Course Overview

Description

From the origins of civilization, the way information has been controlled has shaped what  knowledge is and does. In this course we will examine how various institutions of knowledge and communications media have defined culture and controlled how knowledge is preserved, transmitted, and sometimes censored. We will look at various world cultures and the ways they employed language, symbol systems, libraries, academic institutions, religious authority, and social privilege to maintain order and to develop and define their own identities.  This course, while independent, is a companion course to Honors 202 “Digital Civilization,” (taught with Dr. Daniel Zappala Fall 2011; Winter 2012), and will therefore anticipate the development and significance of modern-day information systems and digital culture.

Learning Outcomes

• History
  Students can characterize historical periods from antiquity through the Renaissance and identify and discuss representative texts, cultures, events, and figures.
• Knowledge Institutions
  Students can describe and analyze the characteristics and differences among knowledge institutions and media
• Communicating Knowledge
  Students recognize differences in the forms through which knowledge is preserved, communicated, and experienced and can interpret the consequences of these differences historically and personally.
• Knowledge Skills
  Students become aware of and take responsibility for their knowledge skills and develop new learning strategies, including collaboration.
• Sharing Knowledge
  Students can represent and share their knowledge of the history of civilization through formal and informal writing, oral communication, and teaching others.

General CalendarThe course will be divided into four different units that correspond with different knowledge media:

1. Folk Knowledge
2. Oral Knowledge
3. Written Knowledge
4. Print Knowledge

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