• the medieval social hierarchy
• the role of the Christian church in medieval society
• the achievements of influential rulers in medieval Europe
• the role religion played in establishing social and political order
• the impact of Greco-Roman culture on medieval culture
• the impact of Judeo-Christian ideals on medieval culture
• the impact of northern European peoples upon western European medieval culture
• how and why the concept of private property developed
• important Islamic and Christian figures associated with the Crusades
• the course and consequences of the Crusades
• key figures in art, architecture, and literature during the Middle Ages
• the key intellectual achievements of the Middle Ages
• factors that led to the rise of a modem economy
• the growth and development of national identity in France, Spain, and England
• developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history and their importance to the rise of modern democratic institutions and procedures
• the rise and achievements of significant rulers in medieval Europe
• how Japan's location as an island nation impacted its development
• major cultural, economic, political, and religious developments in medieval Japan
• Japan's cultural and economic relationship to China and Korea
• how Japanese feudalism compared to Western European feudalism during the Middle Ages