Mrs. Ruland's Advanced Placement World History Course

Foundations: c. 8000 B.C.E. - 600 C.E.
Unit Outline

1. Locating world history in the environment and time
1. Environment
   1. Interaction of geography and climate with the development of human society
   2. The environment as historical actor
   3. Demography: major population changes resulting from human and environmental factors
2. Time
1. Periodization in early human history
2. Nature and causes of changes associated with the time span
3. Continuities and breaks within the time span: e.g., the transition from river valley civilizations to Classical civilizations
3. Diverse interpretations
1. What are the issues involved in using "civilization" as an organizing principle in world history?
2. What is the most common source of change: connection or diffusion versus independent invention?
3. What was the effect of the Neolithic Revolution on gender relations?
2. Developing agriculture and technology
1. Agricultural, pastoral, and foraging societies and their demographic characteristics
2. Emergence of agriculture and technological change
3. Nature of village settlements
4. Impact of agriculture on the environment
5. Introduction of key stages of metal use
3. Basic features of early civilizations in different environments: culture, state, and social structure.
1. Mesopotamia
2. Egypt
3. Indus Valley civilization; Harrapan civilization
4. Shang dynasty; Yellow River (Huang He) Valley civilization
5. Mesoamerica; Andean South America
4. Classical civilizations
1. Major political developments in China, India, the Mediterranean and Mesoamerica
2. Social and gender structures
3. Major trading patterns within and among Classical civilizations; contacts with adjacent regions
4. Arts, sciences, and technology
5. Major belief systems
1. Basic features and locations of major world belief systems prior to 600 C.E.
1. Polytheism
2. Hinduism
3. Judaism
4. Confucianism
5. Daoism
6. Buddhism
7. Christianity
6. Late Classical period (200 C.E. - 6oo C.E.)
1. Collapse of empires (Han China, loss of western portion of the Roman Empire, Gupta)
2. Movements of peoples (Bantus, Huns, Germans, Polynesians)
3. Interregional networks by 600 C.E.: trade and the spread of religion

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Last updated August 17, 2009

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