NVCC
COLLEGE-WIDE COURSE CONTENT SUMMARY
HIS 111-112 - HISTORY
OF WORLD CIVILIZATION (3 CR.) (3CR.)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Surveys Asian, African,
Latin American, and European civilizations from the ancient period to the
present. The chronological boundaries of HIS 111 are 4,000,000 B.C.E. to
1500 C.E.; those of HIS 112 are 1500 to the present. Lecture 3 hours per
week.
GENERAL COURSE PURPOSE
Surveys the world historical
processes that produced the first human communities, led to the formation
of classical civilizations, and passed through successive eras of regional
interactions eventuating in today's global community. At each stage of
the process, the "longue duree" is emphasized.
ENTRY-LEVEL COMPETENCIES
No prerequisites. Ability
to use the English language effectively at the college-entry level and
to read critically texts both primary and secondary is expected.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Help students
locate contemporary American life within the context of world historical
developments.
2. Develop a working
knowledge of the patterns and processes of world history.
3. Offer students opportunities
to practice and develop critical thinking skills.
MAJOR TOPICS TO BE
COVERED – HIS 111
1. The Origins of
Human Communities to 500 B.C.E.
2. The Emergence of
Classical Cultures and the First Empires in Southwest Asia, the Mediterranean
Basin, South Asia, and East Asia (1000 B.C.E.- 500 C.E.)
3. "The Middle Ages":
300 B.C.E.-1200 C.E.
a. Rise and Spread
of World Religions (Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam)
b. Spread of Civilization
into the Periphery of the Eurasia Oikomene (W. Africa, Northern & Western
Europe, and the Americas)
c. Development and
Growth of World Trading Networks
4. The Mongol Conquest
and the End of the "Middle Ages" (1200-1500 C.E.)
MAJOR TOPICS TO BE
COVERED – HISTORY 112
1. Early Modern Empires,
1350-1750
a. Islamic: Safavi,
Mughal, Ottoman and Songhay
b. Confucian: Ming
and Qing
c. Russian Empire
of Central Asia
d. Regional Interactions
between Steppe and Sown in Central Eurasia
2. The Transformation
of Europe, 1350-1914: The Three Revolutions
a. The Price &
Industrial Revolutions
b. The European Enlightenment
(The New Science and Civilization)
c. Political Revolution
--State-building and Nation-making in Europe
3. Imperialism
Old and New, 1450-1900
a. European Trading
Empires in Africa and Asia
b. The Western Intrusion
into Africa, Asia, and the Americas
c. Strategies of Resistance
among Africans, Arabs, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Native Americans,
& Latinos
4. The Twentieth
Century: State-building, Nation-making, Warfare, and Modern Economic Growth
a. Modern Economic
Growth in World Historical Perspective
b. The Problems of
State-building and Nation-making in Asia, Africa, Eastern Eurasia, and
the Americas
c. Industrial
Warfare and Its Social and Economic Consequences
d. Wars of National
Liberation & Decolonization
e. Global Convergence,
Regional Diversity --The Paradox of World History
EXTRA TOPICS MAY BE
COVERED
The breadth of the
above-cited topics allows (indeed, encourages) individual faculty to make
use of their own unique competencies and teaching-styles to shape or reshape
course content and to determine its emphasis.
Revised 8/98
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