HIS 103 Week 1 Discussion 1

HIS 103 Week 1 Discussion  1 | Assignment Help | Ashford University 

Week 1 - Discussion

What Is Civilization?

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, please review the following credible sources: The Anatomy of a Discussion Board , Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning , the HIS103 Research Guide: Library Resources and Primary Sources, and the HIS103 The Earliest Settled Societies Tour  for additional resources.

What do you think about when you hear the word civilization? Do we really need it in order to survive and prosper on this planet? The real question is whether we can live above subsistence without the technological innovations that densely populated settlements generate. Moreover, the question is not as frivolous as it may seem at first glance. Many cultures throughout human history consciously decided not to take the route toward nucleated settlements and the resultant consequences. The Celts represent one example from the time line of our course of a people who preferred not to have cities. The Avars, a Turkic-speaking people from Central Asia, were pastoral nomads who acquired cities during the course of their conquests, yet they used cities in ways that would strike average city dwellers as most strange.

In an initial post of 300 words,:

·         Define civilization in your own words, based on your understanding of the nine characteristics commonly associated with civilizations presented in Section 1.1 of your textbook.

·         From your readings in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, choose two societies.

·         Based on at least one of the characteristics listed in Section 1.1, explain why your chosen societies can be considered civilizations.

·         Identify a specific point demonstrating how the two chosen societies are similar with regard to the characteristic you are examining.

·         Identify a specific point demonstrating how the two chosen societies differ with regard to the characteristic you are examining.

·         Provide specific examples drawn from this week’s learning materials to support your claims. Cite and format all sources according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, using both in-text citations and providing full references at the bottom of your post.

Guided Response: Review several of your peers’ posts, and respond to two colleagues in substantive posts each of at least 150 words, comparing one of the societies you chose to one your colleague has examined. What similarities or differences do you see? What factors might explain your observations? Cite specific examples from this week’s learning materials to support your findings. You are encouraged to post your required replies earlier in the week to promote more meaningful and interactive discourse in this discussion forum. Continue to monitor the discussion forum and respond with robust dialogue to anyone who replies to your initial post.