Autumn 2007 - History 105 - Western Civilization I

My first college class at MSU

Professor Dede Taylor skillfully taught Western
Civilization I at MSU Bozeman for the fall, 2007 semester.
E-mail Professor Taylor by clicking on the underlined text.

My Western Civilization I class was brilliantly taught by Professor Dede Taylor. We started with Neolithic walled towns in August, followed the rise of Mediterranean peoples in September and October, and in November we learned about the Roman Republic and later Empire. Along the way I not only absorbed fascinating details of ancient civilizations but also learned how to precisely calculate the circumference of the earth by measuring the angle of the suns rays at two different points.

Click on the underlined text to learn how the ancient Greeks determined the circumference of the earth almost 2,000 years before Columbus accidentally discovered The New World.

"If you explore beneath shyness or party chit-chat, you can sometimes turn a dull exchange into an intriguing one. I've found this to be particularly true in the case of professors or intellectuals, who are full of fascinating information, but need encouragement before they'll divulge it."

Joyce Carol Oates (1938 - )

A large and friendly class

Almost 160 students were in my Western Civilization I class.

Many of us made new friends and we all learned from each other.

Serious note writing lead to good grades for almost everyone.

Professor Taylor answered our questions after class, during office hours and by Email.

Interesting lectures drew from primary sources and our textbooks.

Class is over for the semester; parting was such sweet sorrow.

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