Students were able to access it without issues. Although the number of grammatical errors was fairly small, the prose periodically borders on wordy or unclear forms of expression. A more thorough editing could improve the quality of the prose quite a bit. Since the s introductory courses in European history often address the racist and imperialist assumptions that initially fashioned the concept of Western Civilization.
Brooks addresses this unfortunate legacy in the first dozen pages of volume 1. In addition, Brooks pointed out that his own background in intellectual political history has limited his ability to address cultural history and gender relations adequately. Admitting that his treatment of these issues might fall short for some readers, he has given permission to use this work as a foundation for derivative works according to OER guidelines.
Reviewed by Nicole V. The text includes an introduction and thirteen chapters covering the history of Western Civilization from the Origins of civilization in Mesopotamia through the era of the Viking invasions in Western Europe. The introduction frames the The introduction frames the entirety of the text as if the reader were going to use all three volumes.
As the title indicates, the text is concise. There is no index or glossary for this text. The content of this text appears to be accurate and in-line with the narrative of published works on this subject, which usually begin with early hominids and the rise of agriculture, though some subjects are treated with more detail than others. One example that shows that this material is up to date is the reference to recent changes in our understanding of early hominids, for instance.
Errors mentioned by a reviewer of the first edition have been corrected in the February edition. Since this is a concise history, some topics necessarily are treated in very short form. As with all survey texts, the story is presented a bit too much as a narrative with most of the questions already answered, and little references to sources, but this is more a problem of the genre of survey textbooks than with this textbook in particular.
A bibliography or indications for further reading would help to flesh out the sense that the information in the text is well researched which it appears to be and provide the message more clearly to students that works such as this are based on research, not just a retelling of static, uninterpreted facts.
The reading level is appropriate for entry-level college students and the material is consistent with the subject areas typically covered in the beginning portion of the survey course. In order to use this text in a semester-based course, a portion of Volume 2 would also be necessary.
It is clear that the author has made some attempt to bring in new scholarship where relevant and on a limited basis. This is not usually something that is done on a large scale except with major revisions to traditional Western Civilization texts every few years. Here, the author has already completed one revision since the original publication of the text a year or so ago. The language is clear and accessible.
Students are introduced to new terms and concepts in ways that make meanings clear. Highlighting terms that are likely to be unfamiliar, or providing a vocabulary list at the end of each chapter might increase this accessibility further, but the text itself does provide good cues. The text is consistent in terminology, focus, and framework. Chapters follow similar patterns as the text moves through its chronological narrative.
The organizational structure is built on a chronological narrative that would make taking chapters out of order somewhat nonsensical. That being said, if an instructor was teaching a version of the course where certain topics were not included or that extended beyond the end of the text, it would be fairly easy to take chapters out or add some from the next volume to achieve the desired coverage.
At the chapter level, more subheadings would be helpful. The sequencing is logical and consistent with other introductory texts in the field, though occasionally the flow within a section is a bit disrupted. For instance, in the section on Egypt, the political chronology of the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom is divorced from the discussion of continuity mostly cultural that follows in a way that some historians might find less than optimal.
The selection of maps and photographs is well chosen to illustrate the chapters, though a few more illustrations would be welcome. While these maps and photos are clearly labeled, citation of sources for each item clearly visible in the descriptive text with the titles would be welcome.
Right now the citation list appears at the end of each chapter which makes it less integral and less visible to students who need to learn about proper citation both in OER and for other formats.
Providing some statistical or data visualization items could expand the usefulness of the text for explaining to students the different methods of historical analysis available to historians. Within the confines of the topic of Western Civilization, which is necessarily focused on Western Europe, this text appears to be mostly inclusive. The author makes a clear statement in the introduction that he has expanded coverage of areas that interacted with and influenced Europe, as well as looking in later volumes at the impact both positive and negative European expansion had upon the world in a larger sense.
He also states that he has attempted to expand his coverage of women in history, though this is still in a somewhat imperfect state given the brevity of the text and the focus on mostly political and intellectual history. See the sections on Rome for an example of this, where scholarship has revealed more about women and gender in Roman society, but the text here has only limited coverage of this kind of information.
The chapters covered in this first volume are well-organized and the major topics are addressed but sometimes without sufficient space more in "Consistency" section. I was especially happy to the ancient world given several chapters instead of I was especially happy to the ancient world given several chapters instead of just chapters as many books do.
Since the book is apparently marketed in three parts, I think it's important to provide an index for each part. Certain institutions or programs may use only volume 1, for example, and there is no index for it.
Most sections I found to be accurate but there were a few errors, some more troubling than others. Jews, Christians, and Muslims do not worship the same god as the Introduction claims. There are substantial differences -- Trinitarian God vs. Allah is One, Deity of Christ, etc. If the intent was to inform students that the three 3 largest monotheistic faiths have much in common due to their Abrahamic heritage, then that needs to be said.
Claiming they all worship the same god is a gross simplification and requires far too much "cleaning up" from the professor to my mind.
Either this needs to be removed or given a fuller treatment with far more nuance. The explanation regarding the Trinity is also a bit muddy and it felt like the author was not quite sure how to explain it. I also find using terms like "party line" to discuss a religious dogma to be in poor state and this risks giving students an overly politicized view of religion.
Of course, religion and politics mixed often in that time period, but again I thought nuance was lacking here. Overall the sections on religion need the most work. Another area that needs more nuance is the so-called "Dark Ages" and the long since worn out characterization of the Germanic tribes are barbarians.
The author appears to be aware of this by continually putting it "barbarians" in quotes and then explaining it in one paragraph. The term, however, should be replaced by the actual names of the tribes for their distinctions to be noted. They were not one homogenous group.
There's no reason to perpetuate the Roman stereotype of them. Note it and move on to addressing them by name. A colleague of mine has read it as well and made some additional observations I'd like to highlight. The sections involving Latin terms also need to be cleaned up a bit. Most Coloni were "veterani" or their descendants who were settled in conquered provinces to secure Roman power.
They kept the peace and were given land as incentive for military service. They were by definition free Roman citizens, in contrast to the rustici or nativi who were non-citizens and often suffered under early forms of serfdom. A few topics deserve more treatment, in particular the time between the Arab Conquest and the Crusades. More should be said of the Carolingians, the Holy Roman Empire, etc.
I think it's relevant and appears like it would be easy to update. I don't not say this as a criticism necessarily. If anything, such a relationship makes updating even more streamlined. I will include these next remarks here because of the relationship to Wikipedia.
I considered placing them in the first section as well. I would greatly appreciate a section "For Further Reading" so that the reliance on Wiki would be mitigated a bit. See some of my comments above, but overall I think it is well-written for an early Undergraduate textbook. I would like a bit more precision and nuance on certain topics some addressed above but the overall prose is lucid and accessible.
I think this is written in a more readable prose for Freshman than the vast majority of textbooks. Terminology is fine so far as I could tell. I do think the framework needs to tweaked some see comments above about the time periods between the Arabic Conquest and the Crusades. No issues here. The headings are intuitive and provide a generally fair amount of reading for each section.
Easily digestible for undergrads. They are logical and clear other than the last chapter or two on Islam and the Early Middle Ages which feels rushed see comments above. It's inclusive.
The section on women in Egypt was great to see but so short. Much more could said there and in other regions and times. See also my previous comments on religion. My other major concern is that there is a lack of primary source citations.
Many expensive texts include text-boxes or something similar to address this. Others include an entirely separate book. Considering cost, the latter is a bad option, of course.
Good instructors will no doubt supplement this book with primary sources, but I would like to see more sources cited in the text to demonstrate how vibrant, exciting, and relevant history is. For example, when I discuss women in Egypt, I discuss letters from the worker's village at Deir el-Medina from two women to each other. One essentially states she has nothing to wear for the social function that week, so she wants to borrow something from the letter recipient. My students get a good laugh at that!
More significantly, that conversation allows us to discuss literacy rates and gender. Did these women know how to write or have access to scribes somehow if not? Both options have interesting implications for their treatment in Egyptian society. I say all this as one example how vital including primary sources is to make history come alive.
The book is well-written but needs more of this for history to come alive, which I find is often an uphill battle in Civ classes, as many students come into the class after a poor experience with history class in high school IE, boring. Finally, I'd like to note that there is a good chance my department adopts this book. It does a nice job overall. My comments above are made in hopes of improving it further. The text covers the main ideas and areas of the subject well.
However, it lacks an index, glossary, and bibliography. The addition of a bibliography or at least some suggested readings connected with each chapter would be most helpful for The addition of a bibliography or at least some suggested readings connected with each chapter would be most helpful for undergraduates.
The text is generally accurate. However, some sections are stronger than others. The chapters on the Roman republic and empire are particularly strong and even handed. The chapter on Islam, however, glosses over key events such as the murder of Uthman and the events at Karbala which were crucial in the creation of the division between Sunnism and Shiism.
There are also some minor factual oversights which could use editing - Abbasid era scholars did pioneering work in optics and refraction but did not develop telescopes; the letter which Pope Gregory sent to missionaries in Anglo-Saxon England did not go to Bede but to Augustine of Canterbury; Solon was by all accounts an archon and not unlike Draco before him or Peisistratus afterwards a tyrant. Of greater concern is that, on occasion, the author makes unnecessary polemical statements. The most egregious of these is his repeated assertion that many Western Civilization textbooks begin with Greece.
Most widely used textbooks, however, begin with Mesopotamia and Egypt just as this one does, so this is misguided. This otherwise very useful text is also occasionally marred by diction which is overly informal. A textbook such as this needs to both present material in an engaging fashion which this does and to offer students a strong example of scholarly prose.
The book incorporates recent scholarship though its citation of it is uneven. Here again a bibliography of some sort would be most helpful. The text explains most technical terms very clearly and makes appropriate use of etymologies in its explanations. Most of the book is well organized.
It could use a bit of tightening up in a few areas, though. For example, it discusses the Mycenean Civilization in two different sections when it would be clearer to keep it all together. This textbook clearly is the product of great effort and is generally well-organized and presented. As mentioned above, it could benefit from some minor editing for accuracy, diction and, on occasion, organizational clarity and would be improved by the inclusion of a bibliography or suggested reading list as well as an index.
It is a strong attempt to offer a survey of a broad period and would be of use particularly in the community college environment.
It is available in three volumes covering the following time periods and topics:. Content Accuracy rating: 5 The text is accurate although because it is concise, does not include some of the finer detail on topics that an instructor may choose to clarify.
Clarity rating: 4 For my Freshman student population, accessible prose is important and I think this text does an excellent job of that. Consistency rating: 4 Most chapters have a conclusion but not all. Modularity rating: 5 The text is broken down into logical modules that would be easy to teach as a stand alone lesson. Interface rating: 5 I experienced no interface issues. Grammatical Errors rating: 5 Overall grammar is correct.
It is an informal writing style that I think my students will enjoy. Cultural Relevance rating: 4 I do not see the text as being culturally insensitive, at the same time there could be more information about how race and ethnicity played a role in history. Comments I like the text and plan on using it in my classes. Content Accuracy rating: 5 Within the constraints listed above, the content is historically accurate and reflects current consensus of scholars in the field.
Clarity rating: 4 This prose is adequately clear. Consistency rating: 5 The terminology is consistent with the purposes and framework of the text. Modularity rating: 5 The modularity is perhaps the strongest aspect of this text. Interface rating: 3 The general aspects of the interface for the text is fine. Grammatical Errors rating: 4 Overall, the text is free from grammatical errors. Cultural Relevance rating: 3 The text is fairly inclusive and certainly is more so than more tradition, paper-based textbooks.
Content Accuracy rating: 4 The text was quite accurate in most regards, though the statement in the introduction about most histories of Western Civilization starting with the Greeks doesn't match my experience. Clarity rating: 5 I found no problems with the clarity and style of the text, and especially appreciated the lack of jargon.
Consistency rating: 5 Although I have problems with the degree to which the text centers historical events from a ruling class perspective, I must agree that the approach is consistent. Modularity rating: 5 Sections of the text could easily be assigned in smaller sections without losing a sense of clear organization.
Interface rating: 4 I was pleased with the easy interface of mostly maps in the text, though at least one map lacked a key to the expansion of an empire. Grammatical Errors rating: 5 Grammar and style are generally not a problem, and the book seems to be at an appropriate level for college readers.
Comments Despite some shortcomings, the author certainly deserves praise for a highly readable and accurate survey of a vast period of history. Content Accuracy rating: 3 Any textbook that covers the scope of material included in these volumes will have a few inaccuracies, or it will offer explanations that cause a specialist to cringe. Clarity rating: 3 In some regards the terminology used is quite clear. Consistency rating: 3 Although the coverage of the ancient world was fairly robust, coverage of early medieval Europe was too cursory.
Modularity rating: 3 The chapter headings and foci are excellent. Interface rating: 5 The PDF version of the textbook worked very well. Grammatical Errors rating: 3 Although the number of grammatical errors was fairly small, the prose periodically borders on wordy or unclear forms of expression. Cultural Relevance rating: 4 Since the s introductory courses in European history often address the racist and imperialist assumptions that initially fashioned the concept of Western Civilization.
Content Accuracy rating: 4 The content of this text appears to be accurate and in-line with the narrative of published works on this subject, which usually begin with early hominids and the rise of agriculture, though some subjects are treated with more detail than others. Clarity rating: 4 The language is clear and accessible.
Consistency rating: 5 The text is consistent in terminology, focus, and framework. Modularity rating: 4 The organizational structure is built on a chronological narrative that would make taking chapters out of order somewhat nonsensical. Interface rating: 3 The selection of maps and photographs is well chosen to illustrate the chapters, though a few more illustrations would be welcome.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5 Few, if any, grammatical errors of significance are present. Cultural Relevance rating: 4 Within the confines of the topic of Western Civilization, which is necessarily focused on Western Europe, this text appears to be mostly inclusive.
Content Accuracy rating: 3 Most sections I found to be accurate but there were a few errors, some more troubling than others. Clarity rating: 4 See some of my comments above, but overall I think it is well-written for an early Undergraduate textbook.
Cairo got modern boulevards. Large-scale export of cotton. Inability of Egyptian government to pay off massive debts due to modernization. The British occupied Egypt to force payment About one-third of all European emigrants came from the British Isles. German emigration peaked later than British s , and Italian even later increasing through Less than one-half of European emigrants went to the U.
European Migrants Most European migrants were young, unmarried peasant farmers or village craftsmen. Some ethnic groups, such as Italians, had a high rate of return to their homelands. For some emigrants, such as Jews from the Russian Empire, emigration was escape from oppression.
Asian Migrants About three million Asians as opposed to 60 million Europeans moved abroad before In the s Spain recruited Chinese laborers for Cuban plantations.
Peruvian landlords also brought workers from China. European settlers objected to Asian migration for racist reasons and because they feared competition from cheap labor.
By European powers ruled all of Africa except Ethiopia and Liberia. Imperialism in Asia After the Dutch expanded their control of the Indonesian archipelago. The French took Indochina. The Russians expanded in Central Asia and along the north Chinese frontier. In reality, most new colonies were not profitable. Colonies were seen however, as important for military bases and naval coaling stations.
Colonies were also important for national prestige. Social Darwinist theory predicted death for societies that did not compete in the colonial race. Technological superiority machine guns, quinine, telegraph, steamships made conquest of new colonies feasible. Conservative political leaders fostered pride in empire as a means of damping down social tension.
Shipping companies, military men, and missionaries all advocated colonial expansion. Critics of Imperialism Some Europeans criticized imperialism. Hobson and others argued that colonies only benefited the wealthiest elites in Europe and actually cost ordinary taxpayers money. Responses to Western Imperialism Stages of Response The initial response, as in China, Japan, and Sudan, was to try to drive foreigners away with force.
When this failed, many Asians and Africans retreated to a defense of traditional culture. Others, such as Ismail, the khedive of Egypt, sought to modernize and match the West. Later, European liberalism provided resisters with an ideology of political self-determination and nationalism.
After Britain ruled India directly through a small body of white civil servants.
0コメント