HIST 8ASurvey of World Civilizations I: From the Dawn of Humankind to the 1300s

Catalog

This course surveys world history from the dawn of humankind to 1500. Beginning with prehistoric humans as the transition of  their societies to sedentary communities, this course investigates the original river-based civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China; the evolution of early societies in Sub-Saharan Africa and the pre-Columbian Americas; major Eurasian states and empires of antiquity (Hellenic, Persian, Chinese, Indian, Roman); and the transformations of the post-classical world, with emphasis on the impacts of the universalizing traditions of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism leading to the early modern era. Course is suitable for History majors as well as anyone interested in understanding the foundations of ancient civilizations, including those that still impact the world today.