In Foundations of Western Civilization, I learned about human history from the Paleolithic era to the 1500s. To be completely honest, I expected an extremely Euro-centric course starting in the early middle ages or perhaps with late Roman times, and ending with some American exceptionalism in the 1600s or 1700s. I was pleasantly surprised that the class wasn’t Euro-centric or US-centric, because most “world” or “western civilization” history classes I’ve taken over the years have essentially been European history as a pathway to the founding of the USA, as if all of history (at least the bits that matter) have been leading up to the founding of the USA. I like history, but that’s the pattern I’m accustomed to in class.

This class, however, started with Australopithecus, a couple million years ago. It was an extensive time period covered, ending with the discovery and conquest of the Americas. Despite that, I didn’t find the course rushed.

Our semester paper, which I’ve included as my artifact, had to be about the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, and what caused it.

Compared to my writing in high school writing (particularly from before my college-level English classes my senior year), this piece is a great improvement. I think that more important than simple rhetorical methods, however, is my improved ability to construct arguments.