Waves of Global Change: A Holistic World History applies a "big picture" holistic approach to world history, from the big bang to the present. The overarching development of humans through time and space organizes this world history into five major transformations or critical turning points called waves—communal, agricultural, urban, modern, and global. Each wave is holistic, with distinctive cultural patterns—currents—that interact and reinforce each other. By illuminating our long human history, Waves of Global Change helps us to see how we have arrived at the present day, which can help us learn valuable lessons from history.
Among the topics featured in Waves of Global Change are human commonalities, such as our relationship with nature and the social, political, cultural, and techno-economic currents that have run through each era in human history. Author Dr. Denise Ames, educator and president of the nonprofit Center for Global Awareness, explores each wave's advent, characteristics, and transitions. The book is filled with concrete examples that allow readers to vividly picture historical life. Waves of Global Change ends with reflections on the current global wave, allowing us to contemplate where we are headed next.
This book is for educators, students from grade nine through university, and adult learners. Each chapter includes "Questions to Consider" and "Insights," spurring critical thinking and encouraging readers to "see" the information from perspectives beyond their own. Pictures, activities, suggestions, images, diagrams, graphs, and free on-line resources all heighten understanding.