Foundations of Western Civilization, also known as HIST 100, tends to be my favorite history class to take. I’ve always enjoyed learning about world history and sometimes things happen that one cannot help but chuckle at. For example: at one point there was a debate over where the papacy should be seated and three men declared themselves to be the Pope. Each of them then tried to excommunicate the other two from the Church.
I found this class to be entertaining and relaxing during a semester of more challenging topics, while also being educational.
When I think of reflecting on a class, most times I think “what have I learned about the subject and what have I learned about myself through this class?” In this case, it is not so much something I learned but instead it is something I already know. If I am enjoying the class or feel that I know something, I tend to not study as hard as I should. I figure that I know everything I need to know for the quiz or exam. This class relied on us reading the textbook to prepare ourselves for the quizzes. Even though I earned high grades on the quizzes, I feel that I did a subpar job studying for them and should prepare myself to study better for higher level courses.
Below is a paper I wrote about the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs using only the sources provided to us.