World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity, to 1450, Volume 1, Penguin Academic Edition Plus NEW MyHistoryLab wit

ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.   Packages Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.   Used or rental books If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.   Access codes Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.   --Emphasizes the major interactions among different peoples and societies.   World History in Brief highlights key events in world history, giving adequate treatment to the major issues, while leaving time for analysis and use of supplemental materials for critical thinking.   Part of the Penguin Academics Series, the text takes a truly global approach by balancing coverage of individual societies and focusing on forces that cut across them. Students are encouraged to compare societies, assess changes in interactions, and understand global forces such as migration and technological exchange.   The 8th edition is tied closely to MyHistoryLab to help save time and improve results. MyHistoryLab icons connect the main narrative to an array of MyHistoryLab resources, including primary source documents, analytical video segments, and interactive maps.   A better teaching and learning experience This program will provide a better teaching and learning experience–for you and your students. Here’s how: Personalize Learning — The new MyHistoryLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals. Improve Critical Thinking — Features at the beginning and end of each part help students make connections among the societies examined in the chapters. Engage Students — “Solving Problems,” “History Debates,” and “World Profiles” features allow students to approach history from different angles. Support Instructors — MyHistoryLab, an Instructor’s Resource Manual, a Test Bank, MyTest, PowerPoint presentations, a detailed timeline for each period covered in the text, and Class Preparation are available. 0205896294 / 9780205896295  World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity, to 1450, Volume 1 & NEW MyHistoryLab with Pearson eText -- Access Card Package consists of 0205206549 / 9780205206544 NEW MyHistoryLab with Pearson eText -- Access Card 0205939368 / 9780205939367 World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity, to 1450, Volume 1          

Table of Contents:
Found in this Section: 1. Brief Table of Contents 2. Full Table of Contents 1. BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Maps  List of Features  List of MyHistoryLab Documents Preface     PART I: EARLY WORLD HISTORY: FROM ORIGINS TO AGRICULTURE AND NEW FORMS OF HUMAN ORGANIZATION  Chapter 1: From Human Prehistory to the Rise of Agriculture  Chapter 2: Early Civilizations 3500—1000 B.C.E.  Chapter 3: Nomadic Societies    PART II: THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, 1000 B.C.E.—500 C.E.  Chapter 4: Classical Civilization: China  Chapter 5: Classical Civilization: India  Chapter 6: Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean and Middle East: Persia, Greece, and Rome  Chapter 7: The Classical Period: Directions, Diversities, and Declines by 500 C.E.    PART III: THE POSTCLASSICAL PERIOD, 500—1450 C.E.  Chapter 8: The Rise of Islam: Civilization in the Middle East  Chapter 9: India and Southeast Asia Under the Impact of Islam  Chapter 10: Africa and Islam  Chapter 11: East European Civilization: Byzantium and Russia  Chapter 12: Western Civilization: The Middle Ages  Chapter 13: China’s Impact and the Spread of East Asian Civilization  Chapter 14: Centers of Civilization in the Americas  Chapter 15: The Mongol Interlude and the End of the Postclassical Period    Credits  Index  2. FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS   List of Maps  List of Features  List of MyHistoryLab Documents Preface     PART I: EARLY WORLD HISTORY: FROM ORIGINS TO AGRICULTURE AND NEW FORMS OF HUMAN ORGANIZATION  Chapter 1: From Human Prehistory to the Rise of Agriculture  Getting Started Is Always Hard  Human Development and Change  SOLVING PROBLEMS Dealing with Death  The Neolithic Revolution  HISTORY DEBATE People in the Americas  The Nature of Agricultural Societies  Agriculture and Change  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 2: Early Civilizations 3500—1000 B.C.E.  Civilization  SOLVING PROBLEMS The Use of Culture  Egypt and Mesopotamia Compared  HISTORY DEBATE Women in Patriarchal Societies  Transitions: The End of the River Valley Period  Indian and Chinese River Valley Civilizations  New States and Peoples Around 1000 B.C.E.  Judaism Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 3: Nomadic Societies   Early Nomadic Societies  Nomadic Society and Culture  Nomads and Civilizations  HISTORY DEBATE The Contributions of Nomads  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments PART I RETROSPECTIVE The Rise of Agriculture and Agricultural Civilizations     PART II: THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, 1000 B.C.E.—500 C.E.  Chapter 4: Classical Civilization: China  Patterns in Classical China  Political Institutions  HISTORY DEBATE War  Religion and Culture  Economy and Society  WORLD PROFILES Ban Zhao (c. 48—117 C.E..)  A Distinctive Measure  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 5: Classical Civilization: India  The Framework for Indian History   Patterns in Classical India   Political Institutions  HISTORY DEBATE Interpreting Civilization, Round Two  Religion and Culture  Economy and Society  SOLVING PROBLEMS Dealing with Inequality  Indian Influence  China and India  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments    Chapter 6: Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean and Middle East: Persia, Greece, and Rome  The Persian Tradition  Patterns of Greek History  Patterns of Roman History Greek and Roman Political Institutions  SOLVING PROBLEMS Cultural Encounters  WORLD PROFILES Julius Caesar (100—44 B.C.E.)  Religion and Culture  Economy and Society in the Mediterranean  HISTORY DEBATE Mediterranean Civilization and “Western” Civilization  Toward the Fall of Rome  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 7: The Classical Period: Directions, Diversities, and Declines by 500 C.E.  Decline in China and India  Decline and Fall in Rome  The New Religious Map  HISTORY DEBATE Comparing Declines  WORLD PROFILES Saint Paul (Paul of Tarsus)  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments PART II RETROSPECTIVE The Classical Period, 1000 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.    PART III: THE POSTCLASSICAL PERIOD, 500—1450 C.E.  Chapter 8: The Rise of Islam: Civilization in the Middle East  The Advent of Islam  WORLD PROFILES Muhammad (570—632 C.E.)  Patterns of Islamic History  Islamic Political Institutions  HISTORY DEBATE Political Implications of Islam  Islam and Middle Eastern Culture  WORLD PROFILES Omar Khayyam (c. 11th—12th Century)  SOLVING PROBLEMS Religion and Trade  Economy and Society in the Middle East  The Decline of Middle Eastern Civilization  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 9: India and Southeast Asia Under the Impact of Islam  The Development of Indian Culture  HISTORY DEBATE The Caste System  The Muslim Challenge in India  Southeast Asia  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 10: Africa and Islam  Sub-Saharan Africa and the World Network  The Great Kingdoms  SOLVING PROBLEMS Technology and Trade  WORLD PROFILES Sundiata  HISTORY DEBATE Handles for African History  Features of African Civilization  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 11: East European Civilization: Byzantium and Russia  The Byzantine Phase  WORLD PROFILES The Emperor Justinian (527—565 C.E.)  The Early Russian Phase: Kievan Rus’  HISTORY DEBATE A Russian Civilization?  East European Political Institutions  East European Religion and Culture  East European Economy and Society  East European Civilization in Eclipse  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 12: Western Civilization: The Middle Ages  Early Patterns in Western Civilization  Medieval Political Institutions  HISTORY DEBATE Homosexuality and Religion  Medieval Religion and Culture  Economy and Society  Women and Family Life  SOLVING PROBLEMS Population Growth  Tensions in the Later Middle Ages  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 13: China’s Impact and the Spread of East Asian Civilization  Political and Cultural Developments in China  Economy and Society in China  Civilization in Korea, Vietnam, and Japan  HISTORY DEBATE  Defining Post-classical Civilizations  Culture, Society, and Economy in Japan  East Asian Self-Confidence  WORLD PROFILES  Mugai Nyodai  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 14: Centers of Civilization in the Americas  The Mayas and Aztecs  The Aztec Empire HISTORY DEBATE The Problem of Contacts  The Inca Empire Andean and Central American Societies Pacific Oceania Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments   Chapter 15: The Mongol Interlude and the End of the Postclassical Period  Mongol Empires   WORLD PROFILES Chabi Khan  China and the West as New World Powers  HISTORY DEBATE Causes of Global Change by 1450  The End of Transition: Postclassical to Early Modern  Paths to the Present  Key Terms Suggested Readings MyHistoryLab Media Assignments PART III RETROSPECTIVE The Postclassical Period, 500—1450 C.E.     Credits  Index 

About the Author :
Peter N. Stearns is Provost and University Professor at George Mason University. He has taught previously at Harvard, the University of Chicago, Rutgers, and Carnegie Mellon; he was educated at Harvard University. He has published widely in modern social history, including the history of emotions, and in world history. Representative works in world history include World History: A Survey, The Industrial Revolution in World History, Gender in World History, Consumerism in World History>, Human Rights in World History, and Growing Up: The History of Childhood in Global Context. His publications in social history include Old Age in Preindustrial Society, Anxious Parents: A History of Modern American Childrearing, American Cool: Developing the Twentieth-Century Emotional Style, Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in Western Society, American Fear: The Causes and Consequences of High Anxiety, Revolutions in Sorrow: A History of American Experiences and Policies Toward Death in Global Context, From Alienation to Addiction: Modern American Work in Global Historical Perspective, Educating Global Citizens in Colleges and Universities: Challenges and Opportunities, and Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society. While under Dr. Stearns’s leadership, George Mason University was awarded the 2006 Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education. He has also edited encyclopedias of world and social history, and since 1967, he has served as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Social History. In most of his research and writing, Dr. Stearns pursues three main goals. First, as a social historian, he is eager to explore aspects of the human experience that are not generally thought of in historical terms, and with attention to ordinary people as well as elites. Second, he seeks to use an understanding of historical change and continuity to explore patterns of behavior and social issues. Finally, he is concerned with connecting new historical research with wider audiences, including of course classrooms. Dr. Stearns is also eager to promote comparative analysis and the assessment of modern global forces—for their own sake and as they illuminate the American experience and impact.

Review :
“This is a high quality, affordable text that has very strong instructor resources.” -Kristopher Treat, Arizona State University   “I…really appreciate the instructor's manual and the way the book highlights themes and key questions. These additional aids facilitate covering a lot of material quickly but coherently.” -Kathleen Parrow, Black Hills State University   “Its brevity allows me to expect students will read everything, while it is still a good text despite being so brief.” -Matthew Stanard, Berry College   “The brief version works well for a one-semester course…Stearns does not get bogged down in the details; he presents a broad overview of critical points and cultural traits.” -Terry Reynolds, Michigan Technological University