CBSE Class 11 History Syllabus for academic session 2026-27
This page contains the CBSE Class 11 History syllabus for the academic session 2026-27, as prescribed by CBSE curriculum.
RATIONALE
The History curriculum introduces the students to a set of important historical events and processes through a focus on a series of historical issues, debates and through various sources. Discussion of these themes would allow students not only to know about the events and processes, but also to discover the excitement of reading history. However, practical way of assessing whether the learning objectives have been actualised or not, can be ensure d by the way of having stated outcomes. These outcomes have been enumerated against the learning objectives so that the concerned teachers and their students can adopt different kinds of constructive strategies and competency-based assessment techniques. It is also to be understood that the learning objectives and their outcomes are essentially linked and complementary to each other.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
History gives us the tools to analyse and explain problems in the past, it helps us to see the patterns that might otherwise be not known in the present. It provides a crucial perspective for understanding and solving the current and future problems.
Studying the diversity of human experience helps us appreciate cultures, ideas, and traditions and to recognise them as meaningful outcomes of specific times and places. History helps us realise how different is our life from that of our ancestors, yet how similar we are in our goals and values. With lessons from the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we came to be, but also develop the ability to avoid mistakes and create better paths for our societies.
The subject emphasises that history is a critical discipline, a process of enquiry, a way of knowing about the past, rather than just a collection of facts. The syllabus would help them to understand the process through which historians write history, by choosing and assembling different types of evidence, and by reading their sources critically. They will appreciate how historians follow the trails that lead to the past, and how historical knowledge develops.
The syllabus would also enable students to store/relate/compare developments in different situations, analyse connections between similar processes located in different time periods, and discover the relationship between different methods of enquiry within history and the allied disciplines.
THEMES
The syllabus is organised around some major themes in the world history.
1.
Focus on some important developments in different spheres-political, social, cultural, and economic.
2.
Study not only the grand narratives of development-urbanisation, industrialisation, and modernisation-but also to know about the processes of displacements and marginalisation. Through the study of these themes’ students will acquire a sense of the wider historical processes as well as an idea of the specific debates around them.
The treatment of each theme in class XI would include an overview of the theme under discussion, a more detailed focus on one region of study and an introduction to a critical debate associated with the issue.
Many of the themes will introduce to the debates in the field and show how historians continuously rethink old issues.
While the themes in both the classes i.e., class XI and class XII are arranged in a broad chronological sequence, there are overlaps between them. This is intended to convey a sense that chronological divides and periodization do not always operate in a neat fashion. In the textbooks each theme would be located in a specific time and place. But these discussions would be situated within a wider context by……
•
Plotting the specific event within timelines.
•
Discussing the event or process in relation to the developments in other places and other times.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Section Title
Theme No.
Theme Title
Marks
Reading of World History
Introduction of World History
I
EARLY SOCIETIES
EARLY SOCIETIES
Introduction Timeline I (6 MYA TO 1 BCE)
1
Writing and City Life
10
II
EMPIRES
EMPIRES
Introduction Timeline II (C. 100 BCE TO 1300 CE)
2
An Empire Across Three Continents
10
3
Nomadic Empires
10
III
CHANGING
TRADITIONS
CHANGING
TRADITIONS
Introduction Timeline III (C. 1300 TO 1700)
4
The Three orders
10
5
Changing Cultural Traditions
10
IV
TOWARDS
MODERNISATION
TOWARDS
MODERNISATION
Introduction Timeline IV (C. 1700 TO 2000)
6
Displacing Indigenous Peoples
10
7
Paths to Modernisation
15
Map
Map work of the related Themes
05
Theory Total
80
Project work
20
TOTAL
100
Note-The Maps available in the official website of Govt., of India may be used
Syllabus – COURSE CONTENT
Syllabus / COURSE Content
I EARLY SOCIETIES
Theme: Timeline I (6 MYA TO 1 BCE)
Learning outcome with specific competencies
•
Understanding the concept of chronology
Theme 1
Writing and City Life Focus: Iraq, 3rd millennium BCE
a.
Growth of towns
b.
Nature of early urban societies
c.
Historians ‘Debate on uses of writing.
Learning outcome with specific competencies
•
Elucidate the interwoven social and cultural aspects of civilization in order to understand the connection between city life and culture of contemporary civilizations through their writings.
•
Analyse the outcomes of a sustained tradition of writing.
•
Explain the connection between the growth of human civilisation and the tradition of writing.
Timeline II (C.100 BCE TO 1300 CE)
•
Understanding the periods in order of time.
II EMPIRES
Theme 2: An Empire across Three Continents
Learning outcome with specific competencies
•
Explain and relate the dynamics of the Roman Empire in order to understand their polity, economy, society and culture.
•
Analyse the implications of Roman’s contacts with the subcontinent empires and discuss about slavery.
•
Examine the domains of cultural transformation in that period & the impact of slavery.
Theme 3: NOMADIC EMPIRES
Learning outcome with specific competencies
•
Identify the living patterns of nomadic pastoralist society.
•
Trace the rise and growth of Genghis Khan in order to understand him as an oceanic ruler.
•
Analyse socio-political and economic changes during the period of the descendants of Genghis khan
•
Distinguish between the Mongolian people’s perspective and the world’s opinion about Genghis Khan
III CHANGING TRADITIONS
Timeline III (C. 1300 TO 1700) → Theme 4: The Three Orders
•
Explain the myriad aspects of feudalism with reference to first, second, third and fourth order of the society.
•
Relate between ancient slavery and serfdom.
•
Assess the 14th century crisis and rise of the nation states.
Theme 5: Changing Cultural Traditions
•
Analyse the causes, events, and effects of the Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and Age of Exploration.
•
Relate the different facets of Italian cities to understand the characteristics of Renaissance, Humanism and Realism.
•
Compare and contrast the condition of women in the Renaissance period.
•
Recognise major influences on the architectural, artistic, and literary developments to understand the facades of Renaissance.
•
Critically analyse the impact on later reforms.
•
Evaluate the Roman Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation.
IV TOWARDS MODERNISATION
Timeline IV (C. 1700 to 2000)
•
Remember and understand the time frame.
Theme 6: Displacing Indigenous People
•
Evaluate the process of displacements of the native people which led to the development of America and Australia to understand their condition.
•
Analyse the realms of settlement of Europeans in Australia and America.
•
Compare and contrast the lives and roles of indigenous people in these continents
•
Analyse the domains of Japanese nationalism prior and after the Second World War.
Theme 7: Paths to Modernization
(NOTE- Keeping in view the importance of the themes i.e. Japan, china and Korea; it is advised that all must be taught in the schools
•
Summarise the nationalist upsurge in China from Dr Sun Yat Sen to Mao Zedong to understand the era of Communism.
•
Analyse the Chinese path to modernization under Deng Xioping and Zhou enlai in order to understand the transformation from rigid communism to liberal socialism.
•
Deduce the histories of China and Japan from the phase of imperialism to modernization.
•
Analyse the domains of Japanese nationalism prior and after the Second World War.
QUESTION PAPER DESIGN
Section
Theme
MCQ
MM-1
MM-1
SA
MM-3
MM-3
LA
MM-8
MM-8
Source based
MM-4
MM-4
Total
I- EARLY SOCIETIES
Theme 1
3
1
0
1
10
II – EMPIRES
Theme 2-3
4
0
2
0
20
III – CHANGING TRADITIONS
Theme 4-5
6
2
0
2
20
IV- TOWARDS MODERNISATION
Theme 6-7
8
3
1
0
25
MAP
05
Total
21×1=21
6×3=18
8×3=24
4×3=12
80
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
PROJECT WORK
MM-20
INTRODUCTION
History is one of the most important disciplines in school education. It is the study of the past, which helps us to understand our present and shape our future. It promotes the acquisition and understanding of historical knowledge in breath and in depth across cultures.
The course of history in senior secondary classes is to enable students to know that history is a critical discipline, a process of enquiry, a way of knowing about the past rather than just a collection of facts. The syllabus helps them to understand the process, through which a historian collects, chooses, scrutinises, and assembles different types of evidence to write history. The syllabus in class- XI is organised around some major themes in world history. In class XII the focus shifts to a detailed study of some themes in ancient, medieval, and modern Indian history.
CBSE has decided to introduce project work in history for classes XI and XII in 2013-14 as a part of regular studies in classroom, as project work gives students an opportunity to develop higher cognitive skills. It takes students to a life beyond text books and provides them a platform to refer materials, gather information, analyse it further to obtain relevant information and decide what matter to keep and hence understand how history is constructed.
OBJECTIVES
Project work will help students to:
•
develop skill to gather data from a variety of sources, investigate diverse viewpoints and arrive at logical deductions.
•
develop skill to comprehend, analyse, interpret, evaluate historical evidence, and understand the limitation of historical evidence.
•
develop 21st century managerial skills of co-ordination, self-direction, and time management
•
learn to work on diverse cultures, races, religions, and lifestyles.
•
learn through constructivism-a theory based on observation and scientific study.
•
inculcate a spirit of inquiry and research.
•
communicate data in the most appropriate form using a variety of techniques.
•
provide greater opportunity for interaction and exploration.
•
understand contemporary issues in context to our past.
•
develop a global perspective and an international outlook.
•
grow into caring, sensitive individuals capable of making informed, intelligent, and independent choices.
•
develop lasting interest in history discipline.
GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS
This section provides some basic guidelines for the teachers to take up projects in History. It is very necessary to interact, support, guide, facilitate and encourage students while assigning projects to them.
•
The teachers must ensure that the project work assigned to the students individually/ In- groups and discussed at different stages right from assigning topic, draft review to finalization.
•
Students should be facilitated in terms of providing relevant materials, suggesting websites, obtaining of required permission for archives, historical sites, etc.
•
The Project Work should be suitably spaced from April to November in classes XI and XII so that students can prepare for Final Examination.
•
The teachers must ensure that the students submit original work.
•
Project report should be Handwritten only. (Eco-friendly materials can be used by students)
The following steps are suggested:
•
Teacher should design and prepare a list of 15-20 projects and should give an option to a student to choose a project as per his/her interest.
•
The project must be done individually / In-groups.
•
The topic should be assigned after discussion with the students in the class to avoid repetition and should then be discussed at every stage of submission of the draft/final project.
•
The teacher should play the role of a facilitator and should closely supervise the process of project completion, and should guide the children by providing necessary inputs, resources etc. to enrich the subject content.
•
The Project Work needs to enhance cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains in the learners. It will include self-assessment and peer assessment, and progress of the child in project-based and inquiry-based learning. Art integrated Activities, experiments, models, quizzes, role plays, group work, portfolios, etc., along with teacher assessment. (NEP-2020)
•
The Project work can culminate in the form of Power Point Presentation/Exhibition/Skit/ albums/ files /song and dance or culture show /story telling/debate/panel discussion, paper presentation and whichever is suitable to visually impaired candidates.
•
Students can use primary sources available in city archives, Primary sources can also include newspaper cuttings, photographs, film footage and recorded written/speeches
•
Secondary sources may also be used after proper authentication.
•
Evaluation will be done by external examiner appointed by the Board in class XII and internal class XI.
SUGGESTIVE TOPICS FOR PROJECTS
1.
Facets of the Industrialization in sixteenth- eighteenth centuries.
2.
Crusades: causes; rationale; events; outcomes; Holy Alliance
3.
Ancient History in depth: Mesopotamia
4.
Greek Philosophy and City States
5.
Contributions of Roman Civilization
6.
The spirit of Renaissance: Manifestation in art; Literature; Sculpture; Influence on Trading Community; Social Fabric; Philosophy; Political Values; Rational Thinking; Existentialism
7.
Aspects of Development -South American States /Central American States
8.
Different schools of thoughts- Realism: Humanism: Romanticism
9.
Piecing together the past of Genghis Khan
10.
Myriad Realms of Slavery in ancient, medieval, and modern world
11.
History of Aborigines – America /Australia
12.
Facets of Modernization – China /Japan/Korea
(Projects are an imperative component in enhancing students learning with the related themes. In the research project, students can go beyond the textbook and explore the world of knowledge. They can conceptualise under the embedded themes. Forms of rubrics are a significant aspect and to be discussed in the classroom itself for clear understanding of concept and for assessment.)