Focuses on the basic features and forces which have shaped human history from the origins of civilisation to modern times. The first part of the course covers selected major civilisations (eg, Roman Empire, Han China) while the second covers transnational issues such as nomadism, trade between civilisations, disease and climate. The final part covers the origins and nature of modernity, to the 19th century.

The course aims to give each student a comprehensive understanding of human societies through time. Our subject is humanity and its history. The challenge is to isolate the topics and themes that best illustrate our common past. Until recently it was the nation that determined questions of historical significance. Conventional national frameworks do not allow us to answer questions that pertain to all humanity. Even the nation as an historical construct cannot be understood adequately from the perspective of a particular national experience. If we wish to understand how our species emerged, how it has organised itself economically, politically and socially, and how our history has been influenced by climatic, ecological and geographical factors, we must read history from a trans-national perspective.