Course Syllabus
Welcome to HIST363: Global Perspectives on Industrialization
Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.
Course Description
Explore the history and dynamics of industrialization, with a particular emphasis on the global nature of industrialization and its economic, social, and environmental effects from ancient times to the present.
Course Introduction
This course will focus on the emergence and evolution of industrial societies around the world. We will begin by comparing the legacies of industry in ancient and early modern Europe and Asia and examining the agricultural and commercial advances that laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. We will then follow the history of industrialization in different parts of the world, taking a close look at the economic, social, and environmental effects of industrialization. The course is organized chronologically and thematically. Each unit will focus on key developments in the history of industry as well as on representative areas of the globe, using primary-source documents, secondary sources, and multimedia to illustrate the dynamic nature of industrial change. By the end of the course, you will understand how industrialization developed, spread across the globe, and shaped everyday life in the modern era.
This course includes the following units:
- Unit 1: Industrialization and Theories of Economic Change
- Unit 2: Ancient and Early Modern Industry
- Unit 3: Capitalism, Agriculture, and Industry
- Unit 4: The Industrial Revolution in England
- Unit 5: The Social and Political Impact of Industrialization
- Unit 6: Imperialism and Industrialization in Asia
- Unit 7: Mass Production, the Labor Movement, and the Consumer Society
- Unit 8: Economic Crisis and War in the 20th Century
- Unit 9: Alternative Models of Industrialization
- Unit 10: Globalization and Industrialization in the Late 20th Century
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- identify key ideas and events in the history of industrialization;
- identify connections between the development of capitalism and the development of modern industry;
- use analytical tools to evaluate the factors contributing to industrial change in different societies;
- identify the consequences of industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries in different societies;
- critique historical interpretations of the causes and effects of industrialization; and
- analyze and interpret primary source documents describing the process of industrialization and life in industrial societies.
Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.
Course Materials
The primary learning materials for this course are articles, lectures, and videos.
All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource, and will help you to understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.
Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score
Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you may take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you have successfully passed the final exam you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.
There are also end-of-unit assessments and other quizzes in this course. These are designed to help you study, and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.
Tips for Success
HIST363: Global Perspectives on Industrialization is a self-paced course, which means that you can decide when you will start and when you will complete the course. There is no instructor or an assigned schedule to follow. We estimate that the "average" student will take 39 hours to complete this course. We recommend that you work through the course at a pace that is comfortable for you and allows you to make regular progress. It's a good idea to also schedule your study time in advance and try as best as you can to stick to that schedule.
Learning new material can be challenging, so we've compiled a few study strategies to help you succeed:
- Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories that you come across. This can help you put each concept into context, and will create a refresher that you can use as you study later on.
- As you work through the materials, take some time to test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned is important for your long-term memory, and will make you more likely to retain information over time.
- Although you may work through this course completely independently, you may find it helpful to connect with other Saylor students through the discussion forums. You may access the discussion forums at https://discourse.saylor.org.
Suggested Prerequisites
In order to take this course, you should:
Technical Requirements
This course is delivered entirely online. You will be required to have access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and have consistent access to the internet to either view or download the necessary course resources and to attempt any auto-graded course assessments and the final exam.
- To access the full course including assessments and the final exam, you will need to be logged into your Saylor Academy account and enrolled in the course. If you do not already have an account, you may create one for free here. Although you can access some of the course without logging in to your account, you should log in to maximize your course experience. For example, you cannot take assessments or track your progress unless you are logged in.
For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.
Fees
This course is entirely free to enroll in and to access. Everything linked in the course, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, is available for no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.