Advanced Placement (AP) European History
History 209AP-210AP
Charleston High School
2009-2010
Scott Black, Instructor
Contact information:
1603 Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
Phone: (217) 639-5107
Email: blackc@charleston.k12.il.us
“There is a history in all men’s lives.” -William Shakespeare
“The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.” -Harry S. Truman
“Man’s nature, his passions and anxieties, are a cultural product; as a matter of fact, man himself is the most important creation and achievement of the continuous human effort, the record of what we call history.” -Erich Fromm
Course Goals
This course is designed to provide students an introduction to the cultural, economic, political, and social developments of European history from 1450 to the present. “Without this knowledge, we would all lack the context for understanding the development of contemporary institutions, the role of conflict and continuity in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse” (The College Board, 2003).
At the end of this course, students will possess an:
1) understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European history
2) ability to analyze historical evidence [ISLS 16.A.5a, 16.A.5b], and
3) ability to analyze and to express historical understanding in writing [ISLS
18.B.5, 18.C.5].
AP European History is a college-level course taught in high school. Therefore, levels of academic work inside and outside of the classroom are extremely rigorous and unlike most other courses taught at the high school. The full achievement of the goals outlined above is made possible only from a commitment of both the students and the instructor to continuously demand the highest caliber of intellectual pursuits. Mediocrity cannot be permitted. A course grade of an “A” is not assured and should not be the primary objective in taking the course.
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Themes in Modern European History
The themes below indicate the most important areas of discussion in AP European History
(College Board, 2003). While these themes might not be treated explicitly as topics in the course, their nature is implicit to the understanding of modern European history:
1. Intellectual and Cultural History [ISLS Goal 17.C.5b, 18.A.5]
Changes in religious thought and institutions
Secularization of learning and culture
Scientific and technological developments and their consequences
Major trends in literature and the arts
Intellectual and cultural developments and their relationship to social values and political events
Developments in social, economic, and political thought
Developments in literacy, education, and communication
The diffusion of new intellectual concepts among different social groups
Changes in elite and popular culture, such as the development of new attitudes toward religion, the family, work, and ritual
Impact of global expansion on European culture
2. Political and Diplomatic History [ISLS Goal 14.B.5, 14.C.5, 14.D.5, 14.E.5, 16.B.5a, 16.B.5b,
16.B.5c]
The rise and functioning of the modern state in its various forms
Relations between Europe and other parts of the world: colonialism, imperialism, decolonization, and global interdependence
The evolution of political elites and the development of political parties, ideologies, and other forms of mass politics
The extension and limitation of rights and liberties (personal, civic, economic, and political); majority and minority political persecutions
The growth and changing forms of nationalism
Forms of political protest, reform, and revolution
Relationship between domestic and foreign policies
Efforts to restrain conflict: treaties, balance-of-power diplomacy, and international organizations
War and civil conflict: origins, developments, technology, and their consequences
3. Social and Economic History [ISLS Goal 15.A.4a, 15.A.5a, 15.A.5b, 15.D.2a, 15.D.2b,
15.E.2a, 15.E.2b, 16.C.5a, 16.C.5b, 16.C.5c, 16.D.5, 16.E.5a, 16.E.5b, 17.D.5]
The role of urbanization in transforming cultural values and social relationships
The shift in social structures from hierarchical orders to modern social classes: the changing distribution of wealth and poverty
The influence of sanitation and health care practices on society; food supply, diet, famine, disease, and their impact
The development of commercial practices and their economic and social impact
Changing definitions of and attitudes toward mainstream groups and groups characterized as the "other"
The origins, development, and consequences of industrialization
Changes in the demographic structure and reproductive patterns of Europeans: causes
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and consequences
Gender roles and their influence on work, social structure, family structure, and interest group formation
The growth of competition and interdependence in national and world markets
Private and state roles in economic activity
Development and transformation of racial and ethnic group identities
Required Texts
McKay, John P., Bennett D. Hill, and John Buckler. (2003). A History of Western Society : Since
1300. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-27074-4
Perry, M., Joseph R. Peden, and Theodore H Von Laue. (2003). Sources of The Western Tradition:
Volume 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-16228-3
Supplemental Readings
Machiavelli, Niccolo (1513). The Prince.
Available on-line at: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/prince/prince_contents.html
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels (1888). The Communist Manifesto.
Available on-line at: http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext93/manif12.txt
More, Thomas. (1516). Utopia.
Available on-line at: http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext00/utopi10.txt
Remarque, Erich Maria (1929). All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Fawcett Crest.
(Voltaire) Arouet, Francois-Marie. (1759). Candide. New York: Penguin Books.
Available on-line at: http://elf.chaoscafe.com/voltaire/candide/
*Various handouts and readings will also be provided throughout the school year.
Course Grading
Advanced Placement European history courses are graded based primarily upon three components which match the format of the AP exam offered in May. Those components are:
1) Multiple-Choice Objective Tests,
2) Document-Based Questions (DBQ’s), and
3) Thematic Free-Response Essays
These three components, described in detail later in the syllabus, will serve as major foundation of grading for this course. However, there are other important elements that comprise a student’s grade each semester. Course grades will be based upon the following:
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First Semester
Multiple-Choice Tests
DBQ’s
FRQ’s
Unit Projects & Exercises
Chapter Outlines
Cinematic Analysis Papers
30%
15%
15%
20%
10%
10%
Second Semester
Multiple-Choice Tests
DBQ’s
FRQ’s
Unit Projects & Exercises
Chapter Outlines
30%
15%
15%
20%
10%
Cinematic Analysis Papers 10%
*Class Participation will be expected and may benefit a student with a “borderline” grade.
**The increased focus on multiple-choice tests, DBQ’s, and essays during the second semester reflects the expectation of a growing comfort level with these three core components of the course and the realization that these components serve as the basis of the national AP examination.
Course Grading Scale
100-98
97-94
93-90
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
89-88
87-84
83-80
79-78
77-74
73-70
69-68
67-64
63-60
59-0
*Grades will be calculated first on a quarter-basis with each quarter representing the student’s progress to date. The semester grade (two nine-week quarters) will account for eighty percent (80%) of the student’s final grade. Semester exams, given in December and
May, will account for the remaining twenty percent (20%) of the student’s final grade. The semester exam in May is cumulative and will cover all material from the course.
Course Components
Multiple-Choice Tests
Multiple-choice tests (MCT) will be given after most units of study. These multiple-choice tests, usually forty to sixty questions in length, require an entire class period to take and are similar to the format of the multiple-choice portion of the AP European History exam given in May. As many as ten percent (10%) of the questions on a unit test may be taken from previous units. An eighty-question multiple-choice test will also be given as a component of each semester exam, accounting for fifty percent (50%) of the overall semester exam score. Grading for these multiplechoice tests will be done in accordance with the Advanced Placement scoring system.
Extra Credit: Students may receive extra credit on any unit multiple-choice test by preparing test corrections. For each question missed, the student must both prove the correct answer in writing and explain why his/her answer was incorrect. ½ point will be awarded back for each correction.
Corrections are due two (2 )days after the test is returned.
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Data-Based Questions
Data-based questions (DBQ) are essay questions guided by a series of primary sources— written excerpts, political cartoons, pieces of art, etc. The DBQ essay is written by using the documents in conjunction with an understanding of the historical context in which they first appeared to craft a well-written essay of historiography. There will be a minimum of three (3) inclass (IC) DBQ essays written each semester. Some in-class DBQ essays will be written in conjunction with a unit exam. DBQ’s are not necessarily limited only to the current unit of study; hence themes over time may be addressed. Each semester exam will have one (1) DBQ essay, accounting for twenty percent (20%) of the overall semester exam score. A reading period of fifteen (15) minutes is recommended prior to writing a DBQ. This reading period will usually be during the tutorial period the day of writing. Other times can be arranged with the instructor by appointment.
Extra Credit: Students may receive extra credit on any DBQ by re-writing the essay after receiving the instructor’s comments and evaluation. The student may earn up to ½ of the total points missed on the nine (9) point AP grading scale. Re-written essays are due three (3) days after the essays are returned.
Free Response Questions
Most free response questions will be written in-class. These essays will be hand-written during a typical forty-five (45) minute class period. No resources may be used in writing the inclass essay. Typically, a choice of at least two (2) prompts will be provided. An in-class essay will be written and/or outlined bi-monthly and at the end of most units of study. Essays are not necessarily limited only to the current unit of study; hence themes over time may be addressed.
Each semester exam will have one (1) essay written in-class, accounting for thirty percent (30%) of the overall semester exam score.
Extra Credit: Students may receive extra credit on any essay by re-writing the essay after receiving the instructor’s comments and evaluation. The student may earn up to ½ of the total points missed on the nine (9) point AP grading scale. Re-written essays are due three (3) days after the essays are returned.
Chapter Outlines
The course covers roughly nineteen (19) chapters from the principal textbook (McKay).
Students will be expected to prepare detailed outlines of each chapter or outlines of segments of lengthy chapters. These outlines will be due during the discussion for the particular reading assignment. The outlines should be prepared in an appropriate form in accordance with outlining guidelines established by the Modern Language Association and taught by the Charleston High
School English Department. Assistance from the instructor will be provided as necessary.
Cinematic Analysis Papers
A number of films will be presented to the students for independent viewing either at school or at home. The films are selected to mirror each unit of study and illustrate the period of history being discussed. Students must make arrangements to view the films during a one- to twoweek viewing window. If a student takes a film home, he/she must return it within twenty-four (24) hours. Do not take a movie to watch unless you will finish it that night. I highly recommend group viewings to foster discussion and to ease the frantic rush to obtain each film.
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After watching each film, students will complete a short reflection worksheet found in their unit packets. These worksheets verify that the student did, in fact, watch the film and has command of the basic content, themes, and cinematic styles of the film.
Twice each semester, students will prepare a three- to five-page (3-5), typed cinematic analysis paper. These papers must have one of three themes: 1) An evaluation of the “Hollywoodization” of the film as it relates to historical evidence, 2) A comparison/contrast of the historical persons/events of two similarly themed films (either from the film list or selected independently), or
3) A “history” of the film itself in a cinematic sense noting historiographic implications and relevant personal reflections where appropriate. Further discussion about these papers will follow in detail early in the course.
Unit Projects & Exercises
Unit projects & exercises will be given for each unit of study. These may be done individually or in small groups either in-class or as homework. (you will be given further instruction for each of these). The format of these exercises will vary.
Advanced Placement Examination
The Advanced Placement European History examination will be given here at Charleston
High School on May 9, 2008. Students are not required to take the AP exam but are highly
encouraged to do so. All students will be required to take an AP-like exam as their semester exam each semester (the second semester exam is cumulative) and should be preparing for those exams just as they would prepare for the 2008 national AP exam in May. For those students wishing to take the AP European History exam, information regarding the test registration and appropriate fees will be provided as soon it is available. Group study sessions among the students is encouraged prior to semester exams and the national AP examination.
Course Expectations
1.
Be totally prepared and focused for class each day.
2.
Be in your seat ready to learn at the beginning of every period.
3.
Submit all work on time, every time. (Late work will not be accepted)
4.
Uphold the highest degree of academic and personal integrity.
**Any violations of the course expectations will be dealt with according to the discipline policies and procedures set forth by the Charleston High School Student-Family handbook.
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Unit 1: The Renaissance
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
McKay 415-452
Perry 5-11
Unit 1: Exam
Unit 2: The Reformation
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 4-5 McKay 455-487
Perry 16-19
Week 6
Perry 12-15
None
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
ASSIGNMENTS
Art: Giotto, Botticelli,
Michelangelo,
Raphael, da Vinci,
Bosch, Brueghel,
Durer
Literature: Dante,
Petrarch, Boccaccio,
Erasmus, Chaucer
Primary Sources:
-Machiavelli: The
Prince
-“Bill Meet Niccolo”
Map Exercise
In Class Writing
Creating Outlines for writing
Point of View
Parent Interview
Plague Doctor discussion
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Unit Project-
(Renaissance Book
Signing)
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Primary Sources
Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc.
Video: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Primary Sources
More: Utopia
Film: “A Man For All
Seasons”
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Unit Project (Trial of
Martin Luther)
Film (Cinema
Analysis)
Unit 2: Exam
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Unit 3: Religious Wars Amidst Glory, Gold, and God
WEEK TEXT READINGS SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Week 7
Week 8
McKay 489-502
McKay 502-512
Map: Europe in 1648
Film Excerpt:
Elizabeth
Primary Sources:
Spanish/French
Letters
Map: Exploration
Film: “1492”
Week 8-9 McKay 512-525
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED WS
Bulletin Board
Film Excerpt:
“Shakespeare in Love”
Art: Rubens,
Rembrandt,
Velazquez
Music: Bach, Handel,
Scarlatti
Map Exercise
DBQ Training
PowerPoint presentation
Film (Cinema
Analysis)
Unit Project (Social
History Play)
Unit 3 Exam (w/FRQ)
Unit 4: Absolutism and Constitutionalism
WEEK TEXT READINGS ASSIGNMENTS
Week 9-10
Week 10-11
McKay 531-548, 562-
563
Perry 20-24
McKay 548-560
Perry 25-28
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Visual: Versailles
Film: “The Rise of
Louis XIV”
Film Excerpt: The
Three Musketeers
Primary Sources:
Saint-Simon, Louis
XIV, Colbert
Map: Europe in 1715
Primary Sources:
Elizabeth I, James I,
Charles I, Cromwell
Handout: English Civil
War Packet
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED WS
Bulletin Board
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Unit 4: Continued
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 12 McKay 565-591, 616-
621
Primary Sources: Von
Korb, Frederick II,
William Frederick I,
Maria Theresa
Secondary Sources:
Burnett, De Missy
Unit 4: Exam (Open Book)
Unit Five: The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
WEEK TEXT READINGS SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Week 13 McKay 595-605
Perry 29-51
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Week 13-14 McKay 605-627
Perry 52-87, 93-96
Video: The Day the
World Stood Still
Primary Sources: “The
Lisbon Earthquake”
Primary Sources:
Diederot, Locke,
Montesquieu,
Rousseau, Hume,
Madame Geoffrin
Film: “Amadeus”
Unit 5: Exam (w/DBQ)
Unit Six: Life in the Eighteenth Century
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 15-16 McKay 629-687
Perry 88-92, 132-133,
141-143
Unit 6: Exam (Take Home)
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Primary Sources:
Arthur Young, William
Radcliff
Secondary Sources:
Rondo Cameron
Music: Mozart
ASSIGNMENTS
Unit Project (Science
Lab)
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Unit Project (A Day in the Life of
Versailles)
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Unit Project
(Enlightenment
Schoolhouse)
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Unit Seven: The French & Industrial Revolutions
WEEK
Week 17
TEXT READINGS
McKay 691-712, 722-
723
Perry 97-126
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Map: Europe in 1810
Primary Sources:
Robespierre,
Napoleon
Secondary Sources:
Holtman
Film: “Danton”
Week 18
Unit 7: Exam (w/FRQ)
Semester Exam-Week 19
McKay 725-753
Perry 127-131, 134-
140, 143-145
December TBA (18-19-20)
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
Bulletin Board
SPICED W/S
Unit Project (CNN
Coverage of
Revolutions)
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Unit 8: Society and Mind in an Age of Industry
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 20
Week 21
McKay 755-785
Perry 146-156, 164-
169
McKay 787-821
Perry 170-182, 194-
238
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Map: Europe in 1815
Art: Turner, Delacroix
Music: Beethoven,
Liszt, Chopin, Rossini
Literature: Hugo,
Sand, Dumas
Primary Sources:
Bentham, Freud
Literature: Tolstoy,
Elliot, Hardy, Zola
Music: Tchaikovsky,
Rimsky-Korsakov,
Sibelius, Debussy,
Dvorak
Secondary Sources:
Cameron
Film: “How Green Was
My Valley””
Unit 8: Exam (Take Home)
Unit 9: The Age of Nationalism & Imperialism
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 22-23
Week 23-24
McKay 823-853
Perry 157-160, 162-
163
McKay 855-885
Perry 239-271
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Map: Unification of
Germany and Italy
Primary Sources:
Bismarck, Cavour,
Garibaldi
Map: Imperialism
Primary Sources:
Kipling, Morel
Film/Video:
-Babar, Jungle Book
Film: “Tarzan”
Unit 9: Exam (w/FRQ)
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Music Analysis
Unit Project
(Modernism Expo
PowerPoint
Presentations)
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Unit Project
(Nationalists’
Retirement Home)
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Unit 10: The Great War and Revolution
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 25-26 McKay 887-904
Perry 291-321
Week 27
Week 28
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Map: Balkans/WW I
Primary Sources:
“Hasslied,”
Literature: All Quiet on the Western Front
Map: Europe after
World War I
Primary Sources:
Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky
Literature: Animal
Farm (excerpts)
Film: “Dr. Zhivago
Video: The Wave
Literature: Kafka,
Mann, Orwell, Wolff
Art: Gropius, van der
Rohe, Monet, Renoir,
Van Gogh, Picasso,
Dali
Music: Ravel,
Prokofiev, Stravinsky,
Schonberg, Cowell
Film and Radio: various
Film: “The Gathering
Storm”
ASSIGNMENTS
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Formal Class
Discussion
Chapter Outline
Unit Exercise (Great
War Humanities
Festival)
Film (Cinema Rev.)
Chapter Outline(s)
SPICED W/S
Bulletin Board
Unit 10: Exam (w/DBQ)
McKay 904-919
Perry 322-332
McKay 921-970
Perry 333-387
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Unit 11: The Crisis of Democracy and World War II
WEEK TEXT READINGS
Week 29-30
Week 31-32
McKay 971-987
Perry 388-443
McKay 971-987
Perry 388-443
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
Map: WW II (Europe and Pacific)
Primary Sources:
Auden, Hitler,
Chamberlain, Levi
Film: “Conspiracy” and
“Night and Fog” or
“The Longest Day
Map: WW II (Europe and Pacific)
Primary Sources:
Auden, Hitler,
Chamberlain, Levi
Film: “Conspiracy” and
“Night and Fog” or
“The Longest Day”
Unit 12:
Week 33 McKay 1052-1060
Week 34 Perry 474-528
Secondary Source:
Imagining the 20 th
Century
Secondary Source:
Imagining the 20 th
Century
ASSIGNMENTS
Unit Exercise (Forum on Germany & WWII)
Film (Cinema Rev.)
Film (Cinema Rev.)
Essay
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Review for AP Exam
WEEK
Week 35-36
TEXT READINGS
Review for AP Exam
TBA
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIALS
None
ASSIGNMENTS
None
AP Exam – May 6th
Semester Exam - TBA
Note: All dates, readings, and assignments contained in this timeline are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Students will be informed immediately of such decisions.
Additions to or deletions from the assignment list may be made at any time; however, advanced warning will typically be given.
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