Journey from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern era -- explore how geography, technology, ideas, and human choices shaped civilizations across every continent. Presents multiple perspectives including Islamic, Asian, African, and Latin American voices alongside European.
Explore the first great civilizations — Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and the Yellow River — and discover what they had in common. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapters 1-4.
Explore the great classical empires — Greece, Rome, Han China, and Maurya India — and the ideas they produced that still shape our world. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapters 8-12.
Explore the medieval period across continents — European feudalism, the Byzantine Empire, Tang/Song China's golden ages, and West African kingdoms. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapters 16-20.
Explore the Abbasid caliphate's extraordinary contributions to science, mathematics, medicine, and philosophy, and how Al-Andalus created a multi-faith intellectual culture. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapter 14.
Explore the rebirth of art and learning in Europe and the religious upheaval that split Western Christianity. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapters 22-23.
Explore the Enlightenment and the American, French, and Haitian revolutions that reshaped the political order. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapters 28-29.
Explore the forces that shaped the modern world — industrialization, imperialism, the World Wars, and the Cold War. Reference: Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015, Chapters 30-38.
Step back and identify recurring themes across world history — cycles of rise and fall, the role of geography, technology as a disruptor, and the ongoing tension between power and justice.