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

[psi16.livejournal.com]

Her education in the Corps had provided little in the way of formal history education; what she had learned, she learned by reading and researching on her own...or had gleaned from picking the minds of others on some of her less-principled days. It was enough to keep her interested, to keep her reading outside of the Corps classes. She hoped it would be enough to get her through here, too.

"Lyta Alexander," she said at length. "I've always had a fascination with the American Colonial and Revolutionary period. There was so much involved, so much at stake, and many of them were willing to risk everything they owned for what they felt to be a just cause. And somehow they managed to maintain a clarity of purpose." She paused, shaking her head. "I'm not so sure the same could be said of every fight for freedom. Not even my own."

[OOC: Grr. I will post properly. Really.]