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Civilization
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What is Civilization?

Civilization is one of the broadest and most foundational concepts in historical study, encompassing the development of societies, cultures, political structures, and shared belief systems across time. History courses at every level return to this concept because it provides a framework for understanding how human communities organize power, religion, and culture. It sits at the intersection of political history, cultural studies, and social theory, making it relevant across disciplines and inviting students to think comparatively about how different peoples have built lasting societies.

The papers collected here approach civilization from several distinct angles. Many focus on specific ancient societies — Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Olmec civilization receive dedicated attention — often examining their internal structures or their contributions to later Western traditions. Comparative work is common, placing two civilizations or cultural systems side by side to identify patterns of development. Other papers take a broader cultural lens, exploring questions about the purpose of human life in ancient contexts, the role of republicanism in shaping political society, or how twentieth-century technology and thought have defined modern civilization.

A strong essay on civilization needs a focused thesis rather than a sweeping survey. The most effective papers identify a specific aspect — religious authority, political power, cultural exchange — and trace it carefully through evidence drawn from primary sources, archaeological records, or well-supported historical scholarship. Broad generalizations about entire societies carry little argumentative weight without concrete examples. The most common pitfall is treating civilization as a fixed, unified thing rather than a contested and evolving process shaped by conflict, exchange, and change over time.

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Essay Doctorate

John Bodley's concept of victims of progress in modern society

If we realistically assess the present condition of the culture of consumption, it seems likely that this culture, too, will disappear- also a victim of progress, but after a very brief and preposterous career. The important question is: How will the culture of consumption go? Will it be forced to gradually transform itself into a new primitive culture, or will it go out with a total, catastrophic collapse. leaving a shattered world from which a new primitive culture will painfully evolve? Om either event, it may be predicted that in the long run, if humanity survives, primitive culture will be restored as the most viable human adaptation.

Paper Undergraduate

Realism and liberalism in Obama's Syria policy response

Since the introduction of realist thought thousands of years ago, the evolution in terms has led to the introduction of neorealism, and scholars who are proponents of this progressive worldview "have generated two theories of foreign policy, offensive and defensive realism, which both start from the assumption that the international system is comprised of unitary, rational states motivated by a desire for security"2 (Rose, 1998, pg. 149). The overriding tendency of states to act in accordance with their own self-interest forms the basis of realist theories of foreign policy, because as history has routinely demonstrated, instances in which an ideal becomes worthy of self-sacrifice are a rare confluence of cultural circumstances, rather than the normative method of governance.

Essay Doctorate

Scientific authority versus cultural claims in the Kennewick Man case

Certainly it is important to honor the cultural heritage of the past; however there is a limit to the amount of restitution that needs to be repaid to cultures. In the article "Antiquities, the World is your Homeland,"…

Paper Doctorate

The Fertile Crescent: fertility rites and civilization in ancient Mesopotamia

Fertile Crescent could be addressed as both a geographical location and as symbolic terminology. Ultimately, both options unite to refer to the region in the Middle East also identified as the cradle of civilization.

Paper High School

How late antiquity and the medieval period shaped modern society

This is a paper covers the ancient developments of civilization that have contributed to the current society. It covers the main influential civilizations of the ancient and medieval periods. These civilizations include Mesopotamia, Roman, Greek and Persia. It takes into consideration the ‘late antique' period and Constantinople. It covers various developments such as that of the alphabet.

Paper Undergraduate

Nature's triumph over civilization in Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River"

There are a number of different interpretations that may apply to the theme of Hemingway's short story, given the pointed dearth of action that takes place in it. However, according to his iceberg theory, it appears the theme is really nature's triumph over civilization. A close analysis of this tale confirms this fact.

Essay Doctorate

War as an instrument of foreign policy in modern history

This paper analyzes five different wars, namely, the Napoleonic Wars, The Crimean War, the Boer War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War and the reasons behind it. It also extensively discusses the reasons for the decline of war today and the role of technology in reducing the chance of wars in the future.

Essay Doctorate

Left and right hemisphere specialization in the human brain

One way to view the human brain is like the hub of a vast highway of nerves. On one side, the left hemisphere of the brain helps organize our thoughts logically, sequence time, and utilize language. One the right hemisphere, the brain manages spatial organization, certain kinds of intuition and prescient thought, some mathematical computations, and the ability to share and create complex thoughts by taking previous information and building upon it. Looking from back to front, we would see that the rear portion of the brain is the main library – it houses knowledge, experience, and definitions of the world.

Paper Doctorate

John Steinbeck and Jean Baudrillard's contrasting visions of 1960s America

America has long been considered the "land of opportunity," which makes it in turn, an opportune place to travel and explore. Though vast in geography and rich in culture, America has often offered its travelers a similar experience, as these travelers so often find themselves visiting similar places and hearing similar tales of the past and the present. Additionally, travelling often brings with it a longing for the past, as is seen so often in the case of America and the search for an understanding of the "American Dream," which has for years been rooted in the land and resources that America has to offer. Is this notion still true, or is it merely wishful thinking of the past? This question can be explored further in comparing the travels through America of author John Steinbeck, and author and sociologist, Jean Baudrillard. Steinbeck, an American, and Baudrillard, a Frenchman, began their travels through America's heartland in much the same way: eager to learn and explore. And while their distinctly different cultural backgrounds and different perspectives allowed each man to experience the country in his own way, in reading their accounts, one can see vast similarities, which each add a piece to the understanding of America's changing culture in the 1960s and 1970s, especially in terms of the nation's environmental perspectives.

Paper Doctorate

Logistics and personnel services in modern military sustainment operations

Within any military operation, there needs to be a balance of logistics that combines personnel, equipment, and strategy to optimally deploy forces and therefore accomplish mission procedures. Prominent military commanders note that the operational environment has so drastically changed that joint, interagency and multinational operations are now the norm rather than the exception. This provides the format for new organizational structures and mobility/distribution platforms that engender more robust opportunities for deploying, employing, and sustaining operational capabilities to a higher degree. In fact, "tactical, operational, and strategic lines have long been blurred in the sustainment arena, and now joint and service planners can contemplate.

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