1. Lecture # 1: An Introduction to World History & Civilization:
GED 2107 World History & Civilization
Objectives
To Define the concept ‘history’, ‘Culture’ and ‘Civilization’
To Discuss the Subject Matter of World History and Civilization; and
To Discuss Significance of the Course to the Students of BBA Program
Presented by Abul Kalam Azad Senior Lecturer, GED, NUB

2. Definition of History
The word ‘History’ entered the English language in 1390 with the meaning of "relation of incidents, story".
History (from Greek historia, meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation”) is the study of the human past. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyze the sequence of events, and it sometimes attempts to investigate objectively the patterns of cause and effect that determine events.

3. Oxford Advanced learners Dictionary says-
“History is the Study of the struggles and achievements of mankind from early times to present time”.
The History we read though based on facts, is, strictly speaking, ‘not factual at all, but a series of accepted judgments’.
So, on the basis of these definitions, it can be said that history is the continuum of events occurring in sequence leading from the past to the present and even into the future

4. Defining Culture
Simply, culture is the way of life for an entire society such as codes of manners, dress, language, religious beliefs, rituals, norms of behavior, law and morality, arts, cooking and food habits etc. Broadly speaking, “culture is “the totality of learned” (R. T. Schaefer, Sociology) The most frequently quoted definition is by Edward Burnett Tylor (1871). He defined culture as: “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."

5. However, to have a vast knowledge of culture, we need to characterize the term as follows:
It covers whole things of the society
It discusses mainly human behavior of a society
It is a continuous process
Culture is a relative things
Culture is learnt
Culture is social
Culture is a stabilizing mechanism
Culture is shared
Culture is transmissive
Culture is consistent and Integrated
Culture is dynamic and Adaptive
Culture varies from Society to Society
Culture is super organic and Ideational

6. Defining Civilization
Culture is the stock of knowledge
Culture transfers a man from his animality to the stage of man
Culture says how to behave
Culture helps a man develop his personality
Defining Civilization
The words 'culture' and 'civilization' have been often used synonymously, though they have clearly defined meanings differentiating them.
'Civilization' means the betterment of ways of living, making nature bend to fulfill the needs of humankind. Many scholars defined the concept.
According to MacIver & Page: Civilization is the whole apparatus of life.
According to Gillin & Gillin: Civilization is a more complex and evolved form of culture.

7. Distinction Between Culture & Civilization
Both material & Non-material things e.g., attitudes, behavior, norms , values etc.
Merely Material things e.g., technological equipments
Totality of learned
Precise standard
Non-material part of culture (NPC) may not be advancing
Always advancing
NPC may not be borrowed
May be borrowed
NPC is internal
External
NPC is subjective (what we are)
Objective (what we have)
NPC may not be destroyed
May be destroyed

8. Elements of Culture
Although cultures vary, they all have five common components:
Symbols
Language
Values
Beliefs
Norms

9. Types of Culture
There are many types of culture from different views. In terms of content, culture may be divided into two categories: material and nonmaterial .
Material culture consists of manmade objects including any kind of tools, machineries, technological equipments.
Non-material culture is the subjective things like religious beliefs, rituals, values, norms etc.

10. Other Types of culture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong. If a particular subculture is characterized by a systematic opposition to the dominant culture, it may be described as a counterculture.

11. Subject Matter of World History & Civilization
In a general way, the subject matter of world history and civilization is everything that suffers change owing to its existence in time and space. The main subject matter of history is man and their cultures and civilizations.

12. Significance of Studying World History & Civilization
To know the past story of mankind
To learn from the mistakes of the ancient politics.
To compare the present civilization with the ancient civilizations.
To compare the lifestyle between the ancient people and the modern people.
History is for human self knowledge.
History teaches us ‘man can do what man has done’.