The authors bring history to life by using art and maps as a central feature of learning. They build discussions of art into the narrative to help students interpret artwork, and provide analytical map guides that reveal the connections between geography, politics, and other developments. This strong, rich narrative is short enough to allow instructors the flexibility of introducing other sources and books as supplement, while giving students a solid understanding of Western Civilization without overwhelming them.

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Features:


New Chapter on World War II. At the request of reviewers, the authors have added a separate chapter on WW II. This new chapter provides students with in-depth coverage of the war, emphasizing both the drama of the period and how much the war became a historical turning point.

Global Context Essays. Four new Global Context essays take a broad view of the story of the West within a global context and in the interaction with non-Western civilizations. These essays, each covering a major era (ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern), explore what historians have considered the "West" at different periods and how the West related to the rest of the world. Each essay will include critical thinking questions and a map with analysis questions.

"Thinking about Documents" boxes. Primary documents are now integrated throughout the text as appropriate, but they also include a brief introduction and initial critical thinking questions that engage students in analysis of these important historical tools. Such questions ask students to consider what the document is revealing, and how that information influences or arises from the events of the time. These boxes might serve as the starting point for class discussion or student assignments.

"Thinking about Art" boxes. Many images were replaced throughout to offer students compelling examples of fine art, artifacts, photographs, political cartoons, and other examples of visual history. A new feature, "Thinking about Art," highlights further one of the images in each chapter to help students see how art is a tool for historical understanding. Each image is accompanied by an extended caption and critical thinking questions that lead students to examine what the piece reveals about the period, and the impact the work may have had at the time.

Additional Pedagogy. Each chapter will include "Key Dates" timelines to help students review key events discussed in the chapter. Several "Key Terms" will be highlighted in boldface within the chapters and will be included in an end-of-chapter list to help students review. Definitions will be included in an expanded Glossary in the Appendix.

Increased coverage of science/medicine/technology. The new edition expands coverage of developments in science, medicine and technology throughout history and across cultures. Updates include a new Global Connections essay in chapter 2 that discusses Babylonian developments in astronomy and mathematics, and a new document in chapter 20 on Karl Pearson's eugenics theories from 1900.

Expanded coverage of women's history. Women's history coverage, already strong in the Second Edition and integrated throughout the narrative, has been expanded to include new or additional coverage on the following topics: Expanded section on Greek women and their roles in society (Chapter 2); expanded discussion of witchcraft (Chapter 11); new discussion of the role of women in Protestantism, with a new document (Chapter 11); new Biography feature on Virginia Woolf (Chapter 23).

Expanded Online Learning Center with Primary Source Investigator. This web site features student and instructor resources, including a new web-based version of Primary Source Investigator, the popular tool that gets students thinking and working like historians and provides instructors with additional easy-to-use teaching resources.