Global Works and Society in a Changing World (GWC-UF)

The second semester of Social Foundations spans a thousand years, from the rise of Islam and the reunification of China under the Tang dynasty (in the 7th century C.E.) through the Scientific Revolution and the decline of the Mogul empire in India. This course invites students to consider great ideas that have often helped earlier peoples organize their lives--but which have also set them in conflict, sometimes with other communities, sometimes among themselves. Such ideas have sparked movements for ethical and social reform, for conquest, for the recovery of lost classics, and for religious renewal.

This course focuses on the world's great traditions in philosophy, theology, history, and political science from the Middle Ages into the Enlightenment. It familiarizes students with the major world discourses about the nature of human identity and society of the pre-modern era through a comparative study of seminal texts. The course includes such works as The Koran, The Prince, and The Conquest of New Spain.