Social studies in grade seven continues the study of world cultures with the focus on the changes that have occurred in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas from 1600 to the present. Students examine the history and geography of the societies that have been developing concurrently during this period, including the growing interaction among these societies as well as the exchange of ideas, beliefs, technologies, and commodities. Students also address the continuing growth of political and economic ideas that shaped the world in which we live today. They learn about the concepts of reason and authority, the natural rights of human beings, the so-called divine right of kings, and experimentalism in science.