This book offers a distinct framework for understanding the global past through the study of origins, interactions, and adaptations. The authors examine the full range of human ingenuity over time and space in a comprehensive, even-handed, and critical fashion.

Encouraging a broad understanding of continuity, change, and innovation in human history, Patterns in World History presents the global past in a comprehensive, even-handed, and open-ended fashion. Instead of focusing on the memorization of people, places, and events, this text strives topresent important facts in context and draw meaningful connections by examining patterns that have emerged throughout global history.

Patterns of World History comes to the teaching of world history from the perspective of innovations the engine of historical change. Innovation is nothing new; so what we advocate in this book is a distinct intellectual framework for understanding innovation through its patterns of origin,interaction, and adaptation. Each small or large technical or cultural innovation originated in one geographical center, or independently in several different centers. As people in the centers interacted with their neighbors, the neighbors adapted to - and in many cases were transformed by - theinnovations. By adaptation we include the entire spectrum of human responses, ranging from outright rejection to creative borrowing and, at times, forced acceptance.What do we gain by studying world history as patterns of innovation? First, if we consider innovation to be a driving force of history, it helps satisfy an intrinsic human curiosity about origins - our own and others. Perhaps more importantly, seeing patterns of innovation in historical developmentbrings to light connections and linkages among peoples, cultures, and regions that might not otherwise present themselves. At the same time such patterns can also reveal differences among cultures that other approaches to world history tend to neglect. For example, the differences between thecivilizations of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres are generally highlighted in world history texts, but the broad commonalities of human groups creating agriculturally-based cities and states in widely separated areas also show deep parallels in their patterns of origins, interactions andadaptations: such comparisons are at the center of our approach.Second, this kind of analysis offers insights into how an individual innovation was subsequently developed and diffused across space and time-that is, the patterns by which the new eventually becomes a necessity in our daily lives. Through all of this we gain a deeper appreciation of the unfoldingof global history from its origins in small communities to the densely populated large countries in our present world.Finally, our use of a broad-based understanding of innovation allows us to restore culture in all its individual and institutionalized aspects - spiritual, artistic, intellectual, scientific - to its rightful place alongside technology, environment, politics, and socio-economic conditions. That is,understanding innovation in this way allows this text to help illuminate the full range of human ingenuity over time and space in a comprehensive, evenhanded, and open-ended fashion.

"Patterns of World History with Sources seeks to help the beginning world history teacher in discerning patterns of political, economic, and cultural evolution shared by the various regions of the world, from prehistory to the present. It includes primary sources to enhance this experience"--Provided by publisher.

World history has expanded dramatically in recent years, primarily as a teaching field, and increasingly as a research field. Growing numbers of teachers and Ph.Ds in history are required to teach the subject. They must be current on topics from human evolution to industrial development in Song-dynasty China to today's disease patterns - and then link these disparate topics into a coherent course. Numerous textbooks in print and in preparation summarize the field of world history at an introductory level. But good teaching also requires advanced training for teachers, and access to a stream of new research from scholars trained as world historians. In this book, Patrick Manning provides the first comprehensive overview of the academic field of world history. He reviews patterns of research and debate, and proposes guidelines for study by teachers and by researchers in world history.

A textbook history of the world focusing on the development of various civilizations.