Cultural Studies: An Introduction to Global Awareness is designed to introduce students to the study of world affairs, regional studies, and cultural awareness. It delves into history, geography, religions, languages, cultures, political systems, economics, social issues, environmental concerns, and human rights. It looks at major events and significant figures that have shaped each region. In this age when the Internet, trade, airplanes, satellites, and cell phones connect people everywhere, it’s more important than ever to understand the world’s cultures. Even if you never leave the United States, you may find yourself working with or managing people from different parts of the world. If you end up working overseas, you’ll find that the more insight you have into other countries’ history and customs, the more successfully you’ll navigate your way around new and exciting lands. Features in this book include detailed topographical (mountains, rivers, etc.) and political maps. Colored boxes add brief additional information about related topics, while fastFacts offer extra tidbits of information. The photos provide glimpses of present-day life in these lands. Students will see how people dress and what their cities, cars, streets, buildings, and homes look like. While historical photos can be extremely interesting, this textbook supplies you with pictures of what these countries look like today. By the time students finish this course, they will have a greater understanding of the world around them. This knowledge will help them interpret trends and events abroad and will help in any future endeavors with other cultures.