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Unit Introduction:

Unit 2: New Patterns of Civilization (Asia & The Americas)

Unit 2 continues an examination of New Patterns of Civilization with a focus on developments in Asia and in the Americas.

During this period (600 C.E. – 1200 C.E.), Buddhism expanded throughout much of Asia, from India to Tibet and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), to China, Korea, Japan, and much of Southeast Asia. Spread by traders and missionaries, Buddhism became a very important influence in China following the fall of the Han Dynasty. The Tang emperors encouraged Buddhism and gave Buddhist monasteries gifts, land privileges, and tax exemptions in return for open support of the Tang imperial family. As trade and empires expanded in Asia, so did Buddhism. With Tang China at the center, Buddhist and Chinese influences were spread to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

After two hundred years of Buddhist influence in China, as the Tang Dynasty began its downfall, the Tang imperial family began to distrust the Buddhist monasteries. They began a movement to diminish Buddhist influence and return to Confucianism.

From about 200 to 900 C.E., Mesoamerica was growing and consolidating into an advanced and significant civilization. Despite the differences in societies, Mesoamerica was unified by common culture, beliefs, and social systems. Following similar patterns in the eastern hemisphere, Mesoamerican civilizations grew more complex, developing long-distance trade, building great cities, and developing rich social and political customs and traditions.

During this period, Mesoamericans made important advances in Science and math, grew more food as new developments in irrigation and terracing help increase agricultural output, and developed strong political institutions. These civilizations would remain independent until the 1500’s when Mesoamerica’s long period of isolation would end abruptly with Europe’s voyages of “discovery.”

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Objectives: What will the students learn….

Students will:

• Understand the role of Buddhism in Tang China.
• Explain why the Tang’s discredited Buddhism and returned to Confucianism.
• Explain how the Sui and Tang dynasties rose to power and then later fell.
• Explain how the Sui and Tang influenced later Chinese dynasties and societies in Asia.
• Explain how Buddhism was received in Southeast Asia.
• Discuss the relationship of Central Asia, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam to China.
• Explain how Song China differed from the Tang dynasty.
• Describe the new technologies developed during the Song dynasty.
• Analyze how isolation in the Western Hemisphere shaped developments in Mesoamerica.
• Understand how the environment affected economic, political, and social development in Mesoamerica.
• Compare and analyze each region and civilization in the Americas, specifically the Aztec and Incan civilizations.

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Readings in the text:

• Chapter 11: Central and Eastern Asia

Bulliet, Pages 276-296

• Chapter 12: The Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas

Bulliet, Pages 298-320

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Pacing Guide:

Example text here…

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Terms:

Chang’an	Grand Canal	Tang Empire	Li Shimin	Tributary system
Mahayana Buddhism	Bubonic plague	Uigurs	Song Empire	junk
gunpowder	shamanism	Koryo	Shinto	Examination System
foot binding	Trung sisters	Movable type	Kamakura Shogunate	Champa rice
maize	Bloodletting rituals	Teotihuacán	chinampas	Maya
Toltecs	Aztecs	Tenochtitlan	Tribute system (The Americas)	Huitzilopochtli
Anasazi	chiefdom	khipu	ayllu	Mit’a
Moche	llamas and alpacas	Chimu	coca	Tiwanaku

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Unit Assessment:

Example text here…

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