A Brief History of the World
(36 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)
Course No. 8080
Taught by Peter N. Stearns
George Mason University
Ph.D., Harvard University

640x480, 128 kbps VBR MP3

Think of the construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, or the development of democratic rule in ancient Greece. Recall the innovations of the European Renaissance and EnlightenmentΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥the remarkable flowering of drama and the arts, and revolutionary breakthroughs in science and philosophy.

These are intriguing and important episodes, familiar to students of history. But haven\'t you also wondered: What else was going on in the world?

Consider the enthralling tales of Venetian trader Marco Polo. He introduced the Western world to mysterious and exotic Asian cultures never before imagined. Those alien civilizations he visited had existed for centuries, even millennia. What do we know about that part of the story?

We know of the glories of ancient Rome, the commanding empire that ruled the known worldΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥but what about the lands that were not \"known\"? What, for example, of the Han dynasty in China? It existed alongside the Roman Empire but developed a more enduring legacy than that of the emperors of the Eternal City. How does that imperial saga relate to the more familiar story of Roman domination?

And in the Dark Ages that came after the fall of the Roman Empire, we know that the era following Rome\'s glory days brought great political and social turmoil to the peoples of Europe. But at that time the Muslims of the Middle East and North Africa were experiencing remarkable cultural flourishing that produced innovations in art, medicine, philosophy, and technologyΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥a true golden age for the civilization.

If you have wondered about these other historiesΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥of China and Japan, of Russia, India, and the remote territories of Sub-Saharan Africa and South AmericaΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥you can now discover how these stories fit in with commonly known accounts of Western traditions.

Course Lecture Titles
1. What and Why Is World History?
2. The Neolithic Revolution
3. What Is a Civilization?
4. The Classical Period in World History  
5. Cultural Change in the Classical Period  
6. Social Inequalities in Classical Societies
7. The Roman Empire and Han China
8. The Silk Road; Classical Period Contacts
9. The Decline of the Classical Civilizations
10. The Postclassical Period, 500ΓΓé¼ΓÇ£1450
11. World Religions and Their Consequences
12. The Impact of Islam
13. Postclassical Trade and Contacts
14. Postclassical Patterns of Imitation
15. Western Civilization in World Context
16. The Mongol Years
17. Civilizations in the Americas and in Africa
18. The World in 1450
19. The Early Modern Period, 1450ΓΓé¼ΓÇ£1750
20. The World Economy, 1450ΓΓé¼ΓÇ£1750
21. Transformations in Western Europe
22. The Rise of Russia
23. Asian Empires and a Shogunate
24. The Long 19th Century
25. Abolition of Slavery and Serfdom
26. Modernization and Nationalisms
27. Formation of Latin American Civilization
28. China and JapanΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥19th-Century Pressures
29. The 20thΓΓé¼ΓÇ£21st Centuries as a New Period
30. The World EconomyΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥Change and Continuity
31. An Age of Revolutions
32. The United States in World History
33. Contemporary Democracy
34. Contemporary Cultural Change
35. Gender in Contemporary World History
36. Globalization and World History