This part is the open textbook for HIS 370: “Global Interconnections: Historiography of World History” for Social Studies pre- and in-service teachers.

Course Description

This course explores the discipline of world history by highlighting the interconnections between societies and peoples. A primary focus of this course is the way in which historians and social studies teachers define world history for scholarly discussions and in their own classrooms. The course is not chronological- it is framed by various themes and categories associated with studying world history. Students will be encouraged to think beyond their experiences with American history or western civilization courses to recognize the linkages between historical events and trends around the world. Students will evaluate broader processes of globalization, such as the effects of increasing communication speed and mobility in diverse national contexts, as well as the contribution of these trends to developing transnational communities. This course does not attempt to cover the entire world. It focuses instead on key sites of integration and change such as the emergence of the modern nation/state, labor migrations, trade routes, colonial expansion, revolutions, gender relationships, social movements, religion and the languages of rights. Students will learn to develop their own analytical arguments and interpret written, oral, and material sources over the course of the semester. In addition students preparing for careers in teaching will learn to transfer this knowledge successfully into a secondary school classroom.