Foundations: Unit Study Guide
Foundations – 3000 BCE to 600 CE
From Hunting and Gathering to Civilizations to the Classical Period
Chapters 1-5
Themes:
I. Interactions in economy & politics
II. Change over time
III. Technology & environment
IV. Social history
V. Cultural & intellectual developments
VI. Changing functions of states
Skills:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Constructing & evaluating arguments
Using documents
Assessing change & continuity
Assessing diversity of interpretations
Seeing global & local patterns
Assessing claims of universals standards
Overarching Questions:
1. Which areas were favored as areas of human settlement given the technology available in
the first millennium and how did these environments influence human developments?
2. What interactions among regions favored changes in human society and why did these
interactions increase?
3. What were the main emphases and the main changes in organized religion during the first
millennium?
4. To what extent did the characteristics of human populations change during this time
period?
Objectives:
5. Analyze the role of the environment and time in the origins of world history.
6. Examine the significance of agriculture and technology in the development of
civilizations.
7. Identify the basic characteristics of early civilizations and compare two specific river
valley societies.
8. Explain the major political, social, economic, and cultural developments in classical
civilizations.
9. Describe the basic features of the world’s major belief systems prior to 600 CE.
10. Analyze the significance of the changes that take place in the late classical period.
Week 1
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Identify course goals, procedures, and layout.
Debate using “civilization” as organizing principle of world history.
Interpret and analyze maps in order to analyze the interaction between geography and
societal development.
Describe the economic and social results of agricultural and metal innovations.
o Agricultural Revolution
o Guns, Germs, and Steel
Examine the skills necessary to use document and evaluate arguments.
o Humans & Environment DBQ
Week 2
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Compare the political and social structure of river valley civilizations.
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Examine the skills necessary to construct arguments.
o Comparison essay practice activity
Compare beliefs and origins of world religions.
Compare influence of world religions on social hierarchy.
Compare role of women in world religions.
Week 3
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Compare political developments in classical civilizations.
Compare social and gender structures in classical civilizations.
Examine interactions and development of trade patterns and their resulting changes.
Debate reasons for level of decline in various classical civilizations
Examine continuity and change from foraging societies to river valley civilizations to
classical civilizations.
Unit Test – part 1: objective, part 2: comparison essay of classical civilizations