Course Outline: 
Unit 1   Foundations (five weeks) 8000 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. 
Week 1 – Early agricultural societies and the rise of civilization (Mespopotamia)
Week 2 – Birth and diffusion of major belief systems (Polytheism, Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, 
Daoism, Buddhism, Christianity) 
Weeks 3 and 4 – The rise and fall of classical civilizations (China, Rome, The Mediterranean)
Week 5 – Networks of communication and exchange 
                  
Unit 2   Consolidation and Interaction (six weeks) 600 C.E. - 1450 C.E.
Week 1 – The rise and spread of Islam 
Week 2 – The crusades and the spread of Christianity 
Week 3 – The dynasties of China 
Week 4 – The Amerindian world 
Weeks 5 and 6 – Interregional patterns of culture and contact 

Unit 3   The World in Transition (five weeks) 1450 C.E. -1750 C.E. 
Weeks 1 and 2 – Transformation of Europe: Renaissance and Reformation; exploration 
Week 3 – Diversity of American colonial societies; encounters and exchanges 
Week 4 – Continued encounters and exchanges: the Atlantic system and Africa; Southwest Asia and 
the Indian Ocean 
Week 5 – Eastern Eurasia: Eastern Europe and Russia; absolutism 

Unit 4   Revolutions and Change (six weeks) 1750 C.E. -1914 C.E. 
Weeks 1 and 2 – Enlightenment and revolution (Europe and the Americas) 
Week 3 – Napoleon; Haitian and Latin American revolutions 
Week 4 – Industrial Revolution: Britain and the New Imperialism in India and Egypt 
Week 5 – Reactions to Industrial Revolution and modernization 
Week 6 – Nationalism and imperialism; reactions and movements 

Unit 5   The Changing World (six weeks) 1914 C.E. - Present 
Week 1 – World War I and the Russian Revolution 
Week 2 – Depression and the rise of dictators 
Week 3 – World War II and the aftermath 
Week 4 – New Alliances (The Cold War) 
Week 5 – Legacies of colonialism in Africa, Asia, Latin America 
Week 6 – Inputs and outcomes of a global economy Asia, Latin America