What is World History?
Driving Question: Why is learning history important?
History comes alive when we view events from multiple perspectives and time periods. To uncover an event’s true significance, historians rely on powerful tools like claim testing and scale switching—methods that help unravel the complexities of the past and bring it into sharp focus.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how scale switching helps historians better understand the past.
- Learn how to use claim testers to evaluate arguments.
- Identify the three frames of this course and explain their characteristics.
Vocab Terms:
- authority
- claim tester
- evidence
- frame
- intuition
- logic
- scale switching
Ever heard the phrase “look at the big picture”? Now, imagine what happens when you're only looking at one small piece of it. The full story can be completely different.
Each unit of the course begins with an overview video like this one. These videos introduce students to the main narratives and themes of each unit. Each one digs into a historical example and examines historical data that will help students understand larger historical trends.
Overview videos break down the big themes, spotlight key data, and zoom in or out to give you fresh angles on history.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- Why start a course like this in 1750?
- The video argues that the world of 1750 was also changing. What examples does it give?
- How did the Qianlong Emperor and Lord Macartney have different views of the world when they met?
- How was Britain’s growing wealth based partly on its control of Bengal in this period?
- What does the map of British ship journeys around the world tell us about global trading patterns?
After you watch
Respond to this question: This video provided an argument for beginning a course in 1750. Do you agree with this argument? Why or why not?
This is the first claim-testing activity in the course. If you need to brush up on your understanding of this historical thinking skill, check out OER Project supports like our claim-testing posters and Feedback Forms. You can find them—and some quick tips and tricks for teaching this skill—in a quick one-pager.
Historians love to make claims about the past. Claim testing is the best tool for evaluating those arguments and separating fact from fiction.
Every reading in this course is accompanied by guiding questions in a routine called Three-Step Reading. Students first 1) skim for orientation; 2) they then read for understanding; and 3) finally, they connect the text to what they’re learning.
You’ll find sample answers in every Lesson Guide. For more information on Three-Step Reading, you can check out pages 2–3 of the Reading Guide.
Interpreting history means diving deep into the details. Try the Three-Step Reading strategy to dig into the first article in this course.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Why does this course begin in the year 1750?
- Who created the “Rise of the West” narrative? Is the narrative reliable?
- What are two ways that people organized their communities in 1750?
- Why did companies like the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company exist and expand during this time period?
- What kinds of networks were key to bringing together many different concepts, innovations, and cultural ideas in some regions at this time?
After you read
Respond to this question: Would a historian living in China in the year 1750 write the same narrative about this time as a Western historian? How does this change your idea of history in general?
What happens when we start with the big picture? How does zooming in on the smaller details change our understanding? It’s all about shifting perspectives to uncover new insights.
