This course examines the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that shaped the development of world civilizations from 1000 CE to the present. The focus of study will move beyond basic geography and historic timelines to ask questions about cultural interactions, conflict, and the varying forces that impacted world history, as well as to evaluate interpretations of the past. Using both primary and secondary sources, students will critically examine connections and patterns of history with a particular focus on globalism, multiculturalism, nationalism, and religious conflict throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.