The Big History of Civilizations

The history of human civilization is an astonishing story of migration, innovation, and social development. Over 200,000 years, humans have populated the planet, adapted to environmental challenges, experimented with systems of government, and left such a strong mark on the earth that scientists now refer to our era as the Anthropocene—the era of humanity.

Now, the exciting new field of Big History allows us to explore human civilizations in ways unavailable to historians of previous generations. Scholars of this multidisciplinary approach study great spans of time, unlocking important themes, trends, and developments from around the world that have occurred over millennia.

The Big History of Civilizations is your chance to apply this leading edge historical approach to the epic story of humanity around the world. Taught by acclaimed Professor Craig G. Benjamin of Grand Valley State University, these 36 sweeping lectures trace the story of human civilizations from our evolution as a species, through our major adaptations and revolutions, and into the future.

Unlike a traditional survey of history—with its focus on dates and events, kings and battles—Big History takes an expansive approach that allows you to: