CBSE Syllabus for Class 11 History

Course Structure for Class XI History (2017-18)

S.No.	Units	Marks
1.	Introduction to World History
Section A	Early Societies	15
2.	Introduction
3.	From the beginning of time
4.	Early Cities
Section B	Empires	20
5.	Introduction
6.	An empire across three continents
7.	Central Islamic lands
8.	Nomadic Empires
Section C	Changing Traditions	20
9.	Introduction
10.	Three orders
11.	Changing cultural traditions
12.	Confrontation of cultures
Section D	Paths to Modernization	20
13.	Introduction
14.	The Industrial Revolution
15.	Displacing indigenous People
16.	Paths to modernization
	Map work (units 1-16)	5
	Project Work	20
	Total	100

Class XI: Themes in World History

Themes

Objectives

1. Introduction to World History

Section A: Early Societies

2. Introduction

3. From the Beginning of Time

Focus: Africa, Europe till 15000 BC

(a) Views on the origin of human beings.
(b) Early societies.
(c) Historians’ views on present-day hunting-gathering societies.

4. Early Cities

Focus: Iraq, 3rd millennium BC

(a) Growth of towns.
(b) Nature of early urban societies.
(c) Historians’ Debate on uses of writing.

Section B: Empires

5. Introduction

6. An Empire across Three Continents

Focus: Roman Empire, 27 B.C to A.D 600.

(a) Political evolution
(b) Economic expansion
(c) Religion
(d) Late Antiquity.
(e) Historians’ views on the institution of Slavery.

7. Central Islamic Lands

Focus: 7th to 12th centuries

(a) Polity
(b) Economy
(c) Culture.
(d) Historians’ viewpoints on the nature of the crusades.

8. Nomadic Empires

Focus: the Mongol, 13th to 14th century

(a) The nature of nomadism.
(b) Formation of empires.
(c) Conquests and relations with other states.
(d) Historians’ views on nomadic societies and state formation.

Section C: Changing Traditions

9. Introduction

10. Three Orders

Focus: Western Europe, 13th-16th century

(a) Feudal society and economy.
(b) Formation of states.
(c) Church and Society.
(d) Historians’ views on decline of feudalism.

11. Changing Cultural Traditions

Focus on Europe, 14th to 17th century.

(a) New ideas, and new trends in literature and arts.
(b) Relationship with earlier ideas
(c) The contribution of West Asia.
(d) Historians’ viewpoints on the validity of the notion ‘European Renaissance’.

12. Confrontation of Cultures

Focus on America, 15th to 18th century.

(a) European voyages of exploration.
(b) Search for gold; enslavement, raids, extermination.
(c) Indigenous people and cultures – the Arawaks, the Aztecs, the Incas.
(d) The history of displacements.
(e) Historians’ viewpoints on the slave trade.

Section D: Paths to Modernization

13. Introduction

14. The Industrial Revolution

Focus on England, 18th and 19th century.

(a) Innovations and technological change
(b) Patterns of growth.
(c) Emergence of a working class.
(d) Historians’ viewpoints, Debate on ‘Was there an Industrial Revolution?’

15. Displacing Indigenous People

Focus on North America and Australia, 18th-20th century.

(a) European colonists in North America and Australia.
(b) Formation of white settler societies.
(c) Displacement and repression of local people.
(d) Historians’ viewpoints on the impact of European settlement on indigenous population.

16. Paths to Modernization

Focus on East Asia, late 19th and 20th century.

(a) Militarization and economic growth in Japan.
(b) China and the Communist alternative.
(c) Historians’ Debate on the meaning of modernization

17. Map Work on Units 1-16

Familiarize the learner with ways of reconstructing human evolution. Discuss whether the experience of present-day hunting-gathering people can be used to understand early societies.

Familiarize the learner with the nature of early urban centres.
Discuss whether writing is significant as a marker of civilization.

Familiarize the learner with the history of a major world empire.
Discuss whether slavery was a significant element in the economy.

Familiarize the (earner with the rise of Islamic empires in the Afro-Asian territories and its implications for economy and society.
Understand what the crusades meant in these regions and how they were experienced.

Familiarize the learner with the varieties of nomadic society and their institutions.
Discuss whether state formation is possible in nomadic societies.
Familiarize the (earner with the nature of the economy and society of this period and the changes within them.
Show how the debate on the decline of feudalism helps in understanding processes of transition.
Explore the intellectual trends in the period.
Familiarize students with the paintings and buildings of the period
Introduce the debate around the idea of ‘Renaissance’.
Discuss changes in the European economy that led to the voyages.
Discuss the implications of the conquests for the indigenous people.
Explore the debate on the nature of the slave trade and see what this debate tells us about the meaning of these “discoveries”.

Understand the nature of growth in the period and its limits.
Initiate students to the debate on the idea of industrial revolution.
Sensitize students to the processes of displacements that accompanied the development of America and Australia.
Understand the implications of such processes for the displaced populations.
Make students aware that transformation in the modern world takes many different forms.
Show how notions like ‘modernization’ need to be critically assessed.

18. Project work

Please refer Circular separately for guidelines.
Project work will help students:

To develop skill to gather data from a variety of sources, investigate diverse viewpoints and arrive at logical deductions.
To develop skill to comprehend, analyze, interpret, evaluate historical evidence and understand the limitation of historical evidence.
To develop 21st century managerial skills of co-ordination, self-direction and time management.
To learn to work on diverse cultures, races, religions and lifestyles.
To learn through constructivism-a theory based on observation and scientific study.
To inculcate a spirit of inquiry and research.
To communicate data in the most appropriate form using a variety of techniques.
To provide greater opportunity for interaction and exploration.
To understand contemporary issues in context to our past.
To develop a global perspective and an international outlook.
To grow into caring, sensitive individuals capable of making informed, intelligent and independent choices.
To develop lasting interest in history discipline.

NCERT Solutions