Key Features of Global Connections
- A GENUINE WORLD FOCUS
Global connections seeks to establish links between all humans and human activity through the study of culture through the lens of history.
- TELLS THE STORY OF HISTORY
Introduce the key concepts of the modern social sciences through a dynamic historical narrative to appeal to the widest possible audience.
- EVERYBODY MAKES HISTORY
How ordinary people have creatively shaped not only their own lives, but the everyday experiences of social life and how they are connected to the great political events and commercial exchanges of an interconnected world.
- ENCOURAGES ANALYTICAL THINKING
Every narrative is linked to the questions social scientists ask, stressing it’s not just what happened, but why that makes world history interesting.
- USE OF BASIC CONCEPTS TO ILLUSTRATE PATTERNS
Principles such as commercialization, militarization, stratification, state formation, industrialization, imperialism, and proletarianization give shape to the narrative to illustrate how the myriad details of history do fall into patterns that clarify our understanding—these patterns are then examined comparatively across borders.
- HISTORY TRANSCENDS WRITTEN RECORDS
The broad-view narrative is oriented toward social and material history, combining textual, material, visual, and quantitative evidence, to glean valuable clues about the social lives of many ordinary people—including groups that did not leave written records—in the past.
- CONNECTING THE PAST TO THE PRESENT
Each development in history influences and effects our lives on a daily basis. Understanding our past can help us contextualize not only our present, but our future, as well.
- UNEQUIVOCAL SCHOLARSHIP
The study of global connections helps scholars understand their role in their own lives, their societies, and the greater world. This broad view of history will position them to think globally, as well as locally, in a way that will make them more empathetic and knowledgeable.
- DELIBERATE FOCUS ON READABILITY AND PRESENTATION
The narrative moves gradually from particular and detailed examples into central issues of world history, enabling scholars to find a familiar structure to the story of each place and time so they can refer to comparative evidence across different regions.
- ACCOUNTING FOR THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Global Connections emphasizes the constraints (and misuse) of the physical environment on explaining differences between regions and eras.
🌍 Explore World History Online
The study of global connections is about understanding how peoples, ideas, goods, and cultures have flowed across borders throughout human history. The resources below are handpicked to help you explore that story — from ancient civilizations to the modern era — using some of the best free tools and databases available online.
📚 General Reference & Encyclopedias
World History Encyclopedia — Peer-reviewed articles on civilizations, empires, and key figures across every era. One of the most trusted free history encyclopedias online.
Britannica World History — A trusted, educator-vetted encyclopedia with in-depth articles on world history topics from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern era.
Khan Academy — World History — Free, curriculum-aligned video lessons and exercises covering the Big Bang through the modern era. Great for visual learners and exam prep.
Wikipedia — World History Portal — A broad gateway to world history topics with extensive cross-references, timelines, and links to primary sources. A great starting point for any research topic.
📜 Primary Sources & Archives
Internet History Sourcebooks Project — Fordham University’s massive collection of public-domain primary source texts organized by era and region. Speeches, treaties, letters, and more from across world history.
Library of Congress — World History — Primary source maps, photographs, manuscripts, and documents from the world’s largest library. Invaluable for research into any historical period or region.
World Digital Library — Digitized cultural heritage materials — manuscripts, maps, photographs, and rare books — from national libraries and cultural institutions around the world.
JSTOR Open Access — Free access to thousands of peer-reviewed academic articles and historical journals. Excellent for going deeper on any world history topic.
🗺️ Interactive Maps & Timelines
GeaCron — An interactive historical atlas that lets you explore how political boundaries changed across centuries. Watch empires rise and fall on an animated world map.
David Rumsey Map Collection — Over 150,000 historical maps spanning five centuries. Zoom in, compare, and overlay old maps onto modern geography — an incredible tool for understanding how the world was perceived and navigated.
Histography — A visually stunning interactive timeline drawn from Wikipedia data, spanning all of human history. Click any event to explore further — great for seeing how events connect across time.
OldMapsOnline — Search and discover historical maps from libraries and archives worldwide. Filter by region, date, and scale to find exactly the historical map you need.
🎓 AP World History Resources
College Board — AP World History — The official College Board page for AP World History: Modern. Find the course framework, exam format, scoring guidelines, and sample questions directly from the source.
Heimler’s History — AP World History — One of the most popular AP World History YouTube channels. Clear, concise video reviews of every unit, SAQ/LEQ/DBQ writing tips, and exam strategies. A must-watch for AP students.
AP Classroom — The official College Board student portal for AP courses. Access personal progress checks, practice questions, and score reports for all your AP exams in one place.
Crash Course — World History — John Green’s beloved 42-episode YouTube series covering world history from ancient civilizations to the 21st century. Engaging, funny, and surprisingly deep — perfect for review or introduction to any unit.
🎬 Documentaries & Video Lectures
PBS — World History Documentaries — Award-winning documentaries on ancient civilizations, wars, revolutions, and cultures from around the world. Includes series like Frontline, Ken Burns productions, and Secrets of the Dead.
Yale Open Courses — World History — Free full-length university lecture courses from Yale professors, including “The Early Middle Ages” and “Early Modern England.” College-level depth, completely free to watch.
Al Jazeera English — Documentaries — Compelling, in-depth documentaries covering global politics, conflicts, cultures, and human stories — often from perspectives underrepresented in Western media. Excellent for broadening a global worldview.
Smithsonian Channel — Free Videos — Free clips and full episodes covering ancient history, archaeology, exploration, and world cultures. High production value and curriculum-friendly content from one of America’s most trusted institutions.
🏛️ Museums & Cultural Resources
The British Museum — Online Collection — Browse over 4.5 million objects from the British Museum’s world-renowned collection online. Artifacts spanning two million years of human history from every corner of the globe.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Explore human origins, cultures, and natural history through interactive exhibits, virtual tours, and educator resources. Free online access to collections connecting science and world history.
Google Arts & Culture — Virtual tours and high-resolution artwork from over 2,000 museums and cultural institutions worldwide. Explore the Louvre, the Uffizi, and hundreds more from your browser — many with street-view style walkthroughs.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Online Collection — Over 490,000 works of art from the Met’s collection available free online, spanning 5,000 years of world culture. Search by civilization, time period, region, or medium — an extraordinary resource for visual primary sources.
