World History to the End of the Fifteenth Century, Grade 11

Unit 1: Historical Inquiry: Skills and Careers

Applying in everyday contexts the transferable skills developed through historical investigation, and identifying careers in which the skills of the historian are useful. (The historical inquiry process and the concepts of historical thinking, A1, are woven into every content investigation across strands B–E rather than taught as separate skills.)

• Transferable skills from historical investigation
• Applying skills and work habits
• Analysing current issues as an informed citizen
• Careers where the historian's skills are useful

Unit 2: Early Societies and the Rise of Civilizations

The evolution of early societies from hunter-gatherer beginnings and the factors necessary for their development; key social, economic, and political structures in three or more early societies and emerging cradles of civilization, each from a different region and period prior to 1500, and their impact on people's lives; and how interactions within and between societies contributed to the development of civilizations.

• The evolution of early societies
• Why early societies developed differently
• The cradles of civilization
• What counts as a 'civilization'?

• Social structures and organization
• The roles of people in early societies
• Innovation in early societies
• Economic development of early societies
• Political structures of early societies

• How some societies dominated others
• Cooperation between early societies
• Responding to external influences

Unit 3: Flourishing Societies and Civilizations

Key social, economic, and political structures and developments in three or more flourishing societies/civilizations, each from a different region and period prior to 1500; the factors that contributed to their stability, consolidation, and expansion; and the contributions of individuals and groups to the development of identity, citizenship, and culture.

• Comparing social structures
• Daily life in flourishing civilizations
• Economic structures and their significance
• Political and legal ideas

• Factors in the stability of societies
• Warfare and the expansion of empires
• Military innovation and expansion
• Education and stability
• Religion, spirituality, and stability

• Challenging and limiting government power
• Political and philosophical contributions
• Artistic and scientific contributions

Unit 4: The Decline of Societies and Civilizations

The role of various social, economic, and political events and developments in the decline of three or more societies/civilizations, each from a different region and period prior to 1500, and how these factors affected people; how interrelationships with other societies and with the environment contributed to decline; and aspects of culture and identity in societies in decline.

• Social events in the decline of civilizations
• Economic events in the decline of civilizations
• Political events in the decline of civilizations

• War and foreign invasion in decline
• Longevity and overexpansion in decline
• Environmental factors in decline

• Common characteristics of social decline
• Religion and spirituality in decline
• Identity, culture, and decline

Unit 5: The Legacy of Civilizations

The socio-economic, cultural, and political legacies of societies/civilizations from three or more regions and periods prior to 1500; the types of interactions between societies before 1500 and how societies benefited from and were harmed by them; and the general social, economic, and political context of societies in two or more regions of the world in the fifteenth century.

• Socio-economic legacies
• The legacy of art and literature
• The architectural legacy
• Contributions to religion and philosophy
• Scientific and technological contributions
• Political and legal contributions

• Borrowing practices and innovations
• Consequences of coming under another's control
• Approaches to foreign policy

• Social trends of the fifteenth century
• Economic developments of the fifteenth century
• Political developments of the fifteenth century
• Roles and status of people in the fifteenth century