Distance Learning

History of Western Civilization II (HIS233)

Course Description

This course deals with the recurring political, economic, intellectual, diplomatic, and social themes in the history of the Western world from the middle of the seventeenth century until the present.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: none

Additional Details

History of Western Civilization I is not required to be successful in this course.

How did Western Civilization become such a dominant force in world history? This is the question that will guide us as we look at Western Civilization from the 1500s through the present. While our focus will be on the intellectual, religious, and political expansion of (mostly) Western European peoples and ideas around the world, we will also consider the tribulations and blessings that this expansion created.

This is an introductory survey course with no prerequisites. Students are expected to possess a high school knowledge of European and world history. Like Patrick Henry College’s other freshman-level courses, however, this course is equivalent (in terms of rigor, content, and expectations) to sophomore courses at typical colleges. Students will take three major exams during the semester. Students will also read several books and write essays on two of them. Weekly participation on the threaded Discussion Forums is required. There are no scheduled chat sessions or time-specific online class meetings; all instruction is asynchronous.

A typical week in this course involves reading the week's textbook assignment, reading the assigned primary source documents for that week, and interacting with classmates and course instructor on the threaded Discussion Forum. There are no weekly assignments except for participating in class discussions on the Discussion Forums. Students also devote additional time each week to reading the supplementary assigned books and working on the two essays. To earn a B in this course, students probably need to work ten to fifteen hours per week on class-related assignments.