World History since 1500

From about the year 1500 CE to the modern day, human societies have evolved from the beginnings of global contact to a truly international world. Students explore the continued development of human societies in the early modern and modern eras across the globe, including Southwest Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. As far as historical events and sources allow, the same amount of attention is given to each region. Students analyze primary sources, both written documents and objects, to understand the perspectives of those who lived through the events that they describe. They also discuss questions of indigeneity, race, gender, and social class, as well as connections within and between societies at a time when the scope of humans’ impact upon each other has become increasingly global. Students also compare societies in different parts of the world to explore and seek to explain the parallels and variations between the societies that they see presented in the historical record. Through these activities, students reflect on their own experiences as individuals studying in modern Canada on First Nation Musqueam unceded, traditional territories.