A Brief History of the World

The construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, the development of democracy in ancient Greece, the glories of ancient Rome - these stories are familiar to students of history. But what about the rest of the world? How do the histories of China and Japan, or Russia, India, and the remote territories of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America fit in with commonly known accounts of Western traditions? Learn the rest of the story with these 36 riveting lectures that survey the expanse of human development and civilization across the globe. From the invention of agriculture in the Neolithic era to the urbanized, technologically sophisticated world of the 21st century, you'll apprehend "the big picture" of world history. You'll examine and compare the peoples, cultures, and nations of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to understand how, throughout history, peoples all over the world have connected and interacted, traded goods and technology, and conquered and learned from each other. As you travel around the world and through time, Professor Stearns provides surprising insights that will overturn many of your assumptions about history. For instance, you'll see how the invention of agriculture brought with it a number of drawbacks, such as a new inequality between men and women and greater exposure to epidemic diseases. Fascinating episodes like these will give you a deep appreciation for the human experience as it was lived throughout the centuries.

All Lectures:
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 Post-Classical Period, 500 - 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, 1450 - 1750
20. The World Economy, 1450 - 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 Japan - 19th-Century Pressures
29. The 20th - 21st Centuries as a New Period
30. The World Economy - 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