DP HISTORY SYLLABUS & COURSE OUTLINE
12th Grade – Higher Level
Mr. Craig Talley, Instructor
Room: 301
Phone: (972) 501-0645
Email: ctalley@uplifteducation.org
Tutorials: Tuesdays before school, Thursdays before school, other times by appointment
Content: DP History is a two-year course.
Course Description: Over the course of the two years, students will engage in a
systematic study of the History of the Americas. This study comprises a general
chronology of North and South American history from 1492 to 2000. As part of their
course of study, students will examine the political and diplomatic, intellectual and
cultural, and social and economic history of the Americas. An international aspect will
be incorporated into the course in two ways. Students will examine the interaction
between American nations throughout the time period of the course. Comparisons and
connections will be made between events in the Americas and events in other regions of
the world on an ongoing basis throughout the two years.
Required Materials: Please come to class prepared. You should have paper and pencil
or pen every day. You should have some type of notebook in which to keep lecture notes
and handouts.
Grades: Your grade will be based on a categories basis. Tests and major assignments
will equal 60% of your total points earned during each semester. The other 40% of your
grade will consist of the following: homework, quizzes, worksheets, participation, etc.
The grading scale is as follows: A = 90%; B = 80%; C = 70%. This scale applies to all
assignments in this class.
Tests: There will be a test administered three times per quarter. Tests will generally be
of the essay variety. A research-type paper (Historical Investigation) will also be
required during the course of the year and will count as a test grade.
Late Work and Work Missed for Excused and Unexcused Absences: Please refer to
the student handbook. All applicable rules found therein will be applied. It is the
student’s responsibility to obtain any work missed due to absences.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism or any other form of cheating is a violation of the
North Hills Honor Code and is not tolerated. Those who cheat automatically receive a
zero on the assignment in question.
Extra Credit: As a rule, no extra credit will be offered or accepted.
OVERVIEW
The study of History is far more than the memorization of names and dates from the past.
Although the focus of study is that of our collective past, its significance is the bearing it
has on our present, on the world we live in now and the world we will live in the future.
More significantly, History greatly shapes and determines how we view the world we live
in and our relationships with others. One of the greatest rewards of the study of History is
the realization that truth is subjective and relative, and depends largely on contextual
perspective. Historians and students of History alike critically question the historical
truths that influence us today. The beauty of the discipline, contrary to the conventional
view of History, is that the discipline is not static. Rather, it is dynamic and constantly
evolving; History lives and changes as we change.
Students of History should learn that study of the discipline depends on the posing of
questions without providing definite answers. In order to understand the past, students
must engage with it through exposure to primary resources and the work of historians,
while constantly analyzing and evaluating resources critically. At the same time, the
study of History requires and depends on an individual’s understanding of, and empathy
for, people living in other periods and contexts.
IB Diploma Program History provides both structure and flexibility, fostering an
understanding of historical events in a global context. It requires students to make
comparisons between similar and dissimilar solutions to human situations, whether they
are political, economic, or social. It invites comparisons between, but not judgments of,
different cultures, political systems and traditions. The international perspective in the IB
Diploma Program History course provides an excellent foundation for the promotion of
international understanding and intercultural awareness necessary to prepare students for
global citizenship. Above all, it fosters respect and understanding of people and events in
a variety of cultures throughout the world.
Aims of IB Diploma Program History
The primary aims of the 2-year IB Diploma Program are as follows:
To promote an understanding of History as a discipline, including the nature and diversity
of its sources, methods and interpretations.
Encourage an understanding of the present through critical reflection of the past.
Encourage an understanding of the impact of historical developments at national, regional
and international levels
Develop an awareness of one’s own historical identity through the study of historical
experiences of different cultures.
Assessment Objectives
1. Knowledge and understanding
Recall and select relevant historical knowledge
Demonstrate an understanding of historical context
Demonstrate an understanding of historical processes: cause and effect; continuity and
change
Understand historical sources (paper 1)
Deploy detailed, in-depth knowledge (paper 3)
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a specific historical topic (IA)
2. Application and interpretation
Apply historical knowledge as evidence
Show awareness of different approaches to, and interpretations of, historical issues and
events
Compare and contrast historical sources as evidence (paper 1)
Present a summary of evidence (IA)
3. Synthesis and evaluation
Evaluate different approaches to, and interpretations of, historical issues and events
Evaluate historical sources as evidence (paper 1 and IA)
Evaluate and synthesize evidence from both historical sources and background
knowledge (paper 1)
Develop critical commentary using the evidence base (papers 2 and 3)
Synthesize by integrating evidence and critical commentary (paper 3)
Present an analysis of a summary of evidence (IA)
4. Use of historical skills
Demonstrate the ability to structure an essay answer, using evidence to support relevant,
balanced and focused historical arguments (papers 2 and 3)
Demonstrate evidence of research skills, organization, and referencing (IA)
ASSESSMENT
Similar to other IB Diploma Program courses, North Hills History students will be
formally assessed both internally and externally upon completion of their 2-year program.
Higher Level students will be assessed by: 1) writing an external examination and 2)
producing an internal historical investigation research paper.
The chart below highlights how students at both levels will be assessed for these two
assessments:
Form of Assessment
I. External Examination
A. Paper 1: Prescribed Subject (60 min.)
B. Paper 2: 20th Century Topics (90 min.)
C. Paper 3: Regional History (150 min.)
II. Internal Assessment
Percentage of Total Marks
20%
25%
35%
20%
DP HISTORY COURSE OUTLINE
12th Grade – Higher Level
COURSE OUTLINE
The IB Diploma Program History course of study is a two-year curriculum at the Higher
Level, which consists of a core curriculum that includes a prescribed subject and topic of
units. For the purpose of the North Hills History course, our core curriculum for the 11th
grade will focus on AP U.S. History. 12th grade will focus on Topics in 20th Century
World History. The breakdown of the 12th grade Topics in 20th Century World History
course will be as follows:
Topics in 20th Century World History Course
Paper One
Communism in Crisis, 1976-1991
The Paper 1 topic will be studied throughout the course of the year through the
Paper 2 topics.
Paper Two
Origins and development of authoritarian and single-party states
The 20th century produced many authoritarian and single-party states. The
origins, ideology, form of government, organization, nature, and impact of these
regimes will be studied.
Origins and nature of authoritarian and single-party states
Conditions that produced authoritarian and single-party states
Emergence of leaders: aims, ideology, support
Totalitarianism: the aim and the extent to which it was achieved
Establishment of authoritarian and single-party states
Methods: force, legal
Form of government, (left- and right-wing) ideology
Nature, extent, and treatment of opposition
Domestic policies and impact
Structure and organization of government and administration
Political, economic, social, and religious policies
Role of education, the arts, the media, propaganda
Status of women, treatment of religious groups and minorities
Material for detailed study
USSR – Stalin
Germany – Hitler
China – Mao
Argentina – Peron
The Cold War and Communism in Crisis
This topic addresses East-West relations from 1945. It aims to promote an
international perspective and understanding of the origins, course, and effects of
the Cold War – a conflict that dominated global affairs from the end of the
Second World War to the early 1990s. It includes superpower rivalry and events
in all areas affected by Cold War politics such as spheres of interest, wars (proxy),
alliances, and interferences in developing countries.
Origins of the Cold War
Ideological differences
Mutual suspicion and fear
From wartime allies to post-war enemies
Nature of the Cold War
Ideological opposition
Superpowers and spheres of influence
Alliances and diplomacy in the Cold War
Development and Impact of the Cold War
Global spread of the Cold War from its European origins
Cold War policies of containment, brinkmanship, peaceful coexistence, détente
Role of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement
Role and significance of leaders
Arms race, proliferation and limitation
Social, cultural, and economic impact
End of the Cold War
Break-up of Soviet Union: internal problems and external pressures
Breakdown of Soviet control over Central and Eastern Europe
Material for detailed study
Wartime conferences: Yalta and Potsdam
US policies and developments in Europe: Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO
Soviet policies, Sovietization of Eastern and Central Europe, COMECON, Warsaw Pact
Sino-Soviet relations
US – Chinese relations
Germany (especially Berlin (1945-61)), Congo (1960-64), Afghanistan (1979-88), Korea,
Cuba, Vietnam, Middle East
Struggle for power in China following the death of Mao
China under Deng Xiaoping
Castro, Gorbachev, Kennedy, Mao, Reagan, Stalin, Truman
Detailed Syllabus
Quarter 1
Week 1, 08/04 – 08/07: Begin Topic 3, Stalin. 18-30.
Week 2, 08/10 – 08/14: Continue Stalin. Paper 3 Exam on 08/12-13.
Week 3, 08/17 – 08/21: Continue Stalin. Quiz. 31-45.
Week 4, 08/24 – 08/28: Continue Stalin. Quiz. 46-65.
Week 5, 08/31 – 09/04: Complete Stalin. Paper 2 Exam on 09/03-04.
Week 6, 09/08 – 09/11: Begin Hitler. Quiz. 67-78.
Week 7, 09/14 – 09/18: Continue Hitler. Quiz. HI Rough Draft on 09/16-17. 79-90.
Week 8, 09/21 – 09/25: Continue Hitler. Paper 1 Exam on 09/24-25. 91-110.
Week 9, 09/28 – 10/02: Continue Hitler. Quiz. 111-119.
Quarter 2
Week 1, 10/05 – 10/09: Complete Hitler. Quiz.
Week 2, 10/12 – 10/16: Begin Mao. Paper 2 Exam on 10/14-15. 121-131.
Week 3, 10/19 – 10/23: Continue Mao. Quiz. 132-48.
Week 4, 10/26 – 10/30: Continue Mao. Quiz. 149-157.
Week 5, 11/02 – 11/06: Continue Mao. Paper 1 Exam on 11/05-06. 157-167.
Week 6, 11/09 – 11/13: Complete Mao. Quiz. HI Final Draft on 11/09-10. 169-180.
Week 7, 11/16 – 11/20: Begin Peron. Quiz. 266-274.
Week 8, 11/30 – 12/04: Continue Peron. Paper 2 Exam on 12/02-03. 275-288.
Week 9, 12/07 – 12/11: Continue Peron. Quiz. 289-303.
Week 10, 12/14 – 12/18: Complete Peron. Semester Exams.
Quarter 3
Week 1, 01/06 – 01/08: Begin Cold War. Quiz. 10-41.
Week 2, 01/11 – 01/15: Origins of the Cold War. Paper 1 Exam on 01/14-15. 42-73.
Week 3, 01/17 – 01/22: Nature of the Cold War. Quiz. 74-101.
Week 4, 01/25 – 01/29: Development of the Cold War. Quiz. 102-137.
Week 5, 02/01 – 02/05: Impact of the Cold War. Paper 2 Exam on 02/04-05. 138-175.
Week 6, 02/08 – 02/11: Proxy Wars of the Cold War. Quiz. 176-231.
Week 7, 02/16 – 02/19: End of the Cold War. Quiz. 232-259.
Week 8, 02/22 – 02/26: Communism in Crisis. Paper 1 Exam on 02/24-25. 260-305.
Week 9, 02/29 – 03/04: Communism in Crisis.
Quarter 4
Review and practice.
Quizzes weekly in March and April.
Paper 2 Exam on 03/23-24.
Paper 1 Exam on 04/07-08.
Paper 3 Exam on 04/20-21.