specifying the history of the universe, the planet Earth, human species, and ultimately World History! In their attempt to explain to their audience the origins of the study of World History, Strayer and Nelson (2022) expound upon the Four C’s: context, change, comparison, and connection. The concepts of contextual thinking, change over time, comparative analysis, and cross-cultural connection help to cohesive understanding of a global history, which can help students to understand why one may and should study World History. The authors continue with an introduction “First Things First,” (pages 2-5) elaborating on the emergence and globalization of humankind (a brief anthropological explanation on early hominids and the Paleolithic era), the Agricultural Revolution, civilization, and specifying differences between various dating systems (i.e., B.C., A.D., B.C.E., C.E.). These beginning sections provide information to help students understand why they are studying World History, but also how to view the histories discussed in historical texts.
Considering the information presented in the prologue and introduction of the Strayer and Nelson (2022) text, examine the process of historical analysis with the Four C’s. Choose a historical topic (the text mentions various examples related to civilization, empire building, Eurocentrism, women’s roles, religious beliefs, agriculture, revolution, technology, etc.). Describe the topic in its own context, and explain how today its context has changed over time. Compare the topic to another similar historical topic. Then lastly, connect it to another topic of another culture.
