Essentials of World History

first published in 2013, now in its 3rd edition

This book is intended for college students who are taking an introductory-level world history course. They will love this book because of its simple language and clear structure. Covering only those events essential and relevant to modern times, the book consists of 30 short chapters, which are organized into 7 parts or themes. Every chapter is followed by multiple choice questions to help students review the essential information; and every part is accompanied by essay-type questions to cultivate reflection and encourage writing. Throughout the book, great attention is paid to helping students foster a critical thinking ability. It is well recognized that developing a historical perspective is far more important than acquiring knowledge. General readers will also find this book helpful to satisfy their desire for an understanding of history without spending too much time. First, it is concise and simple, requiring no special efforts or big blocks of time. Moreover, the useful features of this book, such as Chapter Highlights, Chronology, Multiple Choice Questions, and a full index, plus a comprehensive glossary, all make self-learning very easy.

THE AUTHOR’S NOTE

Though writing a world history book has been my ambition for a long time, this book is largely a product of my teaching at ASA, a community-based college in New York City. The daunting experience many of my students had in reading traditional lengthy and oftentimes confusingly-structured history textbooks prompted me to produce something concise and simple. With their unique needs in mind, I have tried to produce a book that is extensive enough to cover major historical events, but succinct enough not to be intimidating to students. Deliberate efforts were made to make it readable to all students, including those who never studied world history before and those whose first language is not English. Throughout the book, I focused more on analytical examination than mere narration of events, because I believe that critical thinking is more important than memorizing facts. The methods of cause and effect, and comparison and contrast are primarily used to achieve this objective.

Another factor that prompted me to produce this book came from my teaching experience. As a teacher for many years, I have always believed that teaching is twice learning. To write a book is the only way to study a subject systematically, purposefully, and retentively. In the process of writing, I learned so much that I often doubted if I had enough knowledge and material to finish the project. But now, after many years, it is complete.

Most of the text materials in this book have been used with my students. It was they who provided immediate feedback as to what worked well and should be kept, and what did not work well and therefore should be scrapped. The choice of events and selection of details were largely made according to my classroom experience and students’ feedback. The length of narration and the extent of analysis were determined by how they are relevant to our contemporary society. The result is a concise textbook, containing only the essentials of world history, and manageable within the curriculum at two-year colleges.

It goes without saying that, first and foremost, my thanks go to the students of ASA, without whom this book would not have been possible. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Alexander Agafonov, Senior Vice-president of ASA, for his inspirational comments and valuable suggestions. I am especially indebted to Ms. Helen Polynsky, chairperson of my department, for her very kind encouragement and support. Further thanks go to many of my colleagues, including Leslie Sally, David Farley, and Sheela Wolford, for their generous help with proof reading and other kinds of assistance.

AUTHOR’S NOTE TO THE SECOND EDITION

No major changes were made to the first edition, which was published in 2008. However, some parts have been updated, revised, expanded, corrected, or refined.

____________________________________________________

Book Description

Essentials of World History is a concise history of human life since the earliest civilizations some 5,000 years ago. The book is largely intended to be used in conjunction with a lecture course in world history at the introductory level, although it is also suitable for general readers interested in world history. Because of its brevity in content, simplicity in language, and easy-to-understand organization, those readers as well as students who feel frightened by traditional bulky history textbooks may find this book particularly useful and practical in offering them essential knowledge in world history.

Essentials of World History looks at major events that happened throughout the globe in the past. Attempts have been made to maintain a balance between exhaustive detail and frustrating brevity. Narration without details is boring; but too many details are a burden for students. In this book, major events with long lasting impact receive more attention while minor ones are dealt with succinctly. Emphasis is put on those events that are more relevant to the modern world. The same principle goes with the selection of topics. The book tilts more toward social and political issues because it is believed that these issues have had more direct impact upon our modern lives.

The book consists of 30 chapters, arranged chronologically. They cover major developments throughout the world, from the earliest civilizations to the present. The whole book is divided into seven parts. The narration and analysis of each part center on a major theme. Such division helps to interconnect various historical developments so as to make them meaningful and easy to remember. Also, it helps students not to lose sight of the forest while studying separate and different chapters. Every part or chapter begins with a brief introductory remark that provides a bird’s eye view of that part or chapter. Each chapter ends with review questions in multiple-choice format. For every part, there are essay-type questions designed to encourage students to do more research. Throughout the book, great attention is paid to helping students foster a critical thinking ability. It is the author’s belief that history is of little practical use if it is not used for guiding the present and predicting the future. For students, developing historical perspectives is far more important than acquiring knowledge. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to do the critical thinking question at the end of each chapter as written assignment, which not only requires more in-depth thinking but also helps to develop writing skills.

While this book is principally designed for college students, there are good reasons why general readers will also find it very helpful to satisfy their thirst for an understanding of world history without having to spend too much time. First, it is written in very simple language. Secondly, important events were often narrated and analyzed in comparison or contrast with others, partly for the purpose of reinforcing the memory. Therefore, few special efforts are required to memorize information. Finally, the useful features of this book, such as Chapter Highlights, Chronology, Multiple Choice Questions, and a full index, plus a comprehensive glossary, all make self-learning very easy.