World History Homework Three Answers - Student 12

FrederickT3 11:36, 22 September 2011 (EDT) (not yet started)

1. List the major ancient empires of China, including the time periods and major leaders.

Hsia dynasty: before 1766 B.C. (mythical). The last Hsia emperor is said to have been Chieh.

Shang dynasty: 1766 - 1122 B.C., started by T'ang.

Chou or Zhou (different transcriptions of the same name) dynasty: 1027 - 481 B.C. (from the lecture it is not clear what happened between 1122 and 1027; the time between 481 and 221 is known as the "Warring States", so I guess the reign of the Chou was not secure during that time)

Ch'in or Qin: 221-206 B.C. This was the first united Chinese empire under emperor Shih huang-ti.

Han dynasty: 206 B.C. - A.D. 220. The first leader was Liu Bang, the longest reigning Han emperor was Han Wudi.

The Han empire was replaced by the Three Kingdoms until China was reunited under the Sui dynasty in A.D. 589.

2. List the major ancient empires of India, including the time periods and major leaders.

3. Explain what this is:

This symbol is called the "Taijitu" and represents "Yin" and "Yang", major principles or forces of the Taoist religion. "Yin" is seen as feminine, passive or negative and is represented by the dark side. "Yang" is seen as masculine, active or positive and is represented by the bright side. These principles are complementary, and their harmonization is the basic goal of Taoism.

4. Pick one of the religions in this week's lecture and discuss it, including where it fits in as to popularity and influence among all the world religions.

Christianity is one of the major religions in the world. It is the dominant religion in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Oceania, Africa (except for the Muslim countries in the north) and parts of East Asia. All the other major religions are more restricted geographically: Islam is dominant in North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, Hinduism is important in India, Buddhism in parts of East Asia.

5. Which intellectual insight or breakthrough discussed in this week's lecture is most important, and why?

6. Write an essay of 150 words or more on any topic related to this week's lecture, or enter 3 key terms in the Study Guide with descriptions.

H1. Write an essay as requested in question 6, but make it 500 or more words (or add 6 key terms in the Study Guide with descriptions).

H2. Discuss a difference between a belief system and a religion, in your view, and give some examples from this week's lecture.

H3. How do you think the major belief systems of today, as ranked in the lecture, will rank in 100 years?

H4. The lecture raises the possibility that Mark, the author of one of the Gospels, was being homeschooled by his mother as she followed Jesus, and that John, the author of another Gospel, was a teenager when he was an Apostle. What is your view? Discuss.