World History II: The Rise of the East

This course analyzes developments in, and controversies about, the study of world history from AD 200 to 1500. Topics include theories of the fall of the Roman and Byzantine Empires; the rise and fall of Mayan civilization; the development of Christianity, Confucianism, and Buddhism; the rise of Islam; African monarchies and trade; Tang and Sung cultural and technological innovations; impact of the Mongol empire; origins of the Ottoman Empire; the nature of the European Middle Ages; and the origins of the Renaissance.