World History I

This course offers a survey of human history in a global context, beginning with the birth of civilization and running up through the beginnings of the Renaissance in Europe. This historical development of fundamental cultural, political and social institutions will be examined through an analysis of recurring themes in world history. Topics include the earliest civilizations of the Middle East, India, China and the Americas; the beginnings of the world's major faiths, such as Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism; the history of ancient Greece and Rome; the pre-Islamic history of the Middle East; the early histories of Africa, the Far East and the Americas; Islamic History; medieval European history; the Renaissance. It should be noted that, with respect to those topics generally associated with the 'West" ( i.e., Europe for instance, ancient Greece and Rome and the Renaissance), these will be considered within a more global context; developments in Europe then will be considered in terms of its interaction with other global regions, likewise, as reflective of analogous responses to common societal, cultural and environmental challenges. Indeed, the course will address the question of whether the familiar dichotomy of "West" and "East" is, in fact, a meaningful one.

Fall, Spring

013556