This course explores big questions about the global connections and conflicts that have shaped the world from 1500 to the present. How did European exploration and colonization of the Americas change societies in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe? How did different political systems and political ideas develop over time, and what allowed revolutionary movements to set up new regimes in countries like the United States, France, Russia, China, and Iran? How has the Industrial Revolution changed the lives of ordinary people as well as the global economy and balance of power? What were the causes and effects of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War in the twentieth century? By learning about these historical events, students can understand the connections and conflicts of the 21st century in a deeper way.
Appropriate assessment score or completion/concurrent enrollment in ENGL 1422 with a grade of C or better
- The world economy ca. 1450
- European exploration, conquest, and colonization in the Americas, Asia, and Africa
- States, empires, and warfare in the 1500s to the 1700s
- The early modern global economy
- The Enlightenment and revolutions in the Atlantic world
- The Industrial Revolution and global Western influence
- Responses to Western power in Asia and Africa
- Causes and effects of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War
- Decolonization and development in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
- Globalization after the Cold War: causes, effects, and controversies
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify important causes and effects of major developments in world history after 1500.
- Distinguish between primary and secondary sources as the foundation of modern historical scholarship.
- Compare and contrast perspectives in primary sources from different cultures.
- Formulate historical interpretations, both orally and in writing, and defend them critically with reference to primary and secondary sources.
- Show the relationship of at least one important current event to major global developments.