The primary goal of [this text] is to allow students enrolled in world history courses to do history in the same way ... as historians do - to examine a group of original sources to answer questions about the past. The unique structure of this book clusters primary sources around a set of historical questions that students are asked to "solve." [The text also] prompts students to actually "analyze" a wide variety of authentic primary source material, to make inferences, and to draw conclusions in much the same way that historians do. [It] is designed to accommodate any format of the World History course, from the small lecture/discussion class at a liberal arts or community college to the large lecture with discussions led by teaching assistants as a sizable university.-GQ115.

This successful Western history version of the popular Discovering series provides a broad range of both visual and written sources. The unique pedagogical framework includes The Problem, Sources and Method, The Evidence, Questions to Consider, and Epilogue and Evaluation sections in each chapter. This structure promotes critical thinking, sharpens analytical skills, and builds student interest in the subject matter. DISCOVERING THE WESTERN PAST: A LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE, Volume II: Since 1500, Seventh Edition, emphasizes historical study as interpretation rather than memorization of data, with actual documents and artifacts from which students develop answers to historical questions--and learn to think like historians. Significantly revised, this edition includes four new chapters: “Royal Power and Overseas Expansion, 1450-1540” (Ch. 2); “Motherhood, Nationalism, and Women's Political Role, 1848-1940” (Ch. 10); “Cold War Cultures: Visions of the 'Good Life' in East and West” (Ch. 13); and “Europe and the Iraq War” (Ch. 14). Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.