Modern History

Patterns of World History, Volume Two: From 1400 (ISBN: 9780197517031) 4th Edition, Oxford University Press *** Book used for this course***

When reading this week, focus on the following sections:

Chapter 17: Cultural Transformations: Renaissance, Baroque, and New Sciences (p.396), Centralizing States and Religious Upheavals (p.405)

Chapter 18: The Colonial Americas: Europe's Warm-Weather Extension (p. 424), The Making of American Societies: Origins and Transformations (p.438)

Zheng He's Floating City: When China Dominated the Oceans (youtube.com)

***Make sure to discuss each section in your summary. **

Assignment 1 :

Your summary must concisely cover all assigned sections from the textbook for the week, and broadly explain the themes of the assigned chapters. Other sources for deeper context are encouraged, especially if the material included is of an unexpected perspective. Summaries do not have a set page count, however as a general rule summaries under a page will definitely be too broad to cover the material. The lowest summary grade will be dropped.

When writing this week, emphasize the significance of the material-focused colonization of Central and South America.

**This assignment will be submitted to Turnitin™**

Assignment 2 :

Discuss the videos/document featured in the Week 1 content pack. Do you find the arguments/presentation compelling? Where could these sources be improved? 

Zheng He's Floating City: When China Dominated the Oceans (youtube.com)

Compare the story of the Ming dynasty voyages of Zheng He to Western exploration covered in our book. How does this change your perspective on the Age of Exploration(and Colonization)?

Discussions.

Reflect on the material. You will need to mention your personal thoughts on any or all of the assigned material in a paragraph or two while also critiquing the material if they believe there are any points that should be clarified or improved.