HIST 125: Introduction to Global History

HIST 125-019: Introduction to World History
(Fall 2017)

12:00 PM to 01:15 PM MW

Section Information for Fall 2017

This course will examine the rise of the city as one of the greatest innovations in human history. What are the origins of “the city,” and what were the guiding principles of urbanization during the ages of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Industrial Age, into the Modern Age and beyond? The city has served diverse functions since its roots in Mesopotamia, Tenochtitlan, and the Qin Dynasty; students will think critically about the benefits and perils of “the city” for citizens and non-citizens across the millennia. While the ancient Greek city-state gave rise to democratic principles of the agora, the fortress city of the Middle Ages privileged security from outsiders/barbarians over democratic principles. The city of industrialization and modernization shifted again, in which the demands of capitalism pit diverse urban communities against one another in struggles over rights to the city.

Students will examine a number of cultural, political, and economic landscapes as these have evolved, from King Hammurabi’s rule over Babylon to our own 21st century. We will study the role of religion, ideals of democracy, industrialization, political structures, capitalism, and the role of public space through the examination of primary source documents.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

By focusing on historical experiences that reflect the diversity of Mason’s student body, students will be able to see how their families and communities fit within, and contribute to, global history from the pre-modern period to our present day. This course offers a long-term historical perspective on structural issues challenging our world today, including demographic and environmental changes, national and global inequalities, and the underrepresentation of marginalized groups. Students will gain an understanding of how interconnections and inter-dependencies have been forged through the global movement of people, pathogens, goods, and ideas. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Global History
Schedule Type: Lecture, Recitation
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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