Over the course of four years in Upper School history, students explore humanity’s shared past, beginning with the dawn of civilization and progressing to the complexities of the modern world. The students start with early human societies, examining the lives of early hominids and the transformative Neolithic Revolution that shifted humans from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural communities. Students then delve into the world’s earliest civilizations —Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Persia, India, and China—analyzing how geography, religion, and innovation shaped distinct cultures and belief systems such as Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome introduce the roots of Western philosophy, politics, and art, while the study of Christianity, Islam, and the empires that emerged in the Middle East expands students’ understanding of religion as a force of both unity and conflict across regions.
In later years, the curriculum turns toward the interconnected global developments that have defined the modern era. Students examine medieval Europe and Asia, exploring the rise of feudalism, the Crusades, and the flowering of thought during the Renaissance and Enlightenment. The emergence of global empires through exploration, colonization, and the Atlantic slave trade introduces students to themes of power, exploitation, and cultural exchange. Revolutions—American, French, and industrial—mark profound shifts in political and social thought, giving way to the rise of nationalism, imperialism, and global conflict in the 19th and 20th centuries. The two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the Cold War become focal points for understanding the forces that have shaped contemporary geopolitics. To round out the study of World History, students examine decolonization, technological change, and the shifting global patterns of the 21st century, preparing students to think critically about the historical roots of today’s world and their role in shaping its future.
