World History to 1500

Catalog description

Three lecture. This course introduces students to the wide range of civilizations and cultural traditions in the world prior to 1500. Course highlights how various civilizations found unique solutions to common problems, which, combined with increasing contact and exchange, resulted in the diverse contemporary world. Students will be able to: develop an awareness of the processes of historical change; recognize the common characteristics behind civilization’s development; apply inter-disciplinary methods to the study of civilizations; develop comparative criteria for cross-civilizational analysis from a global perspective; explore cross-cultural interactions as a source of historical change; demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate and cogently synthesize diverse information; connect contemporary political, social, religious, and cultural conditions with the past. General Education: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Institutions in the Americas