HIST 1500 - Discovering World History
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 02, CRN 41053,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
David Simonelli
Email: dsimonelli@ysu.edu
Course Description
1500. Discovering World History. Introduction to the methods, problems, and content of world history from Antiquity to the present. Emphasizes the relevance of past events and developments to the modern world. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Readings |
No required purchases; all materials are open-access.
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Day | Date | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 8/24 | Introduction: Class Conduct | • Access Blackboard to find assignments | |
| Wed | 8/26 | Assignments: Document Analysis | • Download software to use printers on campus | |
| Fri | 8/28 | Assignments: Historiography | • Locate a printer to be accessed WELL BEFORE each class period | |
| Mon | 8/31 | Yoan Molinero Gerbeau, “Mass Migrations across the World-System’s History”, E-International Relations (August 1 2017) https://www.e-ir.info/2017/08/01/mass-migrations-across-the-world-systems-history/ Mike Boni Bazza, “History and Human Migration” Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development 2 No 3 (2019) https://acjol.org/index.php/jassd/article/download/2713/2673 | Migration of Peoples | Is world migration a crisis in the 21st century, or is it a natural function of world history that should not be considered a crisis? |
| Mon | 9/14 | Ily Somin, "Venezuela Illustrates the Perils of "Democratic Socialism", Reason (July 29, 2024) https://reason.com/volokh/2024/07/29/venezuela-illustrates-the-perils-of-democratic-socialism/ [accessed September 19, 2024] Brinley Hineman, “Fact check: Socialist policies alone did not destroy Venezuela's economy in last decade”, USA Today (August 8, 2020) https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/08/08/fact-check-socialism-alone-did-not-destroy-venezuelas-economy/3323566001/ [accessed September 19, 2024] | Political Systems: Forms, Reforms, and Revolutions | Is it possible for Venezuela to develop a stable democracy after having its dictatorship overthrown by the US government? |
| Mon | 9/28 | Marco Vicenzino, “Iran: An Indispensable Player”, at Global Strategy Project, May 9, 2007 http://globalsp.org/?page_id=12 (accessed May 17, 2011). Dan Meridor, “Can the US Block Iran’s Drive for Regional Hegemony?“, Jerusalem Post April 11, 2011 http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=216037 (accessed May 17, 2011). | Religious Development and Conflict | Why is Iran a traditional world power, and does it need nuclear weapons to remain a world power? |
| Mon | 10/12 | Taylor McNeil, “How Russia and Ukraine’s Tangled Histories Led to War”, Tufts Now (January 22, 2024) https://now.tufts.edu/2024/01/22/how-russia-and-ukraines-tangled-histories-led-war#:~:text=Oxana%20Shevel:%20Maria%20Popova%20and,the%20German%20or%20Latvian%20nations. [accessed March 13, 2025] Christian Raffensperger, “Rus not Russia”, Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective (May 2022) https://origins.osu.edu/read/kyiv-rus-ukraine-russia#:~:text=Ukrainians%20and%20Russians%2C%20(and%20Belarusians)%2C%20trace%20their,the%20death%20of%20Yaroslav%20I%20in%201054. [accessed March 13, 2025] | Empire and War | Why are Russia and Ukraine at war, and when and how will it end? |
| Mon | 10/26 | Max Roser, “Technology Over the Long Run: Zoom Out to See How Dramatically the World Can Change Within a Lifetime”, Our World in Data (February 22, 2023) https://ourworldindata.org/technology-long-run [accessed April 9, 2025] Tom Chatfield, “Technology in Deep Time: How It Evolves Alongside Us”, BBC.com (February 7, 2019) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190207-technology-in-deep-time-how-it-evolves-alongside-us [accessed April 9, 2025] | Technology and Science | Will artificial intelligence be a change for the betterment of humanity, or for the worse? |
| Mon | 11/9 | George Lapyshnov, “A Religious War? Misconceptions About the Role of Religion in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict”, Theos (November 14, 2023) https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/11/14/a-religious-war-misconceptions-about-the-role-of-religion-in-the-israelipalestinian-conflict [accessed March 28, 2025] Mohamed Golal Mostafa, “Religion and the Israel-Palestinian Conflict: Cause, Consequence, and Cure”, Washington Institute for Near East Policy (May 31, 2018) https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/religion-and-israel-palestinian-conflict-cause-consequence-and-cure [accessed March 28, 2025] | Gender, Class and Race | What is the conflict about between Palestinians and Israelis, and how can it be solved? |
| Mon | 11/23 | “Unpacking China’s GDP”, China Power Project, Center for Strategic & International Studies (August 22, 2024) https://chinapower.csis.org/tracker/china-gdp/#:~:text=This%20changed%20abruptly%20in%20the,the%20largest%20of%20any%20country. [accessed September 6, 2024] Yangzhong Huang, “Tipped Power Balance: China’s Peak and the U.S. Resilience”, Council on Foreign Relations (February 22, 2024) https://www.cfr.org/blog/tipped-power-balance-chinas-peak-and-us-resilience#:~:text=Some%20analysts%20even%20argue%20that,power%20in%20the%20foreseeable%20future. [accessed September 6, 2024] | Economic History | Will China overtake the US as an economic power in the 21st century? |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.