Face-to-face , first term, 45 hours of theory.

First term
Monday from 16:00 to 18:00 at 43 Botanique 1
Friday from 16:00 to 17:00 at 109 Marais 101

French

• The History of Western Societies and Cultures
This learning activity aims to provide students with basic knowledge about the Western history. They should master the basic historical concepts that will help them throughout their university studies.

• History of Ancient civilisation: contributions and questions
If, in many respects, we still live “between its walls”, - be it only from a linguistic point of view and through journeys to its places of memory, the ancient world was much more different from the current one than we could imagine. The fact that the ancient world has left us plenty of texts and monuments, even “meaningful documents” for us in the twenty-first century, should not deceive us. Though the words are the same, they do not mean the same thing. This course aims to contribute to develop a critical intellectual approach and to stimulate reflection by offering a perspective enabled by the return to sources of our contemporary world.

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• The History of Western Societies and Cultures
Over recent years, in the wake of globalisation, a number of social scientists (see Selective Bibliography) have sought to understand and put the foundations of western culture into context. Yet, while these authors generally agree in saying that the “West” has played a fundamental role in the history of humanity, there are significant differences in their interpretations.
Consequently, to come to an independent opinion, it is necessary to plunge back into history. But retracing the history of western civilization does not mean retracing every event, every date, but analysing history from a very long-term certain perspective. Such a view of history has both advantages and drawbacks. On the one hand, it means reasoning and explaining in unfamiliar terms, as well as deploying long-run historical explanation to understand our own time; on the other hand, it is important to avoid the pitfalls of simplistic generalisations, of a deterministic philosophy of history, or of a history that is more mythical than recognised or proven. It is therefore essential to systematically revisit real cases, statistics, maps, precise chronologies, in short, to verify facts.
This learning activity has five main parts, the goal being to identify the foundational and structuring ‘ingredients' of western societies and cultures.
- Political boundaries
- Society
- Political systems
- Religion and politics
- The West and the World

• History of Ancient civilisation: contributions and questions
Introduction to “classical” civilizations - Greek and Roman - in their Mediterranean context, through focusing on what their understanding may contribute to the understanding of later times and to the reflection about the challenges facing the modern world in regards to its future.
According to a thematic progression, the course will successively study:

1. the spatiotemporal and mental structures of the classical world - through the representation of the geographical area and the conceptions of the City;
2. some aspects of ancient multiculturalism - perception and designation of the foreigner, cultural relations between Greece and Egypt, and between Rome, Greece and Gaul;
3. finally, the rediscovery of antiquity since the Renaissance, and its exploitation in cultural and political fields.

• The History of Western Societies and Cultures
Face-to-face, first term, 30 hours of theory. Students have a framework syllabus. It includes a detailed plan as well as technical terms, proper nouns discussed in the course.
• History of Ancient civilisation: contributions and questions
Face-to-face, first term, 15 hours of theory. Lecture with illustrations. The students may ask questions during the lecture.

• The History of Western Societies and Cultures: 50%
Assessment is by written examination. Questions address cross-cutting issues with the goal of evaluating students' knowledge and understanding.
• History of Ancient civilisation : contributions and questions : 50%
Assessment is by written examination. Questions address cross-cutting issues with the goal of evaluating students' knowledge and understanding.

• The History of Western Societies and Cultures
The syllabus includes a selected reading list.
• History of Ancient civilisation: contributions and questions
A selection of titles is provided and discussed at the end of each part of the course.

• The History of Western Societies and Cultures
The syllabus can be obtained from the university's reprographics unit, or downloaded from the site eSaintLouis. The documents listed in the syllabus are also available from the eSaintLouis platform.
• History of Ancient civilisation: contributions and questions
The syllabus provides a summary of the course, the key words (including names) of its various developments, the necessary reference documents (texts, maps and illustrations of archaeological documents), as well as a selected bibliography. It provides a course outline and the extra elements useful for personal notes.