Assignments+(T3)


 * Welcome back!

We'll go over the exam in class on Monday**

For those of you interested in how women are represented in Iraq's new constitution, check out this NPR story titled [|Activists Urge Women's Rights in Iraqi Constitution]

Here are the [|notes I showed in class today] (about the "fall" of Rome).


 * Due Tuesday, March 18**: Look at two maps and do one short reading, as detailed below

1. Look at the map on p. 240-241 of your book to see the path that the [|Huns] and other groups took as they invaded Rome. 2. See the map on p. 242 for where the various groups ended up in what we call "Europe" today. 3. **Read pp. 237-242** (starting with "The Western Roman Empire And Its Invaders") (do not worry about "stoicism").

--

//We will also post to the blog during class -- what do you know about Islam???//

[|Notes from class on Tuesday]


 * Due Block Day, March 19/20**: Read the section titled "The Arabs" in your book on **pp. 252-258**.

//In class on the block day, we will read three paragraphs from 251-252 (start with "Justinian and the Eastern Empire" and read up to "The New Barbarians") and take a look at the map on p. 250 -- pay attention to the trade routes//

Here are some [|cool images of the Hagia Sofia]

We will also watch a [|video about Islam]. Here are some notes you can build on.

No class Friday -- Good Friday

No HW Due for Monday


 * Due Tuesday, March 25:** Review pages 252-258 and post at least three questions about Islam from the reading (one or two questions could be from the video) to your class section of the blog by 9 p.m.

Here are more complete [|notes from the first 31 minutes of the Islam video].


 * Due Block Day, March 26/27:** Read pp. 270-272 ("In The Islamic World")

Read this document about the [|Five Pillars].

And look at these [|maps of the growth of Islam].

Select an aspect of Islam (from the video or from the reading) that you want to learn more about.

Explain in a paragraph on the blog what you want to learn about and why.

Here are the [|first], [|second], and [|third] Hajj pages we looked at in class, as well as the page that explains [|Muslim prayer times].

Come to class with evidence that you have started researching and/or writing your paper. In class on Friday, you will have time to work on your paper.
 * Due Friday, March 28:** Work on your short paper about an aspect of Islam (it's due Tuesday)


 * //Be sure to keep track of your sources as you do your research!//**


 * Due Monday, March 31:** Review your notes from the video and from the readings, so we can discuss and review in class.

Here are [|my notes]

Also, do 10-15 minutes of work on your paper -- it should be about one and a half pages long (double spaced), and it should indicate which sources you consulted by using parenthetical citations. Your paper should also include a Bibliography.

Here is the document we looked at in class [|explaining how to present your research] with parentheticals and with a short Bibliography.

Here's the link to that site from Duke's library that explains [|how (and why) to paraphrase].


 * Due Tuesday, April 1:** Hand in your paper about Islam.

The Quiz will cover our readings in the book, the video we saw, and what we've done in class
 * Due for the Block Day, April 2/3:** Prepare for a quiz on Islam (and the material we looked at covering the "Fall" of Rome)

Here's a [|study guide].

Here's an [|Islam Timeline] we'll go over in class.


 * Due Monday, April 7:** Read these online readings about Africa (each one is quite short) to get an overview of Africa:

[|A Great Oral Tradition] | [|The Nok] | [|The Phoenicians and Carthage] [|Trade] | [|Ghana] | [|Sundiata] | [|Mansa Musa] | [|Timbuktu] [|Zimbabwe]

Then, post on the blog for your class section two questions you have about Africa that shows you read and thought about the material on those pages. **Please post by 6 p.m. Sunday** (or email me to let me know why that's not possible, and post as soon as you can).

And by the way, [|who is Mr. Dowling?]

In class, we will learn a bit about [|African Geography], and also consider some current events in Africa, including elections from [|Kenya] and [|Zimbabwe].

Here are some [|Google Earth links] to several African places we will talk about.


 * Due Tuesday, April 8:** Read the document about [|West Africa] and complete the graphic organizer at the end of the document. Also, make some marginal notes on the document.

Here are some [|pictures from Timbuktu] (and the salt mines to the north).


 * Due Block Day:** Read these two documents about Great Zimbabwe

1. [|Great Zimbabwe] 2. [|"Discovery" of Great Zimbabwe]

Here's an example of [|active reading], as I learned a bit more about Ian Smith, the "prime minister" of Rhodesia from 1965-79.

Choose a topic for your short paper about Africa -- write a paragraph to the blog

Post two thought-provoking questions on the blog to jump-start our conversation.
 * Due Friday, April 11:** Read Mr. Goldberg's account of his [|trip to Ethiopia] in the summer of 2006.

Here's a [|video about Project Mercy] I just found on YouTube.


 * Due Monday, April 14:** Work on your short paper about Africa

Here are some thoughts about [|Why Africa Matters] today


 * Due Tuesday, April 15:** Read this short reading about the [|Bantu Migrations]

And work on your Africa paper (it can be up to two pages long) -- it's due on Tuesday, April 22.

Here's an article about the [|Sahel] from National Geographic.


 * Due Block Day:** The Pope will have arrived in the US at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Please **post to the blog by 9 p.m. the night before class** two things:

1. what you know about the Pope and 2. what you would like to learn about him.

Your post should be three to four sentences long.

After you have posted, please read this [|preview of the Pope's visit] for class on the block day (but don't read the article until after you post).

There is a reference in the article to the recent murder of the the Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Mosul. Here's some [|background] on that story from the BBC.

If you are curious, here's a link to [|the Pope's schedule in the US].

Pope Benedict, who was invested (made pope) in 2005, is the third pope to visit the United States; Paul VI came to New York in 1965 and John Paul II was in the United States seven times, including New York and Washington in 1979 and New York again in 1995 (two of his visits amounted to refueling stops in Alaska in 1981 and 1984). (this paragraph is from a [|NYT story about the Pope's visit]).

If you want to learn more about the Pope and his realtionship with Islam, here's a short reading about [|The Pope and Islam] (not an assigned reading)

POPE LINKS TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS (we will look at these in class)

Here's a better look at the [|Pope's schedule], from CNN.

Video of the [|Pope's arrival] (from WashingtonPost.com)

[|List of Popes]

[|How is the Pope chosen]?

Another description of [|how the Pope is chosen]

Here's a [|picture gallery of the College of Cardinals] -- it's not current because the Pope is listed as Joseph Ratzinger, his given name.

Once chosen, how (and why) does the Pope choose his new name? This [|2-minute video] has a good answer.

Another short video (from the same source) explains the [|Fisherman's Ring].

Were will the Pope stay? In Washington, the pope will stay at the Vatican Embassy, on Massachusetts Avenue NW, and in New York at the East 72nd Street residence of Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the papal nuncio to the United Nations. (info from [|this article])

Random Pope fact: Pope Gregory XIII [|changed the calendar] (we call it the Gregorian Calendar in his honor).


 * Due Friday, April 18:** Work on your Africa Paper in class


 * Due Monday, April 21:** Your paper about some aspect of Africa should be nearly complete -- I will look at your progress on your computer screen (do not print a copy yet).


 * Due Tuesday, April 22:** Paper about some aspect of Africa (should be 1.5 to 2 pages long)

In class Tuesday: Watch as much as you can of a video about the Mongols.

Also, look at the focus questions in the upper left corner of p. 412. The century when the Mongols are around is the 1200s (13th Century)
 * Due Block Day, April 23/24:** Read pp. 412-418 (start with the top paragraph, then read The Mongols: Reshaping Eurasia)

Here is the start of my [|reading notes] (first two pages only) -- you should have similar notes (pictures, definitions, questions), and we'll share in class what we've found about the Mongols during the block class, using SynchronEyes.


 * Due Friday, April 25:** Read pp. 418-421 (top of page 421)

Mongols Handouts:

Here are the [|Preview Paragraphs], the [|timeline], our [|class notes] (from the day I had no voice), and a look at [|Kublai Khan].


 * Due Monday, April 28:** Do a brief reading to get an overview of the [|Middle Ages], and post to the blog by 9 p.m. Sunday.

Here is a link to the [|City of God] blurb we looked at in class.

It was written by St. Augustine of Hippo, and here's a [|map that shows where Hippo is] (as well as the language split between Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodox).

Here are [|the maps I showed in class] leading from the organization of the Franks around 500 through the rule of Charlemagne (768-814) and the break-up of the Carolingian Empire in 843 with the Treaty of Verdun (we'll go over this in class Tuesday).

also, **POST TO THE BLOG by 9 pm** a question or comment or link or something to show that you engaged with the reading. (if you post a link, please explain what it is in a sentence or two -- don't just post the link)
 * Due Tuesday, April 29:** Complete this [|Middle Ages reading] -- pages 260-266 (up to "The Western Church")

Here's a map showing the [|expansion of the Vikings]

And here's a picture of the [|layout of a manor], complete with a fallow field as an example of the three field system.

also, **POST TO THE BLOG by 9pm the night before class** a question/comment/link to show that you engaged with the reading. (if you post a link, please explain what it is in a sentence or two -- don't just post the link)
 * Due Block Day, April 30/May 1:** Finish the Middle Ages reading (see link above) -- focus on pages 266-269; skim pp. 269-272

More information about [|Charlemagne] (we'll go over this in class on the block day)

More information about [|Feudalism] (the document I showed in class Tuesday)

More information about [|Bishops and Monks]

More information about the [|Vikings], and how they became the Normans (the ones who conquered England in 1066, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry)

Useful [|pictures from the Middle Ages]

Here's a [|review sheet for the test on Friday]


 * Due Friday, May 2:** Test on Africa, Mongols and the Middle Ages (plus a few Islam review questions)

An article about a modern effort to save the [|Niger River]

Explain in a few paragraphs what you learned about the topic you wanted to learn more about in the Middle Ages. Insert a sound recording of you speaking your paper at the end of your paper (this should help you fix any grammar issues) We will drop these in the H drive on Monday. **Do not print your paper.**
 * Due Monday, May 5:** Take-home part of the test.


 * Due Tuesday, May 6:** Complete this reading about the [|Crusades] and post your thoughts/questions/resources to the blog by 9 p.m.


 * Due Block Day, May 7/8:** Prepare your role for the "Crusades TV" episode we'll do in class

Then, complete a short reading about the [|Magna Carta] and post your questions/thoughts and resources to the blog by 9 p.m. Remember the format for posting a link we went over in class: //URL means the web address -- http://www.whatever////////
 * Due Friday, May 9:** For background, read the first five paragraphs of the [|Wikipedia article about Magna Carta].
 * text of link**

One right guaranteed by Magna Carta is [|Habeas Corpus]

Here are [|notes from today's class]


 * Due Monday, May 12:** No HW, but do think about Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and whether Habeas Corpus should apply there.//

Here's the [|Black Death] document we looked at in class on Monday (including an excerpt from the Decameron).


 * Due Tuesday, May 13:** Read pp. 441-448 in your text and post to the blog by 9 p.m. Monday.

In class Tuesday, we will read pp. 448-454. At the end of class (10 min left), post to the blog.

//In current events, I was listening to NPR this morning about the earthquake that rocked China yesterday, and the report talked about how many Chinese view earthquakes not as just natural disasters, but as// [|//a signal that the Mandate of Heaven may be shifting//]//. With the Olympics coming up, this is NOT the message the Chinese want to have people think about. See the link above for more context.//


 * Due Block Day, May 14/15:** Read pp. 454-461 and 468-471 (about Mali) and post to the blog by 9 p.m. the night before class.

LINKS FOR CLASS Here's a useful [|Timeline comparing] Judaism, Christianity and Islam (the author is Andrew S. Jacobs, a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California at Riverside)

We'll use it to review a bunch of things we've looked at this year.

Here's a document looking at the [|effects of the Crusades]


 * Due Friday, May 16:** Nothing, actually -- you have your world language exam in class

In our class we will read pages 513-518 about the Renaissance and post to the blog

Here are some [|geographic links] that I showed in class (of places mentioned in the reading)

Here's a useful resource for some context on the people of the [|Renaissance.] It was made by an 8th grade humanities class in Canada, but it provides a broad starting point for considering the many changes brought about by the Renaissance.


 * Due Monday, May 19:** Read the very brief text at this [|PBS Website about the Renaissance].

Then, learn a little about a Renaissance figure of your choice.

If you need some ideas, follow one of the links on the PBS page or one of the links on the 8th grade [|Renaissance] page.

Do about 10 minutes of research on some person or event in the Renaissance and write some of the more interesting details (along, of course, with any insightful questions you may have) on the blog by 7 p.m. Sunday night.

Also, please read these five paragraphs, taken from the Wikipedia article about the Printing Press (no need to follow any links unless you are curious, or course).

//Printing as developed in East Asia did not make use of a printing press as in Gutenberg's case. Although the invention of [|movable type] in [|China] and [|Korea] preceded Gutenberg's printing press, the impact of [|East Asian] [|movable type] printing presses was not as influential as it was in [|Western European] society. This was likely due to the enormous amount of labour involved in manipulating the thousands of [|porcelain][|Korea], [|metal] [|tablets], required by the use of written [|Chinese characters]. Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of [|books], on subjects ranging from [|Confucian Classics] to [|science] and [|mathematics], were printed using the older technology of [|woodblock printing], creating the world's first [|print culture].[|[7]].// tablets, or in the case of //In contrast, the impact of Gutenberg's printing press in [|Europe] was comparable to the development of [|writing], the invention of the [|alphabet] or the [|Internet], as far as its effects on society. Just as writing did not replace speaking, printing did not achieve a position of total dominance. Handwritten manuscripts continued to be produced, and the different graphic modes of communication continued to influence each other.// //The printing press was also a factor in the establishment of a community of [|scientists] who could easily communicate their discoveries through the establishment of widely disseminated scholarly journals, helping to bring on the [|scientific revolution]. Because of the printing press, [|authorship] became more meaningful and profitable. It was suddenly important who had said or written what, and what the precise formulation and time of composition was. This allowed the exact citing of references, producing the rule, "One Author, one work (title), one piece of information" (Giesecke, 1989; 325). Before, the author was less important, since a copy of [|Aristotle] made in Paris would not be exactly identical to one made in Bologna. For many works prior to the printing press, the name of the author was entirely lost.// //Because the printing process ensured that the same information fell on the same pages, page numbering, tables of contents, and indices became common, though they previously had not been unknown. The process of reading was also changed, gradually changing over several centuries from oral readings to silent, private reading. The wider availability of printed materials also led to a drastic rise in the adult literacy rate throughout Europe.// //Within fifty or sixty years of the invention of the printing press, the entire classical canon had been reprinted and widely promulgated throughout Europe (Eisenstein, 1969; 52). Now that more people had access to knowledge both new and old, more people could discuss these works. Furthermore, now that book production was a more commercial enterprise, the first [|copyright] laws were passed to protect what we now would call [|intellectual property] rights. A second outgrowth of this popularization of knowledge was the decline of Latin as the language of most published works, to be replaced by the vernacular language of each area, increasing the variety of published works. Paradoxically, the printing word also helped to unify and standardize the spelling and syntax of these vernaculars, in effect 'decreasing' their variability. This rise in importance of national languages as opposed to pan-European Latin is cited as one of the causes of the rise of [|nationalism] in Europe.//

[Did Gutenberg "invent" the printing press? Or did someone else beat him to it?? Check out [|this artifact] from Minoan Crete in 1700 BC.]


 * Due Tuesday, May 20:** Complete this reading about [|Martin Luther] and post to the blog by 9 p.m. Monday night.

Here's the Wikipedia link to Martin Luther's [|95 Theses].


 * Due Wednesday, May 21:** Nothing

You have ERBs Thursday and Friday, and Monday is [|Memorial Day], so please do take some time to think about why we celebrate that holiday (start with the link provided above), particularly in light of the [|more than 4000 US troops who have been killed] in the current war in Iraq that started in March of 2003.

and **post to the blog by 9 p.m. Monday night.**
 * Due Tuesday, May 27:** Please take some time on Monday to learn a bit about Memorial Day (see above links)

Link to [|faces of the fallen in NC].

(This reading starts on electronic page 20 of the Ch 10-13 PDF file)
 * Due Block Day, May 28/29:** Read pp. 302-307 and post to the blog.

You've heard of Duke Blue and Carolina Blue... we will look at this story about [|Maya Blue].

Here is a OneNote document about a [|Maya market and the importance of blood sacrifice] in Maya culture.

Here is a short video showing how [|Mayan writing was destroyed by the Spanish].

Here is a [|map] of the Highlands, Southern Lowlands, and Northern Lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula.


 * Due Friday, May 30:** Read pp. 308-312 and post to the blog

For reference, here is the [|timeline] we had on the board in class on Friday.


 * Due Monday, June 2:** Read pp. 489-493 (Inca and Aztec/Mexica) and post to the blog

Here's an incredibly cool resource you can use to look at [|Chavin de Huantar] as well as many other ancient sites around the world. It's called CyArk, and it stands for Cyber-Archaeology. Very cool 3-D imaging. Go to the site and click on archive on the left side and you will see Chavin de Huantar listed (along with Mesa Verde).

This [|excerpt] from the book 1491 (about what the Americas were like pre-Columbus in 1492) has extremely good information about the Inca. Thanks to Mr. Velto for providing the excerpt.

Here is [|more info about the Inca] (4 page handout)

Here's an [|article about natives in Brazil] who have not had contact with the outside world

and post at least two thoughtful sentences to the blog.
 * Due Tuesday, June 3:** Complete this [|short reading about Chaco and Mesa Verde],


 * Due Block Day, June 4/5:** Present in class what you contributed to the class wiki about the Americas.


 * Due [|D-Day], June 6:** TBA


 * USEFUL ISLAM LINKS

[|Noise in Cairo]

Great article about [|Calcutta], India (renamed Kolkata as of 2001). And a related [|video]

Good concise source on the differences between [|Shia and Sunni], from the BBC.

Picture of an [|Aerial view of Kaaba] -- shows where the Mecca Mall is being built...

Mecca Mall? Read this article about [|how Mecca is being transformed].

Video of [|pilgrims ascending Mount Arafat] (from December 2007) the site of Mohammed's last sermon (it's also known as the Mount of Mercy). After this event, pilgrims (known as hajjis after they have completed the hajj) will move on to a symbolic stoning of the devil (see next clip).

[|Hajj video] from 1997 (includes "stoning the devil" and pilgrims getting their heads shaved)

[|Virtual Hajj] (pictures and text) from PBS.

[|Prayer times for Cary].

This is a good [|intro to Islam] -- you might want to look it over as you review for the quiz.

(here's more on the [|Ardabil Carpet])

Here is some information about the [|World's Oldest Koran].

That copy is not complete (it's about 1/3 complete and it's from 651), but the oldest** complete copy of the Koran was recently [|sold for 2.3 million at a London auction].

[|Mosques of the world] from Sacred Destinations.

[|Timeline comparing] Judaism, Christianity and Islam (the author is Andrew S. Jacobs, a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California at Riverside)

[|Muslim population by country] (contains two good maps as well).

Why does Islam [|start to decline] (it was in such a dominant position in technology and other aspects of life)?

NOTES FOR MR G

Wrapping T2:

Buddhism: Resource for the [|Bodhi Tree] (Buddha meditated there for 49 days)

Another great resource is [|Getty Images]. Look up Samar Hassan.

I went to this [|photography exhibit at UNC] over the break.

The exam:

Minor grammar issues:

//"This lead to their technologies being used primarily for warfare..." LED is the past tense of LEAD

I lead my troops today; ATG led his troops and knew all their names.//

It's = it is Their = possessive There = a place They're = they are

Greece had it's mountains and they divided Greece into Poleis that were not united (except when they fought a common enemy). DOESN'T THAT BOTHER SOME OF YOU??? IT SHOULD BE "ITS," NOT "IT IS"

//Quick Christianity Review in Rome: adds Jesus' life and writings (Sermon on the Mount is one example) spreads b/c of Pax Romana (27 BCE to 180 CE) post-Pax Romana chaos in Rome for a while (esp the 50 years before Diocletian, 230-280) then persecution by Diocletian (worship ME!) then legalization of Christianity by Constantine in the Edict of Milan,
 * based on Judaism

And that's about where we left off...

But Christianity was NOT yet the official religion of Rome... and Rome (at least in the West) was about to fall to "Barbarians" (as you will read about in our book, [|Rome gets sacked] in 410, and again in 455 and the emperor is finally removed for good in 476)

[|Theodosius] is the emperor who makes Christianity the official religion of Rome circa 395.

But there's already been a shift in power from Rome to Constantinople Constantinople is the capital of what will be known as the Byzantine Empire.

And we'll get back to the Byzantines when we return to Europe and its Middle Ages... but for the next 2.5 weeks, we will shift our attention to the Middle East and a man named [|Muhammad].

Our first unit of the third trimester will be a look at ISLAM...**//

Links for Islam:
Here's an article from the Washington Post on Wednesday about [|Islam at Harvard], titled =Hijabs at a Harvard Gym=

In the spirit of reading actively, I wondered what a [|hijab] was...and I learned about female and male dress standards...

Here's an article about [|an Egyptian-born journalist who was recently baptized by the Pope].

And here's [|a better article] (I think) from the Boston Globe on the same topic.

See a [|video of the baptism] on YouTube.

Here is some background about this journalist from Wikipedia:

Biography
Allam was born in Egypt and raised by Muslim parents. His mother sent him to a Catholic boarding school in Egypt, where he began studying Western culture and civilization. After growing up in Egypt and living there for thirty years, he moved to Italy and enrolled in [|La Sapienza] University of [|Rome]. Allam holds a degree in [|sociology] from La Sapienza. After working at several Italian publications (including the national daily newspaper [|La Repubblica]), Allam joined the [|Corriere della Sera], Italy's leading newspaper, in 2003 as deputy director of the newspaper (vice-director ad personam). Today he is one of Italy's most famous and controversial journalists [ //[|attribution needed]//]. Allam is married to a Catholic and has a young son from her and two adult children from a previous marriage.[|[2]] 

High-profile conversion
By his own admission, Allam was not a practicing Muslim - he never prayed five times a day nor fasted during [|Ramadan].[|[2]] Yet he did make the [|pilgrimage to Mecca], as is required of all Muslims, with his deeply religious mother in 1991.[|[2]] In his autobiography Vincere la paura (Conquering Fear), Allam acknowledges thinking about conversion to Christianity on moving to Italy so as to fit in better. However, he remained known as a non-practicing Muslim until age 55, when he converted to Roman Catholocism in a widely-publicized and televised ceremony during the Vatican's 2008 Easter vigil service in [|St. Peter's Basilica] presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. Writing about his decision to convert in his own newspaper Corriere della Sera, Allam explained the conversion freed him "from the shadows of a preaching where hate and intolerance toward he who is different, toward he who is condemned as an 'enemy.'" He added on Italian TV that he felt "stronger" and "great joy" because of his conversion.[|[3]]

[|Foot Bath article] from NYT

[|Aerial view of Kaaba] -- shows where the Mecca Mall is being built...

Mecca Mall? Read this article about [|how Mecca is being transformed].

Good [|intro to Islam].

(here's more on the [|Ardabil Carpet])

Here is some information about the [|World's Oldest Koran].

That ons is not complete (it's about 1/3 complete and it's from 651), but the oldest Complete** Koran was recently [|sold for 2.3 million at a London auction].

[|Mosques of the world] from Sacred Destinations.

Washington Post blog following [|Islam's advance]

Comparing [|Islam, Buddhism and Christianity]

A map showing [|what percent of various countries practice Islam].

A [|video about Islam] that we'll watch in class.

[|Women of Islam] video.

Video of [|pilgrims ascending Mount Arafat] (from December 2007) the site of Mohammed's last sermon (it's also known as the Mount of Mercy). After this event, pilgrims (known as hajjis after they have completed the hajj) will move on to a symbolic stoning of the devil (see next clip).

[|Hajj video] from 1997 (includes "stoning the devil" and pilgrims getting their heads shaved)

[|Prayer times for Cary].

Getty Images search results for the Prophet of Mohammed Mosque in Medina (click the long link below)

[|http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=1&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=medina%20Prophet%20Mohammed%20Mosque&src=standard#|link]

[|Islamic Art] from the L.A. County Museum of Art

OTHER LINKS

[|God and Gold] (from CFR) about how Great Britain and the US made the modern world. Richard Haas interviews [|Walter Russell Mead], Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations about his new book.

Dalai Lama's [|speech] (text only) about Tibet

MIDDLE AGES

Animated version of the [|Bayeux Tapestry]

Breakdown of the Tapestry [|scene-by-scene].

[|Chartres Cathedral] on the Great Buildings website (this would be good for the [|Colosseum])

[|Chartres] at Sacred Destinations

[|Video of Chartres] (7 minutes long from YouTube -- it's set to organ music)

These Cathedrals take a looong time to build and basically employ everyone in the town for quite some time. The same is true of the more impressive Mosques, especially the [|Mosque in Damascus] in Syria.

AFRICA

Great video about [|Education in Africa] and how leadership is crucial to Africa's future.

Play [|a map game] to learn the countries in modern Africa.

CHINA

[|Scenes along the Grand Canal] (built during Tang China, though the idea dates back to Shi Hunagdi).