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AP World History
Overview:
Program: AP World History is offered as an elective course to qualified students. Those
enrolled in the course are expected to take the AP Examination.
Course Design: The yearlong AP World History course emphasizes non-Western
history, tracing human development from the emergence of cities to the present. The
course focuses on analytical and writing skills necessary for success in a college-level
history course. Considerable time is devoted to the use and analysis of primary and
secondary source documents, class discussions and debates, short essays, objective
exams, and document-based questions (DBQ).
We will use the following A.P. World History themes throughout the course to identify
the broad patterns that explain change and continuity over time.
Course Themes:
Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures
Theme 3: State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict
Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Change Analysis Chart/Periodization Analysis: At the end of each time period of
study, students use the five themes to analyze how each has changed over the past time
period or unit of study. They chart characteristics of each theme at the beginning and end
of each era, and then analyze continuities and changes within each theme. Finally,
students write a response regarding why they think historians consider these dates a
unique period of time, using multiple historians’ arguments about why a period is
unique, or by explaining how a region’s events do not fit into the periods historians
have chosen. (Component 11). As the year progresses, students will add to their analysis
why each previous period now seems even more unique, and how each theme has
continued to change or stay the same across time periods.
Texts:
The Earth and Its Peoples, by Richard Bulliet, et. al., Boston: Houghton Mifflin; 3rd A.P.
ed., 2005.
Student resources for textbook available at: http://college.hmco.com/students/
A variety of other primary and secondary sources will be used throughout the course. The
numbers here are referenced throughout the syllabus for Document Analysis Practice,
DBQ assignments, and other written, oral, and project-based activities. Any primary
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source documents that come directly from the textbook The Earth and Its Peoples will be
described in the schedule itself.
Selections used in class will be excerpts from:
1) “Iceman” by Leon Jaroff in Time Magazine, October 26, 1992, pp. 62-65.
2) “New Light on the Olmecs” by George E. Stuart, in National Geographic,
November 1993, pp. 88-104.
3) The King James Version of the Bible: The Book of Exodus
4) Histories by Herodotus, Book 1, translated by George Rawlinson in Readings in
Ancient History, Volume 1, edited by William Stearns Davis (Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 1912), pp. 58-60.
5) The Life of Gotama the Buddha by Earl H. Brewster (London: K. Paul, Trench.
Tubner & Co., 1926), pp. 15-19.
6) ‘Ala-ad-Din ‘Ata-Malik Juvaini, The History of the World-Conqueror, vol. 1,
translated by John Andrew Boyle (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
1958), pp. 211-212, 239-248.
7) The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings of Niccolo Machiavelli,
translated by Christian E. Detmold (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company,
1891).
8) Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European History,
Volume 2, no. 6, edited by J.H. Robinson and M. Whitcomb (Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania, 1897), pp. 6-12 (Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses)
9) The Persian Letters by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, translated by
George R. Healy (Bobbs-Merrill, 1964).
10) Christabel; Kubla Khan, a Vision; The Pains of Sleep by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge (London: Murray, 1816).
11) “Diderot to Catherine the II, October 17, 1774,” translated in Catherine the Great
by L. Jay Oliva (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1971), pp. 117-119.
12) “Of Studies,” from Selected Writings of Francis Bacon, Hugh G. Dick (New
York: Random House, 1955), pp. 128-129.
13) Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, ed.
Edward Gibbon Wakefield (London: Charles Knight Et. Co., 1843), 7-9.
14) “The Origin of Graphs” from William Playfair, The Commercial and Political
Atlas, 3rd ed. (London: J. Wallis, 1801), ix, xiv-xv.
15) Selected Writings by Simon Bolivar, edited by Harold A. Bierck, Jr., translated by
Lewis Bertrand (New York: The Colonial Press, 1951), pp. 175-177, 179-180,
184-185).
16) Lady Betty Balfour, The History of Lord Lytton’s Indian Administration, 1876 to
1880 (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1899), 116-125.
17) Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Authorized
English Translation: Edited and Annotated by Frederick Engels (Chicago: Charles
H. Kerr Et Co., 1906), pp. 12-20.
18) “Non-Violence,” from Young India, 1919-1922by Mahatma Gandhi (Triplicane,
Madras: S. Ganesan, 1922), pp. 285-297.
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Check the class web site for electronic versions of these sources as needed.
Course Requirements:
1. Prepare to take the A.P. test in May.
2. Actively participate in class and complete all assignments thoroughly and
promptly.
3. Attend class daily and arrive on time.
4. Make up work when absent. You will have one block to make up work missed for
each day of your excused absence.
5. Keep a well-organized notebook. Use class materials to study for tests.
Grading Policy:
Grade Equivalent
A
93% - 100%
B
82% - 92%
C
D
71% - 81%
60% - 70%
F
Below 60%
The grades in this class will be calculated on a point system.
There will be many different kinds of graded assignments
(writing, projects, presentations, reading quizzes, tests). The
points will be added and divided by the total possible points for each
quarter grade.
Purpose and Organization of Course Activities:
AP World History is the equivalent of a college-level survey course in world history.
Like college students, you will be expected to read the assigned pages in the textbook and
take notes in the charts and graphic organizers provided by the teacher. You will learn
the higher-order thinking skills necessary for success in college.
For example, we will analyze and evaluate primary sources almost every day in class
with both texts and visuals. This primary source analysis will help you directly with the
tasks required in the Document-Based Question essay on the AP exam. The daily use of
historical materials will also help you use evidence to make plausible arguments and
identify point of view, bias, and context in these sources.
Another important skill we will focus on is assessing issues of change and continuity over
time. Every unit you will be keeping track of major changes over time on timelines and
maps and analyzing the global changes on a particular, specific level. This skill will be
valuable for the AP World History Exam’s Change Over Time essay.
You will further develop your skills in comparing and contrasting societies and their
reactions to global events. On each graphic organizer, timeline, or map that you
complete you will be directed to write a thesis that describes the emphasis of the activity.
This skill will be especially useful because the third essay on the AP World History
Exam is a Comparative essay.
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During each unit we will conduct at least one class seminar and/or debate where we will
discuss the diversity of interpretations in our textbook and other secondary sources (such
as articles) provided for you.
Su mmer Assignment:
In order to start the year strong you will be required to complete a summer assignment.
The first part of the assignment is a world map. The second part involves reading or
watching Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. The movie is about 2.5 hours long.
If you decide to read the book, make sure you start reading at least at page 13, which is
the Prologue: Yali’s Question. Keep the following question in mind as you read or
watch, and take notes on it if you’d like. You’ll be writing the answer to the question
below in the first week of school without the book as a guide. Throughout the year we
will refer to this book and the author’s theories often, as you build the skill of analyzing
historians’ interpretations of the past.
Course Outline:
Unit 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations
c. 8000 BCE to 600 BCE (2 Weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
• Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
• Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies
Key Class and HW Activities:
Summer Assignment Discussion: Essay and then Lecture on Guns, Germs, and Steel,
including Diamond’s theories on the peopling of Oceania and Australia pre-8000 BCE
Historical Interpretation: After discussing Guns, Germs, and Steel, read David
Christian’s Maps of Time chapter 8 to compare their interpretations of the origins of
agriculture.
Reading: Chapter 1 (p.1-34) From the Origins of Agriculture to the First River-Valley
* Lecture: The Indus River Valley
* Document Analysis Practice: Primary Source: Doc # 1: “Iceman” (see
above) as well as current historical analysis of the archaeological
discovery. Students will analyze the impact archaeology has had on
historical analysis as opinions have changed over time regarding the
Iceman’s demise. (Component 15)
* Group DBQ practice (p. 1-34: Using the following primary
documents (found in chapter one of The Earth and Its Peoples), analyze
the role of the physical environment in the development of early
civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley) (Students will
work in small groups and make an outline of a DBQ response based on p.
35)
Primary Source Documents:
1) Excerpt from the story of Gilgamesh
2) Map: River-valley Civilization, 3500-1500 BCE
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3) Photo: Reed Huts in the Marshes of Southern Iraq
4) Violence and Order in the Babylonian New Year’s Festival (*Note:
students will use this as another activity to analyze a historians’
interpretation of the past.) from James B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near
Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3d ed. (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 1969), 332-334.
5) Photo: Mesopotamian Cylinder Seal
6) Map: Ancient Egypt
7) Photo: Mud-Brick Fortification Wall of the Citadel at Harappa
Reading: Chapter 2 (p. 37-57) New Civilizations in the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres
Reading: Chapter 3 (p. 59-87) The Mediterranean and Middle East, 2000-500 BCE
Class Discussion: Analyze the various ways that early China and Nubia defined and
marked social status.
* Primary Source Analysis Practice (with chapter 2 documents) and
* Doc# 2: New Light on the Olmecs
Map practice: Olmec and Chavin Civilizations Map 2.3 Students will complete an
assignment analyzing geographical location in early societies.
Change Analysis/Periodization Chart using the 5 Themes
Unit 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies
600 BCE to 600 CE (4 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions
• Development of States and Empires
• Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange
Key Class and HW Activities:
Reading: Chapter 4: Greece and Iran
Read Document 3: Excerpt from Herodotus’ Histories about the Persians
In class: * Monday Reading Quiz on Chapters 2 and 3
* Peer Review of DBQ (from p. 58)
* Discussion and Primary Source analysis practice: Doc # 3:
Exodus
* Chapters 1-3 Test
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Reading: Chapters 5 and 6, An Age of Empires: Rome and Han China; India and
Southeast Asia
* Primary Source Analysis Practice: Doc # 4: Histories. Discuss: Did the Greek
Historian Herodotus show any bias against the Persians? Use examples as support.
Character study: Socrates
* Map Practice: Map 4.3 Hellenistic Civilization
Reading: Chapter 7: Networks of Communication and Exchange
* Write the outlined DBQ in class—1st timed DBQ.
* Discussion: Compare India and Southeast Asia’s early civilizations
* Doc # 5: The Life of Buddha Class reading
* Document Analysis Practice: Using the documents found in pages
123-149 (Map of Roman Empire, photographs of Roman Aqueducts,
Magic Canal, and Salt Mining) compare and contrast the geographic
factors that affected economic development in the Roman and Han
empires.
* Outline Compare/Contrast Essay based on the Document Analysis
Practice. Complete the essay individually for homework.
Compare/Contrast: Chart comparing the major world religions to this point:
Polytheisms, Confucianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Daoism, and Christianity
Change Analysis/Periodization Chart using the 5 Themes
* Map Practice: Map 7.2 Africa and the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
* Group Primary Source Analysis: Using Documents in pages 173189 (photo: “Indian Ocean Sailing Vessel”, Excerpt from Pao Zhuyi,
photo: “Iranian Musicians from Silk Road”, Map: Asian Trade and
Communication Routes, reading: “The Indian Ocean Trading World”,
photo: “Camel Saddles”, statue of a Bodhisattva at Bamian) each
student pair will explain how their document relates to the
character of communication and exchange on the Indian Ocean and
Silk Road trade routes.
* Unit Test
Unit 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions
600 to 1450 CE (8 Weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks
• Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions
• Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences
Reading: Chapter 8: The Rise of Islam
Reading: Chapter 9: Christian Europe Emerges
* Lecture and Discussion: Islam then and today
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* In class timed DBQ (Chapter 8) Using documents inside Chapter 8
(Excerpt from the Quran, photographs, excerpts from a Sufi manual)
evaluate the standards of moral and social behavior in the Islamic World
before 1250. Compare and contrast the application of these standards to
men and women.
* Review Unit Test 1
* Map Practice (The Spread of Christianity) Map 9.1
Reading: Chapter 10: Inner and East Asia
Outline comparison essay: Spread of Christianity Eastern vs. Western
Europe Using Compare/Contrast Graphic Organizer
* Outline in pairs, Change over Time Essay practice
* Pg. 248-249 Primary Source Analysis/ Historical Scholarship: The
Tang Law Code (Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, eds.)
* In class timed Comparison essay: Inner and East Asia
Map Activity: Empires of China Maps 10.1, 10.2, 10.3
Reading: Chapter 11: Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas
* Outline Comparison Essay as a class: An East Asian society (c. 1500) and
Mesoamerican society
* Unit Test Chapters 8-11 (Includes DBQ: Using the following
illustrations of art and archaeological sites (in textbook), evaluate the importance of
rituals in the public life of Mesoamerican and Andean societies. Also, free
response/Historical Scholarship analysis: What special problems do historians face
when they have to rely on such archaeological evidence to reconstruct the past? What
additional types of archaeological evidence would help you understand the importance of
rituals in the public life of Mesoamerican and Andean societies?)
Reading: Chapter 12: Mongol Eurasia and Its Aftermath
* Historical Scholarship and Primary Source analysis: Diversity and
Dominance Activity: Mongol Politics and Women (using ‘Ala-ad-Din
‘Ata-Malik Juvaini, The History of the World-Conqueror [Doc # 6])
* Change over Time essay practice in class
* Map Practice: Map 12.1 The Mongol Domains in Eurasia 1300 and
Map 12.2 Western Eurasia in the 1300s
* Discussion (essay topic and understanding early China)
Reading: Chapters 13 and 14 (fall break HW): Tropical Africa and Asia, and The Latin
West
* Map Practice: Africa Map 13.1 Africa and the Indian Ocean Basin:
Physical Characteristics, Map 13.2 Africa, 1200-1500, Map 13.3 South
and Southeast Asia, 1200-1500, Map 13.4 Arteries of Trade and
Travel in the Islamic World to 1500
* Seminar: Comparison of the Latin West and the Islamic Empire
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Reading: Chapter 15: The Maritime Revolution
Complete Timeline Activity (what’s not done in class)
Study
* Timeline Activity (Review Chapters 1-15 for Midterm)
Begin work on DBQ creation project (Students will create a DBQ in
pairs and write a response to it on topics covered in the first semester.
Due in the second semester, this project will help students stay current
on semester 1 information and how to write a DBQ.)
Change Analysis/Periodization Chart using the 5 Themes
Unit 4: Global Interactions
1450-1750 CE (4 Weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Globalizing Networks of Communication and Exchange
• New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production
• State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion
Reading: Chapter 16: Transformations in Europe
* Map Practice: Europe Map 16.1 Religious Reformation in Europe
* Seminar: The Scientific Revolution (Change over time—science/technology)
* Historical Scholarship/Primary Source Analysis:Students will lead
a discussion based on (Doc # 7) an excerpt from The Historical,
Political, and Diplomatic Writings of Niccolo Machiavelli.
* Primary Source Analysis Practice (Doc # 8) Martin Luther’s
Ninety-Five Theses.
Reading: Chapter 17: The of American Colonial Societies
Reading: Chapter 18: The Atlantic System and Africa
* Change Over Time in class timed essay
* Peer Review of essays
* Columbian Exchange Seminar
Reading: Chapter 19: Southewest Asia and the Indian Ocean
Reading: Primary and Secondary Sources on the Atlantic Slave Trade
* Map Practice: Map 17.1 Colonial Latin America in the 18th Century
and Map 17.2 European Claims in North America, 1755-1763
* Unit 3 Test with DBQ (Using the following documents [including
photos, Table 18.1 Slave Occupations on a Jamaincan Sugar Plantation,
Table 18.2 Birth and Death on a Jamaican Sugar Plantation, Map 18.1
The Atlantic Economy, Map 18.2 The African Slave Trade, and an
Excerpt on Ayuba Suleiman Diallo] analyze the economic factors that
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contributed to the expansion of slavery and the slave trade in the
Atlantic World from 1550 to 1800.
Reading: For second day of class, primary source docs for introduction to next
unit and preliminary discussion and map practice (Doc #s 9-14)
HW: Over Christmas Break: Key Terms and Outlines for Chapters 20 & 21
Summaries of other articles/documents
In class: * Atlantic Slave Trade seminar
* Introduction to Unit 4: Revolutions
* Map Practice: Before the Revolutions
Change Analysis/Periodization Chart using the 5 Themes
Unit 5: Industrialization and Global Integration
1750 to 1900 CE (8 Weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Industrialization and Global Capitalism
• Imperialism and Nation-State Formation
• Nationalism, Revolution and Reform
• Global Migration
Reading: Chapter 21: Revolutionary Changes in the Atlantic World 1750-1850
* Comparison Essay American and French Revolutions
* Seminar: Where did the ideas of the American Revolution originate?
Reading: Chapter 22: The Early Industrial Revolution
Reading: Chapter 23 and (Doc# 15-Writings of Simon Bolivar: Primary Source
Analysis Practice)
* Change Over Time essay practice (Technology over time: Use table
on pg. 571: Chronology of Technology over time next to Economy,
Society and Politics Timeline, with The Origin of Graphs from
William Playfair, The Commercial and Political Atlas, 3rd ed.
(London: J. Wallis, 1801), ix, xiv-xv. [Doc# 13])and [Doc # 14]
* Debate: Which had further reaching effects: The Agricultural Revolution or the
Industrial Revolution? (This will help teach students to construct and analyze
comparisons between related historical developments across regions, periods, and
societies.)
*Industrial Revolution Simulation. Post-simulation writing activity: Examine the causes
of Industrialization in Great Britain and the effects on multiple social classes. Also,
evaluate why the Industrial Revolution occurred first in this nation as opposed to one
other location (choose Africa or East Asia). This activity will not only allow students to
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demonstrate the ability to evaluate the interaction of multiple causes and effects, but also
makes them employ multiple historical thinking skills.
Reading: Chapter 24: Africa, India, and the New British Empire
* Lecture/Discussion: Compare Nation Building in Americas with revolutions in Europe
* Map Practice: Map 23.1 Latin America by 1830, Map 23.3 Territorial Growth of the
United States 1783-1853
* Document Analysis p. 638-639 Imperialism: “Ceremonials of Imperial Domination”
(Doc. # 16 )
* Map Practice: Imperialism Map 24.1 Africa in the 19th Century
* Chapters 21-24 Test with DBQ: Using the following documents
(photo of Indian Railroad station, Map 24.2 India, 1707-1805, Quote
from Lord Kitchner, photos of Delhi Durbar and Rammohun Roy: all
in textbook) evaluate the nonmilitary methods used by Britain to
assert its authority in India from 1750 to 1870.
*Compare and Contrast: Students will create a Venn Diagram: Immigration to Australia
and immigration to the Americas: British Colonial expansion
Reading: Chapter 25: Land Empires in the Age of Imperialism
* Begin work on character study project (students will pick from a list of historical
figures. They will pick on from prior to 1200, one between 1200 and 1750, and one from
1750 to the present. They will write a comparison paper with these three historical
figures.)
* In class timed DBQ (chapter 25) Using the following documents (photo of
Muhammad Ali meeting with European Representatives in 1839, “The French
Occupation of Egypt” reading, Map 25.1 The Ottoman and Russian Empires, 1829-1914,
photo of a street scene in Cairo) compare and contrast the perceptions of Europeans and
Ottoman subjects of one another.
Peer editing of DBQ
Reading: Chapter 26: The New Power Balance, 1850-1900
* Students create a comparison essay question from the unit
* Timed comparison essay
Reading: Primary and Secondary source documents from unit
HW: Write a one page analysis of your document (due Friday)
Change over time essay (untimed)
Reading: Chapter 27: The New Imperialism
* Jigsaw Activity of documents (4 documents, ¼ of students have each)
* pg. 692-693: Marx and Engels analysis (Doc. # 17)
In class: * Timeline of Unit 3 and 4
* Graphic Organizer for Chapters 25-27
Change Analysis/Periodization Chart using the 5 Themes
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* Unit 4 Test (with timed DBQ: Using the following documents (two
quotes from the League of Nations, photo of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
“The Middle East After WWI” reading, Map 28.4 Territorial
Changes in the Middle East After WWI, Cairo-Modern and
Traditional” reading—all from textbook) assess the success and
failure of self-determination in the Middle East after WWI.))
Unit 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments
1900 to the Present (7 Weeks)
Reading: Chapter 28: The Crisis of the Imperial Order
* Map Practice: Map 28.2 The First World War in Europe and Map
28.3 Territorial Changes in Europe After WW1
* Discussion: How the Great War led to the Russian Revolution
* Discussion: How did relations in the Middle East during and after the war reflect in
today’s crisis?
* Current Events: article summary and essay linking to one past event
Reading: Chapter 29: The Collapse of the Old Order
* The Isms… Students will learn to differentiate between conservatism, liberalism,
socialism, and practice political science skills to place empires on a political spectrum
chart, visualizing the budding ideologies of the era. This will also allow students to
contextualize modern political ideologies. They will also place modern
nations/government systems on the same political spectrum to compare them to early 20th
century ideologies as they formed and changed over time.
* Graphic Organizer for Chapters 28 and 29
* Document Analysis p. 796-797 “A Vietnamese Nationalist
Denounces French Colonialism”.
* Current Events/links to past
Reading: Chapter 30: Striving for Independence: Africa, India, and Latin America, 19001949
*Make a powerpoint presentation of your character study to present to class
Small character analysis in class
Seminar: Independence Movements
Primary Source Analysis: Doc # 18 (Excerpt from “Non-Violence” by Gandhi)
Reading: Chapter 31: The Cold War and Decolonization
Powerpoint Presentations
Assign and begin work on Final Review Era Projects
Reading: Chapter 32: Crisis, Realignment, and the Dawn of Post-Cold War World
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Document Analysis Decolonization (Using the following documents:
Map: Cold War Confrontation, photo “Vietnamese People at War”,
Map: Decolonization, photo: “African Leaders Meet for Conference”,
Quote from Malagasy politician Philibert Tsirinana, photo: Bandung
Conference.
Work on Final Review Era Project
Reading: Chapter 33: Globalization at the Turn of the Millennium
HW: Final Review Project
In class: Review for Final: Eras 1 and 2: Reading Quiz grab bag
Analyze results of quizzes, make corrections
In Class: Review for Final: Analyze results of Era 3 quizzes, make corrections
Review for Final: Eras 4 and 5: Reading Quiz grab bag
Analyze results of quizzes, make corrections
Final Review Era Project
In class: Present Projects
Two weeks for Project Presentations and AP Exam Review
Final Exam: Previous released AP World History Exam
Analyze results of final exam
Review: Focus on essays, one per day
(* A couple of extra days are built in for snow days, and several class days are built in for
Review before the AP Exam.)