Overview
Here are some of the questions examined in Humanities 201:
- When, where, and how did human beings first develop cultures worthy of being called civilizations?
- How did the classical world of Greece and Rome come into existence, and what were its finest cultural achievements?
- Which were the first Christian societies, and what were their intellectual and cultural legacies?
- What were the main features of the Romanesque and Gothic phases of medieval European civilizations?
- Why did the Renaissance happen, and what fundamental cultural and intellectual changes did it bring about?
Humanities 201 is the first of two three-credit courses that together survey the development of Western civilization from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the complicated and sophisticated post-industrial world. Although the course uses a historical framework, its overall approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on the findings of archaeologists, classical scholars, theologians, art historians, literary critics, philosophers, and historians of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Evaluation
To receive credit for Humanities 201, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Essay 1 | 25% |
| Essay 2 | 35% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E., Clare Haru Crowston, Joe Perry, and John P. McKay. A History of Western Society. Vol. 1, From Antiquity to the Enlightenment. 13th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press—Macmillan Learning, 2020.
Other Materials
All other course materials are available online. They include an extensive study guide and videos that can be streamed online or borrowed as DVDs from the AU Library.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the HUMN 201 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the entire challenge examination.
| Activity | Weight |
| Part I: Exam | 50% |
| Part II: Exam | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form