HST 104 World History

World History is the story of peoples on a global stage. This course will look at the origin and diffusion of civilizations in the ancient world including Asia, Africa, Middle East and Mediterranean, Europe and the Americas. Themes and topics will include world religions, early empires, communication, interaction and exchange. These survey courses will use the global approach, which focuses on the big picture and looks at the convergence of peoples across the earth's surface into an integrated world system begun in early times and intensified after the rise of capitalism in the early modern era. All of the courses will consider the connections of select topics and concepts to the shaping of our present world.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply analytical skills to social phenomena in order to understand human behavior. Identify and consider important concepts, movements, and themes to understand peoples of ancient and medieval societies from 5000 BCE to late Medieval times
2. Apply knowledge and experience to foster personal growth and better appreciate the diverse social world in which we live. Analyze how diverse peoples in the Ancient Near East, Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Americas created religious systems, social structures and political institutions. Note the variety of interactions between various groups and individuals on the global stage and how they dealt with change and issues common to all
3. Understand the role of individuals and institutions within the context of society. It will demonstrate when and where the concept of the individual came about and who first looked at how the individual functioned within a society. Look at function of institutions in society, how they are unique or not, and how they influence behavior of individuals or are used by individuals. Ask the question of why individualism was not a concept for many in ancient societies, how that changed, and why this is even an outcome for a Social Science class
4. Assess different theories and concepts, and understand the distinctions between empirical and other methods of inquiry. Demonstrate a functional appreciation of various interpretations of history and how they came to be. Identify different schools of thought and the many "lenses" used to look back and study history
5. Utilize appropriate information literacy skills in written and oral communication. Students evaluate and use relevant evidence to illustrate and support questions and perspectives about the past as well as conclusions they draw from them
6. Understand the diversity of human experience and thought, individually and collectively. Identify and consider the universals and the diverseness in human experience over time. Demonstrate knowledge of geographical time and place and how that changes. Be familiar with processes by which individuals and peoples change over time
7. Apply knowledge and skills to contemporary problems and issues. Identify correlations/analogies between the past and our own time. Consider issues common to all eras and human experience