This courses traces the development of western civilization beginning in the fifth century with the transformation of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) under Christian rulers, as well as later developments and transformations of the Byzantine Empire, including its relations with the western European kingdoms and with the Islamic caliphates in the East. The course addresses different aspects of the medieval European society and church in the West, as well as the Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the rise of modernity. The nature of this course is interdisciplinary and it incorporates a variety of different sources from a long time-span in relation to the political, social, historical and religious aspects of western civilization.
