Central and South Asia

Geography of South and Central Asia

After a hook lesson introducing the idea of influence and influencers on society, Cluster 1 provides students with an introduction to the physical and political geography of Central and South Asia. In these lessons, students use a variety of maps, images, and sources to explore the Supporting Question, How do geography and climate influence the development of societies and the lives of people in South and Central Asia? In this cluster, students familiarize themselves with the major geographic features of Central and South Asia and work to evaluate how they influence life in those regions of the world. Students also connect to the modern world by considering contemporary challenges regarding water pollution and access in South and Central Asia. Through these lessons, students create a foundational understanding of the role of geography in the region’s history, development, and contemporary life.

Harappan Society

With the geographic features of the region in mind, in this cluster students focus on the societies that developed in the Indus region during the Bronze Age. The archaeological evidence of these societies exists as architectural ruins of communal and domestic structures, smaller-scale items of material culture, weights and seals used for regional and long-distance trade, beads, toys, and sculptures of varying sizes. In this cluster’s inquiry cycle, students assume the role of a museum curator and work to evaluate artifacts of Indus society to answer the question: If you were a curator, which three artifacts would you choose to communicate what is most important about Harappan society? The final lesson of the cluster includes attention to investigating the theories about the decline and disappearance of these societies, with modern connections to the problem of climate change.

Post-Harappan Developments in South Asia

Cluster 3 picks up where Cluster 2 ends and explores post-Indus societies in Central and South Asia during the Iron Age, with a focus on the belief systems of Hinduism and Buddhism. In these lessons, students work to understand how the Aryan migration, Vedic traditions, and technological changes shifted the political and economic landscape, led to changes in society, and spawned new ways of thinking about one’s place in the world. Students will be introduced to the belief systems of Hinduism and Buddhism and develop the understanding that these traditions evolved and continue to evolve along with the societies where they are practiced. This cluster continues the practice of working with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Lesson 16, which exposes them to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and the work of human rights activist Bishnu Maya Pariyar, who works to support “untouchable” women in Nepal.

Kingship in Ancient India

In Cluster 4, students examine and analyze primary sources describing the leadership styles and philosophical influences on the rulers of the first great empires of ancient India, the Maurya Empire (321-185 BCE). In doing so, they consider the larger question, What makes a good ruler? This helps develop their civic dispositions and as they consider the different approaches leaders may take to decision-making, the values and beliefs behind those approaches, and their impacts on the governed population.

The Golden Ages of Ancient India and Central Asia

In Cluster 5, students continue focusing on the role of leaders in ancient South and Central Asia. They work to answer the Supporting Question: Who created the Golden Ages of India and Central Asia? First, they complete an inquiry cycle about the Gupta Empire, where they visit a series of stations and evaluate the roles and contributions of common people in creating the Gupta Empire’s success. Then, through a final pair of lessons they investigate the Golden Age of Central Asia and the various contributors to it. Throughout the cluster, students organize information from primary and secondary sources, identify and explain aspects of ancient South and Central Asia’s history relevant to participating in a diverse society, and draw conclusions about South and Central Asia’s social, political, economic, and cultural developments.