World History I surveys the story of the human past from the period before written records, prehistory, through the fourteenth century. The course is organized chronologically and, within broad eras, regionally. The course focus is the story of the human past and change over time, including the development of religion, philosophy, the arts, and science and technology. Geography concepts and skills are introduced as they appear in the context of the historical narrative. Students explore what archaeologists and historians have learned about the earliest hunter-gatherers and farmers, and then move to a study of the four river valley civilizations. After a brief writing unit, they study the origins of Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism and the eras in which they developed. The second half of the course traces the story of classical Greece and Rome, the Byzantine Empire, the origins of Christianity and Islam, and then continues through the fourteenth century in Europe, North Africa, and East Asia. Historical thinking skills are a key component of Intermediate World History. Students practice document and art analysis, conduct research, and write in a variety of formats. They also practice map reading skills and look at how historians draw conclusions about the past as well as what those conclusions are.
