Modern World History
Mr. Weiss
Room 2929/393-3485 ext. 2929/jweiss@hcs-k12.org /Conference: 8th Period
Facebook Group: Mr. Weiss’ HHS Classroom
Class Description
Freshman Modern World History is a REQUIRED course for graduation and is designed to cover
the Age of Enlightenment to the world issues of today. This course is designed to help students
pass the Social Studies section of the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) which is taken in the spring of
a student’s sophomore year. Some of the major topics that will be studied and discussed
extensively will be as follows: Age of Enlightenment, Revolutionary Period, Global Industrial
Revolution, Imperialism, World War I and II, Holocaust, Cold War, genocide, and issues that are
current to today.
Class Rules
1. Be Courteous!
2. Be Prepared!
3. Be on Time!
4. Be Respectful!
5. No Whining!
Class Procedures and Regulations
Grading Policy: Throughout the year, students will receive frequent and diverse opportunities
to demonstrate competency in the subject area. Grades will be based on a running point
system. Students generally will be tested a minimum of 2-3 times per quarter. They will take
announced or unannounced quizzes and students will also be expected to complete writing
assignments and special projects of various lengths throughout the semester. Some projects
and papers may be done at home or in class and will count as a homework/class work grade,
quiz grade, or test grade depending on the magnitude of the assignment. Homework will be
assigned and is expected to be turned in when it is due. Students will also be expected to
complete homework in a timely manner. Class participation is mandatory. Be attentive, ask
questions, ask questions, and ask questions.
Supply List
Students who are enrolled in Modern World History are required to obtain the following items
for class:
-Three ring one inch binder and notebook
-Pen (blue or black ink) or pencil
*Students will NOT be assigned a textbook. We will use a classroom set and
complete required readings during class. If students would like a textbook, I will
assign a textbook to them and they will be required to return the book when
they are finished using it. If they fail to return the textbook, they will be
charged for the missing textbook.
LATE POLICY:
Work needs to be turned in on the assigned date to receive full credit. If you miss a test, you
will have ONE WEEK to make it up. You will not make this up during class. You will need to
come in during Home room time or my conference period. It will be your responsibility to
schedule this time with me to make up the test. If you miss class, you are responsible to get
any assignments. I will leave the work I hand out on the counter top underneath the cabinets
in my room. I WILL NOT track you down to ensure you picked up the missing assignments. I
will accept late work in order to help you not fall behind during the school year. However, I will
only take late work up until THREE WEEKS left in each quarter. The final three weeks I will not
accept any late work.
GRADING POLICY:
I use the school’s grading scale. There are no tricks to my grading policy. You take the total
number of points possible and divide it by the total number of points you have accumulated
and that is your grade. For those who are late turning work in, I will mark in progress book a
ZERO but will change the grade when you turn your work in. On any late work, you will not
receive full credit.
FINAL EXAM:
The Final Exam will be determined when the exam schedule is finalized. If you are absent the
day the final is given, you will take it on the designated make-up date.
Course Outline
The following is a general course outline for class topics. This is a tentative list that could
change. Please use this as reference for future questions regarding content.
First Quarter

What regions were specifically targeted
for development? Why?
Unit One: Age of Enlightenment
Third Quarter




Who are the Enlightenment thinkers?
What were the Enlightenment
philosophies?
Impact of the Enlightenment around the
world
Spread of the Enlightenment throughout
the rest of Europe and beyond
Unit Five: World War I



Unit Two: Revolutionary Period





Impact of the Enlightenment on
revolutions in France, America, Latin
America, and Russia
Causes and consequences of major
revolutions around the world
Changes in government and societies
because of major revolutions around the
world
Discuss different system of governments
Unit Six: World War II



Second Quarter
Unit Three: Global Industrial Revolution



Factors leading to the global industrial
revolution
Social and political changes that resulted
in the Industrial Revolution
Understand important economic
theories
Unit Seven: Why was it called a “Cold” War?




Growth of Imperialism in nonindustrialized regions
Economic, political, humanitarian, and
cultural causes behind the formation of
global empires
Causes and consequences of World War
II
The rise of totalitarian governments and
how these governments threaten world
peace
Did the rising tensions at the end of
World War II contribute to the onset of
the Cold War?
Fourth Quarter
Unit Four: Age of Imperialism

Causes and consequences of the Great
War
Modern weapons that were developed
during World War I
Was there a connection between World
War I and World War II?
Could war have been avoided?
An end to a physical war led to a “cold”
war
Major events that contributed to the
Cold War
How does the Cold War shape today’s
current world issues?
Unit Eight: What threatens world peace today?


Genocide studies
“Hot” topics/ “Hot” spots that threaten
world peace today