Course DescriptionHuman rights, an idea that has come to mean a set of core practices and values that society believes are inherent to each and every individual, was not a construct that sprang from a vacuum. In this course we will address the development of the term human rights, from ancient times through to the present day. As a class, we will focus on the religious, moral, and social implications of believing in such inalienable rights, the development of the concept of individual rights and responsibilities, the conflicts and complications that made contemporary human rights what they, and the 20th and 21st century struggles that have pushed human rights near to a breaking point.As a history course covering a single topic on a global scale, this course will entail a significant amount of reading, and will focus on the tools and practices necessary for successful comprehension of historical materials, both in the primary and secondary form. Through this class, students will learn to differentiate between primary and secondary historical sources, successfully deconstruct both sets of materials, and understand how to summarize and integrate individual sources with the larger historical narrative of human rights. Finally, this course will rely solely on Open-Source Educational Materials, grounding the importance of the democratization of knowledge.

This course analyzes Russia's social, cultural, and political heritage in the 18th and 19th centuries, up to and including the Russian Revolution of 1917. It compares reforming and revolutionary impulses in the context of serfdom, the rise of the intelligentsia, and debates over capitalism. It focuses on historical and literary texts, especially the intersections between the two.

This course will introduce the student to the history of the Middle East from the rise of Islam to the twenty-first century. The course will emphasize the encounters and exchanges between the Islamic world and the West. By the end of the course, the student will understand how Islam became a sophisticated and far-reaching civilization and how conflicts with the West shaped the development of the Middle East from the medieval period to the present day. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: identify and describe the nature of pre-Islamic society, culture, and religion. They will also be able to describe the subsequent rise of the prophet Muhammad and his monotheistic religion, Islam; identify and describe the elements of Islamic law, religious texts and practices, and belief systems; identify and describe the rise of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties in the Middle East. Students will also be able to compare and contrast the two empires; identify and describe the emergence of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain. Students will also be able to analyze the conflicts between Muslims and Christians on the Iberian Peninsula; identify and describe the Crusades. They will be able to describe both Muslim and Christian perceptions of the holy wars; identify and describe the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Middle East; compare and contrast the Ottoman and Safavid empires; analyze the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of European imperialism/domination of the Middle East in the 1800s; identify and describe how and why European powers garnered increased spheres of influence after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the end of World War I; analyze and describe the rise of resistance and independence movements in the Middle East; identify and describe the rise of Islamic nationalism and the emergence of violent anti-Western sentiment; analyze (and synthesize) the relationship between the Middle East and the West between the 600s and the present day; analyze and interpret primary source documents that elucidate the exchanges and conflicts between the Islamic world and the West over time. (History 351)

This course examines Israeli identity using a broad array of materials, including popular music, film, documentaries, and art, in addition to academic historical writings. Topics include Israel's political system and society, ethnic relations, settlement projects, and the Arab minorities in the Jewish state. Students also discuss whether there is a unique Israeli culture and the struggle for Israel's identity.

"This course explores how our views of Jewish history have been formed and how this history can explain the survival of the Jews as an ethnic/religious group into the present day. Special attention is given to the partial and fragmentary nature of our information about the past, and the difficulties inherent in decoding statements about the past that were written with a religious agenda in mind. It also considers complex events in Jewish history -- from early history as portrayed in the Bible to recent history, including the Holocaust."

This class is a global survey of the great transformation in history known as the "Industrial Revolution." Topics include origins of mechanized production, the factory system, steam propulsion, electrification, mass communications, mass production and automation. Emphasis on the transfer of technology and its many adaptations around the world. Countries treated include Great Britain, France, Germany, the US, Sweden, Russia, Japan, China, and India. Includes brief reflection papers and a final paper.

This course surveys the history of the Middle East, from the end of the 19th century to the present. It examines major political, social, intellectual and cultural issues and practices. It also focuses on important events, movements, and ideas that prevailed during the last century and affect its current realities.

Selective survey of Latin American history from the wars of independence at the start of the nineteenth century to the present. Issues studied include: independence and its aftermath, slavery and its abolition, Latin America in the global economy, relations between Latin America and the US, dictatorships and democracies in the twentieth century, and revolution in Mexico, Cuba, and Central America.

This course will introduce the student to the history of Latin and South America from the early 19th century, when many Latin and South American colonies declared their independence from European rule, to the present day. The student will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout Latin and South America during this 200-year period, such as efforts by independent Latin and South American nations to create stable economies in the 19th century, political and economic conflicts between independent states and European imperial powers, the emergence of violent left-wing and right-wing political and social movements in the 20th century, and the developmental challenges that many Latin and South American nations face today. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the 19th and 20th centuries using historical research methods; Think critically about the history of Latin and South America from the 19th century to the present; Analyze how the peoples of Latin and South America attempted to organize viable nation-states following independence from Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule; Assess how the United States used economic imperialism to control the economic and political development of the nations of Latin and South America; Identify the origins of the 1910 Mexican Revolution and assess the political, economic, and social impact of the revolution for the people of Mexico; Assess the role that Latin and South American nations played in the global economy in the 19th and 20th centuries; Analyze the role that cultural agents such as the Catholic Church played in the development of Latin and South American nations; Identify the role played by women, indigenous peoples, and Afro-Latinos in the social and political development of Latin and South America; Identify the political and economic factors that led to the emergence of political dictatorships in many Latin and South American nations in the early 20th century; Assess how Cold War struggles between capitalist and Communist ideologies influenced political life in the nations of Latin and South America and led to the rise of repressive, authoritarian regimes in the 1970s and 1980s; Identify important contemporary political, economic, and social trends in Latin and South America based on an analysis of the region's history; Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the 19th and 20th centuries using historical research methods. (History 222)

This course will introduce the student to the history of the nations and peoples of the Middle East and Southwest Asia from 1919 to the present. The course covers the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout the region during this 100-year period. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify and explain major political, social and economic trends, events, and people in history of the Middle East and Southwest Asia from the beginning of the 20th century to the present; Explain how the countries of the region have overcome significant social, economic, and political problems as they have grown from weak former colonies into modern nation-states; Identify and explain the emergence of nationalist movements following World War I, European political and economic imperialism during the first half of the 20th century, the creation of the nation of Israel, regional economic development, and the impact of secular and religious trends on Middle Eastern society and culture during the second half of the 20th century; Identify and explain the important economic, political, and social developments in the Middle East and Southwest Asia during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the 20th and 21st centuries that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes. (History 232)

Study of the history of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam) from the 19th century to the present. Analyzes the impact of European imperialism, Communism, and the creation of modern nation-states.

Welcome to Modern World History! This is the textbook for an undergraduate survey course taught at all the universities and most of the colleges in the Minnesota State system. Similar courses are taught at institutions around the United States and the world, so the authors have made the text available as an open educational resource that teachers and learners can read, adapt, and reuse to meet their needs. We’d like to hear from people who have found the text useful, and we’re always open to questions and suggestions.

Welcome to Modern World History! This is the textbook for an undergraduate survey course taught at all the universities and most of the colleges in the Minnesota State system. Similar courses are taught at institutions around the United States and the world, so the authors have made the text available as an open educational resource that teachers and learners can read, adapt, and reuse to meet their needs. We’d like to hear from people who have found the text useful, and we’re always open to questions and suggestions.

This resource includes everything needed to teach a modern world civilization course (AP or college level): a detailed syllabus, taped lectures, a primary source reader, and a PowerPoint.

The origins and reasons for monarchy as an institution and social force in the Western world. Specific royal personages are studied with attention to how they attained or lost effectiveness as leaders; their goals for themselves and their people are stressed. These themes are explored through primary source readings. Architectural, artistic, and musical evidence are introduced in slide and tape sessions.

In this class we will come to understand the vast changes in Spanish life that have taken place since Franco's death in 1975. We will focus on the new freedom from censorship, the re-emergence of movements for regional autonomy, the new cinema, reforms in education and changes in daily life: Sex roles, work, and family that have occurred in the last decade. In so doing, we will examine myths that are often considered commonplaces when describing Spain and its people.

This course covers the political, social and cultural history of Europe from 1815 to 1900, including the history of each major European nation.

Have you purchased gasoline and wondered at the price changes? Or worn your polyester jacket and wondered how it kept you warm, or been thankful your phone didn't break when you dropped it? These are just some benefits the petroleum industry brings to our world. Other aspects to the global world market involve natural disasters, wars, rumors of wars, national security, and consumer demand. Learn about oil production and how nations respond as EGEE 120 gives you a foundation of how industry interacts with you, governments, transportation, politics, and the world. You will become a more informed citizen, able to support your opinion about oil and the environment. As John McCain said, \Whoever controls oil controls much more than oil.\"

This is the second edition of the open access textbook that arose out of a course at the University of California, San Diego, called HILD 10: East Asia: The Great Tradition. The course covers what have become two Chinas, Japan, and two Koreas from roughly 1200 BC to about AD 1200. As we say every Fall in HILD 10: “2400 years, three countries, ten weeks, no problem.” The book does not stand alone: the teacher should assign primary and secondary sources, study questions, dates to be memorized, etc. The maps mostly use the same template to enable students to compare them one to the next.

The 1st edition is in the supplemental material tab.

This open access textbook arose out of a course at the University of California, San Diego, called HILD 10: East Asia: The Great Tradition. The course covers what have become two Chinas, Japan, and two Koreas from roughly 1200 BC to about AD 1200. As we say every Fall in HILD 10: “2400 years, three countries, ten weeks, no problem.” The book does not stand alone: the teacher should assign primary and secondary sources, study questions, dates to be memorized, etc. The maps mostly use the same template to enable students to compare them one to the next.

Table of Contents
Chapter One East Asia to 1045 BC
Chapter Two The Zhou Period (1045 – 256 BC)
Chapter Three From Warring States Two Empire (480 BC -207 BC)
Chapter Four The Han Empire and Its Neighbors
Chapter Five Religion and Society in Han (206 BC – AD 220)
Chapter Six A World of Many Powers (AD 200 – AD 580
Chapter Seven Consolidating Unified Regimes (c. 500-780)
Chapter Eight Aristocratic Societies 1: Tang and Silla
Chapter Nine Aristocratic Societies 2: Hei’an Japan
Chapter Ten The Commercial Revolution