World Civilizations - SOC210

The primary part of learning about world civilizations is understanding how the history of the world connects, intersects, and impacts with today’s world. In order to do this, students need to be able to think like historians; they need to look for and analyze the whys and hows of history.

In the coursework, students will learn the core concepts of civilization, how a civilization develops, spread, and, sometimes, falls. As we work through this course, students will learn to question, analyze and decipher history and the connections of civilizations. Students will look at early history, how civilizations build, the elements that make up a civilization, and the complexity of building a civilization. Students will examine how humanity grew into complex civilizations. They will explore ideas, shifts in thinking, and discoveries from the 1400’s to the late 1800’s that have created an impact in the world. Practicing historical thinking skills and knowing how civilizations grow will help them to better understand how humans moved from individual countries and city-states to empires that would finally create a truly global population. They will be looking closely at the emergence of the first global age, how the world’s civilizations expanded and interacted around the world, how the spreading of ideas will impact the growth of empires and revolutionary ideas. They will consider the factors that drove humans to explore, conquer, and revolt and also reflect on the effects of those actions. Please download a copy of the syllabus for a full course description.