Considerable attention is given to the factors that made each civilization distinctive and to the interaction of these civilizations over time. The rise of the West as the world's dominant civilization and the progenitor of modern ideas is an important focus of the course. An examination of the most important issues and events from the mid-19th century to the present in a global context. Such issues as the origins and consequences of the world wars, the Great Depression, the emergence and collapse of the totalitarian orders, and the impact of Western colonization on the non-Western world are discussed. An examination of the broad outline of South American history since the wars of independence in the early 19th century.
Special emphasis is devoted to political movements, economics, and gender relations.
African Lives A survey of 20th-century African history through the lives of men and women of very different backgrounds and experience. The study of these lives is linked to an examination of major themes in modern African history and to a critical evaluation of popular perceptions about Africa. A sophisticated introduction to the establishment of modern scientific theory and practice as developed in Europe between 1500 and 1800. A survey of the major trends, conflicts, and crises of a society characterized by growth and change from the Age of Discovery to the present. The internal and external aspects of the United States are examined in an effort to encourage a clearer perspective of our history in its global context.