b'The Middle AgesAround the WorldBroadcast January 217 Covering the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance, The Middle Ages was a time of profound historical shifts. In many ways, these transformations shaped the modern worlda reflection evolving its earlier designation as the Dark Ages. As Professor Salisbury reveals, modernBig History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth and the Rise of Humanitycalendars, how we measure time,Broadcast January 18February 20suspension bridges, paper, compasses, and the banking system all date to theImagine the story of everything . from the big bang to the present . from Middle Ages. A key takeaway: thesemultidisciplinary perspectives . and youll, first, understand why this intriguing course extraordinary advances unfolded notcomprises 48 lectures. Secondly, youll appreciate Professor Christian organizing this BIG only in the West, but across the globe,topic into eight thresholds when something truly new appears. Think the origin of life, from Europe to Asia, the Americas, andthe development of the human species and the moment of modernity. While youre beyond. Joyce E. Salisbury is Professorthinking, ponder our place in creation and why we would be the only entity created by Emerita of Humanistic Studies at thethe Universe. Hmm. Dr. David Christian is Professor of History at Macquarie University University of Wisconsin. She is also ain Australia. His course on big history stems from an experimental course he developed frequent guest on NPR and PBS. with colleagues in astronomy, geology, biology, anthropology, and prehistory in the 80s. 51'