World History

This two-semester social science core course is designed to cover the key political, economic, and social developments that have shaped our world over the past five centuries. Have you ever wondered why we have certain laws, certain political structures, or certain national borders? World History and Geography attempt to answer questions like that and many others concerning how our world developed into what we see and experience today. These two courses will go into detail about how the political systems and legal codes that characterize modern democratic societies were developed. We explore a number of significant political and social revolutions that occurred in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, giving rise to new concepts of citizenship and individual rights. We will move on to examining the world in the twentieth century when societies were forced to deal with new value systems, challenges to traditional modes of authority, and unresolved political interests. Moving toward the twenty-first century, we go into depth regarding new nations that emerged from colonialism, lingering problems related to race, religion, ethnicity, and national borders. It also takes a look at issues of wealth disparities and violence in our societies today and provides the opportunity to look at contemporary social, political, and economic trends through the lens of modern history.

These courses will challenge you to explore complex moral and philosophical issues, as well as practice your critical thinking abilities and hone your finest writing skills.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITE: None