AP European History
Course Sequence
1st 9-weeks:
Course Outline & Syllabus
Reformation-3 wks
Starting with the events of the late Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance and the
expansion of European society throughout the entire world, the peoples of Europe
have had a profound effect on the development of world history. Throughout this
course, we will not presume the superiority of European society in any way. This
course covers European history from 1350 to the present. To digest the massive
span of this course the content will be examined through intellectual/cultural,
political/diplomatic and social/economic viewpoints of history.
Exploration-1 wks
Course Objectives:
2nd 9-weeks:
Intellectual & Cultural History
 Changes in religious thought and institutions
 Secularization of learning and culture
 Scientific & technological developments and their consequences
 Major trends in literature and the arts
 Intellectual & cultural developments and their relationship to social values
and political events
 Developments in social, economic, and political thought including ideologies
characterized as “-isms”, such as socialism, liberalism, nationalism
 Developments in literacy, education and communications
 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, family, work and ritual
 Impact of global expansion on European culture
2. Political & Diplomatic History
 Rise & functioning of the modern state in its various forms
 Relations between Europe and other parts of the world: colonialism,
imperialism, decolonization, and global interdependence
 Evolution of political elites and the development of political parties,
ideologies and other forms of mass politics
 Extension & limitation of rights and liberties (personal, civic,
economic, and political); majority and minority political persecutions
 Growth & changing forms of nationalism
 Forms of political protest, reform and revolution
 Relationship between domestic & foreign policies
 Efforts to restrain conflict: treaties, balance-of-power diplomacy, &
international organizations
 War & civil conflict: origins, developments, technology, and their
consequences
3. Social & Economic History
 Character of and changes in agricultural production & organization
 Role of urbanization in transforming cultural values & social
relationships
 Shift in social structures from hierarchical orders to modern social
classes: changing distribution of wealth & poverty
High Middle Ages–
2wks
Renaissance-3 wks
Absolutism/Louis XIV-2
wks
Constitutionalism-2wks
Scientific Revolution-2
wks
Enlightenment-2wks
French
Revolution/Napoleon2wks
3rd 9-weeks:
Industrial Revolution-2
wks
Nationalism-2 wks
Revolutions of 1848-2
wks
Imperialism-2 wks
4th 9-weeks:
1870-1914—3 wks
World War I & II—3 wks
Totalitarianism-1 wks
Cold War—1 wks
Modern Europe—1 wks
Course Syllabus & Outline (cont.)
3. Social & Economic History (cont.)
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Influence of sanitation & health care practices on society: food supply, diet, famine,
disease, and their impact
Development of commercial practices, patterns of mass production & consumption,
and their economic & social impact
Changing definitions of & attitudes toward social groups, classes, races, and
ethnicities within and outside Europe
Origins & development, & consequences of industrialization
Changes in demographic structure & reproductive patterns of Europeans: causes &
consequences
Gender roles & their influence on work, social structure, family structure, and interest
group formation
Growth of competition & interdependence in national and world markets
4. Writing & Process Skills for History (taught in every unit)
 Be able to create an outline and organize an essay
 Write an AP thesis statement and introductory paragraph
 have basic writing skills: using content paragraphs to support thesis
 be able to annotate historical documents accounting for point of view, bias,
connections between documents and actual historical events
 write a five paragraph essay, to include: an adequate thesis, connecting topic
sentences and use of supporting evidence and hopefully a conclusion
 write a five paragraph primary document based essay, to include: an adequate
thesis, use of historical information connected to the documents and a conclusion
based upon analysis of those facts and documents.
 ability to analyze documents and write a thesis and an argument, based solely upon
said documents, accounting for point of view, bias, connections between documents
and connections between the documents and actual historical events
 recognize parts of and types of historical documents: diaries/government records etc.
and parts: attribution, body
 analysis of documents for: origin and what that brings in terms of point of view,
intended audience and what that brings in terms of point of view, value(s) to a
historian, limitation(s) to a historian
 proficiency in working with historical documents, taking into consideration document
type, Point of View, etc.
 ability to discuss/debate/argue for and against and with support for a certain
point/concept/belief/position even if they are opposed to it in reality
 Be able to understand historical issues beyond facts, and to effectively establish a
position and support it
 Recognize the difference between a main idea and a supporting fact
 have experience reading and interpreting historical documents
 be able to analyze primary sources critically and use them to shape a historical
argument
 use maps to pose and solve problems and to think critically
 general to specific geographic knowledge of Europe (and to lesser degree the world)
 have knowledge of world geography (being able to identify regions, not just modern
names of nations)
Approximately 25% of instructional time is devoted to teaching the skills necessary to be successful on
the AP European Exam. Such instruction includes use of primary documents (such as the Decameron,
relevant sections of Luther’s works, etc. and a variety of other primary source documents as listed in the
course bibliography below) and analysis and interpretation of those documents in an essay format.
Sample classroom practices to cover these skills include both individual and group activities in:
grouping documents based upon similarities including document type, author of source, and others that
show students what these differing viewpoints bring to change the value and limitations of historical
documents , looking for and identifying Point of View in historical documents including that brought
about by the type of document, it’s authors occupation, religion, and many other viewpoints that change
the context and value of documents in historical investigation, discussions of the difference between the
tone of the documents and the point of view (both that of the type of document, it’s sources various
views, etc.), and practical application of how to write these types of items into the Document Based
Question in an essay format. We will be conducting small group and individual evaluations and
providing both individual and small/whole group feedback on what constitutes vales and limitations to
documents used in historical investigations from individual documents and groups of them as the year
progresses.
Students are also given extensive practice in AP test taking skills and work on the Free Response portion
of the exam, concentrating on thesis writing and providing evidentiary support for their arguments.
Assignments will include but are not limited to:
1.
Student Debates on topics within the curriculum. An example of such a debate activity would
be dividing the class into small groups to defend or refute a statement such as “The
Reformation is a political movement.” Debates are teacher moderated but student led
discussions of major turning points and issues that have differing interpretations or viewpoints
to get students involved in processing and understanding the material and content of the
course.
2.
Student led/Teacher moderated Seminar discussion of various readings/novels/topics. These
are conducted as student led but teacher moderated discussions in an inner and outer circle
format. Students in the inner circle actively ask and answer questions related to the assigned
reading topic that are higher order questions such as “evaluate the results of…” or “give your
opinion of…” Students in the outer circle take outline notes on the topic covered by the inner
circle and must then come up with questions not used by the inner circle to close out the
activity. An example of such an Inner/Outer Seminar topic would be the discussion following
student assignment to read the novel Candide, by Voltaire as we cover the Enlightenment
period of European History.
3.
Document analysis for point of view and grouping strategies is an ongoing process throughout
the year. Students work at first with individual documents looking for who the source is, what
kind of document it is, what the author’s occupation might bring to it in terms of viewpoint, what
they might leave out in public verses private arguments among other possible arguments, then
graduate to working with small groups of similar documents, organizing such documents based
upon discovered similarities, and then work with large groups of documents in organizing a
response to a typical prompt. Document types include a look at various pieces of artwork from
the middle ages onward to the cubism of the modern age, analysis of trends using maps, charts
and tables, and a look at written material from records of speeches, to diaries, internal memos
and historical commentaries and interpretations. We will complete a minimum of 5 different
practice DBQ questions over the course of the year, in addition to our smaller practice activities
with individual documents and document groups, teaching the skill and debriefing at the end of
each exersize.
4.
Students will be given a variety of readings showing differing interpretations of historical
events (example: Fischer’s discussion of blame for World War One, or the differing schools of
thought such as traditionalist, revisionist, post-revisionist, etc.) and then evaluate why things
have changed. We also look at selected readings on historiography from Gilderhus’ book
History and Historians on how the historian’s craft has changed over time in the western world.
5.
Assessment takes many forms, from Performance Based Assessments that give students
ungraded personal feedback, to Formative Assessments and finally to Summative Assessments.
As an example of summative, all units end with a two part exam: (A) Part One - Multiple Choice
questions in the AP style, including some teacher created questions as well as previously used
questions from released versions of the AP exam, and (B) Part Two - a choice of two or three
Free Response Essays in the AP style. Each test is followed by feedback provided both
individually and whole class on the ways to complete and improve upon their interpretation
and analysis of historical events and arguments. These assessments are at first not put on a time
limit but as the year proceeds, students are acclimatized to the time constraints they will be
facing at the AP Exam in May.
Grading Policy
Tests
60%
Daily Grades 40%
Note regarding grades: 85% of the above is averaged with your final exam grade (which is 15%) to
determine your final average
Textbooks
The county’s AP European History approved text is:
A History of Western Society Since 1300, Seventh Edition. McKay, J., Houghton Mifflin
Co., 2003.
Supplementary texts include:
A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Present, Second Edition.
Merriman, J., WW Norton & Co. Publishers, 2004.
Western Civilization, Fifth Edition. Speilvogel, J., Wadsonworth/Thomson Learning,
2003.
History and Historians: A Historiographical Introduction, Sixth Edition. Gilderhus,
Mark T., Prentice Hall., 2004.
Sources of the Western Tradition: From the Renaissance to the Present, Fifth Edition.
Perry, M., Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003.
Discovering the Western Past: A look at the Evidence, Vol. I: to 1789, Fifth Edition.
Wiesner, Merry, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004.
Discovering the Western Past: A look at the Evidence, Vol. II: since 1500, Fifth Edition.
Wiesner, Merry, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004.
The Human Record – Sources of Global History, Vol. 1: to 1700, Fifth Edition. Andrea,
A. & Overfield, J., Houghton Mifflin Co., 2005.
Sources of Twentieth-Century Global History. Overfield, J., Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.
Additional source material is used from a variety of online sites that in particular
includes various works of art, various museum exhibits, and other supplemental
material from other educational sources on the European experience.
Other outside sources of information will be used at the teacher’s
discretion.
Independent & Summer Reading
Summer —
Machiavelli, Nicollo. The Prince, Dover Publications, Inc., 1992.
Manchester, William. A World Lit Only by Fire, Back Bay Books, 1992.
1st Nine Weeks Moore, Thomas. Utopia, Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 1997.
2nd Nine Weeks Voltaire, Candide, Barnes & Noble Books, 2003.
3rd Nine Weeks Ibsen, H., A Doll’s House, Digireads.com, 2005
Conrad, J. , Heart of Darkness, Tuttle Publishing, 1995.
Summer Assignments
You should complete the following assignments this summer on the indicated timetable:
Before Summer —Check to make sure you have access to my school blackboard site sometime after June
2. Let me know by email if you cannot get into the blackboard site. The address is
http://www.blackboard.forsyth.k12.ga.us/
#1—Read The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli and respond to questions provided on blackboard.
During the reading process, if you have questions about the content, please list your question or respond to
other individuals and their questions on the AP Euro Blackboard site in the DISCUSSION FORUMS
section under COMMUNICATION TOOLS. There will be a forum titled “Discussion of the Prince”. I
will post a series of four probing questions on this site over the course of the summer (one on May 31,
another on June 12, a third on June 26, and the last on July 10. You need to respond to all of these prompts
no later than the 1st of August and look for feedback from me directing you on how to improve your
response. The rubric for grading this activity can be found on Blackboard, under Course Documents and
labeled “The Prince Assessment”.
#2—Read Utopia, by Sir Thomas Moore and respond to questions provided on blackboard. As in The
Prince above, look for a discussion forum and question on Angel on the same dates as the Prince piece.
The rubric for grading this assignment can also be found on Angel, under Course Documents and labeled
“The Fire Assessment.”
Both assignments are FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS, meaning no actual grade will be attached during the
summer reading. You will get feedback from me over the summer via blackboard and may post your own
questions there as well. When you return from summer break, we will discuss the assignment in class and
hold a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT in the form of an in-class Seminar on both books. This part of the
summer assignment will be graded, but if you’ve done the reading and the blackboard discussion, the actual
graded assessment should be a piece of cake.