This series covers history from 3500 B.C. to the 1780's. This course analyzes civilizations by looking at their geographic and political environments, their technologies, economies, social institutions, and cultural achievements. Students will look at history from new perspectives, come to understand the connections between human beings despite time and distance, and appreciate the lasting effects these civilizations have had on Western civilization. Professor Linwood Thompson is the visual aid for these lectures--they are delivered in period costumes and as characters who illustrate the life of their times. With his firm grasp of the details of historical epochs, Professor Thompson's characters allow students to sit back, relax, and learn enjoyably--despite the magnitude of material presented.