World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times Essential Questions:
- How did the distant regions of the world become more interconnected through medieval and early modern times?
- What were the multiple ways people of different cultures interacted at sites of encounter? What were the effects of their interactions?
- How did the environment and technological innovations affect the expansion of agriculture, cities, and human population? What impact did human expansion have on the environment?
- Why did many states and empires gain more power over people and territories over the course of medieval and early modern times?
- How did major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism) and cultural systems (Confucianism, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment) develop and change over time? How did they spread to multiple cultures?