Boyd County High School
Modern World History
Mrs. Pemberton
lindsay.pemberton@boyd.kyschools.us
Course Overview
World history is more than just a series of dramatic events. It is the story of the human community—how
people lived on a daily basis, how they shared ideas, how they ruled and were ruled, and how they fought.
World history includes big subjects like economics, politics, and social change, but it is also the story of dreams
fulfilled or unfulfilled, personal creativity, and philosophical and religious inspiration.
Guiding Text
World History – Modern Times, Jackson J. Spielvogel, Ph.D. (Author), National Geographic Edition
Class Attendance and Expectations
Class attendance is mandatory and students are expected to participate actively in discussions, complete all
assigned readings, attend class regularly and be on time. Failure to show up for a scheduled class presentation
will result in a zero for the assignment. All assignments must be turned in on the due date, carefully prepared
and proofread, stapled, and identified with name and date. Hand written work will not be accepted. Late work
will not be accepted except in extreme, documented emergencies.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Boyd County High School adheres strongly to a program of academic honesty. This means very simply that all
the work you do for this class must be your own, including all preparation and written assignments that you
submit for credit, and all tests that you take. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, or helping others to commit these
acts will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty will result in severe disciplinary action including, but not
limited to, failure of the student assessment item or course. If you have a question about academic honesty, ask
your teacher before turning in the assignment. In short, plagiarism is theft. Students who plagiarize will be
punished to the fullest extent of school policy.
Presentations
In addition to lectures and films, students will present a work in the field of European history. This presentation
should discuss the author’s thesis, the significance of this work and questions for discussion. In preparing for
this presentation, the student will not only be responsible for the assigned text, but also should include a
summary on how this work was received by other scholars and/or contemporaries. It would also be appropriate
to include more than one historian’s point of view in the presentation and touch on any known historiographic
debates. Since many of these works discuss the same topic, it is possible that two students work together and
present a join presentation.
Writing Assignment
Each student will write a historiographic essay on a topic of their own choosing. This essay will require each
student to look at how three different works challenge or support an interpretation of historical events. Before
beginning to write such an essay, students need to attain an understanding of these events and ascertain any
discernable schools of interpretation. The assigned class readings provide an excellent introduction into many of
the debates in the field of Modern World History. Students will be required to compare and contrast
interpretations, methods and sources used by the different authors. Published scholarly reviews of the works
students have chosen will also need to be consulted. To complete this writing assignment, each student must
submit a preliminary research topic proposal, an extended research proposal, a draft of the paper, and the final
copy.
Exams
Since history is not simply an exercise in restating memorized facts, the individual unit, mid-term, and final
exams will allow students to incorporate the information they have learned during the course of the semester
and apply it to particular questions. However, since the application of information requires a familiarity with the
basics of the course material, both exams will include a section that tests the student’s acquaintance with this
information.
Classroom Behavior and Procedures
Students in the class will be treated as young adults and are required to treat their peers and the instructor with
respect. This includes listening to what others as saying. Texting in class is NOT acceptable behavior as it
disrupts class discussions and chains of though. Texting during class time will result in grade loss and pop
quizzes for the entire class. Students who are absent will seek any makeup work in the class folder, and have
makeup time equal to time absent (1 day absent = 1 day to makeup work; weekends do not count). It is the
student’s responsibility to acquire any missed assignments. The instructor will not track you down or stop
instruction to make sure you have your makeup work.
Class Schedule
Week 1 – Introduction to Modern World History
Weeks 2-8 – Unit 1: The World Before Modern Times
- The First Civilizations and Empires
- Ancient Greece and Rome
- Regional Civilizations
- Toward a New World
Weeks 9-18 – Unit 2: The Early Modern World
- Renaissance and Reformation
- The Age of Exploration
- Crisis and Absolutism in Europe
- The Muslim Empires
- The East Asian World
- Revolution and Enlightenment
- The French Revolution and Napoleon
Weeks 19-23 – Unit 3: An Era of European Imperialism
- Industrialization and Nationalism
- Mass Society and Democracy
- The Height of Imperialism
- East Asia Under Challenge
Weeks 24-29 – Unit 4: The 20th Century Crisis
- World War I
- The West Between Wars
- Nationalism Around the World
- World War II
Weeks 30-35 – Unit 5: Globalization
- Cold War and Postwar Changes
- Contemporary Western World
- Latin America
- Africa and the Middle East
- Asia and the Pacific
- Future Challenges and Hopes