HIST 171 World History, 1500-Present [CRN 19442]

Overview of Course

This course offers a global and comparative study of world history from 1500 to the present, with an emphasis on the growing interconnections between regions and the complex forces that shaped the modern world. We will explore how empires expanded and collapsed, how states were built and contested, and how people across the globe responded to changing systems of power, knowledge, and belief.
Rather than following a single dominant narrative, the course centers diverse perspectives—especially from non-Western societies—and pays close attention to the lives of ordinary people. Students will investigate how migration, colonialism, race, gender, class, and religion influenced both global structures and everyday life. Philosophical and political ideas will be studied not only for their intellectual impact but also for their role in shaping historical change.
A major focus will be placed on reading and analyzing primary sources—ranging from travel accounts and political documents to letters, objects, and oral traditions. Students will develop core historical skills such as contextualization, close reading, sourcing, and comparison while also engaging critically with concepts like “East,” “West,” “modernity,” and “development.”
As part of Semester at Sea, this course invites students to connect shipboard learning with their real-world experiences in international port locations. The movement of the ship itself mirrors the course’s structure: a journey through space and time that emphasizes cross-cultural encounters, global processes, and the deep interdependence of human societies.