1. Eight Themes of World History

2. Power and Authority Who holds the power?
How did that person or group gain power?
What system of government provides order?
How is power maintained or lost?

3. Religious and Ethical Systems
What beliefs are held by a majority of the people?
How do the major religions differ from one another?
How do the various religions interact with one another?
How do religious groups react to nonmembers?

4. Religious and Ethical Systems

5. Revolution Great Change
What long-term ideas or institutions are being overthrown?
What caused people to make this change?
What are the results of change?

6. Interaction with the Environment
How do humans adjust to the climate and terrain?
How have changes in the natural world forced people to change?
What positive and negative changes have people made to the environment?

7. Economics How to use scarce resources to satisfy needs.
What goods and services does a society produce?
Who controls the wealth and resources?

8. Cultural Interaction How have cultures interacted?
Trade, migration, conquest
What items have cultures passed on to each other?
What political, economic, and religious ideas have cultures passed on to each other?
What positive and negative effects have resulted from cultural interaction?

9. Cultural Interaction

10. Empire Building
What motivates groups to conquer other lands and people?
How is control gained?
How does the dominating society control and rule its subjects?

11. Science and Technology
What tools and methods do people use to solve problems?
How do people gain and use knowledge?
How do new discoveries and inventions change people’s lives?