This class examines the emergence of civilizations and the consolidation of peoples and seeks to understand how these processes affected people in different ways throughout the world.  But it is not only a class about elites and their control over states.  We also want to gain insight into the lives of the common people, many of whom did not leave written records.  Another goal of this class is to mark not merely the differences between continents, but the comparisons and connections between different areas of the world.  Because world history is so vast, and we cannot cover every aspect of global change or events, we will focus on a few main themes.  This class will be divided into four components: the first an examination of civilization, the second, the so-called "classical civilizations" of the ancient world, the third, the increasing interactions between the major civilizations of the world.  Finally, we will end the course with an examination of cultural contact with the examples of trade in South Asia and European colonization of the Americas.