This unit of study explains the causes, course, characteristics, and results of the Black Death during the 14th century. The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, left virtually no one untouched in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. Europe lost a third or more of its population. In a broader context, study of the unit alerts students to the importance of demography and the study of population, and prepares them for studying other periods of time in which demography played an important part in patterns of change. The unit includes a number of contexts and could serve as part of a unit on the Middle Ages, as background to the Renaissance-Reformation period in Europe, or as an example of a historical process transcending political boundaries. The unit focuses on certain"dramatic episodes" in time and should be used as a supplement to the customary course materials. The unit's teacher background section provides an overview of the entire unit and historical information and context necessary to link the specific "dramatic moment" to the larger historical narrative. The unit's lesson plans include a variety of ideas and approaches for the teacher that can be lengthened or shortened. Student resources accompany the unit's lesson plans and contain primary sources and a 10-item annotated bibliography. (BT)