This survey course introduces large-scale structures and processes that transformed the world between the fifteenth and the mid-nineteenth centuries (circa 1400 to 1850). How did early global networks, cross-cultural interactions, and the forging and reshaping of identities bring about modern society? The first half of the course introduces students to the world’s regions in this historical period, with a special focus on China, Islam, India, Africa, and the Americas. The second half focuses on how European trade, governance, ideas, and industrialization became globally dominant. A narrative history, Robert Marks’ The Origins of the Modern World, focuses on the social and environmental dynamics of the period. Critical reading and writing skills are developed through collaborative learning in-class and online, a map quiz, and two exams.