I have also taught the following courses. In each of them our emphasis is on reading the Great Books, and understanding history in terms of dominant political trends and philosophical ideas. See the Duke Courses tab for present courses at Duke University.
History 112: Western Civilization: This examination of western civilization focuses on the political history of the Ancient and Medieval worlds.
History 113: Western Civilization: The theme of the course is the development of the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman Traditions, with an emphasis on Freedom, Science and Technology, and various reactions to those developments, from the Renaissance to the modern day.
Hist 304: The Ancient Near East: This takes us into the worlds of Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.
Hist 380: Greek Language and Society: This course will focus on the Greek language–vocabulary, grammar and inflections–as a means to understand Greek culture in the late fifth-century BC.
History 261: Ancient Greece: This course will consider the political and intellectual history of Classical Greece, from pre-classical periods to the Macedonian conquests. The course will progress from early Heroic poetry through the first city-state settlements to the loss of Greek independence and the spread of Hellenic culture.
History 203: Ancient Rome: Republic, Empire and the Rise of Christianity: This course will read deeply from several ancient sources on the rise and fall of Rome, and the rise of Christianity. As the main transmission belt of the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman Traditions, Rome is a vital link to the roots of Western Civilization.
History 304: Warfare, Ancient and Modern: This course adopts ancient and modern perspectives on the phenomenon of war. Primary source readings will be directed toward specific conflicts, such as the Greco-Persian Wars, the Punic Wars, the Hundred Years War, the American Civil War, or the Second World War.
Honors 101: First Year Honor Colloquium: This course will consider how good reading and writing can help us become better thinkers. Our focus will be on several great readings, perhaps Homer, Virgil, Plutarch, Shakespeare.
Additional Handout Materials:
- Chronology: Ancient Near East
- Chronology: Early Hebraic History
- Chronology: Greek Political History
- Chronology: Roman Political History
- Chronology: Medieval History and the Papacy
- Bibliography and Research Topics: Ancient Near East
- Bibliography and Research Topics: Ancient Greece
- Bibliography and Research Topics: Ancient Rome
- Medieval Political Thinkers: Bibliography and Short Descriptions
Additional study questions, specific to individual courses, can be found on the course syllabi.