World History Part 1: Prehistory To The Renaissance

An engaging and fascinating overview of World History through short lectures, guided notes, and reading resources.

What you'll learn

This course covers World History from early humans and the civilizations through about 1500 and the Renaissance Era in Europe.

Students will learn about ancient civilizations including those in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, and India.

Students will learn about early empires, including the Mughal, Ottoman, Safavid, Aztec, Inca, and Roman.

Students will learn about the cultures, religion, and civilizations that developed across the world from 3,000 BCE to 1500 CE.

Requirements

There are no prerequisites or requirements needed for the course.

Description

This fantastic course covers everything you need to know about World History from early humans and the first civilizations through to the Renaissance Era around the year 1500. Straightforward and engaging videos break down each topic to the most important elements so you can understand even the most complicated issues. Each video lesson comes with a guided notes worksheet that you can fill out as you watch. The course begins with a look at the development of early humans into the first civilizations in Africa and the Middle East. It then continues through empire building, the development of governments, religion, and more.  There are 7 total units of study: PrehistoryRiver Valley CivilizationsAncient GreeceAncient RomeThe Civilizations and Culture of AsiaEmpires in Africa and the AmericasMedieval EuropeIn addition to the videos and guided notes, each unit includes primary and secondary source documents and readings to help you further understand the main aspects of that era. Some of these include: Ancient Egypt's KingdomsRoman GladiatorsNero's Persecution of ChristiansJustinian's CodeEarly Islam and the KaabaPrimary Source from Qin Shi HuangSources from the Tang and Song DynastyCharlemagne and the FranksFeudalismAnd more! Answer keys for these are included to help you check your own understanding. Finally, each unit concludes with a short quiz to test your understanding of the content. This is the perfect course for any student looking to learn about early World History, for parents looking to support their children in their history courses, or students preparing for an exam and looking for help.

Overview

Section 1: Prehistory

Lecture 1 Early Humans

Lecture 2 The Paleolithic & Neolithic Eras

Lecture 3 The Characteristics of Civilization

Section 2: River Valley Civilizations

Lecture 4 Ancient Mesopotamia

Lecture 5 Ancient Egypt

Lecture 6 Ancient China & the Yellow River Valley

Lecture 7 Indus River Valley Civilizations

Section 3: Ancient Greece

Lecture 8 The Geography and People of Early Greece

Lecture 9 The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars

Lecture 10 Athens and the Golden Age of Pericles

Lecture 11 Philosophers of Ancient Greece

Lecture 12 Alexander the Great and Hellenistic Greece

Section 4: Ancient Rome

Lecture 13 The Early Roman Republic

Lecture 14 The Punic Wars and Challenges to Rome

Lecture 15 Julius Caesar and the End of the Roman Republic

Lecture 16 Good and Bad Emperors of the Roman Empire

Lecture 17 Christianity in the Roman Empire

Lecture 18 The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Lecture 19 The Byzantine Empire

Section 5: The Civilizations and Culture of Asia

Lecture 20 The Rise of Islam in the Middle East

Lecture 21 The Spread of Islam Across Asia and Africa

Lecture 22 China's Shang & Zhou Dynasties and Philosophies

Lecture 23 China's Qin and Han Dynasties

Lecture 24 Tang and Song China

Lecture 25 The Maurya and Gupta Empires of India

Lecture 26 The Silk Road and Cultural Diffusion

Lecture 27 Genghis Khan and the Mongols

Section 6: Empires in Africa and the Americas

Lecture 28 Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and the Empires of Africa

Lecture 29 Mesoamerican Civilizations

Section 7: Medieval Europe

Lecture 30 Charlemagne and the Franks in Medieval Europe

Lecture 31 Feudalism and the Manor System in Europe

Lecture 32 Forming European Nations in the Middle Ages

Lecture 33 The Crusades

Lecture 34 The Italian Renaissance

The course is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about World History, from middle school students through adults.