Download Why Study World History?

Why Study World History?
• To try to understand why things are the way
they are in the world today
• To try to relate better to other
peoples/cultures – to be good citizens of the
world
• To understand your/our place in the world
What Can We Learn About History
from Current Events?
Learning Goal A
• Understand the origins and forces that shaped
the modern world from 1400 and the
emerging factors that contribute to a
multipolar world order:
– China maybe most powerful country in the world
in 1500
– Much of class is about how Europe, the U.S., and
Japan surpassed China economically and
politically
– Now? China a powerful economy, but politically ?
• Should someone who sells tainted pet food to
U.S. consumers be subject to the Death
Penalty?
– How do we understand crime and punishment in a
cultural and political perspective?
Learning Goal B
• Understand the recurring themes in the
development of diverse cultures and societies
since 1500, including the socio-economic,
political, cultural and environmental impact of
colonialism, industrialism, nationalism, and
globalization
How Do We Understand India?
• Colonialism – British dominate country for most of its modern
history
• With industrialization, need to persuade people they want to
buy goods and services – Advertising, media a part of this
Capitalism – Those who run companies search for those who will
work for the lowest wages?
• What does it tell us that the lowest wages might be in the
U.S.? But do those willing to work for the lowest wages in the
U.S. have the same skills as those working for low wages in
India handling call centers?
Learning Goal C
• Recognize and understand the encounter,
interaction, clash, and accommodation of
various political, religious, ethnic, and gender
groups and their contributions to past and
present societies
Population and Economic
Development
• Don’t think about population much, but it is critical:
China has second largest world economy, but per
capita GDP still among that of poorest countries:
Should China have a one-child policy
• India prospering, but large size of population
dragging down its economy and the well-being of
ordinary people
• What is the difference between the ways in which
countries, religions, dictatorships, democracy make
decisions on population?
– How do these decisions affect men, women, and children?
Migration, Immigration, and Its
Discontents
Environment and Technology
• Much of Chinese History about controlling
flood waters
• How does population growth and the
demands of industrial society affect the
environment?
• What is the relationship between
environment and technology?
• Why/are we so inept in dealing with
environmental crises?
Hurricane Katrina
BP Oil Spill
Sputnik - 1957
Sputnik Changes Way We Work 50
Years Later
Where Are We Going?
Bringing It All Together
• Learning Goal C: Critically engage with source
material, including original records,
eyewitness accounts, memoirs, newsppaers,
surveys, statistics, film, and scientific treatises
The Legacies of Apartheid and Colonialism in
South Africa
• Sports and Nationalism
• Sports and Hope
• Sports and Freedom
• How has apartheid and colonialism affected
men, women, and children of various races in
South Africa?
• World History is Children’s History: “When I
get older….”
The Significance of Technological Change: The
Jabulani Ball – is it better or of Cultural
Significance?
• When our products are global, our History
needs to be global as well
• How would you interpret the ad for Coca
Cola?