This course begins with early man and the river valley civilizations, and then moves on to the classical civilizations of Persia, Greece, Rome, India, and China.  Following the Classical period, we will look at the fall of those civilizations and the rise of the Islamic civilization, the period referred to as the Middle Ages in Europe.  We will finish with a look at the civilizations in the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Islands on the eve of the discovery of the New World.  For this course, the instructor will use a model of World History developed by Peter Stearns at George Mason University.  Instruction will also include the use of Michael Woods’ PBS series, Legacy: The Origins of Civilization.   

Discover the origins and development of the cornerstones of Western Culture. From Democracy and philosophy of Ancient Greece, to the architecture and infrastructure of Rome. Through the development of Europe in the Migration Era and the emergence of the Feudal system in the Middle Ages, learn the story of the development of Western Culture through the many Epochs of History. Engage in an inter-disciplinary exploration of Western Culture along with the cultures that neighbored or interacted with Western Culture and significantly informed its development from the Bronze Age through the Renaissance.