Advanced Placement European History, 1450-Present
Fall Semester, 2010
Mrs. Laura Drewicz Ewing
Books:
- Text: Spielvogel, Jackson J.. Western Civilization. 7th edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning,
2010.
- Sources: Kishlansky, Mark A. ed., Sources of World History: Readings in World Civilization, Vols. I & II.
Belmont, CA: Thompson-Wadsworth, 2007.
- Manchester, William. A World Lit Only By Fire. Boston: Back Bay Books, 1992.
- Selected readings from applicable texts
Homework:
Each night you are expected to complete the assigned reading and answer the accompanying study question(s) by
providing an explicit and complete thesis statement (in the style in which you would answer an AP FRQ) and
three to five factual “bullet points” that support your thesis. I expect you to read academically: read thoroughly,
underlining and making marginal notes to identify important facts and ideas as you go. Your written work must be
your own and you must make an effort to be concise and use good style and correct grammar. Your writing will
improve through your homework and your test and paper grades will reflect your daily efforts. To be clear, you are
not required to write a full, essay-length response each night; the thesis is the most important element of each
nightly assignment as is your ability to support said thesis with concrete evidence.
*If you would like to score well on the examination in May, it is imperative that you complete your homework.
Not only is the reading important, but you must improve the skill of writing a thesis, as this is a major aspect of the
Free Response section of the exam. In addition, I may not cover every subject from the reading in your daily notes,
but you may still be tested on subjects I do not discuss or do not discuss in great detail.
Primary Sources:
In order to best prepare you for both multiple choice and document-based questions, you will encounter primary
source material nearly every class period. These materials will be located in your textbook, in your classroom copy
of Sources of World History, and posted on my homework website and may take the form of essays, letters, diary
entries, newspaper articles, maps, pictures, sculptures, architecture etc. Take care to read and/or examine these
sources carefully and critically (consider bias, point-of-view, and historical factors as they contribute to the content
of the source) as we will work with them during class, but you may also be asked to write about these sources in a
variety of ways.
Map Tests:
It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the geography of Europe before we begin studying its history.
Therefore, you will have a short map test at the beginning of each semester on which you will be required to
identify any number of countries, cities, mountain ranges, rivers or other geographical features of Europe. This
map test will be worth one full test grade. In addition, there will be maps relating to each unit of study on each unit
test, both as multiple choice questions as well as “fill-in-the-blank” questions. We will use certain websites with
interactive maps, I will post relevant maps on my homework page, and will give map quizzes to add to our
geographical understanding of European history. There will be links to these sites on my homework webpage.
Quizzes:
I reserve the right to administer quizzes, both announced and unannounced, at any time. Quizzes will only test
material assigned since the last test and may be open-book, open-note or cold.
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Tests:
You will be tested at the end of each unit. The tests will include AP-style multiple choice, identifications, short
answer questions, and essays (FRQs).
In addition to traditional tests, you will begin training for and writing Document Based Question (DBQ) essays
during each semester. These will carry the same weight as tests.
Finally, review for tests will take the form of Roundtables. Each student will be assigned to a group for a unit
which will assemble and present information to the class on the following subjects: politics, economics, religion,
society, intellectual developments, art. A prompt sheet to help you in your presentation is available on my
homework website.
Papers:
In addition to the questions from the Manchester reading due the first week of classes, you will write two papers
first semester and one paper second semester. Two (one per semester) will be an examination of literary and
historical themes in a book of your choosing from an approved list. The other (first semester only) will be a longer
expository essay on a specific theme and will require sources aside from your textbook. These papers will be
graded on style as well as content so you must make sure to include correct information as well as to use good
style and grammar. The first semester due dates are September 8 (Manchester), October 13 (expository essay),
and December 1 (history and literature). All papers are due by 3:05pm and must be emailed to the AP European
History Conference folder on FirstClass.
You will also have a 200-date timeline due at the end of each semester (to total 400 dates by May) with various
check-points throughout the semester. The timeline must be in a Word document in table form with the following
labels across the top of the table: date, what happened, significance/relation to other events both past and future,
where. This timeline will be worth a project grade per semester and will be invaluable in studying for the AP exam
in May. A more detailed explanation of this assignment as well as examples is available on my homework website.
100 dates will be due at the first “checkpoint”: Monday, November 8.
Final Exam:
The fall semester exam will be cumulative from the subjects covered during the semester and will mimic the
format and subject matter of the AP exam. The spring semester exam will be cumulative from the subjects covered
during the entire course and will mimic the format, timing and subject matter of the AP exam.
Objectives:
It is my objective that you understand political, economic, religious, social, intellectual and artistic developments
and trends in European history in the years from 1450 to 2010. It is also my objective that you are able to read a
historical text and interpret in order to address a historical problem. You will learn to read primary sources and
critically consider them as subjective accounts of actual events and apply them to your historical knowledge. You
will also learn to interpret maps, graphs, pictures and art as representations of an historical era. In addition, you
will learn to write college-level history papers and essays in which a clearly stated thesis is supported by facts,
quotes and examples. You will also learn to “think on your feet” and use knowledge of an event to synthesize
documents in a well-written DBQ essay response. While obtaining a high score on the AP European History exam
in May is certainly an important objective, the ultimate goal of this class is to prepare you for college-level history
courses through reading, writing and discussion exercises.
Final Grade Composition:
Semester Exam: 20%
Tests (including Map Test and DBQs): 30%
Quizzes: 10%
Papers (including the semester timeline): 20%
Homework: 20%
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Additional Notes:
- This Advanced Placement course moves at a much faster pace and requires more reading, writing and
research than a regular class. Therefore, a student’s grade in this AP course may be lower than one attained
in a regular-level course.
- ALL assignments are to be completed individually unless explicitly stated in the directions. Any
unauthorized group work or collaboration of any type is considered cheating. Please abide by the Honor
Code at all times.
- There will be some primary source readings aside from the source book you have purchased. These will
either be in photocopy form, accessible on my homework website or in the classroom set of source books.
- This will be a lecture- and discussion-based class, which will require thorough note-taking as you will be
tested over material from the text, but also from daily classes. While the reading will comprise a large
portion of the information for which you will be responsible at test time, additional information from my
lectures is fair game. Completing the reading before each class will help you to understand the lectures and
enable you to make constructive comments and to be an active contributor during class.
- For readings aside from the text, the use of Cliffs Notes, Spark Notes, Wikipedia etc. is not permitted as I
want to see what you absorb from the text, not what others think about it. It is also unacceptable to use
anyone’s work but your own for homework or papers.
- I am always available for questions or concerns. If you feel lost, behind in your work, or simply do not
understand a concept, please make sure to speak with me before it gets out of hand.
SEMESTER 1 ASSIGNMENTS
Week 1: August 23 – 27
Unit I: Crisis and Renaissance
1. Welcome; receive syllabus, course expectations, and explanation. Receive Manchester assignment, due
Wednesday, September 8.
2. No class, Tuesday, August 24: Upper School assembly, class meetings/pictures, general back-to-school
excitement.
3. Signed syllabus pledge due in class. Receive map test assignment; Manchester discussion, presentations and
assessment; Getting “up to speed”.
4. Manchester presentations and getting “up to speed” continued.
5. Manchester presentations and getting “up to speed” continued.
Week 2: August 30 – September 3
6. Text, pp. 304-316. How do the Black Death and Hundred Years’ War illustrate the state of politics and society
in Europe during the Late Middle Ages? Primary Sources: Contract of a Plague Doctor (photocopy, activity),
excerpt; Spread of the Black Death (interactive map online). [Continue Manchester discussion if necessary.]
7. Text, pp. 316-326. Given the political structure of pre-Renaissance (14th century) Europe and what you know
from reading Manchester, why was Italy the most likely place for the emergence of the Renaissance? What
about the other areas of Europe made them less likely to foster artistic and intellectual movements? Primary
Sources: Boniface VIII’s Defense of Papal Supremacy (text, 322); The Great Schism (map, HW website).
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8. Text, pp. 326-333. Predict the effects that vernacular literature will have on Europe. Consider politics,
economics, religion, society, art, and intellectual life in your response. Primary Source: Dante’s Vision of Hell
(text, 327) – What does Dante’s vision of hell reflect about medieval religious thought?
9. Text, pp. 337-344. As applied to the early modern period of Western civilization, what does the term
“Renaissance” mean? Be sure to consider causes and effects in your response. Primary Source: Marriage
Negotiations, Alessandra Strozzi to her son Filippo in Naples (text, 344).
10. Text, pp. 344-355. What is Humanism? Analyze the ways in which and the degree to which it is a departure
from medieval thought. Primary Sources: The Renaissance Prince: The Views of Machiavelli and Erasmus
(text, 350); Renaissance Europe (map, website) and Renaissance Italy (map, textbook).
Week 3: September 6 – 10
11. No class, Monday, September 6: Labor Day
12. Text, pp. 355-362. How do the characteristics of Renaissance art illustrate the important points of Humanism?
OR To what extent and in what ways do the Italian and Northern Renaissances differ from each other? Primary
Source: PowerPoint slideshow on the artists and art of the Renaissance (HW website); Letter from da Vinci
(HW website); musical excerpt, Palestrina.
13. Wednesday, September 8: Manchester Questions due by 3:05pm (email to AP Euro conference). Text, pp.
362-369. Analyze the characteristics of and assess the success(es) of Renaissance-era “new monarchies”. Of
the political changes described in your textbook in connection to the phenomenon of the “new monarchy”,
which do you see as having been the most successful? Why? Primary Source: Europe in the Second Half of the
Fifteenth Century (interactive map online).
14. Thursday, September 9: Map Test (seas, islands, rivers, straits) and Unit I Review.
15. Unit I Review: Student-led review and review; practice Multiple Choice (MCs).
Week 4: September 13 - 17
16. Monday, September 13: Unit I Test: Multiple Choice and FRQ (choice)
Unit II: Reformation, Crisis, and State Building
1. Unit I test review and introduction to Unit II; Receive Unit II long essay assignment: The Catholic Reformation
(due Wednesday, October 13). Tuesday, September 14: Map Test (nations, capitals, and mountains).
2. Text, pp. 373-382. Define Christian Humanism and assess its role in the emergence of the Protestant
Reformation. Primary Sources: Luther’s 95 Theses (text, 379) and the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of
Peasants (text, 382). [On your own, please be sure to read Erasmus’ Praise of Folly (excerpt, text, 376).]
3. Text, pp. 382-389. Analyze the role of politics in the spread of Luther’s heresy and assess what this implies
about the German states in the 16th century. Primary Sources: Luther’s Of Marriage and Celibacy (excerpt,
photocopy); The Spread of Protestantism and the Peasants’ War of 1525 (maps, HW website); The Empire of
Charles V (map, textbook).
4. Text, pp. 389-399. Analyze the most important social effects of the Reformation in Europe. Be sure to include
women, family life, education, marriage, etc. in your response Primary Sources: Ignatius Loyola’s Rules for
Thinking with the Church (text, 397), Catholics and Protestants in Europe by 1560 (interactive map online).
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Week 5: September 20 – 24
5. Text, pp. 399-406. Consider the French wars of religion, Spain’s conflict with the Netherlands, and England’s
struggles during the second half of the sixteenth century. Choose two of these examples to predict how Europe
will change in the seventeenth century as a result of these conflicts. (Remember to consider politics,
economics, religions, society, art, and intellectual life in your response.) Primary Source: The Empire of Philip
II (map, HW website).
6. Tuesday, September 21: Unit II Quiz: Multiple Choice, IDs, Essays.
7. Text, pp. 439-440 (begin at “Mercantilism”); 443-459. Explain why the Thirty Years’ War was a pivotal event
in the course of European history. How do you think it will connect to absolutism? Primary Sources: The Trial
of Suzanne Gaudry (text, 445) and Duc de Saint-Simon’s Memoirs (text, 456); The Thirty Years’ War and
Westphalia (map, HW website); The Thirty Years’ War (interactive map online).
8. Text, pp. 451-459. Was the absolutism of Louis XIV effective/successful or not? Why? Primary Sources: Duc
de Santi-Simon’s Memoirs (text, 456).
9. Text, pp. 459-467. In what ways and to what degree are the reigns of Frederick William of BrandenburgPrussia and Peter the Great of Russia similar? Different? Primary Sources: Peter and the Streltsy (text, 462);
Growth of Brandenburg-Prussia, Austria, and Russia (interactive maps online)
Week 6: September 27 – October 1
10. Text, pp. 467-480. Why did England’s post-Thirty Years’ War experiences differ from those on the continent?
Primary Sources: The Bill of Rights (text, 474), PowerPoint slideshow on Baroque art (HW website).
11. Unit II review: Student-led review and practice MCs
12. Wednesday, September 29: Unit II Test: Multiple Choice and FRQ (choice).
Unit III: Exploration, Scientific Revolution, and Enlightenment
1. Review Unit II Test and introduce Unit III.
2. Text, pp. 411-421. How does one account for the fact that the Church played a central role in overseas
exploration and colonization, yet those colonies were bastions of social injustice, cruelty, and avarice? Primary
Sources: Cortes’ Description of Tenochtitlan (text, 419); Discoveries and Possessions in the Fifteenth and
Sixteenth Centuries (interactive map, online).
Week 7: October 4 – 8
3. Text, pp. 421-433. How and to what degree did Dutch, British, and French colonization affect the areas they
colonized? Primary Sources: Bartolome de Las Casas, The Tears of the Indians (text, 422); Diary of a Citizen
(text, 424); Triangular Trade Route in the Atlantic Economy (map; text, 423).
4. Text, pp. 433-440. Define the Columbian Exchange and assess the degree to which it affected both economics
and politics in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Primary Source: The Columbian Exchange
(map; text, 437).
5. Text, pp. 483-495. To what degree and in what ways did Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo challenge the
church-centered medieval understanding of the universe? Primary Sources: Copernicus’ On the Revolutions of
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Heavenly Spheres (excerpt; text, 488); Newton’s Rules of Reasoning in Philosophy (excerpt; text, 494). [On
your own, please be sure to read the excerpt of Galileo’s The Starry Messenger (text, 491).]
6. Text, pp. 495-506. Compare and contrast the Baconian and Cartesian systems of understanding the universe.
Using these understandings, predict how the Scientific Method and Enlightenment will connect. Primary
Source: Descartes’ Discourse on Method (excerpt, photocopy).
7. No class, Friday, October 8: Teacher IOI Workday
Week 8: October 11 – 15
8. No class, Monday, October 11: Fall Break
9. Tuesday, October 12: Unit III Quiz: Multiple Choice and Short Essays
10. No class, Wednesday, October 13: Upper School Testing and general Senior-ness. Catholic Reformation
Essay due by 3:05pm (email to AP Euro conference).
11. Text, pp. 509-522. How did the ideas of Voltaire illustrate the main features of Enlightenment thought? Are
Voltaire’s views compatible with the views of the philosophes? Primary Sources: Rousseau’s The Social
Contract (excerpt; text, 520); Rousseau’s Emile (excerpt; text, 521); Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the
Rights of Woman (excerpt; text, 521); PowerPoint slideshow on the Enlightenment (HW website).
12. Assignment 11 continued
Week 9: October 18 – 22
13. Text, pp. 522-530. How do the art, literature, and music of the eighteenth century fit into the Age of
Enlightenment? In what ways and to what degree do they reflect Enlightenment ideas? Primary Sources: the
music of Handel and Mozart (recordings, in class); PowerPoint slideshow on Rococo and Neoclassicism (HW
website).
14. Text, pp. 530-536. Compare and contrast popular culture and “high” culture in the eighteenth century? How do
you account for the differences?
15. Unit III review: Student-led review and practice MCs
16. Unit III review continued
17. Friday, October 22: Unit III Test: FRQ only (choice).
Week 10: October 25 – 29
Unit IV: Enlightened Absolutism and the Changing European State System
1. No class Monday, October 25: Teacher Workday
2. Review Unit III Test and introduce Unit IV. Receive “History Through Literature” assignment due December
1 ; choices: Girl with a Pearl Earring (Chevalier), The Prince (Machiavelli), The Burgermeister’s Daughter
(Ozment), Candide (Voltaire), The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier (Walter).
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3. Text, pp. 539-550. Compare and contrast the “enlightened” governments of Prussia, Russia, and Austria.
Which was the most “enlightened” and why? Primary Sources: PowerPoint slideshow on Enlightened
Absolutism (HW website); Comtesse de Boigne’s Memoirs (excerpt; text, 542); Frederick the Great and his
Father (excerpt; text, 546).
4. Text, pp. 550-561. How did the balance of power in Europe change in the middle of the eighteenth century?
What could you point to as a concrete turning point? Primary Sources: Richard Sheridan’s The Rivals (excerpt;
text, 555); PowerPoint slideshow on Eighteenth Century Social History (HW website).
5. Text, pp. 561-568. Compare and contrast the lifestyles of the poor and the wealthy; the urban and the rural.
Primary Source: M. de la Bourdonnaye, Intendant of Bordeaux, to the Controller General, 9-30-1708 (text,
567).
Week 11: November 1 – 5
6. Unit IV review: Student-led review and practice MCs.
7. Unit IV review continued
8. Wednesday, November 3: Units III and IV Test: Multiple Choice, FRQ (choice).
Unit V: The French Revolution and Napoleon
1. Review Unit IV Quest and introduce Unit V. In-class work on Semester 1 timeline.
2. In-class work on Semester 1 timeline.
Week 12: November 8 – 12
3. Monday, November 8: 100 dates of semester 1 timeline due by 3:05pm (email to AP Euro conference). Text,
pp. 571-577. Analyze the degree to which the Estates General was a contributing factor to the French
Revolution. What other factors influenced the start of the Revolution? Primary Source: The Three Estates
(picture; text, 576).
4. No classes, Tuesday, November 9: Upper School Parent/Student/Teacher conferences.
5. Text, pp. 577-584. How do the events of the period 1789-1792 reflect the fundamental problems of French
society? Primary Sources: Declaration of the Rights of Man and Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the
Female Citizen (excerpts; text, 581-82).
6. Text, pp. 584-593. If the destruction of the ancient regime was at least partially responsible for the Revolution,
how can you account for the Reign of Terror and the creation of the Directory? Primary Sources: French
Expansion During the Revolutionary Wars, 1792-1799 (interactive map online); The Temple of Reason (text,
590).
7. Text, pp. 593-600. Evaluate the accuracy of the following statement: “Napoleon is sometimes called the
greatest enlightened despot.” Primary Sources: Napoleon’s Proclamation to the French Troops in Italy, April
26, 1796 (excerpt; text, 594); Napoleon’s Grand Empire in 1810 (map; text, 598).
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Week 13: November 15 – 19
8. Text, pp. 632-636. How (strategies, policies, etc.) does the Congress of Vienna seek to address European
balance of power? In your estimation, is this an effective means of re-establishing a balance? Primary Source:
Metternich’s Memoirs (excerpt; text, 635).
9. Unit V review: Review and practice MCs.
10. Unit V review continued.
11. Thursday, November 18: Unit V Test: Multiple Choice. *Will include material from Units III and IV*
12. Friday, November 19: Unit V Test continued: FRQ (choice) *Will include material from Units III and IV*
Week 14: November 22 - 26
Unit V ½: Document Based Questions and Exam Review
1. Introduction to DBQs: “There are many roads to a 9”; understanding the structure, requirements and scoring of
a Document Based Question response.
2. Understanding the DBQ continued: The Football DBQ (point-of-view – what is it?!)
3. No class, November 24: Thanksgiving Break
4. No class, November 25: Thanksgiving Day
5. No class, November 26: Thanksgiving Break
Week 15: November 29 – December 3
6. DBQ training
7. DBQ training continued
8. Wednesday, December 1: History and Through Literature assignment due by 3:05pm (email to AP Euro
conference). DBQ training continued
9. DBQ training continued
10. DBQ training continued
Week 16: December 6 – 10
11. Monday, December 6: In-class cold DBQ (part of Semester 1 exam grade!)
12. Semester exam review: content, chronology
13. Semester exam review: content, chronology
14. Semester exam review: maps, art, graphs, content, chronology
15. Semester exam review: content, strategy (MCs, FRQs)
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December 13-16: Upper School Exams
AP Euro Semester Exam: Multiple Choice, DBQ, FRQs (choice); first semester 200-date timeline due at exam.
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