UNIT THREE: Regional
and Transregional Interactions
Periodization: 600
C.E. to 1450 C.E.
Length of Class Time:
5 weeks
Readings: Ways of the World chapters 6-11. The
Human Web: A Bird’s-Eye View of World History pages 108-153.
Topics for discussion: Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islam,
Crusades; Sui, Tang, Song, and Ming empires; The Turkish Empires; Kingdoms in
Africa, the expansion of trade and rise of trading cities in East Africa;
Polynesian Migration; Empires in the Americas; The Mongols; The Caliphates; the
black plague; new forms of labor organization.
