What does it mean to be modern? Why, in the 21st century, do we do things we do and think the things we think? This unapologetically global course places our current century in the context of the last thousand years of world history and provides students with a critical understanding of the major political, economic and cultural origins of modernity.

It addresses the emergence of key issues relevant to the contemporary world: working through a rich buffet of historical cases, students will develop an understanding of the politics of globalisation, transnationalism and migration, study how gaps between rich and poor regions of the world emerged and evolved, and explore the nature of colonialism, decolonisation and its legacies. Students will consider the emergence of hybrid cultural practices, the power of religion and ideology in shaping our planet, and the impact of science and technology on human societies.

The first half covers the history of the world from the turn of the 2nd millennium to about 1800, the second half from then to the early 21st century. Together, the course provides a foundational basis for more detailed elective undergraduate courses later in the degree program (on the history of the United States, the Islamic World, China, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Ocean World and Southern Africa), and introduces participants to methodological skills important to History writing and the wider Humanities.