Free Course: A History of the World Since 1300
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On September 17th a free course "A History of the World Since 1300" starts on Coursera. It's professor is Professor Jeremy Adelman from Princeton University. There are no costs to following this course, although the textbook is recommended. There are 2 lectures a week, several 'global discussions' and three essays (which are not required to continue following the lectures). The course will take 12 weeks.
About the course:
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?
If anyone is interested, you can go here: https://www.coursera.org/#course/wh1300 to check it out.
Coursera.org offers some very interesting courses. I have signed up for two, not this one though. The price is right, free and although at this time all you take away is knowledge and a certificate of completion I understand that granting credit for them is being discussed.
I'm currently taking Modern and Contemporary American Poetry via coursera
Have been reading 'NO ONE'S WORLD; The West, the Rising Rest, and the Coming Global Turn,' (2012).
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