Excellent course with an excellent instructor- I am looking forward to taking the next course! Thanks!

excellent course

Hi! I'm a student and your fan from India. I'm feeling so honoured and empowered to study from an academician who has been the executive director of the 9/11 commission and Counselor of the Department of state. I know it's a part of your job but teaching is such a noble profession.

Things I Loved:

1. You explain stuff pretty simply without complicating them.

2. Effective use of maps has been made

3. I like it when you write in your own handwriting, adds a more personal touch to the videos.

Things which could be improved according to me:

1. Your Background is boring, endless stock of scary books, it makes videos monotonous. You could try changing your location sometimes or a simple background with 1-2 plants :)

2. It gets a little confusing in Week 1 especially when we are just starting out.

3. No English subtitles are available for week 7 video 1

4. Is it possible to add some sort of animation or videos or something like that?

If I'd mention the most important and special merits of this course, I'll say TWO points; 1st: that the methodology of it really concentrates on the global history as a a DISTINCTIVE global history not just the sum of smaller nations' or inter-nations' history and 2nd: Its way of telling the sequence of the events from the perspectives of statesmen which the prof prefers to call "Situation-Problem-Solution Cycle". in another hand, talking about its cons; it's, in some ways, adopting the narrative of imperialist white world.. I have seen that obvious in many occasions through the course.

I believe the assessments focus on insignificant details mentioned in the presentations rather than the big ideas that I believed was the crux of the course.

Although the content is interesting, I would have liked it better had the content and the instructor been a little more engaging.

The course on Modern World History from 1760 to 1910 was an engaging and enlightening experience. It was well-structured, linking key historical events in a manner that beautifully showcased the tapestry of our shared past. The chronological approach kept the narrative clear, allowing us to appreciate the complex interplay of ideas, cultures, and technology that shaped the world as we know it today. It was inspiring to see how societal changes like the Industrial Revolution and important historical events such as the French Revolution were explained with extraordinary clarity and depth. The instructor's enthusiasm and knowledge were infectious, nurturing an environment of inquiry and exploration that was intellectually stimulating. Their use of varied resources, from primary documents to multimedia, provided rich, nuanced perspectives and made learning incredibly interesting. This course was a captivating journey through time that made history feel both relevant and fascinating

This is an excellent course that focuses on "Why?", "What were the alternatives?", and "What was the role of the event/notion in the global picture?" questions of history. It allows the student to organize the high-level knowledge of global history in their heads and gives a pretty balanced (to my "taste") view of the 1760-1910 period's history.

I would highly recommend taking this class to anyone interested in history, particularly, if you are anxious to strengthen the foundations for understanding the events of the XX and XXI centuries, including changes in global economics and politics.

This course provides densely-packed videos and thorough quizzes. While it might seem that quizzes test very minor details, I would argue that this is not the case and that the questions were carefully written and selected to facilitate understanding of the material and force systematization of it in one's mind.

I really enjoyed attending this course since I always wanted to fill the gap in my historical knowledge about this specific period. In senior high education we mainly focus in Eastern Europe and specifically in our country 's history (which also rebelled against the Ottoman Empire in 1821 and gained its freedom as many countries did at similar time . Actually this year we are celebrating 200 years of being a Free State with a glorious ancient past ).

The course has been a fascinating journey into the world changes and evolutions some of which have intrigued me to read more .(Is there any bibliography suggested ?)

I hope i can find some spare time to follow the second part quite soon too!

Thank you Prof.Zelikow

Sincerely

Maria Dermitzaki

ESL teacher , Greece

Illuminating course to help understand how the world got to be the way it is today and frankly to help understand the whys and hows the Western world dominated so much during this period. Also, extremely eye opening on non-Western histories of Africa, India, and China. I was shocked at the calamities and instability that China went through during this period and the resulting precariousness of their survival at the turn of the last century. The course also whets the appetite for more because the professor emphasizes the "whys" and not just the "hows". I've sought out other books, Hollywood movies, and web searches based on what the professor has shared in the course. I look forward to taking part two.

I loved it. First off, understand that what Professor Zelikow does in this course is a monumental task - in broad strokes, in fifteen hours, give an overview of things that shaped world history from 1760 to 1910. Given the nature of the task, there are necessarily (innumerable) things that are abbreviated, missed, or will in some way not meet certain individual hopes. Furthermore, it is a Bachelor-level introductory course, given via online lecture, and is thereby necessarily constrained. All of that having been said, I was looking for a re-entry point for armchair history, and this was perfect for me. Thank you to Prof Z and the University of Virginia to making the course available. JH

A great course on predominantly the western course of history from 1760 to 1910; one that focuses on ideas and movements that shaped the world, not a course that focuses on western history for reasons of eurocentrism alone. Where the course is eurocentric, it is so by necessity, a symptom of a well-balanced, well-structured course that strives for an approach that poses questions in an earnest and truthful manner.

The professor who runs this course is a highlight. His voice and presentation style makes the course that much easier to enjoy. I hope to later follow him and pay attention to his external writings and insights, even in my time beyond studying this online course.

This is a phenomenal introduction to what happened in the world between 1760 and 1910. Not only the professor is able to explain ''what'' happened but most importantly he makes a super emphasis on ''why'' things happened the way they did. The split between the ''what'' and the ''why'' is about 50/50 which I find quite rare as many of my previous learning experiences concentrated primarily on the ''what'' which is not enough to truly understand life and the world. Super course for those interested in the innerworkings of human beings, the choices they have made and the systems those chhave created.

This is an exceedingly well constructed course presented with ease and confidence. It takes a rather difficult subject and explains it with fluency and most importantly clarity. Even someone who is marginally acquainted with world history from the 18th century onward will find it illuminating and very insightful. It really encourages the student to look deeper into specific issues raised in the course of the lectures. I thoroughly enjoyed all the video lessons and the graded quizzes were just difficult enough to be interesting. I am looking forward to taking the second part of the course.

Lecturer demonstrates thorough knowledge of the subject whilst transmitting contents in an amicable, detailed and clear fashion. Professor P.Z.'s presentations were engaging, extremely insightful, and useful for either professional historians and history lovers alike.

This course is of outstanding quality and useful in helping learners to make a better sense of the complex political ideologies as well as events which shaped - and still shapes - the intricate world in which we live.

Many many thanks Coursera team for making this module available to citizens around the globe!

I was interested to learn History but books were so boring for me, so I chose Coursera and now I can explore World History, how global forces interact with each other and influence lives of people in the community through this course.

Throughout the course Dr. Philip will not only explain about the history but he also tries to reason "Why it happened ?". In some of the videos, he even decodes the message hidden in art works of the past.

It is indeed a fascinating subject which is beautifully narrated. I look forward to take the second part of World history.

Thank you

Dear Professor, I really enjoyed the course, the way you describe and explain the interactions between the differents continents & countries, illustrated by some local stories. I enjoyed it also because you are American, so you are looking at the history from a different point of view than would for example a French historian. As a matter of fact, listening to you I had a feeling that you were not very impressed by Napoléon Bonaparte ( which is a great hero in France) , neither by Napoléon the 3rd :), this is a subject I need to explore more. Thank you.

The course covers an extensive important period of time and in a very organized way. You never get lost. The quizzes are of remarkable level, very well-thought and never superficial. The way things get related and start making sense helped me get to another level in my knowledge of history. I will never study any subject without making reference to other important events that happened elsewhere. And will always refer my readings on this theme to what I learned in this course. Great chance to watch Professor Zelikow's classes from Brazil. Thanks Coursera!

This is an excellent if very beginner focused course on the history of the time period.

The presenter was excellent and the way in which he presented the information using the digital whiteboard to illustrate points was quite good.

The introduction and endings were a bit odd but that's the only oddity I had with this introductory course. What's up wit the "Make yourself comfortable"?

But, all in all, as someone who has an academic background in the subject being discussed, I quite enjoyed this.

Considero que este curso es perfecto como un complemento a los procesos historiograficos que se observan en los currículos universitarios de historia. A mi parecer fue un curso que me permitió comprender situaciones muy complejas pero de una forma agradable y diferente.

la capacidad de transposición didáctica que nos muestra el profesor es increíble, los conceptos, los momentos históricos y siempre desde una visión de trascendencia y desde la globalidad me dejo maravillado.

lo recomiendo totalmente

An absolutely blissful course. A well organised and balanced review of an immense topic, delivered in an engaging and personal style. I can not recommend this course high enough, especially for those who have some understanding of the 19th century history, but are looking for a more overarching and cohesive view. Dr. Zelikow delivers the information at a perfect pace and in an engaging manner, and it is hard to imagine how the course can be improved, as it clearly achieves what is sets out to do.

I'm enjoying this course very much and looking forward to Part II. I appreciate the approach that ties everything together with larger themes and trends -- and identifies the reasons and motivations behind them as well as identifying regional causes for global events and the impact of global events on individual regions. This class is accessible to students who are not history majors but on the other hand is not simplified -- it's challenging enough to keep intelligent people interested.

Wow, what a fantastic class. I love how Philip doesn't just talk about a bunch of dates, but really brings in humor, paintings, poems or things from literature, and really does a great job of painting a global view. But it doesn't feel overwhelming considering the topic. Things are presented in an easy-to-understand way each class, and you can tell he really likes this topic, as I found myself more and more interested in all that he was presenting. That's the sign of a great teacher.

The course covered a huge amount of material but was presented in a clear concise way. I liked the way it pulled together so many different ideas and referred to places all over the world, giving the big picture as well as a fair amount of illustrative detail. The presenter was clear and concise in his delivery and paced it so the student could follow quite complicated material easily. I would have like to have the results of the quizzes before deciding whether to purchase