The book’s signature approach connects global patterns of development with human experience. Throughout this path-breaking narrative, significant global events and trends are framed as human stories, making the past vivid and accessible for students and guaranteeing current cultural coverage for instructors. In every chapter, students learn about global developments like the spread of religious conflict or exploration as they meet the people who stood at the crossroads of history, from Urban the cannon maker to Malinche the legendary translator. “Lives and Livelihoods” features, on topics ranging from the sugar producers of the Atlantic world to the builders of the trans-Siberian railroad, spotlight the text’s connections between daily life and global developments in politics, societies, and economies.
A fresh synthesis brings currency and coherence to the global story. Structured in four parts that correspond to significant historical eras, the narrative is grounded in the most up-to-date world historical scholarship. Each author draws upon his or her experience in research and teaching to traverse the globe within a single period, allowing students to trace global connections and appreciate regional distinctions.
More of the world’s peoples. Crossroads incorporates more social and cultural coverage than other global texts, and it also includes more of the world’s peoples — not only the major players of world history but often-overlooked peoples as well, from the Tamil kingdoms and Nubia to Tibet and Korea. Superior coverage of Latin America reveals it as a contributing, changing region long before European intrusion.
An accessible introduction to historical thinking. The final section of each chapter, “Counterpoint,” showcases a people or global development that is a significant alternative to the thrust of the chapter. By learning about the aborigines of Australia in a chapter that treats the rise of agriculture or African women farmers during the 19th century industrial revolution, students see both the wide variety of human undertakings and the partial nature of historical narrative. The authors also pay attention to questions of historical evidence and ask probing questions throughout the text and features.
Enhanced media resources give you options for saving time and improving student learning. We know that your classroom changes every year, and so do our resources. Whether you’re interested in substantive lecture presentation materials, free online student quizzing, plentiful upgraded test questions, free primary documents — or all of the above — we have options in PowerPoint, on DVD, or uploadable for integration with your local course management system.