Global Perspectives on Industrialization (saylor.org)

This course will focus on the emergence and evolution of industrial societies around the world. We will begin by comparing the legacies of industry in ancient and early modern Europe and Asia and examining the agricultural and commercial advances that laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. We will then follow the history of industrialization in different parts of the world, taking a close look at the economic, social, and environmental effects of industrialization. The course is organized chronologically and thematically. Each unit will focus on key developments in the history of industry as well as on representative areas of the globe, using primary-source documents, secondary readings, and multimedia resources to illustrate the dynamic nature of industrial change. By the end of the course, you will understand how industrialization developed, spread across the globe, and shaped everyday life in the modern era.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify key ideas and events in the history of industrialization;
• Identify connections between the development of capitalism and the development of modern industry;
• Use analytical tools to evaluate the factors contributing to industrial change in different societies;
• Identify the consequences of industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries in different societies;
• Critique historical interpretations of the causes and effects of industrialization; and
• Analyze and interpret primary source documents describing the process of industrialization and life in industrial societies.