In response to increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of the various regions of the world, and as a result of the circulation of people, goods, and ideas, global history has in the last two decades developed into a strong international, dynamic, and productive discipline in the field of research and education. Focusing on the underlying sociocultural and structural changes which shaped the human experience throughout history, it is a historical narrative that puts events, phenomena, and processes in a broad context. Characteristic of this historical approach is that it does not focus specifically on ?civilizations? and nation states, but on processes, whereby thematic research is focused on comparisons and differences within and between the regions of the world. Global history is non-Eurocentric, because all units of study are covered with the same interest, and non-Western concepts and local knowledge are included. The first-year course World History I (from c. 500 to c. 1800) provides background knowledge for this World History II course, which covers the period after ca. 1800 to the present.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.