Page 331 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

D2. Interrelationships
FOCUS ON: Cause and Consequence; Continuity and Change
By the end of this course, students will:
D2.1 explain how war and foreign invasion contributed to the decline of some societies/ civilizations (e.g., with reference to the Greco- Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, the sack
of Carthage or Constantinople, civil war during the Kemmu Restoration, German invaders in the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the Norman invasion of England, Muslim conquests in India)
Sample questions: “How did various invasions (Greek, Macedonian, Roman) contribute to the decline of ancient Egypt?” “What impact did Viking or Mongol invasions have on various societies/civilizations?” “How did war contribute to the decline of the Islamic Empire in Central Asia?” “What impact did the Hundred Years’ War have on English interests in France?”
D2.2 analyse how factors associated with longevity and expansion contributed to the decline of some societies/civilizations (e.g., overexpansion and stretching military resources too thin, difficulty defending expanded borders, uncontrolled immi- gration leading to overpopulation in the centre of the empire, discontent among conquered peoples, failure to adapt to changing times and challenges, loss of markets to more innovative societies)
Sample questions: “In what ways might the identity of people living at the centre of a
large empire have been different from those
of conquered peoples living at the empire’s periphery? Why might people on the periphery have been more difficult to control? What impact might their resistance to authority have had on the empire’s resources?”
D2.3 explain how environmental factors (e.g., drought, floods, volcanic eruptions, deforestation or depletion of other natural resources, overhunting, changes in climate) contributed to the decline of some societies/civilizations
Sample questions: “What impact did the eruption of Thera have on Minoan civilization?” “What impact may changes in climate have had on the Indus Valley civilization and/or some Mesoamerican societies?” “In what ways might environmental factors such as resource depletion and climate change have contributed to the decline of Cahokia?”
D3. Cultural Characteristics and Identity
FOCUS ON: Continuity and Change; Historical Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
D3.1 analyse various societies/civilizations in decline to determine common characteristics associated with social decline (e.g., unstable political system, lack of leadership, decline in religious observance, stagnant artistic expression, disintegration of laws and customs, obsolete technology)
Sample questions: “When analysing different societies in decline, what common elements do you find? Which element or elements do you think were most decisive with respect to their decline? Why?”
D3.2 analyse the role of religion/spirituality in the decline of some societies/civilizations (e.g., conflict among proponents of existing religions; new cults or religions challenging or supplanting the state religion; proselytism; the influence of the beliefs
of conquered peoples; the use of religion as a basis for resisting tyranny)
Sample questions: “What was the significance of the persecution of Zoroastrians in Persia after Muslim invasions?” “What role did Catholicism play in the decline of Celtic society in England and Ireland?”
D3.3 analyse the interrelationship between identity/ culture and the decline of some societies/civil- izations (e.g., how conflict among peoples with different identities contributed to the decline of some civilizations; how the decline of empires enabled some conquered peoples to revive old identities/ cultural practices; how societies in decline had their cultural practices/production challenged or destroyed by more dominant powers; the extent to which the laws, religion, architecture, language of the conquering civilization changed the culture/ identity of its subjects, even after its decline)
Sample questions: “How did the distinct identities of peoples who were part of the Roman Empire at its peak contribute to its decline? Did the continuing decline of the empire affect these peoples’ identities or culture?”
CIVILIZATIONS IN DECLINE
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the Fifteenth Century
World History to the End of
CHW3M