ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORLD HISTORY: SYLLABUS
It is highly recommended by past students to purchase an AP World History Review Book from local
bookstores or online. The Kaplan or Princeton Review books are used the most.
Course Overview: This is a one year course about the creation of the world in which you live. The purpose
of this course is to develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts in
different human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual
knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in global
frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. It
emphasizes relevant factual knowledge, leading interpretive issues, and skills in analyzing types of historical
evidence. Periodiazation and specific themes provide organization to the course, along with consistent
attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as a field of study. The course
offers balanced global coverage, with Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania all represented.
Students will explore the world through the theme of the development over time of complex societies. They
will investigate the world's diverse cultural mores, while recognizing the common bonds and universal
concepts that underlie all civilizations. Students will strive to discover the opportunities that will help them
find their place in an increasingly interconnected world.
Students will learn to use resources around them to acquire a deeper understanding of the course objectives
while developing a strong sense of inquiry. Through an exploration of philosophical ideas that have
developed and diffused over time, students will learn to apply these ideas to become more independent
thinkers, and will be given experience presenting their thoughts in order to become more effective
communicators.
The material and rigor of AP World History is similar to a college-level course. For each time period,
knowledge of major developments that illustrate or link the five thematic areas, and of major civilizations is
expected. Knowledge of year-to-year political events is not required. Furthermore, you will be required to
analyze historical texts, make comparisons throughout world history, use primary and secondary sources,
and discuss different interpretations of history. This course is aligned with the AP College Board course
description for AP World History and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for world history. Please
see the College Board's AP website for further course information (http://www.collegeboard.com)
The Five Themes of AP World History:
These are five themes outlined in the AP World History course description that we will be using throughout
the year to help organize our learning:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Interaction between humans and the environment
Development and interaction of cultures
State-building, expansion, and conflict
Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic system
Development and transformation of social structures
Mr. Cleland’s Class Mission Statement:
We will achieve content mastery from the foundations of history through to the present stage of History
through holistic learning, deep inquiry, developing primary document skills, and writing on themes such as
time, continuity, and change. We will measure our progress through frequent document based questions,
comparing and contrasting questions, and time continuity and change questions. This preparation is intended
to enable each of us to score proficient on the AP world History Exam and obtain college credit for the
course.
Classroom Rules:
1.
Be in your seat when the bell rings
2.
Come prepared to learn and participate
3.
Follow directions the first time they are given
4.
Do not sleep in class
5.
No food, drinks, electronic devices, or other classes’ work. These items will be confiscated.
6.
Do not cheat. (Cheating, including plagiarism, at any time on any assignment will result in zero
credit for the assignment)
7.
Do the work! No late work will be accepted. Do not give me any excuses that you did not do an
assignment.
8.
Respect everyone
Periodization in AP World History:
8000 BCE - 600 CE
600 CE - 1450 CE
1450 CE - 1750 CE
1750 CE - 1914 CE
1914 CE – Present
Primary Textbook:
Stearns, Peter N. World Civilizations: The Global Experience, 5th Edition, Longman Publishing Group.
*The companion site for the textbook is found at
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wcap_3/0,8222,1005788-,00.html. It includes chapter summaries,
multiple choice and true/false reviews, short answer and vocabulary prompts, and urther aids to help you get
the most out of the reading.
*The course includes instruction in a number of primary sources, maps, works of art, and graphs. Specific
primary sources will be introduced throughout each unit of study. Please check my website for secondary
sources that will be placed online throughout the year.
Secondary Textbook:
Strayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, 1st Edition, Bedford/St. Martins
Grading System:
Grading will be completed by determining the student’s actual score over the total maximum points possible
for the assignment. For example, if the total points possible to be gained from a test is 200 and the student
earns 176 of those points, their true score will be an 88 (176/200 = 88). The student’s final quarter grades
will be determined by taking the final average of all grades given during those applicable weeks.
Grading Scale:
A = 100-93
B = 92-85
C = 84-77
D = 76-70
F = 69-0
*There is no EOC test for world history.
*The College Board exam for AP World History, administered in May, will not be figured into the student’s
grade for AP World. Students’ grades from the May exam will be mailed home during late summer.
Assignment Descriptions:
Expect to receive some form of grade every day. The following are the basic types of tasks you will be
required to complete:
1. Reading: There will be very few days in which you will not have a reading assignment for homework.
Most nightly reading assignments are between 20 and 40 pages from the textbook and/or primary sources.
Those students who have been successful in the past were regular readers of the textbook. Complete all
reading assignments!
2. Quizzes: Expect quizzes on a regular basis as they are meant to focus students on preparing for class and
to clarify any misconceptions of basic information. They may be announced or un-announced. Prepare for
these by reading the texts, completing homework, paying attention to class lecture and discussion, and
reviewing all notes that you take.
3. Writing Assignments/Charts/Reading Questions: Other tasks will be assigned throughout the year to aid
in learning the material and organizing the overwhelming amount of information that is presented in
the textbooks. Grade values for these assignments vary.
4. Tests: Each unit that we complete will conclude with a unit assessment, made up of an essay portion and
a multiple choice portion. There are three types of essays that will be used to demonstrate students’
comprehension of material: compare and contrast, continuities and change over time, and document based
question essays. The proper construction of these essays will be taught during the course of the year. The
multiple choice section involves a rigorous selection of multiple-choice questions. The questions asked are
drawn from both the assigned readings, in-class lectures, and discussions. Failure to prepare for tests will
certainly reflect in students’ grades.
Extra Credit:
Do not ask for extra credit if you have not completed all tasks as assigned. Extra credit assignments are
rarely given. Do not expect them.
Leaving Class:
Use the bathroom before coming to class! In order to leave my classroom for any reason, you must have
your daily planner – no exceptions. Do not interrupt a lesson to ask to leave the classroom unless it is an
absolute emergency! Class time is valuable!
Materials Needed:
1. a 2-inch 3-ring binder with loose-leaf paper
2. pencils and black/blue pens (do not ask me for these!)
3. textbook, assigned readings, and homework
Teaching Strategies
Lectures
In our 85-minute classes, I will normally not lecture more than half the time. I usually talk for only 30 to 40
minutes. Almost all of my lectures are accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation, but I will also implement
videos and primary sources into the lecture.
Discussions
About two in each unit, we will conduct whole-class seminars where you will be required to discuss a key
issue and primary sources that supplement the book. We will also do debates and simulations, like skits and
outdoor activities, which require you to address questions about human similarities and differences and the
historical context of culturally diverse ideas and values.
Group Work
Due to the amount of information in this course, I often put students in groups to process primary-source
documents or large amounts of content from the book. The goal of putting students into groups is to divide
and conquer the material by generating outlines and presentations from each unit. When analyzing
documents, students seem to generate a greater understanding of the material by coming up with different
arguments when analyzing the material.
COURSE TIMELINE: WORLD CIVILIZATIONS: GLOBAL EXPERIENCE: Fifth EDITION
UNIT 1. Foundations, c. 8000 BCE to 600 CE (5 weeks – Ch. 1-5)
Focus questions: What is “civilization”? Who is “civilized”? Does change occur by diffusion or
independent invention? How did we go from hunters and gatherers to indoor plumbing in such a short time?
(IB Unit Question)
Unit
Number
Unit 1Part
1-2
weeks
Unit 1 Part
2-3
weeks
Unit Topic
Unit Title
Chapters in Starnes
Additional resources
Historical foundations,
prehistory and
emerging civilizations
in Africa and the
Middle East
“In The Beginning…”
One: From Human
Prehistory to the Early
Civilizations
“The Golden Age of
Civilization”
Two: Classical
Civilization: China
Three: Classical
Civilization: India
Four: Classical
Civilization
in the Mediterranean:
Greece and Rome
Five: The Classical
Period:
Directions, Diversities,
and Declines by 500 C.E.
Excepts from Guns
Germs and Steel, by Jared
Diamond
The Enuma Elish
Genesis Chapter One,
NRSV
Aboriginal Dreamtime
stories
Cave Paintings From
Lascaux, France
Excepts from Analects,
by Confucius
Excepts from The Art of
War, by Sun Tzu
Suetonius’ Account of
Caesar Crossing the
Rubicon
Map Study:
Southernization
The classical Period
Of China, India, and
Greece: 1000 B.C.E.
to 600 C.E.
Topic 1. Locating world history in the environment and time
Topic 2. Developing agriculture and technology
Topic 3. Basic features of early civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, Shang; Mesoamerican and
Andean
Topic 4. Major Belief Systems: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Confucianism, and Daoism;
polytheism and shamanism
Topic 5. Classical civilizations: Greece, Rome, China, and India including migrations of the Huns, Germanic
tribes
Topic 6. Interregional networks by 600 CE and spread of belief systems
Comparisons: early civilizations, major belief systems, systems of social inequality, cities, political systems,
trading systems, migrations, role of nomadic peoples.
Major Activities and Assessments: Essay on Compare and Contrast the political and social structures of
two early civilizations, using any of the two of the following: Tigris-Euphrates, Egyptian, and Chinese
civilizations; Location of Continents, Oceans, seas, and major rivers on a World Map; Location of key
political units prior to 1000 C.E.; Defining the basic economic systems and technological patterns; Become
familiar with the 5 major themes in World History; DVD: Excerpts from the National Geographic production
of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel; Group PowerPoints on one of the Early Civilizations; Read
excerpts from the Bible, Torah, and Koran. Analyze Hammurabi’s Code with the current law system in the
U.S.
UNIT II. 600–1450 (7 weeks - Ch. 6-15)
Focus questions: Should we study cultural areas or states? Did changes in this period occur from the effects
of nomadic migrations or urban growth? Was there a world economic network during this period? Why do
YOU call ME an Infidel? (IB Question)
Unit
Number
Unit 2 Part
1-2
weeks
Unit Topic
Unit Title
The Post-classical
period: 500 C.E. to
1450 C.E. Part OneMiddle eastern, North
African and Asian
Development of
Empires and Political
systems.
“Progress in the
Islamic World: It
wasn’t Dark
Everywhere.”
Unit 2 Part
2-2
weeks
The post-classical
period: 500 C.E. to
1450 C.E. Part TwoThe European
Development and
diffusion of Empires
and political systems.
“From one into Many
the evolution of
European National
Identities.”
Unit 2 Part
3-3
weeks
The post-classical
period: 500 C.E. to
1450 C.E. Part Three:
Asia and the Americas
China and
Mesoamerica:
Civilizations on the
periphery
Chapters in Starnes
Six: The First Global
Civilization: The Rise
and Spread of Islam
Seven: Abbasid Decline
and the Spread of Islamic
Civilization
to South and Southeast
Asia
Eight: African
Civilizations
and the Spread of Islam
Nine: Civilization
in Eastern Europe:
Byzantium
and Orthodox Europe
Ten: A New Civilization
Emerges in Western
Europe
Fifteen: The West
and the Changing World
Balance
Excepts from The Sunnah
Excepts from A thousand
and One Arabian Nights
Ibn Battuta: Travels in
Asia and Africa 13251354
Eleven: The Americas
on the Eve of Invasion
Twelve: Reunification
and Renaissance in
Chinese Civilization:
The Era of the Tang
and Song Dynasties
Thirteen: The Spread
of Chinese Civilization:
Japan, Korea,
and Vietnam
Fourteen: The Last Great
Nomadic Challenges:
Marco Polo: On the
Tartars
The Buddha:
Sermons and Teachings
Pictorial examples of
Shinto Art and
Architecture
Film: A lion in Winter
Primary source: Murder
of Thomas Becket
From Chinggis Khan to
Timur
Topic 1. The Islamic World, the Crusades, and Schism in Christianity
Topic 2. Silk Road trade networks, Chinese model and urbanization
Topic 3. Compare European and Japanese feudalism, Vikings
Topic 4. Mongols across Eurasia and urban destruction in Southwest Asia, Black Death
Topic 5. Compare Bantu and Polynesian migrations, Great Zimbabwe and Mayan empires and urbanization;
Aztec and Incan empires and urbanization
Topic 6. Ming Treasure Ships and Indian Ocean trade networks (Swahili coast)
Comparisons: Japanese versus European feudalism, European monarchy versus African empires, role of
major cities, Aztec versus Incan empires.
Major Activities and Assessments: Change and Continuities group poster project in the spread of Islam
from 600 CE – 1450 CE in one of the following regions: Arabian World, Southeast Asia, and Africa
civilizations; Review summer reading assignment Candide by Voltaire – students will analyze the change
and continuity of perceptions of the government and Catholic church during the Enlightenment; Read article
from New York Times on Art in the Yuan Dynasty
(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/arts/design/01khan.html); Video clips from Mongol by Sergei Bordov;
Analyzing maps on Viking conquest with a primary source of Viking encounters. Read a section from the
Magna Carta; DBQ on internal and external cases of the Byzantine Empire’s decline between 1200 and 1453
CE; Students will read an excerpt on a “Noble’s Life” from The Middle Ages by Morris Bishop (pgs. 115119).
UNIT III. 1450–1750 (5 weeks – Ch. 16-22)
Focus questions: To what extent did Europe become predominant in the world economy during this period?
What was that? You have no concept of land ownership? Awesome! (IB Question)
Unit 3 Part 1 - 3
weeks
The Early Modern
Period: 1450-1750
Part OneExploration, trade,
and global
interaction
Between Africa,
the Americas, and
Asia.
“Exploration 101:
Or how Europe
conquered the
world with a
cunning use of
flags.”
Nineteen:
Twenty: Africa and the
Africans
in the Age of the Atlantic
Slave Trade
Twenty One: The
Muslim Empires
Twenty Two: Asian
Transitions
in an Age of Global
Change
An Aztec Account of the
Conquest of Mexico
Excerpts from Slave
Narratives by Venture
Smith
St. Francis Xavier:
Letter from Japan, to the
Society of Jesus at Goa,
1551
Unit 3 Part 2 - 2
weeks
The Early Modern
Period: 1450-1750
Part two: Cultural
and intellectual
change in Russia
and Europe.
“After the Black
death, any change
had to seem like
good change!”
Sixteen: The World
Economy
Seventeen: The
Transformation
of the West, 1450–1750
Eighteen: The Rise of
Russia
Candide by Voltaire
Topic 1. “Southernization” in Western Europe and the Scientific Revolution and Renaissance; Change—
Reformation and Counter Reformation
Topic 2. Encounters and Exchange: Reconquista, Portuguese in Morocco, West Africa, Spanish in the
Americas
Topic 3. Encounters and Exchange: Portuguese in Indian Ocean trade networks, Manila galleons and the
Ming Silver Trade
Topic 4. Labor Systems in the Atlantic World—The Africanization of the Americas (slave trade, plantation
economies, resistance to slavery); Labor systems in the Russian Empire and resistance to serfdom
Topic 5. Expansion of Global Economy and Absolutism: Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, Bourbons, Tokugawa,
and Romanov
Topic 6. Effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade on demography in West Africa, resistance to the Atlantic slave
trade, and expansion of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa
Comparisons: Imperial systems in Europe versus Asia; coercive labor systems, empire building in Asia,
Africa, and Europe; interactions with the West (Russia versus others).
Major Activities and Assessments: Change and Continuity essay on the impact of the Columbian Exchange
by describing two of the following civilizations before and after 1492: The Americas, Africa, Europe, or
Asia; Primary sources on identifying animals in the New World; DBQ on the social and economic effects of
the global flow of silver from mid-16th-18th century (2006 Exam). Examined lithographs by DeBry that
showed the mistreatment of Native Americans in the New World; Historical Excerpt from Martin Luther’s
95 Theses and Trivia game (http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/); Video on Discover Learning about
Peter the Great;
UNIT IV. 1750–1914 (5 weeks – Ch. 23-27)
Focus questions: Through what processes did the influence of industrialization spread throughout the
world? How did the rights of individuals and groups change in this period? To what degree did new types of
social conflict emerge during the nineteenth century? How and with whom did the idea of “The West” as a
coherent and leading force in history gain currency? Hey, that’s not fair! Why do they get guns and we
don’t? (IB Question)
Unit 4 Part 1 - 2
weeks
The industrial Age:
1750-1914, Part
One: Changes in
European societal
structures.
“Coal and steel: the
fate of the haves
and the have-nots”
Unit 4 Part 2 - 3
weeks
The industrial Age:
1750-1914, Part
two: Revolutions
In Africa, Latin
America, the
Middle East, and
Asia.
“Viva la
Revolucion!”
Twenty Three: The
Emergence
of Industrial Society in
the West,
1750–1914
Twenty Seven: Russia
and Japan:
Industrialization
Outside the West
Twenty Four:
Industrialization
and Imperialism: The
Making
of the European Global
Order
Twenty Five: The
Consolidation
of Latin America, 1830–
A Modest Proposal by
Jonathan Swift
Sol Plaatje: Native Life
in South Africa, Before
and Since the European
War and the Boer
Rebellion
The Treaty of
Guadaloupe Hidalgo
1920
Twenty Six:
Civilizations in Crisis:
The Ottoman Empire, the
Islamic
Heartlands, and Qing
China
Topic 1. European Enlightenment, American, French, Haitian, and Latin American Revolutions, Napoleon
Topic 2. British Industrial Revolution and De-Industrialization of India and Egypt
Topic 3. Imperialism and Industrialization
Topic 4. Nationalism and Modernization
Topic 5. Anti-Slavery, Suffrage, Labor, and Anti-Imperialist movements as Reactions to Industrialization
and Modernization
Topic 6. Chinese, Mexican, and Russian Revolutions as Reactions to Industrialization and Modernization
Comparisons: Industrial Revolution in Europe versus Japan, political revolutions, reactions to foreign
domination, nationalism, western interventions, women in Europe of different classes.
Major Activities and Assessments: Compare and Contrast essay on the Western intervention in two of the
following areas between the years 1750-1914: Russia, Japan, Latin America, or Qing China. Primary sources
on the American Revolution including Common Sense, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights;
Powerpoint on the effects of Industrialism on Society; French Revolution Webquest; Imperialism in Africa
and Asia research project; Change and Continuities essay on the impact of imperialism on the West; Students
will read The Good Earth by Pearl Buck and analyze change and continuity in Chinese society by presenting
PowerPoints in both World History and English class.
UNIT V. 1914–2000 (5 weeks – Ch. 28-34)
Focus questions: How do ideological struggles provide an explanation for many of the conflicts of the 20th
century? To what extent have the rights of the individual and the state replaced the rights of the community?
How have conflict and change influenced migration patterns internally and internationally? How have
international organizations influenced change? Why did they buy into MacDonald’s and not democracy? (IB
Question)
Unit 5 Part 1 - 3
weeks
The present stage
of World History:
1914-present, Part
One: Nationalism,
World War, and
the end of the
Modern Era.
“The War to end
all wars, well not
quite.”
Twenty Eight: Descent
into the Abyss:
World War I and the
Crisis
of the European Global
Order
Twenty Nine: The
World
in the 1920s: Challenges
to European Dominance
Thirty: The Great
Depression
and the Authoritarian
Response
Treaty of Versailles
Propaganda study: Nazi,
Japanese, and Cold war
images
Unit 5 Part 2 - 2
weeks
The present stage
of World History:
1914-present, Part
Two: The Postwar
era.
Thirty One: A Second
Global Conflict and the
End
of the European World
Order
“It’s a Small World Thirty Two: Western
After All.”
Society
and Eastern Europe in
the Decades
of the Cold War
Thirty Three: Latin
America:
Revolution and Reaction
into the 21st Century
Thirty Four: Africa,
the Middle East, and
Asia
in the Era of
Independence
Thirty Five: Rebirth and
Revolution:
Nation-building in East
Asia
and the Pacific Rim
Thirty Six:
Globalization
and Resistance:
World History 1990–
2003
Roy R. Rubottom, Jr.:
Communism in the
Americas, Department of
State Bulletin
The Atlantic Report:
Rwanda, The Atlantic
Monthly, June 1964,
Bretton Woods
Conference documents.
“The Marshall Plan.”
Topic 1. World War I, Total War, and Reactions to the 14 Points
Topic 2. Rise of Consumerism and Internationalization of Culture
Topic 3. Depression and Authoritarian Responses
Topic 4. World War II and Forced Migrations
Topic 5. United Nations and Decolonization
Topic 6. Cold War, Imperialism, and the End of the Cold War
Comparisons: Decolonization in Africa versus India, role of women in revolutions, effects of the World
Wars on areas outside Europe, nationalist movements, impact of Western consumer society and culture on
others.
Major Activities and Assessments: DBQ: The Causes and Effects of the Russian Revolution; Video
comparisons of types of fighting styles in both WWI and WWII using The Lost Battalion and Saving Private
Ryan; read excerpts from The Guns of August by Tuchman and All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque
and compare and contrast the two documents by showing views of WWI; Selection from Woodrow Wilson’s
14 Points; Students will be required to read selections from Hitler’s Mein Kampf and The Facist March on
Rome by Mussolini to compare and contrast the rise of facism in Europe; PowerPoint on the Cold War;
Change over Time essay on technology; Examine pictures from the Great Depression in both the USA and in
Europe; excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck; Listen and analyze Billy Joel’s song “We didn’t
start the fire”; PowerPoint on “Changing Roles for Women in Iraq”;
Review for Exam
AP World History Exam May 12, 2011
Revisions
Component 2: Continuity and change are addressed throughout the course.
Evaluation Guideline: An explicit statement indicating that change and continuity are addressed throughout
the course is sufficient evidence.
NEW EVIDENCE: I completely changed my Course Overview and added my Mission statement that states
continuity and change. Additionally, I provided documents and activities in which continuity and change are
addressed besides just Change and Continuity essays.
Component 8: The course teaches students to analyze evidence and interpretations presented in historical
scholarship.
Evaluation Guideline: The syllabus must explicitly reference more than one resource that includes
interpretations presented in historical scholarship beyond what is found in the textbook.
NEW EVIDENCE: I added a timeline box that includes my primary sources I use besides the book in the
course. I additionally gave more detail on some other activities that use historical sources in my class.