How did growing networks transform societies during the post-classical world?

Why begin world history in 1200 CE? Beginning in 1200 allows students to explore a world that was already deeply connected long before modern globalization. Students examine the major regional societies, belief systems, and trade networks that shaped Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, and Oceania during the post-classical era. Through the study of trade, migration, empire-building, religion, technology, and disease, students analyze both the benefits and consequences of increasing connectivity across regions. This unit establishes the foundational patterns of exchange, cultural diffusion, and global interaction that will shape the remainder of the course.

How did expanding empires reshape global power and social hierarchies? 

Between 1450 and 1750, expanding land-based and maritime empires transformed global power, economies, and societies. Students examine how rulers consolidated authority, how exploration and colonization increased global interaction, and how economic systems reshaped labor and social hierarchies. This unit emphasizes the growing interconnectedness of the world and the ways empires, trade, and resistance movements shaped the modern era. 

How did ideas about political power, economies, and societies transform around the world? 

Between 1750 and 1900, revolutions in politics, economics, and industry transformed societies across the globe. Students examine how Enlightenment ideas challenged traditional authority, how nationalist and democratic revolutions reshaped governments, and how industrialization altered economies, labor systems, and social hierarchies. The unit also explores how industrialized nations expanded imperial control and how colonized peoples responded to imperialism.