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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Organising an Empire: The Assyrian Way by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

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748 ratings

About the Course

Discover the mighty kingdom of Assyria, which came to be the world’s first great empire three thousand years ago. From the 9th to the 7th centuries BC, during the imperial phase of Assyria’s long history, modern day northern Iraq was the central region of a state reaching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf, and incorporating what is now Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as half of Israel, and wide parts of south-eastern Turkey, and Western Iran. In its geographical extent, this state was unprecedentedly large, and the distinct geography of the Middle East, with deserts and high mountain ranges, posed challenges to communication and cohesion. What were the mechanisms that kept the Empire running? This course explores the methods the Assyrian government employed to ensure unity and maintain loyalty across vast distances, using traditional as well as innovative strategies. Some of these imperial techniques have marked parallels in the ways modern multi-national corporations are operating, others will strike you as profoundly alien. This course focusses on how the Assyrians organised their empire by analysing key aspects, namely: · The CEO – the king, a religious, political and military leader, who is charged to govern by his master, the god Assur; · Home Office – the royal palace in the central region and the royal court that form the administrative centre of the state; · The Regional Managers – the governors and client-rulers to whom local power is delegated; · Human Resources – the Empire’s people are its most precious assets, its consumers and its key product, as the goal of the imperial project was to create “Assyrians”; an approach with lasting repercussions that still reverberate in the Middle East today; and finally · The Fruits of Empire – it takes a lot of effort, so what are the rewards? When we explore these topics we will contextualise them with information about the lives led by ordinary Assyrian families. Taking this course will provide you with an overview of the political, social, religious, and military history of the world’s first superpower. It will give you insight into the geography and climatic conditions of the Middle East and contribute to your understanding of the opportunities and challenges of that region. It will present you with a vision of the Middle East at a time when its political and religious structures were very different from today....

Top reviews

SS

Jan 15, 2021

This was my first MOOC and I fully enjoyed every aspect. The knowledge level of the instructors was evident as was their commitment to their students and the varied formats were consistently engaging.

LF

Jan 27, 2021

The variety of presentations of a vast amount of knowledge made it engaging. Dr. Radner herself was engaging! The course provided a deep look into a civilization that is a bedrock to the modern world.

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51 - 75 of 301 Reviews for Organising an Empire: The Assyrian Way

By Veronique L

Feb 16, 2020

Fantastic course! Great teachers! I learned so much about the Assyrians, empire-building (It seems that they had the same problems as any latter empire - food, maintaining order, status building, infrastructure, communication). They seem to have had respect for new ideas and to have been innovative.

The course itself was fun, with the interviews and the animations...

Please make one about Babylon now or about Mesopotamia.....

By Abed D

Jan 24, 2021

I will take the opportunity to show admiration of the hard work put into this course and it's contents. I am a mid age banker, but this course showed me well how history gives me a thirst for knowledge and I would want to thank Dr. Radner to her passionate way of lecturing knowledge.

In general, the Assyrian civilization is a rich dish with culture and history that keeps you want to study and acquire more knowledge about.

By David H

Nov 18, 2020

I found this course very interesting and full of detail. I never knew that much about Assyria and wish I would've looked into this history before. The lessons were well presented and followed a very logical and rewarding end. I would recommend this course for anyone with the interest.

Professor Radner was very knowledgeable and got the main points across in plain ordinary language and she was a delight to listen to.

By Joan C A

May 2, 2023

I enjoyed the course a lot. I like that it covers different aspects about the empire and its people, how they lived, ate, and what they believed. I had no idea so many advanced concepts like a well organized tax system, the royal postal service date back that far. Would like to find more courses on other periods of the Assyrian civilization, and also about other peoples of Mesopotamia.

By Mike L

Jan 23, 2021

I really enjoyed this course. There were a lot of unique tool used to help promote learning, including links to podcasts, whiteboard sketches and visual aids, and links to digital reconstructions of palaces. This really helps to engage all kinds of learners and learning styles, and I definitely appreciated the creativity that was used to help enrich the learning experience.

By Stephen B

Oct 10, 2019

A nicely presented course. It has a strong focus on the culture and life in the Neo-Assyrian empire, interweaving that with the history of the empire and the kings. A student completing the course should take away a sense of what that empire was, how it fits in to the larger history, and the important ideas and systems that it contributed to our own world today..

By Dr. R M

Jan 25, 2021

An excellent course !! Highly informative, enlightening and thought-provoking !! Prof. Karen Radner is a fantastic teacher, her dedication and passion for the subject are worth emulating, it was simply a joyous journey into the Assyrian civilization. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend it to all the students of ancient civilizations of the world.

By Ana R R

Oct 5, 2021

I found this civilization very interesting, somehow we can see how since ancient times, human ingenuity allowed the growth of various areas of science. To know and understand that politics has always been the same, that it is the man who corrupts everything, to know the role of women, the customs of the time, etc. I thank the teacher for sharing her knowledge.

By SUZANNE R

Sep 11, 2021

Excellent course from which I learnt a lot about a civilization I only knew from its artefacts. I particularly enjoyed the variety of videos covering lectures, questions and answers, interviews with experts and even drawing with figurines! I was amazed to discover how much is known about such an ancient civilization mainly thanks to the cuneiform tablets.

By Marianne H

May 21, 2018

I initially enrolled on this course just because at a casual glance, I thought it 'might be interesting.' Within the first video I was absolutely hooked! The subject matter in itself is fascinating, and it is engagingly presented in a variety of ways. 'Interesting' is an understatement, and I would definitely recommend this course to anyone considering it.

By Afreen m

Jul 31, 2020

Great course! I learned a lot and appreciated the varied forms in which the information was presented. Made it much easier to digest. I can't say that I'll remember the names of all the Assyrian kings, but I'll always be interested in learning more. Thank you for igniting this latent interest and I'll keep a look out for other courses by Karen :)

By James H

Aug 22, 2020

Amazingly well-produced course, using different techniques of presenting the information, to give a fascinating introduction to the Neo-Assyrian empire, its politics and daily life. The enthusiasm of the speakers is infectious, and the regular tests make sure that you can consolidate knowledge before moving on to the next section.

By zeta_laz@windowslive.com

Nov 6, 2020

This course is incredible! Thank you all so much for this opportunity. Prof. Karen Radner is so knowledgeable and inspiring and the different teaching techniques used, are extremely fun. It is a very well written short introduction to Assyrian History and it covers a variety of topics. I highly recommend it to everyone!

By Maria E H

Jul 12, 2020

This is a great course! If anyone is planning on taking it I do recommend that you read a quick overall history of Assyria and Mesopotamia. This will provide you with the context you need to truly evaluate the information covered in this course and to make it more enjoyable. The professor is truly knowledgeable.

By T T

Mar 18, 2018

Neo Assyrian history made engaging and accessible! The combination of different learning methods (lectures, armchair 'chats', ask the experts, supplementary reading and resources) helped in creating a rounded, memorable learning experience. So looking forward to more from Karen Radner, Denise Bolton and team!

By bill w

Aug 25, 2019

I loved this course. I found Professor Dr. Karen Radner extremely knowledgeable, and easy to listen to and follow. My only regret was that the course was so short. I would like (and willingly pay for) a full semester course that covered the Kings, their palaces and their campaigns in more detail.

Bill Whelan

By Kate J

Sep 18, 2020

I have taken numerous Coursera classes and this was the best. Karen Radner is an excellent presenter. The format using a combination of lecture, discussions illustrations, and meet the expert questions was highly effective. I especially liked the quizzes {20 in all} as it reinforced learning. Thank you

By Roberto J T

Nov 26, 2021

escribo en español, mi lengua materna, muy interesante el curso, he estudiado Historia Antigua en la Universidad pero es una asignatura tan densa que al final esta copada por Egipto, Grecia y Roma. Con este curso he redescubierto al Imperio Asirio en muchos aspectos que no conocia. Totalmente recomendable

By Robin T B

Jan 25, 2021

Lots of detail and variety of presentation methods, very interesting introduction to the Assyrian world. I could have done without the interviews with various experts on light hearted topics, I didn't find it interesting or of any historical learning use. Thanks for a good thorough study for beginners.

By Mara

Jul 29, 2020

I've taken so many courses on ancient cultures, and this outranks them all! I love that this course doesn't just focus on "who did what and when", it dives deep into the cultural aspect instead and gives you a good understanding of what life may have been like for the Assyrians. I highly recommend it!

By Claudia H

Mar 30, 2021

This was a really interesting course. I had some knowledge about the Assyrians, but I was able to find out much more in-depth information. The course had a good structure, with excellent topics guiding you through the history of the great empire that once was. Absolutely great! Many thanks

By Bruna F

Sep 7, 2020

How much I enjoyed this course! Great teaching techniques, an astonishing professor, and a passionate team to make such a incredible MOOC. I love history but I confess I didn't know much about the Assyrian Empire, so this is a very welcomed and important course! Thank you to all involved!

By Flint W

Dec 15, 2021

this course was extremely informatuve and well organized. The variety of ways in which the information was relayed, from the lecture videos, to the stop motion animations, to the interviews with subject experts, ensured my attention never wavered. I would highly recommend this course.

By Ava

Oct 1, 2019

Professor Radner is fueled by passion and it truly shows in every single lecture. Her energy alone excited me for each new lesson! I took the class due to history being one of my weaker subject areas, and upon completing this course I have found a new interest and appreciation for it!

By Isidora D

Aug 11, 2020

Interesting course, it gives a lots of details and fun way of presenting historical events. The only thing that it missed was maybe a bit more about other powers in region and larger picture of Assyria. I know it takes time, but it could be given as short info with timeline.