History of Western Civilisation - Wednesday 5th Period: Discussion 1: Introduction and Sumeria

[prof-methos.livejournal.com]

All right, then. I bet you all thought that I wasn't going to make you do the stand-up-and-introduce-yourselves bit. Sorry.

Since this section of the class is all about discussion and sharing ideas, I think we first should share our names. I'm not going to ask why you're taking this class, since I imagine most of you are taking it because History 101 is something of a basic requirement. Instead, tell me what period of history has some meaning for you. A different time than your own, please, if you are historically displaced or from somewhere other than Earth. If you know nothing about another period in history... make something up. Please.

Then we're going to spend the hour talking.

Optional reading I totally gave you all yesterday:
Sumerian Language Page -- http://www.sumerian.org/
Wikipedia Entry on Sumer -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumeria
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature -- http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/

[[OCD Threads up. Comment away!]]

Comments

Re: INTRODUCTIONS

[actingltcrumpet.livejournal.com]

"Archie Kennedy," he says, standing up. "I suppose my own time period -- that is to say, the era of the Napoleonic Wars -- means the most to me, as I'm curious about, well . . . what happened after, er, my time."

Uneasy about elaborating further, Archie clears his throat and sits back down.

Re: INTRODUCTIONS

[prof-methos.livejournal.com]

"You have no curiousity about time periods before your own? Pity."

Re: INTRODUCTIONS

[actingltcrumpet.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I do," says Archie quickly, embarrassed. "It's just -- curiosity of a personal nature, I suppose. I admit to wanting to know what happened to some of my friends, er, after. Which I suspect it may be best for me not to know in too much detail. I would certainly be interested in learning more about the relations between Britain and France between that time and now, though."