Approaches, Concepts & Habits of Mind
The process of dividing history into blocks of time to make them easier to study.
what is periodization
This theme focuses on how cultures share ideas, beliefs, and customs.
What is cultural interaction
This term describes the spread of ideas, beliefs, and customs from one culture to another.
what is Cultural diffusion
This approach looks at the world as an interconnected whole and searches for global patterns.
What is the big picture model
This theme includes topics like government systems, laws, and political power.
What is Political structures
This major event replaced France’s monarchy with a republic.
what is The French Revolution
This is what historians use to examine the past from different angles, helping them discover new information.
what are Lenses or approaches
This theme includes trade, money, labor, and how societies use resources.
what is Economic structures
This term describes buying expensive items to show off wealth.
what is Conspicuous consumption
This key concept helps historians understand events by zooming in or out geographically.
What are spatial frames
This theme includes social classes, gender roles, and family structures.
what is social structures
This is the reason historians use different lenses when studying world history.
To understand the past from multiple perspectives and find new patterns
This habit involves examining similarities and differences within and among societies.
What is Making comparisons
This theme studies how humans adapt to and change their environment.
what is Human‑environment interaction
This is why studying all five themes together helps us understand events like the Civil Rights Movement.
It shows how social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental factors connect