HIST 2500 - Humanity by the Numbers: What We Were, Are, and Could Be

What is life like for people around the world compared to the past, and what will it be like across the coming decades? Our lives today are more connected to and affected by the globalized world than ever before. For the average person in the world, their lives have changed more in the past generation than in the previous thousand years. To plan effective strategy or policy, we must know how these histories set the stage for likely futures. This course will guide you to becoming functionally informed about what the world is actually like today, how it came to be this way, and where it's headed tomorrow. You can't develop a road map to your own success if you don't have an accurate map to begin with. But - nullius in verba - take no one's word for it! Just as important as what you know is how you've come to know it. A person trained in historical thinking and applications can investigate the appropriate underlying data, reason it through with rigor, and propose effective policies. This course will cultivate a data-based mindset, and train you how to apply deeply-informed and critically-reasoned understandings of the fundamental global issues that affect our lives. Subject matter includes topics such as demographics, global health, economic development, violence and war, human rights, and freedom.. 3 credits.