CONTENT STATEMENT
- Improvements in transportation, communication, and technology have facilitated cultural diffusion among peoples around the world.
CONTENT ELABORATION
Cultural diffusion is the spread of the traits, ideas, and products of a culture. Diffusion has increased over time with improvements in transportation, communication, and technology.
Examples of cultural diffusion include:
the roads built by the Romans allowed for the spread of Christianity;
the invention of the astrolabe and magnetic compass plus improvements in shipbuilding allowed for the exploration of new lands;
the inventions of paper and the printing press both led to mass productions of maps, pamphlets and books; and
the printing of the Bible hastened the Protestant Reformation.
This standard should be incorporated throughout the year.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING
Identify examples of improvements in transportation, communication, and technology and explain how they have facilitated cultural diffusion among peoples around the world.