In teaching this type of thematic unit which extends over a whole school year, popping up at various times; the teacher needs to be aware that he or she is achieving some of the goals set by the National Standards for History, Basic Edition, 1996.  The goal of the extended unit is for a student to understand that basic human behaviors persist through historical eras – in other words, people are people, and they respond in basic ways, no matter what their race, ethnic origin, religion, etc.

 In developing these mini units, I particularly wanted to have the student understand that 

 The four culture/conflicts chosen to illustrate this are mentioned in most world history text books.  These particular lessons are keyed to the text World History for Christian Schools published by BJ Press, but they can be easily adapted to fit any textbook.

 The National Standards that are covered include 

Era 3
Classical Traditions, Major Religions, 
and Giant Empires, 1000 BCE-300 CE  

Why Study This Era? 

Religions also, often enough, divided groups into hostile camps and gave legitimacy to war or social repression. 
The classical civilizations of this age established institutions and defined values and styles that endured for many centuries and that continue to influence our lives today. 

Six of the world’s major faiths and ethical systems emerged in this period and set forth their fundamental teachings. 
Africa and Eurasia together moved in the direction of forming a single world of human interchange in this era as a result of trade, migrations, empire-building, missionary activity, and the diffusion of skills and ideas. These interactions had profound consequences for all the major civilizations and all subsequent periods of world history. 

This was a formative era for many fundamental institutions and ideas in world history, such as universalist religion, monotheism, the bureaucratic empire, the city-state, and the relation of technology to social change. Students’ explorations in the social sciences, literature, and contemporary affairs will be enriched by understanding such basic concepts as these. 

This era presents rich opportunities for students to compare empires, religions, social systems, art styles, and other aspects of the past, thus sharpening their understanding and appreciation of the varieties of human experience. 

Standard 3A
The student understands the causes and consequences of the unification of the Mediterranean basin under Roman rule.   Therefore the student is able to

v      Describe the major phases in the expansion of the empire through the 1st century CE. [Reconstruct patterns of historical succession and duration] 

   v      Define the concept of “classical civilizations” and assess the enduring importance of ideas, institutions, and art forms that emerged in the classical periods. [Analyze the importance of ideas] 

  Standard 5A
The student understands major global trends from 1000 BCE to 300 CE.  Therefore the student is able to

v      Analyze the significance of military power, state bureaucracy, legal codes, belief systems, written languages, and communications and trade networks in the development of large regional empires. [Interrogate historical data] 

v     Identify patterns of social and cultural continuity in various societies and analyze ways in which peoples maintained traditions and resisted external challenges in the context of increasing interregional contacts. [Draw comparisons across eras and regions] 

Era 7
An Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914 

 Why study this era?

The global forces unleashed in the second half of the 18th century continue to play themselves out at the end of the 20th century. Students will understand the “isms” that have absorbed contemporary society--industrialism, capitalism, nationalism, liberalism, socialism, communism, imperialism, colonialism and so on--by investigating them within the historical context of the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Standard 1- The causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. 

Standard 1A
The student understands how the French Revolution contributed to transformations in Europe and the world. Therefore the student is able to

v      Analyze connections between the French and Haitian revolutions and assess the impact of the Haitian movement on race relations and slavery in the Americas and the French empire. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships] 

Standard 1B
The student understands how Latin American countries achieved independence in the early 19th century. Therefore, the student is able to

v      Analyze the influence of the American, French, and Haitian revolutions, as well as late 18th-century South American rebellions, on the development of independence movements in Latin America. [Analyze multiple causation] 

 Standard 3C
The student understands the consequences of political and military encounters between Europeans and peoples of South and Southeast Asia.  Therefore the student is able to

v      Describe patterns of British trade linking India with both China and Europe and assess ways in which Indian farmers and manufacturers responded to world trade. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships] 

 Standard 3D
The student understands how China’s Qing dynasty responded to economic and political crises in the late 18th and the 19th centuries. Therefore the student is able to

v      Analyze why China resisted political contact and trade with Europeans and how the opium trade contributed to European penetration of Chinese markets. [Appreciate historical perspectives] 

Era 9
The 20th Century Since 1945: 
Promises and Paradoxes 

Why Study This Era? 
The economic and social forces moving in our contemporary world will make sense to students only in relation to the rush of events since 1945. Historical perspectives the Cold War, the breakup of empires, the population explosion, the rise of the Pacific rim, and the other sweeping developments of the era are indispensable for unraveling the causes and perhaps even discerning the likely consequences of events now unfolding. Students in school today are going to be responsible for addressing the promises and paradoxes of the age. They will not be able to do this by reading headlines or picking bits of “background” from the past. They must gain some sense of the whole flow of developments and build a mental architecture for understanding the history of the world. 

 Standard 2C
The student understands how liberal democracy, market economies, and human rights movements have reshaped political and social life.  Therefore the student is able to

v      Explain why the Soviet and other communist governments collapsed and the Soviet Union splintered into numerous states in the 1980s and early 1990s. [Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances] 

Standard 2D
The student understands major sources of tension and conflict in the contemporary world and efforts that have been made to address them.  Therefore the student is able to

v      Analyze the causes, consequences, and moral implications for the world community of mass killings or famines in such places as Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. [Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances] 

This website was constructed by Joan E. Holmes especially for Dr. Lee A. Makela's World History class at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.  It was built with the help of Microsoft's FrontPage in July of 2003, and was last updated on July 23, 2003.