And the votes are in!Every time I teach either Western Ci...
And the votes are in!
Every time I teach either Western Civ or WOrld History, I conclude the Final with an extra-credit question (and they pretty much ALL need extra credit): Who were the five most influential people in history (stone age to Protestant Reformation, essentially), and WHY.
This semester was World History, so the field of nominees was much broader.
The winner was Christopher Columbus, with fourteen votes.
Alexander the Great got 13 (I guess my lecture about him and his multicultural empire really impresses people).
Muhammad came in third, with 11, a nose ahead of Julius Caesar's 10.
Martin Luther and Jesus Christ tied with 6 apiece (there was a strong Muslim contingent in the class this semester).
Buddha racked up 4 votes: Genjis Khan, Socrates, Amerigo Vespucci (of all people!) and Hammurabi all got 3.
Other nominees included Cyrus the Great (from the Iranian contingent mentioned above), Homer, Charlemagne and his grandpa Charles Martel, Joan of Arc, Confucius, Cleopatra, Shi Huang Ti (first emperor of China), Abu Bakr (Muhammad's successor who began the expansion of Islam), emperors Chandragupta and Ashoka of India, Cleopatra, Elizabeth the I of England, Catherine of Aragon (yes, Henry VIII's 1st wife!), Akhenaten, and Augustus Caesar (whom it sounds like someone mixed up with Constantine).
Gang votes went to the Phoenicians, the Mayans, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (?!?), the "politique" rulers of the 16th century who put religious compromise over religious warfare (and frequently got assassinated by the pious for their pains), and "all the popes." (For being corrupt and sinful and thus spurring changes in Christianity).
Sort of tells me what people are actually getting out of the class.
Exams were last Wednesday; commencement is this Wednesday. I nailed two plagiarists on the research papers. I am ASTOUNDED at how much better I already feel, having had five days of (more or less) rest. I look forward to a peaceful summer.
Every time I teach either Western Civ or WOrld History, I conclude the Final with an extra-credit question (and they pretty much ALL need extra credit): Who were the five most influential people in history (stone age to Protestant Reformation, essentially), and WHY.
This semester was World History, so the field of nominees was much broader.
The winner was Christopher Columbus, with fourteen votes.
Alexander the Great got 13 (I guess my lecture about him and his multicultural empire really impresses people).
Muhammad came in third, with 11, a nose ahead of Julius Caesar's 10.
Martin Luther and Jesus Christ tied with 6 apiece (there was a strong Muslim contingent in the class this semester).
Buddha racked up 4 votes: Genjis Khan, Socrates, Amerigo Vespucci (of all people!) and Hammurabi all got 3.
Other nominees included Cyrus the Great (from the Iranian contingent mentioned above), Homer, Charlemagne and his grandpa Charles Martel, Joan of Arc, Confucius, Cleopatra, Shi Huang Ti (first emperor of China), Abu Bakr (Muhammad's successor who began the expansion of Islam), emperors Chandragupta and Ashoka of India, Cleopatra, Elizabeth the I of England, Catherine of Aragon (yes, Henry VIII's 1st wife!), Akhenaten, and Augustus Caesar (whom it sounds like someone mixed up with Constantine).
Gang votes went to the Phoenicians, the Mayans, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (?!?), the "politique" rulers of the 16th century who put religious compromise over religious warfare (and frequently got assassinated by the pious for their pains), and "all the popes." (For being corrupt and sinful and thus spurring changes in Christianity).
Sort of tells me what people are actually getting out of the class.
Exams were last Wednesday; commencement is this Wednesday. I nailed two plagiarists on the research papers. I am ASTOUNDED at how much better I already feel, having had five days of (more or less) rest. I look forward to a peaceful summer.
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