World Civilization I

This class examines societies and cultures from ancient until early modern times with the underlying assumption that world history is an important conceptual tool for understanding our interdependent world. Course topics analyze the nature of the earliest human communities, the development of the first civilizations and the subsequent emergence of cultures in selected areas of Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. This course also offers a consideration of issues related to the connections and relationships that shaped civilizations as a result of migration, war, commerce, and the various cultural expressions of self, society, and the cosmos before 1500.