The docutext format is more than two books in one. The docutext is a textbook and source book combined that teaches historical thinking and analysis through the use of primary evidence in thoughtful collections of related written and visual sources.
The narrative — thematic, comparative, and truly global — focuses on the big picture. Brief by design, the narrative avoids the overwhelming details of many textbooks and emphasizes major developments. Broad themes include empires in the second-wave era, global commerce and trade throughout history and into the twenty-first century, the emergence of global religions, industrialization, and the rise and fall of totalitarian systems. Part-opening essays set the stage for the chapters that follow and encourage students to make connections among the world's cultures.
A single author's voice brings a thoughtful, elegant, and reflective approach to history. Robert W. Strayer, a pioneer in the field of world history, muses on the multiple meanings of history and the historian's craft. Students experience first-hand the process of reading historical evidence and making historical arguments.
Written documents and visual sources collections in each chapter emphasize a theme or concept from the chapter. Some collections are broadly comparative and cross-cultural such as documents on "Political Authority in Second Wave Civilizations" or images of "Experiencing Globalization" in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Others provide a more in-depth look at a particular society or event such as documents on "Experiencing Stalinism" or images of "The Life of the Prophet" Muhammad.
Each chapter employs a variety of learning tools to help students understand what they are reading and seeing. Margin review questions emphasize "comparison," "connection," and "change." Narrative-ending "Big Picture" questions encourage student synthesis of the material. Introductory essays, headnotes, and comparative questions in the documents and visual sources sections help students understand how the written documents and visual sources relate to each another and to the chapter narrative.