Western Civilizations

For the author team, clear and engaging narrative is the best form of pedagogy. Many of the chapter introductions start with a hook or story that captures the larger themes of the chapter, and each chapter has a strong narrative, story-telling, approach. Within the narrative approach, the authors highlight chapter themes in the introduction and throughout in order to emphasize the importance of continuity and change for students.

Co-authors Cole and Symes designed an innovative pedagogical program based on their award-winning teaching experiences. Both teachers regularly experiment with new ways to make history engaging for students, and create tools to empower students to be effective learners. The pedagogy in Western Civilizations, Brief Third Edition, helps students think critically, retain key information, and make connections over time.

The text has been reduced by 25 percent from its parent edition in order to maintain a more coherent narrative and to avoid the choppiness of other brief books. The pedagogical features from the parent text were not only retained in the brief edition, but also used as a guide to reducing the narrative, ensuring that each chapter consistently highlighted its main themes, major concepts, and vital information.

Western Civilizations, Third Brief Edition, is the best value in the market. It is the least expensive brief book on the market, but offers an elegantly written and handsomely illustrated text with an innovative pedagogy program. Resources and tools for students are free and open, and a full suite of ancillaries are available for instructors.