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Princeton University

A History of the World since 1300

Princeton University via Coursera

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Overview

This course explores the history of the modern world since Chinggis Khan. It focuses on the connections between societies from the time of the Mongol conquests and the gradual, but accelerating ways in which connections became ties of inter-dependence. The relations between societies are what will concern us. The forces pulling the world together vary from religious to economic, political to intellectual. These forces bring the world together, but they also create new divisions. Nowadays, we call this "globalization." That term has tended to emphasize the drive to worldwide integration; the view of globalization taken in this course emphasizes disintegration as well as integration. We will tackle some very basic questions: How do we explain the staggering wealth of China in the centuries up to 1750, as well as China's recent ascent? Where did the United States come from, and where is it headed? What are the significance and legacies of empire in the world? How have world wars and revolutions shaped the international system over time? What exactly is globalization, and how does today's globalization compare with the past? How has the relationship between humans and nature changed over the centuries?

Syllabus

  • Lecture 1: What is World History?
  • Lecture 2: Peoples, Plagues and Plunders
  • Lecture 3: Warfare and Motion
  • Lecture 4: Conquests
  • Lecture 5: The Beginnings of Globalization in the Atlantic Worlds
  • Lecture 6: The Beginnings of Globalization in the Indian Ocean Worlds
  • Lecture 7: The Worlds that Merchants Made
  • Lecture 8: The Seventeenth-Century Crisis
  • Lecture 9: Empire and Enlightenment
  • Lecture 10: The Wealth of Nations
  • Lecture 11: The World in Revolution
  • Lecture 12: States and Nations
  • Lecture 13: Global Frontiers
  • Lecture 14: Empires and Nations
  • Lecture 15: Worlds in Motion
  • Lecture 16: The Peak of Eurocentrism
  • Lecture 17: Retreat of the Elephants
  • Lecture 18: The World in 1914
  • Lecture 19: Civilization and its Discontents
  • Lecture 20: Worlds at War
  • Lecture 21: Apex to Aftermath
  • Lecture 22: Three World Orders
  • Lecture 23: Our Globalization
  • Lecture 24: Back to the Future

Taught by

Jeremy Adelman

Reviews

4.9 rating, based on 7 Class Central reviews

Start your review of A History of the World since 1300

  • Mohammad Sajjad Haider
    Excellent course with lots of pertinent information. Highly recommend students to take it and learn the realities of the world.
  • Anonymous
    The course was well constructed, and well delivered. The professor was highly articulate and tried several ways to bring in other ideas to the course other than just his own (discussion forums, dialogues with other esteemed academicians, and a global precept spanning Princeton students and Coursera students). The course was very thought-provoking and a wonderful (and demanding) experience.
  • Anonymous
    Very well done. Lectures are nicely timed and paced; the textbook, while not absolutely necessary, is helpful. Very good presence in the forums.
  • Helga Maria Saboia Bezerra
    Excellent course! For those who like History and even for those who think that they don't like this subject: I recommend this course.
  • Bill Tollefson
  • Alan Salsac

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