because their experience of studying it has been based on memorizing names, dates, and battles. This course will look at the stories of how European people, institutions, and cultures responded to the challenges of their times and then make connections with how the Western world thinks and responds to issues in our own time. The course will cover the important contributions to western culture of the Scientific Revolution; the Enlightenment and its political and cultural consequences the Glorious, American, and French Revolutions; the Napoleonic era; and the Industrial Revolution and its critics.Participants who complete this course will better understand the modern Western viewpoint and will certainly enjoy interesting discussions based on readings and lectures provided by the instructor.

Students will be able to discuss events of Western history and relate them to the Western worldview.

This course is intended for students who are interested in knowing about European history and its influence on the ways Westerners think.

No required textbook

Patrick Rosenkjar

Professor Rosenkjar is an expert in various aspects of linguistics, language teaching methods, and literature. He has a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in German language studies; a master's degree from San Francisco State University in English, with a concentration in language teaching and in American and British literature; and a doctorate from Temple University in second language education. He has published in the areas of content-based English teaching, designing English reading courses for Japanese students, research and theory of curriculum and course design, and understanding poetry. His interests include culture studies, history, linguistic theory, and literary texts; and he reads extensively for pleasure and professional enrichment in these areas. He has been a full-time faculty member of Temple University Japan Campus since 1988.