Request for consultation

Thanks for your request. You’ll soon be chatting with a consultant to get the answers you need.
Your form is submitting...
{{formPostErrorMessage.message}} [{{formPostErrorMessage.code}}]
Email Address is required. 'Email Address' must contain at least 0 characters 'Email Address' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Email Address
First Name is required. 'First Name' must contain at least 0 characters 'First Name' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid First Name
Last Name is required. 'Last Name' must contain at least 0 characters 'Last Name' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Last Name
Institution is required.
Discipline is required.
Cengage, at your service! How can we best meet your needs? is required.
Why are you contacting us today? is required. 'Why are you contacting us today?' must contain at least 0 characters 'Why are you contacting us today?' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Why are you contacting us today?
See Most Recent Edition

World Civilizations: Volume I: To 1700, 7th Edition

Philip J. Adler, Randall L. Pouwels

  • Copyright 2015
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2014-01-01T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $77.95 See pricing and ISBN options
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now
World Civilizations: Volume I: To 1700 7th Edition by Philip J. Adler/Randall L. Pouwels
Quick Navigation

Overview

For an accessible, comprehensive global survey of the world's major civilizations, Adler and Pouwels's WORLD CIVILIZATIONS offers a great balance between detail and brevity. This unique student-oriented text offers 53 short chapters accompanied by strong pedagogy and critical thinking tools, giving instructors the flexibility to assign a wide range of major topics in world history in a variety of different ways, while making learning more manageable for students. The focused treatment of topics throughout history covers every major epoch and follows broad patterns and processes, while illuminating history through specific examples and a particular emphasis on social and cultural topics.

Available in the following split options: WORLD CIVILIZATIONS, Seventh Edition (Chapters 1-54), ISBN: 978-1-285-44257-0; Volume I: To 1700 (Chapters 1-28), ISBN: 978-1-285-44279-2; Volume II: Since 1500 (Chapters 22-53), ISBN: 978-1-285-44282-2.

{{readMore['overview'] ? 'Read More' : 'Read Less'}}

Meet the Authors

{{collapseContainerClosed['meet-the-author'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Philip J. Adler

Philip J. Adler taught college courses in world history to undergraduates for almost thirty years prior to his recent retirement. Dr. Adler earned his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna following military service overseas in the 1950s. His dissertation was on the activity of the South Slav émigrés during World War I, and his academic specialty was the modern history of Eastern Europe and the Austro-Hungarian empire. His research has been supported by Fulbright and the National Endowment for the Humanities grants. Dr. Adler has published widely in the historical journals of the U.S. and German-speaking Europe. He is currently professor emeritus at East Carolina University, where he spent most of his teaching career.

Randall L. Pouwels

Randall L. Pouwels earned his B.A. in history at the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. in history at UCLA. His Ph.D. dissertation was on the history of Islam in East Africa. His book, HORN AND CRESCENT: CULTURAL CHANGE AND TRADITIONAL ISLAM ON THE EAST AFRICAN COAST, 800-1900 (Cambridge, 1987), has become a standard work in African history. THE HISTORY OF ISLAM IN AFRICA (Athens, Oxford, and Cape Town, 2000) was jointly edited with Nehemia Levtzion of Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Widely praised in reviews, it was selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2001 and was made a selection of the History Book Club. In addition, he has written numerous articles and reviews on East African history, the history of Islam in Africa, and historical methodologies. Dr. Pouwels's other research interests include the history of the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, and the history and archaeology of Native Americans. Over the years, his work has been supported by grants and fellowships from Fulbright-Hays, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Studies Research Council, the National Geographic Society, and the American Philosophical Society. He taught African history for over twenty years at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and at UCLA. He has been the Professor of African and Middle Eastern History at the University of Central Arkansas since 1984.

What's New

{{collapseContainerClosed['whats-new'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
  • Three overarching changes are reflected throughout the seventh edition. It provides additional coverage illustrating how the world has become increasingly globalized and interdependent; includes more material on the non-Western world and the important initiatives of non-Western peoples, even through the West's recent expansionary age; and places a greater and sharper focus on the importance of women in history.
  • New Historians Craft boxes describe some of the methods and sources on which professional historians rely to illuminate the past. These include historical linguistics, archaeology, oral traditions, and written documents.
  • A global icon has been added throughout the chapters to highlight discussions of global developments and movements.

Features

{{collapseContainerClosed['features'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
  • Color illustrations, many of them new, and abundant maps throughout the text provide a rich visual context for the narrative discussions.
  • Thematic features and photographs are keyed to five broad text themes: Society and Economy, Law and Government, Patterns of Belief, Science and Technology, and Arts and Culture. All chapters have one or more boxes based on these themes; some are based on biography while others are based on primary sources.
  • Two boxed features retained from the previous edition, Evidence of the Past and Images of History, spotlight artifacts and material culture.
  • To encourage active engagement and allow comparison across chapters, each boxed feature concludes with Analyze and Interpret questions.
  • A chapter outline and a brief chapter chronology help students focus on the key concepts in the material they are about to encounter.
  • Key terms appear in boldface type and are repeated in an Identification Terms section at the end of the chapter, aiding study and review.
  • Parenthetical pronunciation guides of unfamiliar names appear throughout the text, facilitating reading and learning. An end-of-book glossary also provides pronunciation guidance for the more difficult terms.
  • End-of-chapter materials include a summary that encapsulates the significance of the chapter's concepts, a Test Your Knowledge section that allows students to gauge their grasp of the material and prepare for quizzes, and a For Further Reflection section that contains essay-type questions to encourage critical thinking.
  • A part introduction and a Worldview map highlight the major civilizations discussed in each part of the text. At the end of each part, a Putting It All Together section includes a Worldview chart that compares the civilizations, reviewing their accomplishments with respect to the text's five major themes. A Cross-Cultural Connections feature also encourages thinking beyond regional borders.

Table of Contents

{{collapseContainerClosed['table-of-contents'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
Part I: FROM HUMAN ORIGINS TO AGRARIAN COMMUNITIES, c. 100,000–500 BCE.
1. The Earliest Human Societies.
2. Mesopotamia.
3. Early Africa and Egypt.
4. Central Asia and India's Beginnings.
5. New Civilizations and Empires in Western and Central Asia.
6. Ancient China to 221 BCE.
7. The Settlement of the Americas and the Pacific Islands.
WORLDVIEW I: FROM HUMAN ORIGINS TO AGRARIAN COMMUNITIES, 100,000–500 BCE.
Part II: CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS OF THE WORLD, 500 BCE–800 CE.
8. The Greek Adventure.
9. Greek Humanism, 800–100 BCE.
10. Rome from City-State to Empire.
11. The Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity in the West, 31 BCE –800 CE.
12. Iran, India, and “Global” Trade.
13. Imperial China in Its Golden Age.
WORLDVIEW II: CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS OF THE WORLD, 500 BCE–800 CE.
Part III: THE POST-CLASSICAL ERA, 800–1500 CE.
14. The Americas to the Fifteenth Century.
15. Islam.
16. Mature Islamic Society and the First Global Civilization.
17. Africa from Axum to 1400.
18. The Mongols Unify Eurasia.
19. Japan and Southeast Asia.
20. The European Middle Ages, c. 800-1500.
21. The Late European Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
WORLDVIEW III: THE POST-CLASSICAL ERA, 800–1500 CE.
Part IV: EXPANDING WEBS OF INTERACTION, 1400–1700 CE.
22. A Larger World Opens.
23. Religious Divisions and Political Consolidation in Europe.
24. The Gunpowder Empires of Western and Southern Asia.
25. Africa in the Era of Expansion.
26. China from the Ming Through the Early Qing Dynasty.
27. Japan and Southeast Asia in the Era of European Expansion.
28. From Conquest to Colonies in Hispanic America.
WORLDVIEW IV: EXPANDING WEBS OF INTERACTION, 1400–1700 CE.

Compare Buying Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['compare-buying-options'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['detail_0'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

  • ISBN-10: 1305150236
  • ISBN-13: 9781305150232
  • RETAIL $77.95

  • ISBN-10: 1285442792
  • ISBN-13: 9781285442792
  • RETAIL $224.95

  • ISBN-10: 1285442822
  • ISBN-13: 9781285442822
  • RETAIL $224.95
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now

Supplements

{{collapseContainerClosed['supplements'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

FOR STUDENTS

World Civilizations: Volume II: Since 1500

ISBN: 9781285442822
For an accessible, comprehensive global survey of the world's major civilizations, Adler and Pouwels's WORLD CIVILIZATIONS offers a great balance between detail and brevity. This unique student-oriented text offers 53 short chapters accompanied by strong pedagogy and critical thinking tools, giving instructors the flexibility to assign a wide range of major topics in world history in a variety of different ways, while making learning more manageable for students. The focused treatment of topics throughout history covers every major epoch and follows broad patterns and processes, while illuminating history through specific examples and a particular emphasis on social and cultural topics. Available in the following split options: WORLD CIVILIZATIONS, Seventh Edition (Chapters 1-54), ISBN: 978-1-285-44257-0; Volume I: To 1700 (Chapters 1-28), ISBN: 978-1-285-44279-2; Volume II: Since 1500 (Chapters 22-53), ISBN: 978-1-285-44282-2.