Problems in World History Index of Primary Sources

Special Investigations: These questions cross eras, regions, and cultures. They are long term issues that encourage you to use evidence from history to make an argument or build a case. What issue(s) or question(s) intrigue you? Post your own historical problem. During the year, we will work on these problems -- finding evidence, forming views, constructing arguments. A student may select your problem as a topic for investigation. In fact, it could be you!

Problem: Turning Points in World History? What do you think are the truly significant events in world history? Empire of Mali? Axial Religions? The Plague? Zheng He's return? Atlantic Slave System? Taiping Civil War? Hejira? Renaissance? World Wars? Holocaust? Some invention? What were the most important turning points in world history? What made these important? Select the xxx most significant events, people or trends in history and make a case for their importance.	Problem: Cultural Diffusion -- The Spread of Ideas from one Part of the World to Another Through our study of history, we see ideas, inventions, and institutional patterns "spread" from one part of the world to another. What examples do you have of such movement of ideas? How does that happen? Do ideas spread through trade? Through conquest? Do the conquered people spread culture to the conquerors? For example, Matt Dolin early in the course suggested that there was relationship between religious diversity in Mali and religious tolerance in the United States? Was there ? Did African slaves bring cultural ideas with them to the America that influenenced culture in the United States, Latin and South America?	Problem: Change in Ideals, Institutions or Ideals Agents of Change Analyze how an ideal (freedom, equality, justice, citizenship) or an institution (family, government, economy) or an idea (gender, race, childhood) have changed over time and from one society to another.
Problem: Demography -- The Hidden Force in History? Population has and continues to change. Rates of births and death change. People move. Such changes play an important role in history. Demographic information is vital for understanding events. Do you agree? Disagree? Identify XXX major changes in world population and explain why the changes occurred and the effects of the change on our world.	Problem: Add you own	Problem: Add you own