The Connected World — Studio Packet¶

Studio Code: WH-06 Subject Area: World History — Era 2 (Islamic Golden Age, Silk Road, Global Trade Networks) Suggested Cycle: Year 1, Cycle 2 (can pair with WH-04) Duration: 6 weeks

World History Era Timeline — highlighted segment(s) indicate this studio's historical period.

The Essential Question¶

What connects the world — and who decides who counts as part of it?

Week 1 — Getting Started

By the end of Week 1 you need three things:

A rough inquiry angle — your specific version of the essential question above
At least 2 sources identified from the Skinny Recommendations or the Reading Library
A draft Studio Contract ready to share with Reese for feedback

Stuck on your angle? Browse the sources first — an argument usually emerges from the reading, not from staring at the question. Use the thought card prompts further down this page if you need a push.

Why This Studio Matters¶

Most students arrive with a mental model of the medieval world as fragmented, dark, and Europe-centered. Ibn Battuta's Rihla is the antidote: in the 14th century, a Moroccan scholar traveled 75,000 miles using a connected system of Islamic law, shared language, and trade networks that made him an insider in Cairo, Delhi, Timbuktu, and Beijing. The connected world didn't start with European exploration in 1492. It started long before — and 1492 changed whose network was central, not whether a network existed.

This studio builds WH.6_12.1 (technology and trade) and WH.6_12.4 (cultural contact and exchange) while developing IR.4 (source evaluation) and IR.1–5 (research process). It's the studio that shifts the map students are working from.

Active Standards¶

Standard	What You're Targeting
WH.6_12.1 + Era 2	Trade networks, technology, and the material infrastructure of the connected world
WH.6_12.4 + Era 2	Cultural contact and exchange: what gets adopted, what gets rejected, and why
9-10.IR.1–5	Full research process: question, sources, synthesis, source evaluation, citation
9-10.R.9	Analyzing implicit argument: What is Ibn Battuta's implicit claim about the Islamic world?

ELA ↔ SS Crosswalk¶

The primary source in this studio is Ibn Battuta's Rihla — a travel memoir. That makes it a natural crosswalk text: analyzing it as a piece of writing (ELA) is the same as analyzing it as historical evidence (SS).

Ibn Battuta's Rihla — Reading it for R.9 (what is Ibn Battuta's implicit argument about the Islamic world and its connections? what does he choose to describe, what does he leave out, and what does that reveal about his perspective and purpose?) simultaneously builds WH.6_12.4 + Era 2 evidence (cultural contact, exchange, and how trade networks operated across the connected world). You can't separate the literary analysis from the historical analysis — understanding how he writes helps you understand what he reveals.
UN Declaration of Human Rights (if used as extension) — R.9 analysis (what claims does the UDHR make? what does it assume about universal values?) connects to WH.6_12.6 + Era 4 (how do the trade and cultural connections of Era 2 eventually contribute to a shared international framework?). Short text, strong crosswalk.

A single Demo of Learning can satisfy both an ELA and a WH standard if your Studio Contract names both and your analysis addresses both dimensions. See the ELA ↔ SS Crosswalk for the full map of how texts serve both subject areas across all studios.

Reading List¶

Text	Why It's Here
Rihla (Travels) — Ibn Battuta	The primary inside-out view of the 14th-century connected world — 75,000 miles, 44 countries, one traveler
The Analects — Confucius	Optional: the Eastern philosophical tradition that shaped a major connected civilization Ibn Battuta visited
UN UDHR	Optional extension: What does "universal" connection look like in 1948 vs. 1354?

Primary source pairing: Ibn Battuta + Marco Polo — compare what two travelers from different civilizations noticed about the same 14th-century world. The Rihla library entry includes the comparison table.

Trailblazer angles: - Map Ibn Battuta's route. Mark every city he describes as sophisticated or prosperous. What does this map tell you about which parts of the 14th-century world were most connected? What does it leave out? - Ibn Battuta describes the Mali Empire's sultan as almost perfectly just — and then is scandalized by women's dress. What does this combination of admiration and judgment reveal about how his framework works?

Maverick angles: - Compare Ibn Battuta's and Marco Polo's accounts of any city, region, or phenomenon both describe. What does each traveler notice? What does each miss? What does the comparison reveal about how a traveler's origin shapes what they find? - The Islamic world of the 14th century was connected by shared law (Islamic jurisprudence), shared scholarly language (Arabic), and shared trade routes. What is the equivalent today — what makes the contemporary world connected? Is it the same kind of connection? - Ibn Battuta's framework (Islamic law and scholarship) is what made him an insider in so many places. But there are places where his framework makes him an outsider — where does he fail to understand what he's observing?

Phoenix angles: - "The Islamic Golden Age was the world's most sophisticated civilization in the 14th century, and the European-focused curriculum systematically ignores it." Evaluate this claim: Is it true? Is it fair? What would need to change for the claim to be false? - Design a comparison of the dar al-Islam (Islamic connected world, 14th century), the Silk Road trade network (Han dynasty–Mongol era), and the contemporary internet as three different "connection technologies." What does each system include? Who does each exclude? What do people trade through each?

Six-Week Arc¶

Week	Phase	What You're Doing
1	Launch	Read the Ibn Battuta entry's opening description of Cairo. Then look at a modern map of the world. Where is Cairo on that map — center or edge? Why does your mental model of "center" matter for how you read history? Submit your Studio Proposal.
2	Dig	Deep read Ibn Battuta (and your secondary source on medieval Islamic trade networks or the Mali Empire). IR.4 focus: What can you trust about Ibn Battuta's account? What is he seeing through his own framework? What secondary source helps you evaluate his account?
3	Build	Draft your deliverable. Your central challenge: How do you show a connected world that the default mental model ignores? What evidence will shift your audience's mental map?
4	Shape	Peer review and advisor conference. Find the place in your argument where you're relying on something Ibn Battuta says without evaluating whether it's reliable. Revise to show your source evaluation work.
5	Finish	Complete demonstration of learning. Polish deliverable. Prepare for exhibition.
6	Publish	Exhibition. Reflection. Archive.

Demonstration of Learning Options¶

Mode	Prompt for This Studio
1 — Written Assessment	In 400–600 words: Analyze how Ibn Battuta's Rihla constructs an implicit argument about the Islamic world's sophistication and connectivity. What does he choose to describe, and what does that choice reveal?
2 — Extended Writing	Argument essay (600–900 words): Using evidence from the Rihla and at least one secondary source, argue either that the Islamic Golden Age is systematically underrepresented in Western history curricula — or that the claim is overstated.
3 — Verbal Conversation	Advisor conference: Walk through three passages from the Rihla — one where you trust Ibn Battuta completely, one where his Islamic-scholar framework shapes his judgment, and one where he's wrong by today's standards. For each, explain your reasoning.
4 — Visual/Creative	Annotated map: Map Ibn Battuta's route with annotations that explain what the map reveals about medieval connectivity. Annotations must connect to specific text evidence and explain what the map can and can't show.
5 — Multimedia/Performance	Documentary or presentation: "The World Ibn Battuta Saw" — a guided tour of the 14th-century connected world for an audience that doesn't know it exists. Must demonstrate WH.6_12.1+4 and IR.4 evidence.
6 — Portfolio Annotation	Curate prior work and annotate for WH.6_12.1+4 and IR.4 evidence. Commentary must reference specific passages from the Rihla and explain how your source evaluation shaped your analysis.

Deliverable Ideas¶

"Rethinking the Map" — A redesigned world map of the 14th century that centers the Islamic trade networks instead of Europe. Annotations explain: What made each city important? What connected them? Accompanied by an analysis essay.
"Two Travelers, Two Worlds" — A comparative analysis of Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo's accounts of the same era. Who saw more? Whose account is more reliable? What does the comparison reveal about how a traveler's origin shapes their perception?
"The Connected World: Then and Now" — A visual essay comparing medieval connectivity (Silk Road, dar al-Islam) to contemporary global connectivity. What's the same? What's different? Who is included? Who is excluded?
"Reading Ibn Battuta" — A source evaluation essay: How do you use a 700-year-old travel account as historical evidence? What can it tell you? What can it not tell you? How do you know when to trust it? Demonstrate the full IR.4 standard using the Rihla as your case study.
"The Mali Empire: What Ibn Battuta Found" — A research report using Ibn Battuta's West Africa accounts and secondary sources about the Mali Empire. What was Mansa Musa's Mali at its height? How does Ibn Battuta's account compare to modern historical scholarship?

Scale Tasks¶

2.0 — Foundation¶

Define: dar al-Islam, Silk Road, trade network, hajj, source bias, lateral reading
Correctly describe Ibn Battuta's route and the major civilizations he visited
Identify what Ibn Battuta is — his background, profession, and what drove his travel

3.0 — Target¶

Analyze Ibn Battuta's Rihla as both a historical source and an implicit argument
Evaluate the Rihla as a source (IR.4): What can you trust? What does his Islamic-scholar framework cause him to see and miss? What needs corroboration?
Compare the Rihla to at least one other source (secondary or Marco Polo comparison) and explain what the comparison adds to your understanding

4.0 — Transfer¶

Construct an argument about what "connectivity" means — using the medieval Islamic world as your primary historical evidence and connecting to a contemporary example
OR: Apply the Ibn Battuta source-evaluation framework (credible observer, shaped perspective, incomplete) to a contemporary travel account, news report, or eyewitness source
OR: Argue what it reveals about WH curricula that Ibn Battuta is rarely taught — is that a curriculum problem, a source problem, or something else?

Skinny Recommendations¶

If you're struggling with...	Pull this skinny
Evaluating sources for bias and perspective	IR.1–5 Research Bundle
Analyzing implicit argument	R.9 Informational/Argumentative
Presenting research to an audience	C.1 Formal Presentation
Formulating a research question	IR.1–5 Research Bundle

When You're Stuck

Your Thinking — "What would I need to see to change my answer entirely?"

The Argument — "What is my claim — in one sentence, not what happened, but what it means?"

Your Sources — "Where do my sources agree? Where do they contradict?"

Your Studio — "When was the last time I surprised myself with what I found?"

Why This Is Relevant Today?¶

The world Ibn Battuta traveled — a network of trade routes, shared languages, common religious practices, and cosmopolitan cities where scholars from different traditions compared notes — looks more like the internet than it looks like the nation-state world we're used to. And the questions his journey raises are the questions globalization raises: Who controls the routes? Who decides who gets to cross borders? Whose culture travels freely and whose gets stopped? The Silk Road connected China, Central Asia, the Arab world, and Europe in a network that no single power controlled. Today's equivalent — global shipping lanes, undersea internet cables, trade agreements — is also a network that multiple powers are competing to control, and the competition has exactly the same logic as the competition that killed the Silk Road. The UN Declaration of Human Rights' argument that all people have equal dignity regardless of where they were born is an argument about who "counts" as part of the connected world — and it is contested as much now as it was in 1948. If you're interested in how the connected world works today, USH-07: The Unipolar Moment covers the moment when the U.S. tried to run that network alone.

Exhibition Format¶

Suggested format: Visual gallery walk or map presentation.

Students display their maps, visual essays, or research exhibits. Audience circulates and asks questions. The exhibitor explains their analytical choices and answers IR.4 questions: "Why do you trust this source? What did you have to corroborate?"

What gets scored at exhibition: - C.1 — formal presentation: organized explanation of your analytical process, register - C.6 — discussion: responding to source-credibility questions with evidence-based reasoning