This theme describes the ways in which humans influence and are in turn influenced by their surrounding ecosystems. Humans can, for example, influence their environment by clearing trees from a forest to make farmland. In contrast, the environment may influence the behavior of the people living in it — for example, by pushing them to invent warm clothing during colder seasons. In short, the environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments.

KEY TERMS: agriculture, surplus, climate, flora, fauna, natural resources, natural barriers, demography, pollution, deforestation, desertification, the Anthropocene. 

This theme describes the process by which societies group their members hierarchically.  While societies have grouped their members in a variety of ways over time, usually the rich and powerful reside at the top and the poor and powerless at the bottom. Societies also determine the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and between individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organization.

KEY TERMS: family, kinship, filial piety, class, gender, ethnicity, racism

This theme describes the power structures that states develop in order to control subjects/citizens within its borders as well as how they deal with other states. A variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, and governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.

KEY TERMS: state building, empire, monarchy, democracy, bureaucracy, war, revolution, independence, totalitarianism, dictatorship

This theme describes  the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought in a country or region. As societies develop, they affect and are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services.

KEY TERMS: subsistence, production, consumption, currency, labor systems, banking, trade, commerce, mercantilism, capitalism, socialism, communism

This theme describes the development of ideas, beliefs, and religions. These ideas usually  illustrate how groups in society view themselves, and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social, and cultural implications.

KEY TERMS: religions, belief systems, ideology, philosophy, art, architecture, language, writing, clothing, food, music, education

This theme describes how Humans have adapted to their environments through the development of various tools and scientific developments. These adaptations typically  increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.

KEY TERMS: tools, invention, science, medicine, mathematics, weapons, industrialization