Craig G. Benjamin

Start with the geography and climate of China, the very cradle of Eastern civilization. After looking at the geographical regions of China, you'll explore the country's two great river systems - the Huang Ye (or Yellow River) and the Yangtze (or Chang Jiang) - which have divided Chinese culture into two distinct regions.

In this final foray into Japan, you'll study the Heian period, which is one of the most fascinating periods in Japanese history. The Heians created a new political and social system that would dominate the country for a millennium. Unpack the era's political factions and the principles of land ownership, then turn to its artistic and literary achievements.

Pick up the story of Rome in the Augustan Golden Age and follow it through the infamous sack by the Visigoths. Explore the literature and propaganda of the empire, and examine the reign of some of Rome's most notorious rulers before concluding with a look at the emergence of Christianity.

Enter what historians sometimes call Japan's "medieval period," in which military governors known as "shoguns" commanded the state. Look at the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa Shogunate periods, as well as the famous samurai warriors who played a distinctive role in Japanese life. Then turn to the era's entertainment culture.

The Pacific islands represent perhaps the last great chapter in humanity's colonization of the globe. The vast Pacific made migration slow until comparatively recently, yet seafaring technologies allowed many Polynesian societies to flourish. Study the aboriginal people of Australia and New Zealand, and then learn about chiefdoms in Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, and more.

Jericho and Anau are two of the world's oldest cities, and their stories have much to tell us about the scope of human history. Begin the course by examining what made these cities successful, and how they differed from each other. This starting point will introduce the concept and key themes of Big History.

Wars and rumors of war abound in this next lecture on Mesopotamia. Survey the rise and fall of empires in the 1,000 years after the collapse of the Sumerians. See how laws and language barriers impacted the Babylonians, the Hittites, and the Assyrians, and how the changing environment inevitably had the last word.

Trace the spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam through Southeast Asia and see how these belief systems affected the history of Eastern civilization. This region served as a commercial and cultural hub, where Arabian, Indian, and East Asian cultures came together in interesting ways.

Return to the followers of Confucius and consider two contrasting views of human nature and political theory. While Mencius believed humans were innately good and were entrusted with the Mandate of Heaven, Xunzi believed human nature was essentially evil. Both philosophers, however, remained faithful to Confucius's belief in the need for well-educated, ethical rulers.

In the first of four lectures about Korea, Professor Benjamin surveys the nation's rugged terrain, its mountains and caves and rivers. He then uses archaeological evidence to trace the emergence of civilization in the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras, when early clan-based villages produced distinctive pottery and had a fascinating variety of religious beliefs.