Crash Course: World History

S1 E1

Crash Course: World History — Season 1, Episode 41: Globalization I - The Upside: Crash Course World History #41

Talk, Documentary11 min2 seasons, 72 episodes

Episode synopsis

John Green teaches you about globalization, a subject so epic, so, um, global, it requires two videos. In this video, John follows the surprisingly complex path of a t-shirt as it crisscrosses the world before coming to rest on your doorstep, and eventually in your dresser. The story of the t-shirt and its manufacture in far-flung places like China, Guatemala, and India is a microcosm of what's going on in the global economy. Globalization is a bit of a mixed bag, and there have definitely been winners and losers along the way. In this episode, John will talk about some of the benefits that have come along with it. Next week, he'll get into some of the less-positive side effects of globalization.

About Crash Course: World History

Crash Course World History is a video course hosted by John Green that teaches world history from growing the first crops in the First Agricultural Revolution to global textile production in the 2010s. Across the series, it builds skills in identifying and explaining historical developments, analyzing events in broader context, and tracing patterns and connections across time and place—aiming to help viewers become more informed citizens of the world. Season 1 follows the 2012 AP World History curriculum in a 42-episode chronological survey, while Season 2 continues in 30 episodes with a more thematic approach that focuses on systems and encourages viewers to question how “history” is written and what biases shape it.

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