As civilizations have grown the need a desire for resources has led to cultural exchange. Sometimes the exchange of ideas was mere accident or haphazardly completed, while at other times it was driven by religious or military groups whose goal was to bring others into their flocks.
In this unit we will look at the ways in which ideas spread by focusing on the movement of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. By the end of the unit you will better understand each of these religions and how they expanded their belief systems. A secondary focus of this unit will be to look at how civilizations exchanged secular (non-religious) ideas. This cultural diffusion helped humanity thrive and become the intellectual beings that we are today. Finally, we will be looking at many of these elements through story telling. Stories have played an important role in the movement of ideas. The merchants, missionaries, monks, and mercenaries who traveled the various trade routes carried with them more then goods, they brought with them tales of their homeland or of the land beyond. |
Sources to support your learning:On The Web
Cultural Diffusion Examples PDF Islam: Religious Facts Buddhism: Religious Facts Christianity: Religious Facts Extra Credit Questions Using Religious Facts YouTube Videos Byzantine Empire Justinian The Lost Empire: (over three hours long) Islam Five Pillars of Islam Islam: A Crash Course Islam: The Empire of Faith Part 1 Islam: The Empire of Faith Part 2 Cultural Diffusion Cultural Differences Your Culminating Project:
During this unit you will learn about how ideas were exchanged through the actions and stories of merchants, missionaries, monks, and mercenaries. Your task is to take on the persona of one of these groups and create a story that they might have told. You will then record yourself telling this tale.
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