World History is replete with examples of "Bad Boys" - groups that are remembered for cruelties and excesses that forever cast a dark shadow on their legacy. The reputations of many of these group are well deserved. But are some of these groups unfairly remembered? Are contributions and positive aspects selectively remembered or covered by layers of historical bias? In this module, students will explore the cultures of three dominant medieval groups, The Mongols, the Islamic World, and the empires of the Christian Crusaders. The focus will be on the intertwining of culture and military practices. It is important that students think critically about historical stereotypes and this lesson allows for exploration of the changing nature of historical interpretation. This module draws extensively on the SAS Curriculum Pathways InterActivity #1221. It incorporates short background movies, short primary source readings, and an engaging online document analyzer for student use. I have used this lesson before and have adapted it by including my own teacher made material and a seminar component. The module is designed with a 9th grade class that has had experience in basic essay writing. Explicit instruction my be needed in writing in an argumentative manner.
