1)Impact of interaction among major societies
2)Cultural and intellectual developments and interactions among and within societies
3)Changes in functions and structure of states and in attitudes toward state and political indentities
4)Impact of technology and demography on people and environment
5)Systems of social structure and gender structure
6)The relationship between change and continuity across the world history periods
Remember these themes? These make the foundation of this course. They are what we return to time and time again (besides Guns, Germs, and Steel). Seeing as how its half way through November (yes, November!) I thought I'd start reflecting a little bit on the various developments we've been studying over the year. Looking back at the themes, I was really struck by how much we have covered without really thinking about it. What are your thoughts on this? Go back all the way to the beginning of the year and think about what we've learned to the present. What themes have we touched upon? In what ways? Are there any specific civilizations that present clear examples of some of the themes above?
I can think of a few...
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3 comments:
I remember!
Your Beloved student,
Nick
On the brink of global revolution?
Global warming. Hardly any winter. Unpredictable weather. Disastrous hurricanes. Wild tornados. Devastating tsunamis. Polar ice caps and glaciers melting. Sustainable Development. Nuclear power. Wind power. Solar power. Hydro-electric power. Alternative fuels...
Could the human population be on the brink of another historical revolution likened to the Neolithic Revolution? The Neolithic revolution absolutely changed the existence and impact of humans on the world. No longer needing to spend our time and energy looking for food to sustain the small population, men(and women!) could be creative, build massive structures, create complex governments with bureaucracy, devote time and energy to worshipping gods and goddesses, building empire, etc. WHAT A REVOLUTION!!!
THEN, several hundreds of years later....the Industrial Revolution!! Trains, cars, factories, steam engines, gasoline power cars, electricity, radios, computers, televisions, more cars, weapons, video recorders, records, cds, dvds, ipods, etc. etc. etc. -- a continuing revolution!!
But, now, are we on the brink of a global changing revolution that our neolithic and technological revolution has created? More and more in the news, in the movies (An Inconvenient Truth), in the Congress, and in the U.N., there are discussions about the human impact on the environment. What we do today will impact the planet 100 years from now. It seems that FINALLY, our governments are ready to address this issue! China, an emerging global power, is acknowledging the rampant pollution in its own country as it goes through its own industrial revolution today.
There is even discussion about "sustainable clothing" in future fashion developments!
So this lead me to an earth-altering question: are we on the verge of another tremendous revolution will be as significant as the Neolithic revolution? Will it take thousands of years or a hundred years or 20 years?
These themes definatley helped me!!!
Nate
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