WHAT DO WE MEAN when we talk about "the West?" What do we mean when we talk about "civilization?" What separates "West" from "East," what distinguishes one civilization from another, and how much weight can we place on these distinctions? What are the positives and negatives of dividing up the world in this way, and are there any better options? Where did these ideas come from?

In our first two units we will examine these questions and the material and methods historians have used to answer them. In preparation for these discussions, please read this short poem by the British poet, Rudyard Kipling, prior to our first meeting.

As you read the poem, take special notice of the first four lines, which are also repeated at the very end. In the first line Kipling seems to suggest that East and West are permanetly divided ("never the twain shall meet"), but in the third line he seems to say that they aren't ("there is neither East nor West"). How can we understand this apparent contradiction? What does the story told in the poem say about this question? Is there anything in Kipling's biography that can help us make sense of it all? When we meet for our first class on Wednesday, August 31, we will start trying to answer some of these questions.