This course explores how geography has affected world history, from ancient times onward - including how physical geography and biology set the basic conditions for European development and domination of much of the world. The 14 weeks of classes will attempt to answer one fundamental question: why did some European powers come to dominate much of the rest of the world, and not the other way around? This is a BIG, complex issue. Thus this course does not seek to give precise answers, but instead to give a broad synthesis of world history by looking at world history through the effects of the natural environment. The overall theme is thus simple: how geography has influenced global history. That is, we will study how the shape of continents, flora and fauna, germs and micro-organisms and other natural phenomena set many fundamental conditions for early human development and activities.