The Modern World: Global History since 1760
Philip Zelikow
This is a survey of modern history from a global perspective. It begins with the revolutions of the late 1700s, tracks the transformation of the world during the 1800s, and analyzes the cataclysms of last century, concluding with the new phase of world history we are experiencing today.
About the Course
This is a survey course in modern world history for students, beginning or advanced, who wish to better understand how the world got to be the way it is today. In order to understand modern history, a global perspective is essential. This is true whether you are interested in economics, warfare, philosophy, politics, or even pop culture. This course can therefore be essential for students in many fields, a base equipping them with tools for lifelong learning.
In its current form, the course on Coursera is not offered for college credit. But it is a vital part of the for credit course on this topic being offered at the University of Virginia in the spring semester of 2013. Both the Coursera and the UVA students will use the same online material as a common foundation for their different learning experiences. This is the material to survey 'what happened' and the big questions about how to explain so many changes – some of those questions that start with: "Why?" (The students in the UVA course then supplement this online material with a lot of additional reading, research projects about the histories of particular communities around the world, in-person tutorials and discussions both with me and with their graduate teaching assistants, and examinations.)
It is tempting to think that if we can just understand the big patterns, we don't have to get too caught up in the details. In this course, though, we care about chronology. We care about individuals. Without some careful attention to sequences of cause and effect, without tracing how big changes come from the choices made by particular people, history can turn into just a series of descriptions, a somewhat tiresome recitation of one thing after another. Not this course. So a big part of what we will do is not only offer a set of remarkable stories, but also offer you training in how to analyze a situation and how to think about problems of explaining change.
About the Instructor(s)
Philip Zelikow is the White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia, where he is also the dean leading the University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Zelikow began his professional career as a trial and appellate lawyer in Texas. He later received his Ph.D. from Tufts University’s Fletcher School. As a career diplomat he was posted overseas and in Washington, including service on the NSC staff for President George H.W. Bush.After teaching at Harvard University during the 1990s, Zelikow came to Virginia, where he has directed a research center and teaches modern world history and modern U.S. history. His books include Germany Unified and Europe Transformed: A Study in Statecraft (with Condoleezza Rice), The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis (with Ernest May), and Essence of Decision (with Graham Allison).
Zelikow has taken two leaves from academia to return full-time to government service. In 2003-04, he directed the 9/11 Commission. In 2005-07, he was Counselor of the Department of State, a deputy to Secretary Rice.
He currently serves part-time as a member of President Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board. He served earlier on this board from 2001 to 2003. He also is a consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and has been on the advisory board for global development of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Course Syllabus
In the outline that follows, the chronological periods being covered are approximate:
1. Week of January 14: From the Traditional to the Modern: Commercial and Military Revolutions (1760-1800)
2. Week of January 21: Democratic Revolutions of the Atlantic World (1760-1800)
3. Week of January 28: Revolutionary Wars (1800-1830)
4. Week of February 4: The World Transformed (1830-1870)
5. Week of February 11: The Rise of National Industrial States (1830-1871)
6. Week of February 18: The Rise of National Industrial Empires (1871-1900)
7. Week of February 25: The Great Acceleration (1890-1914)
8. Week of March 4: Crackup (1905-1917)
9. WEEK OF MARCH 11 - SPRING RECESS
10. Week of March 18: New Orders Emerge (1917-1930)
11. Week of March 25: The Crisis of the World (1930-1940)
12. Week of April 1: Total War and Aftermath (1940-1950)
13. Week of April 8: The Return of Wartime (1950-1968)
14. Week of April 15: Decay and Renaissance (1969-1991)
15. Week of April 22: The Next Phase (1991-2013)
Recommended Background
No background is required. All that is needed is an interest in historical exploration.
Suggested Readings
Coursera students are not required to purchase any book. I strongly recommend, however, that you purchase the following textbook: Peter von Sivers, Charles Desnoyers, & George Stow, Patterns of World History: Since 1750 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012). Readings from this textbook will be keyed to each video presentation so that your study experience can be one of reading for a few minutes, getting oriented, and then participating in that topic's video presentation, with the readings nearby as a reference. Then repeat, at your convenience, for the remaining ten or so topics of that week. In other words, the course is designed so that the background reading can be woven into the 'lecture' experience to create a more integrated experience of studying and learning.
The text is available in print format (see above link) and, at a reduced price, as an e-book through CourseSmart. Notice that the "Since 1750" volume is what you will need for this course -- the textbook has versions covering earlier periods, so be sure to purchase the one for the modern era. And if you prefer not to buy the book, or it is not available for sale in your country (because of copyright or other problems), you can still take and successfully complete this course.
Course Format
Each week will have a set of video presentations on a theme. There may be about five to ten of these relatively short presentations a week, each devoted to a particular topic within that week's theme. Each presentation will be accompanied by quizzes and optional reading assignments to reinforce your grasp on the factual material being covered and some of the interpretive problems.
FAQ
Will I get a Statement of Accomplishment for completing this course?
Yes, further details and requirements will be provided once the course begins.
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