Veda Tadikonda
06/23/25
World History: Global Interdependence
Assignment Guidelines:
Curriculum Overview
The following module is designed for a college leveled World History class focusing on ideas
around global interdependence. I chose this topic as I believe many history classes often center
around a singular civilization in isolation, yet history is almost never isolated and is influenced
by the world and societies around. We can define global interdependence as the
interconnectedness and reliance of nations across various topics such as trade, economics,
culture, politics, science, migration, etc.
The learning goals of this unit are:
•That global interdependence has existed for centuries and is not simply a recent
phenomenon.
•What major global events, for example the Silk Road, Columbian Exchange,
industrialization, Bubonic Plague or climate change reflect those connections.
•Build the skills to analyze global issues through historical evidence and multiple
perspectives.
I want students to develop key competencies including historical thinking through analyzing past
events, systems thinking by understanding how different systems or parts of the world affect
each other, as well as a global perspective or awareness of the world and culture sensitivity. I
want students to understand patterns of interdependence both in the current and the past.
Inclusivity Goals
I plan to make this course feel inclusive and representative of many different people and
especially to those who are often left out of historical textbooks for equity. Readings and
references will be written from people such as Indian Ocean merchants and African scholars, not
just European colonizers.
To allow students voices to be heard, I will also build activities that rely on cultural knowledge,
family origin and unique personal experiences. I believe this would help students find their place
in the classroom as well as overall place within world history. One activity we might do is
identifying the origin of items students may chose and research its history.
I will also be supporting various learning styles by making sure all materials are easily accessible
by using multiple types of primary sources (eg. written work, transcripts, artifacts, maps, etc) and
allow multiple methods of participation and assessments.
Lesson Plan(s):
DAY 1: Global Interdependence, Ancient Trade Routes, the Columbian Exchange
Activity: Word map tracking of ancient trade routes, for example the Silk Road, Trans-
Saharan route, the Columbian Exchange, etc.
Primary Source Analysis: Indigenous vs. European accounts of the Columbian Exchange.
Scientific Connection; Spread of crops and diseases
Discussion: How did these exchanges and trades change societies lastingly?
DAY 2: Industrialization, Empires, Global Resources
Case Study: Britain’s industrialization’s dependence on global cotton (textiles) & coal
(steam engines).
Activity: Do a roleplay between people as colonizers and those who were colonized to
discuss resource extraction.
Discussion: How did global interdependence create power and inequality?
DAY 3: Wars, Technology, Cold War Connections
Activity: Simulating the UN where different students can represent different countries
during a global crisis.
Content: Global impacts of WWII, UN and the Cold War
Tech Focus: Spread of radios, nuclear tech, and info networks worldwide
Group Project: Students can design an action plan to address 1 global issue with a
historical lens.
Reflection: This is for yourself, write everything you remember from the course and the
key takeaways from what you have learned, as well as how you want to utilize your
knowledge for the future.
Course Readings (outside of class) for Day 1:
https://www.worldhistory.org/Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea/#:~:text=a%20highly
%20educated%20man%2C%20as,%28Scoff%2C%2016
https://genizalab.princeton.edu/indian-ocean-documents-cairo-geniza
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ZhengHeShips.gif#:~:text=Description
https://pieterderideaux.jimdofree.com/2-contents-901-1000/al-masudi-916/
#:~:text=Eager,in%20Indonesia
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/indigstudies/chapter/wampum-belts/
#:~:text=Wampum%20belts%20and%20strings%20of,Mann%2C%202000%3B
%20Muller%2C%202007%3B%20Peskotomuhkati
Course Readings for Day 2:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1863-07-03/debates/9e6d6565-ddeb-4fc9-ba92-
1938d915dbe0/CottonFromIndia#:~:text=been%20pauperized%20and%20banished
%20from,had%20increased%2C%20not%20however%20because
https://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/liverpools-abercromby-square/britain-and-us-
civil-war/impact-cotton-trade#:~:text=,imports%20from%20Egypt%20and%20India
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1847-05-06/debates/70bea651-6e17-4ef4-99aa-
a142f97ab242/TheCultivationOfCottonInIndia
Course Readings for Day 3:
https://www.unc.mil/History/1950-1953-Korean-War-Active-Conflict/#:~:text=United
%20Nations%20Command%20,or%20medical%20assistance%20to%20support
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-evidence-points-to-un-cover-up-in-congo-
1.551597#:~:text=NEW%20EVIDENCE%20of%20a%20United,ago%20has%20come
%20to%20light
https://www.e-ir.info/2012/04/07/rwandan-genocide-failure-of-the-international-
community/#:~:text=Convention,an%20eyewitness%20to%20the%20genocide
https://press.un.org/en/2003/sc7682.doc.htm#:~:text=%3E%20%3E%20JOSCHKA
%20FISCHER%2C%20Vice,on%20how%20to%20achieve%20the
https://cic.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CIC_Does-the-Present-Interpretation-of-
the-UN-Principles-Cause-Harm-in-Syria-and-Yemen.pdf#:~:text=northwestern%20Syria
%20%28NWS%29,endless%20humanitarian%20nightmare%20revolves%20around
For participation, I will allow either discussions in class or discussion posts outside of class, and
a reflection of what we learn at the end of the week. For assessments, I will give students options
to choose from a written assignment or a [group/individual] presentation on the historical roots
of a chosen global issue. I believe this will encourage collaboration and critical thinking skills.
What I want students to take away from this course is how we as humans are part of systems
with deep historical roots, and how we can understand each other’s systems and our own to make
connections and improved & informed decisions better for us individually and collectively.
Reflection and Rationale
Make references to course readings- how did they influence your design?
The course readings influenced my design, as I tried to incorporate cites from various sources,
primarily those underrepresented, and it made my course design more inclusive. The challenge of
an inclusive curriculum design is that it is often difficult to find primary sources on materials of
colonized people, as historical records of colonized people were often erased in the past by
colonizers and rewritten by colonizers. Opportunities in this type of curriculum design however
gives students a new perspective which they may not have previously been able to learn
accurately or in detail.
I believe my curriculum fosters a sense of belonging for all students, as I focuses on inclusivity,
collaboration and activities throughout my course design outline and lesson plans.
References:
Calkins, S. (n.d.). Teaching world history as a diversity requirement. World History
Connected. Retrieved from https://worldhistoryconnected.press.uillinois.edu/
Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Inclusive curriculum guide. Cambridge University
Press. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/education/inclusive-curriculum-guide
Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2018). International trade. Our World in Data. Retrieved
from https://ourworldindata.org/trade
