The first essay in the course should help you sort out the BIG picture of how sociologists, historians, economists, pontificators and other big shots think the world works. In the modern era three schools, among others, have emerged to explain it all, they are
World Systems' Theory which takes a very long view and explains all parts of the world as inter-related, Dependency Theory which at its core (pun intended) understands the world as one dominated by an imperialist center (or core) and a periphery, and Modernization Theory, a view of the world that clearly defines all stages in clear categories.
