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World History to the Sixteenth Century, Grade 11, University/College Preparation (CHW3M)

This course investigates the history of humanity from earliest times to the sixteenth century. Students will analyse diverse societies from around the world, with particular regard to the political, cultural, and economic structures and historical forces that form the foundation of the modern world. They will examine the influence of selected individuals and groups, as well as of particular innovations, and will develop skills of historical inquiry, organization, analysis, and communication.

Prerequisite: Canadian History in the Twentieth Century, Grade 10, Academic or Applied

 

Communities: Characteristics, Development, and Interaction

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of a variety of communities from prehistory to the sixteenth century;

*       demonstrate an understanding of the development of different forms of communities from prehistory to the sixteenth century;

*       analyse the interaction between selected societies from prehistory to the sixteenth century.

Specific Expectations

Characteristics of Societies

By the end of this course, students will:

*       describe the characteristics that are common to stable societies (e.g., accepted leadership; tradition and law; compatible religious beliefs);

*       identify the factors that tend to differentiate societies (e.g., external pressures, decisions of leaders, geography);

*       identify the forces that led different peoples to choose their particular forms of social organization (e.g., Indian caste societies, Spartan military systems, Japanese feudal society).

Development of Societies

By the end of this course, students will:

*       explain the development of societies from simpler to more complex forms (e.g., from hunter-gatherer to rural agricultural to urban industrial societies);

*       identify, through analysis, the reasons for the predominance of particular societies (e.g., their position on trade routes, Roman concepts of government, Muhammad’s religious evangelism);

*       evaluate the criteria that a society must meet to be regarded as a “civilization” (e.g., longevity, lasting influence of cultural contribution, significance of role in events of the period).

Relations Between Societies

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an understanding of the factors that influenced the nature of relations between groups (e.g., trade and economic interchange, proximity, language, ethnicity, religion);

*       demonstrate an understanding of the effects of isolation on a community (e.g., linguistic uniformity, cultural entrenchment, insulation from benefits of external innovative ideas, ethnic homogeneity);

*       explain the diverse reactions of societies to exposure to external influences (e.g., the building of the Great Wall of China to exclude nomadic invaders; the entrenchment of Judaic values in response to invasions and conquests of Judaea; Europe’s adaptation of Islamic cultural contributions after the Crusades).

 

Change and Continuity

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

*       analyse the factors that contributed to the process of change from prehistory to the sixteenth century;

*       analyse the factors that contributed to the maintenance of stability and continuity in a variety of societies from prehistory to the sixteenth century;

*       demonstrate an understanding of the use and importance of chronology and cause and effect in studying world history before the sixteenth century.

Specific Expectations

Change in History

By the end of this course, students will:

*       identify major changes that took place through the course of history to the sixteenth century, and demonstrate an understanding of their intensity and breadth (e.g., the Neolithic Revolution, the development of writing, the invention of the printing press, military innovation);

*       identify forces that tended to promote and facilitate change (e.g., religious proselytizing, migration of peoples, Humanism);

*       demonstrate an understanding of the roles of selected individuals and groups in the process of change (e.g., Socrates, the Mongols, Jeanne d’Arc);

*       evaluate the effectiveness of different forms and processes of change (e.g., gradual versus rapid change, radical versus moderate change, planned versus spontaneous change).

Continuity in History

By the end of this course, students will:

*       identify forces that tended to reinforce stability and continuity (e.g., established religious beliefs, traditional family roles, administrative bureaucracies);

*       describe how legal traditions and political institutions contributed to a sense of continuity (e.g., Hammurabi’s code of laws, the Pax Romana, the shaman system);

*       demonstrate an understanding of the effects of different educational practices on the stability of selected societies (e.g., the maintenance of military discipline in Sparta; preparation of the mandarin class in China for its bureaucratic role; religious training in Islamic schools; refinement of skills in guild societies).

Chronology and Cause and Effect

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an understanding of the chronological sequence of significant events up to the sixteenth century;

*       explain how viewing events in chronological order aids in understanding complex change;

*       identify cause-and-effect relationships within the chronology of significant historical events.

 

Citizenship and Heritage

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

*       evaluate the contributions of selected individuals and groups to the development of legal, political, and military traditions;

*       evaluate the contributions of selected individuals and groups to the development of artistic, intellectual, and religious traditions;

*       demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between individuals, groups, and authority in different societies and periods to the sixteenth century.

Specific Expectations

Legal, Political, and Military Traditions

By the end of this course, students will:

*       evaluate the contributions of selected individuals and groups to the development of legal traditions in various societies (e.g., Hammurabi’s code of laws, Confucian principles of Chinese law, the Justinian code);

*       evaluate the contributions of selected individuals and groups to significant political events (e.g., Zhou dynasty, Cleisthenes, Charlemagne);

*       explain the significance of selected individuals and groups in the development of military traditions (e.g., the Hittites, Asoka, Hannibal).

Art, Ideas, and Beliefs

By the end of this course, students will:

*       identify selected individuals and groups who made significant contributions to the development of artistic forms (e.g., Palaeolithic artists at Lascaux, Sappho, medieval architects);

*       evaluate critically the role of significant thinkers from various societies and periods (e.g., Confucius, Avicenna, Roger Bacon);

*       demonstrate an understanding of the role of significant individuals or groups in the development of world religious traditions (e.g., shamanistic figures, Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus Christ);

*       evaluate the role and importance of a variety of legends, myths, and traditions in the context of the diverse communities that produced them (e.g., Homeric epics, the Ramayana, The Song of Roland).

Individuals, Groups, and Authority

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an understanding of the bases of authority in a variety of societies from prehistory to the sixteenth century (e.g., strength and skill of Palaeolithic hunters; Chinese “Mandate from Heaven”; military power of Alexander; authority of Roman civil administration; religious sanctions);

*       assess the methods used by societies and individuals to check the power of those in authority (e.g., military rebellion, religious evangelism, legislative processes such as ostracism);

*       identify individuals and groups who challenged authority (e.g., Spartacus, Muhammad, participants in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, John Calvin);

*       assess the contributions of Athens, Rome, and medieval Europe to the development of modern Western ideas of citizenship and the rights of individuals (e.g., Athenian democracy, the jury system, homage and fealty obligations).

 

Social, Economic, and Political Structures

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

*       analyse the development and diversity of social structures in various regions of the world;

*       analyse diverse economic structures and the factors that affected their development;

*       demonstrate an understanding of the diversity and uniqueness of political structures throughout the world.

Specific Expectations

Social Structures

By the end of this course, students will:

*       describe the roles of different members of society in the early stages of human history (e.g., warrior, hunter, healer, spiritual leader);

*       analyse the factors that influenced the development of a variety of forms of social structure (e.g., scarcity of resources and nomadic society, threat of invasion and military society, religion and monastic society, industrial technology and urban society);

*       demonstrate an understanding of women’s social roles in early and more complex societies (e.g., childbearer, educator, “keeper of the hearth”).

Economic Structures

By the end of this course, students will:

*       assess the diverse forms of economic organization that existed prior to the sixteenth century (e.g., agriculture, trade, cottage industry);

*       analyse the effects of innovation (e.g., the development of currency, the invention of the plough, the discovery of metals) on the functioning of various economic structures;

*       describe the roles of women in the economies of selected societies (e.g., gatherer, agricultural labourer, craftsperson).

Political Structures

By the end of this course, students will:

*       analyse diverse forms of leadership or government (e.g., tribal leadership, theocracy, monarchy) in selected communities prior to the sixteenth century;

*       demonstrate an understanding of the factors that influenced the development of various forms of leadership and government (e.g., religious influence in theocracies, militarism and the rise of feudal lords, the role of distribution of wealth in oligarchies);

*       demonstrate an understanding of the influence of women in the political life of selected societies (e.g., Hatshepsut, Empress Wu Chao, Julia Mamaea, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella d’Este);

*       evaluate the influence of religion on political structures in selected societies (e.g., Incan “Children of the Sun”, Hindu Brahmin caste, the papacy in medieval Europe).

 

Methods of Historical Inquiry

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an ability to locate, select, and organize information from a variety of sources;

*       demonstrate an understanding of the steps in the process of historical interpretation and analysis;

*       communicate opinions based on effective research clearly and concisely;

*       demonstrate an ability to think creatively, manage time efficiently, and work effectively in independent and collaborative study.

Specific Expectations

Research

By the end of this course, students will:

*       formulate significant questions for research and inquiry, drawing on examples from world history to the sixteenth century (e.g., What was the role of religion in the lives of the Aztec people? To what extent did the barbarian invaders contribute to the collapse of the Roman Empire? What were the effects of the Black Death on medieval European society?);

*       conduct organized research, using a variety of information sources (e.g., primary and secondary sources, audio-visual materials, Internet sites);

*       organize research findings, using a variety of methods and forms (e.g., note taking; graphs and charts, maps and diagrams).

Interpretation and Analysis

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an ability to distinguish bias, prejudice, stereotyping, or a lack of substantiation in statements, arguments, and opinions;

*       compare key interpretations of world history (e.g., liberal, conservative, Marxist);

*       identify and describe relationships and connections in the data studied (e.g., chronological ties, cause and effect, comparisons and contrasts);

*       draw conclusions based on effective evaluation of sources, analysis of information, and awareness of diverse historical interpretations;

*       demonstrate an ability to develop a cogent thesis substantiated by effective research.

Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

*       communicate effectively, using a variety of styles and forms (e.g., essays, simulations, multimedia presentations);

*       use an accepted form of academic documentation effectively and correctly (e.g., footnotes, endnotes, or author-date citations; bibliographies or reference lists; appendices);

*       express opinions and conclusions clearly, articulately, and in a manner that respects the opinions of others.

Creativity, Collaboration, and Independence

By the end of this course, students will:

*       demonstrate an ability to think creatively in reaching conclusions about both assigned questions and issues and those conceived independently;

*       use a variety of time-management strategies effectively;

*       demonstrate an ability to work independently and collaboratively and to seek and respect the opinions of others;

*       identify career possibilities related to the study of history (researcher, archivist, teacher, journalist, writer).