课程详述

COURSE SPECIFICATION

以下课程信息可能根据实际授课需要或在课程检讨之后产生变动。如对课程有任何疑问，请

联系授课教师。

The course information as follows may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen

circumstances, or following review of the course at the end of the session. Queries about the course should be directed

to the course instructor.

课程名称 Course Title

古代文明的兴衰 The Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations

授课院系

Originating Department

社会科学中心 Center for Social Sciences

课程编号

Course Code

SS011

课程学分 Credit Value

课程类别

Course Type

通识选修课程 General Education (GE) Elective Courses

授课学期

Semester

春季 Spring

授课语言

Teaching Language

英文 English

授课教师、所属学系、联系方

式（如属团队授课，请列明其

他授课教师）

Instructor(s), Affiliation&

Contact

（For team teaching, please list

all instructors）

Zhichun JING 荆志淳，

加拿大英属哥伦比亚大学 Canada Research Chair in Pacific Asia Archaeology

Department of Anthropology,University of British Columbia

南方科技大学社会科学中心访问教授 Visiting professor at Center for Social Sciences，

SUSTech

Tel:13718791150

Email:jing.zhichun@gmail.com

实验员/助教、所属学系、联系

方式

Tutor/TA(s), Contact

无 NA

10.

选课人数限额(可不填)

Maximum Enrolment

（Optional）

授课方式

Delivery Method

讲授

Lectures

习题/辅导/讨论

Tutorials

实验/实习

Lab/Practical

其它(请具体注明)

Other（Please specify）

总学时

Total

11.

学时数

Credit Hours

12.

先修课程、其它学习要求

Pre-requisites or Other

Academic Requirements

无 NA

13.

后续课程、其它学习规划

Courses for which this course

is a pre-requisite

无 NA

14.

其它要求修读本课程的学系

Cross-listing Dept.

无 NA

教学大纲及教学日历 SYLLABUS

15.

教学目标 Course Objectives

The first civilizations developed independently from farming villages in several areas across the world, marking a

fundamental transformation in human history. In this course, we will investigate the rise and fall of world’s earliest

civilizations. Drawing mainly on the archaeological inquiry, this course offers a comparative examination of case studies

of early civilization: Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, and Mesoamerica. Among key issues to be discussed

are urbanism, socio-political organization, trade, craft production, human sacrifice, violence, religion, cosmology,

collapse and regeneration. The goal of the class is to provide students with an understanding of the nature of the world’s

first civilizations, and their importance and relevance to the world we live today.

文明的出现是人类历史长河中最重要的社会变革。本课程依据最新的考古发现和研究，讲解世界范围内独立发展起来的早

期文明之兴衰，通过对美索不达米亚、古埃及、印度河、中国和中美洲早期文明的比较分析，讨论古代文明研究的一些核

心问题，包括城市化、社会政治组织、手工业生产、贸易、祭祀、暴力、宗教、宇宙观、社会崩溃与重组。本课程旨在帮

助学生理解世界早期文明的性质及其在当今社会发展中的重要地位。

16.

预达学习成果 Learning Outcomes

1. Students will become acquainted with basic concepts, diverse models and perspectives to define and explore research

questions in the study of ancient civilizations.

2. Students will develop analytical skills to examine archaeological data, and to evaluate interacting factors contributing to

the emergence, development, and decline of early civilizations.

3. Students are expected to build up a fundamental understanding and deep appreciation of diverse early civilizations

developed across the world.

17.

课程内容及教学日历（如授课语言以英文为主，则课程内容介绍可以用英文；如团队教学或模块教学，教学日历须注明

主讲人）

Course Contents (in Parts/Chapters/Sections/Weeks. Please notify name of instructor for course section(s), if

this is a team teaching or module course.)

The course is primarily in form of lectures, supplemented with selected documentaries, primarily those authoritative and

accessible ones produced by PBS NOVA and BBC Horizon programs. Students are required to attend all the lectures and

to actively contribute to the learning and discussion of major subjects to be discussed in the class. A research essay is

required for this class; students must select one of case studies discussed in this class and conduct an in-depth research

on one of the topics examined in the class.

Week 1. The Discovery of “Civilizations”;

Week 2. Theories of Cities, States, and Civilizations;

Week 3. The origins of civilization;

Weeks 4 and 5. Ancient Mesopotamia;

Weeks 6 and 7. Ancient Egypt;

Weeks 8 and 9. The Indus Valley;

Weeks 10 and 11. Ancient China;

Weeks 12 and 13. Ancient Mesoamerica;

Week 14. The spread of civilization;

Week 15. The collapse of civilization;

Week 16. The clash of civilizations – contemporary thoughts

18.

教材及其它参考资料 Textbook and Supplementary Readings

Scarre, C. and Fagan, B. M. (2016). Ancient Civilizations (4

edition). London and New York: Routledge.