Course Syllabus
AP World History
INSTRUCTOR: Mrs. Jessica Dyer
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email is the preferred method of contact for this course. jessica.dyer@barren.kyschools.us
The course instructor may also be contacted by phone at 651-6315 before or after school and during
the planning period. Parents wishing to meet with instructor in person may call and schedule an
appointment.
COURSE WEBPAGE:
http://www.barren.kyschools.us/olc/class.aspx?id=42320&s=1204
This website will be used extensively throughout the year. Students (and parents) are strongly
encouraged to visit the site regularly for access to information about homework assignments, exam
dates, lecture notes, etc.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
AP World History is an academic, yearlong course designed to teach the history of a human
perspective from a truly global stance rather than from the dominant perspective of Western
Civilization. Emphasis is placed on worldwide historical processes and connections among all
aspects of human societies. Historical facts will be taught in the context of how progressive changesenvironmental, social, and scientific- influenced the various societies they touched as well as how
these groups interacted.
The goal of this course is to challenge students in a college-like atmosphere. This course is
organized into six defining time periods to serve as a vehicle for examination of continuities and
changes over time, which forms a framework for understanding the history of the world. Study
within each specified period will be further organized using major concepts and themes. As a result,
students will not simply be learning facts. They will be learning to form comparisons between and
among societies as well as tracing the evolution of societies over time.
Students will be expected to prepare for class through the reading of course materials. Primary
sources will be utilized to show students how historical analysis works and provide them with
opportunities to form develop their own informed interpretations of past and present world events.
Students will also engage in analytical writing. Students will develop their writing skills including
the ability to form a comprehensive, analytical thesis and support that thesis using relevant historic
evidence.
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
1
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:
Textbooks and document readers will be issued by the instructor. Students are financially
responsible for any lost or damaged books.
Students are expected to bring their textbook and document reader to class EVERY DAY.
Textbook:
Bulliet, Richard W., Crossley, Pamela K., Headrick, Daniel R., Hirsch, Steven W., Johnson,
Lyman L., and Northrup, David. The Earth and Its People: A Global History, 3rd AP Edition.
Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, Mass. 2005.
The text is also available on CD for students wishing to have an electronic copy. See the
course instructor if you are interested in receiving a copy of the disk.
Primary Source Document Reader: (Volume I: to 1700 and Volume II: Since 1500)
Andrea, Alfred J., and Overfield, James, H. The Human Record: Sources of Global History,
5th edition. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, Mass. 2005.
Students must also bring the following items to class each day:
 3 Ring Binder (at least 2 inches) and dividing tabs
 Course Documents (Syllabus, Course Calendar, etc.)
 Bell Ringers
 Notes
 Homework
 Essays
 Tests/Quizzes
 paper
 writing utensils (blue or black pens AND pencils)
SUGGESTED STUDY GUIDE:
Although it is not required, students are highly encouraged to purchase a copy of Princeton
Review’s Cracking the AP Exam for AP World History. This is a comprehensive study guide that
contains useful study tips, simplified reviews of each unit, and practice exam questions.
AP EXAM: May 12, 2016 (8 AM)
Students taking AP classes have an opportunity to earn college credit in addition to high school
credit. This is accomplished by taking the AP Exam at the end of the course. The exams are scored
on a scale of 1 to 5. Should students score a 3 or higher on this exam, they will earn college credit.
In addition, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch may also be eligible to receive extra
KEES money for qualifying scores.
STRUCTURE OF THE AP EXAM
The AP Exam for World History is divided into TWO sections.
Section 1: Multiple Choice
70 questions- 55 minutes
Section 2: Essays (must be written in blue or black ink)
3 Essays- 130 minutes (includes a 10 minute reading period)
 Document Based Question (DBQ) Essay: The DBQ does not test students’ prior
content knowledge; instead, this essay tests a student’s skill and ability to analyze
primary source documents and utilize them to develop and support a comprehensive
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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thesis. Because documents can be interpreted and used in various ways, there is no
single correct answer. Students are assessed based upon their ability to analyze and
interpret documents, develop and support a thesis, group documents based upon
common themes, analyze point of view, and identify missing perspectives.
-Example of DBQ Essay students will write in Unit 3. Students will write a
minimum of one DBQ essay during each unit of study.
Analyze the response to the spread of Buddhism in China. (2004 AP World History


Exam Question)
Continuity and Change Over Time (CCOT) Essay: This essay deals specifically with
the analysis of continuities (things that stay the same) and changes over time. The
essay will cover at least one of the time periods addressed in the course outline and
will focus on major trends such as technology, trade, culture, migration, etc. This
essay requires students to draw upon prior content knowledge and use historic fact as
evidence to support a thesis. This essay also requires students to analyze and explain
causation while also relating these patterns to a global context.
-Example of CCOT Essay students will write in Unit 1. The following essay
will be used to model “How to do the CCOT”.
Analyze the social, political, and/or economic changes and continuities that
occur in human society as a result of the Neolithic Revolution.
Comparative Essay: This essay will focus on at least two societies and/or regions and
will relate to one of the major course themes (see page 7 and 8 for course themes).
Comparative essays require students to develop a thesis and use historic facts as
evidence to support the similarities and differences they choose to address. Students
must also provide an analysis of why these similarities and/or differences exist.
-Example of Comparative Essay students will write in Unit 1. The following
essay will be used to model “How to do the Comparative Essay”.
Compare and contrast the social, political, and economic structure of
Mesopotamia and Egypt.
ASSESSMENT:
Grades will be weighted in the following fashion:
 35%= Quizzes, Tests, and Projects
o Unit Exams:
 Unit exams will be administered at the end of each unit of study. All unit
exams will consist of multiple choice questions and will be modeled after the
structure of the AP Exam.
 Exams are COMPREHENSIVE. Any material we have studied in class up to
that point may be assessed on the test.
o Bell Ringer Quiz:
 Students may be given Bell Ringer Quizzes periodically to assess mastery of
Bell Ringer content. The Bell Ringer quiz will be relatively short (10
questions). The questions may cover material previously learned in class or
may be used to assess content the student was expected to read in preparation
for class.
o Pop Quizzes:
 From time to time, the instructor may see the need to administer a “Pop” quiz.
Such quizzes may cover content from class, textbook reading, or document
reader assignments.
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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o Makeup Tests/quizzes
Students who miss a test DUE TO AN EXCUSED ABSENCE or field trip will need
to make arrangements to make it up BEFORE or AFTER school within the time
frame allotted by school policy.

30%= Homework and Daily Grades
Homework:
o Students will have regular homework assignments. Students are reminded to
check the website for due dates. Due dates are also posted in the classroom.
o Because due dates are posted in advance in the classroom and on the website.
Students who turn in an assignment late will receive a maximum of half credit.
Furthermore, students who are absent or out of class due to club meetings or field
trips are still expected to meet their deadlines. Students may turn in their work
the day before or on the following day.
o Students MUST read each chapter in the text. Students will then go online to the
course webpage and take a quiz for each chapter of the text. The chapter reading
quizzes will be recorded as a homework grade because they are completed
outside of class.
o Students will also be expected to read a variety of primary documents and
analyze them.
o Document Analysis: when analyzing primary sources, students should use the
following format.
 APPARTS will be the criteria used for analyzing primary sources.
 Author- Who created the source, and what is his/her point of view?
 Place and Time- Where and when was the source created? How
does this affect the meaning of the source?
 Prior Knowledge- What information did you bring to this source?
What do you already know that will help you understand the source?
 Audience- For whom was the source created? How does this affect
the source?
 Reason- At the time it was created, for what purpose was the source
created?
 The Main Idea- What is the central point the source is trying to
make? What does it say—literally? Personally? Universally? (To
the individual interpreting, most documents have three meanings:
Literal, Personal, and Universal.)
 Significance- Why is the source important to what you are studying
or the way you want to use it?
o ALL homework assignments MUST be written in complete sentences and
organized into paragraphs unless otherwise noted by instructor. Failure to do
adhere to this guideline will result in penalty to the grade for that assignment.
Daily Grades:
o Daily grades will be assigned for a variety of activities conducted in class.
o Students will have a bell ringer every day. The bell ringers allow us to practice
AP-style multiple choice questions every day.
o In order to receive full credit on bell ringers, students must thoroughly explain
why each answer option is either right or wrong. Students who fail to fully
explain each answer option will not receive credit for that day.
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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o Bell Ringers will be collected every other Friday. Should a student miss a day, he
or she must still answer the question. I do not give credit for writing “I was
absent” on the bell ringer.
o If a student is absent on the day I collect the Bell Ringers, he or she should turn it
in on the day they return to school. I will not run students down and ask them for
the work. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the bell ringers are
complete and turned in.

35%= Free Response Essays:
Essays: (See page 3 for a description of each essay as well as examples of essays
students will write in class).
o Students will write numerous essays throughout the course. Some essays will be
sent home for completion. Others will be administered in class under time
constraints. Each essay will be graded using the AP approved rubric.
 Copies of the essay rubrics as well as the grading scale for the essays
can be accessed on my webpage.
o After school writing workshops are available for students who need extra
instruction in essay writing skills. See page 3 for details.
o Students who are dissatisfied with their essay scores may choose to make
improvements and resubmit the essay for a higher grade.
o There will be three types of essays administered: the Comparative, the
Change/Continuity Over Time, and the Document Based Question
 Each essay students write will be designed to help students practice
their historic thinking skills. Refer to page 7 for a description of the
historic thinking skills for this course.
***Students who score a 75 or higher each 9 weeks will have their grade curved using the
AP curve approved by BCHS.***
EXPECTATIONS FOR OUT OF CLASS WORK:
Students taking this course are advised that the workload is much greater than that of a standard high
school history course. As such, students will have regular homework assignments. Successful
completion of the course will require completion of out of class reading and other assignments.
Students are once again reminded to regularly check the webpage for homework assignments and
due dates. Most assignments will be posted in advance and we will adhere to due dates posted.
Students are expected to have their work completed on the specified date.
ZEROS POLICY:
Because completion of work is essential to success in this course, students who habitually earn zeros
will be in danger of failing. Therefore, the teacher reserves the right to contact a parent and notify
them of their child’s lack of progress. I may also refer this child to the guidance office for further
intervention.
WRITING COMPONENT:
This is an intensive course and students will be expected to engage in various forms of analytical and
historical writing. Not only does this writing allow students to process and demonstrate what they
have learned, but it also serves as valuable practice for the AP Exam. Each unit will include at least
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
5
one DBQ, one CCOT, and one Comparison essay. The instructor may assign other writing
assignments as he/she deems necessary throughout the course. Students who are dissatisfied with
their essay performance may stay after school to work with the instructor. Students may make
improvements to their essays and resubmit for a higher grade.
AP STUDY SESSIONS:
Study sessions will be scheduled (either after school or on Saturday) throughout the school year.
Students are highly encouraged to attend. Study dates will be posted on my webpage once I have
scheduled them.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students have up to five school days to make up tests or quizzes missed due to an excused absence.
Tests and quizzes must be made up before or after school and must be scheduled during a time that
is convenient for the course instructor. Additionally, because due dates for homework are posted in
advance, students will NOT receive 5 additional days to turn in homework or bell ringer assignments
following an absence or field trip. Students should be aware of which assignments were due and be
sure to turn them in immediately.
LATE GRADE POLICY:
Assignments not turned in on time will a maximum of half credit. Students are reminded to check
due dates in the classroom and on the webpage. Students who are out of class due to absences and/or
field trips are further reminded to meet deadlines. Due dates for homework that is posted in advance
will not change simply because the student is out of class.
FINAL EXAM POLICY:
Students enrolled in an AP course have an option of whether or not they wish to take the AP Exam in
May. Students who choose not to take the AP Exam are required to take a final exam for the course,
which will be structured in the same format as the AP Exam and will count for 20% of the student’s
final grade in the course. Those who take the AP Exam will be exempt from the final.
PLAGIARISM/ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY:
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty are serious offenses. The academic work of a student is expected
to be his/her own effort. Students must give the author(s) credit for any source material used. To
represent ideas or interpretations taken from a source without giving credit is a flagrant act. To
present a borrowed passage after having changed a few words, even if the source is cited, is also
plagiarism. Students who commit any act of academic dishonesty (i.e.-students who are caught
cheating on an assessment) will receive a failing grade in that portion of the course work. Acts of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the administration.
HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS:
Students in AP World History are not simply learning facts. Students will also learn to develop
certain historical thinking skills. Activities and lessons will be designed to provide students with
an opportunity to develop and practice these thinking skills.
 Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence
o Students will be able to:
 Develop a clear, comprehensive, and analytical thesis
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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


 Support thesis with relevant historical evidence
 Describe, analyze, and evaluate the arguments of others
 Evaluate a variety of historic sources
Chronological Reasoning
o Students will be able to:
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate relationships of causation
 Recognize and analyze patterns of continuity and change over time
 Analyze and assess methods of dividing history into meaningful periods
(periodization)
Comparison and Contextualization
o Students will be able to:
 Make accurate comparisons between and among societies
 Recognize comparisons across time, place, and culture
 Evaluate multiple perspectives
 Connect historic developments to specific circumstances of time and place
Historical Interpretation and Synthesis
o Students will be able to:
 Describe, analyze and evaluate diverse interpretations of the past
 Analyze evidence in primary and secondary sources of information
 Develop meaningful and persuasive understandings of the past
 Apply historical thinking skills
 Apply historical context to other circumstances
THEMES:
Throughout the course, we will use the following themes to identify the broad patterns and processes
that help to explain change and continuity over time.
1. Interaction between humans and the environment
o
o
o
o
Demography and disease
Migration
Patterns of Settlement
Technology
2. Development and interaction of cultures
o
o
o
o
Religions
Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
Science and Technology
The arts and Architecture
3. State-building, expansion, and conflict
o
o
o
o
o
Political structures and forms of governance
Empires
Nations and nationalism
Revolts and Revolutions
Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations
4. Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems
o
o
o
o
o
Agricultural and pastoral production
Trade and commerce
Labor systems
Industrialization
Capitalism and socialism
5. Development and transformation of social structures
o
o
o
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Gender roles and relationships
Family and kinship
Racial and ethnic constructions
Social and economic classes
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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COURSE OUTLINE:
The AP World History course will be organized in the following periods or units of study.
Period/Unit
Period Title
Date Range
Weight
of Study
5%
1
Technological and Environmental
To 600 B.C.E.
Approximately 2
Transformations
weeks of study
15%
2
Organization and Reorganization
600 B.C.E to 600 C.E
Approximately 4
of Human Societies
weeks of study
20%
3
Regional and Transregional
600 C.E. to 1450 C.E.
Approximately 6
Interactions
weeks of study
20%
4
Global Interactions
1450 C.E. to 1750 C.E.
Approximately 6
weeks of study
5
Industrial and Global Integration
1750 C.E. to 1900 C.E.
6
Accelerating Global Change and
Realignments
1900 to the Present
20%
Approximately 6
weeks of study
20%
Approximately 6
weeks of study
Note: The periodization of the text we use in this class does not always consistently align with
the periodization for this course. In other words, the units do not perfectly match up with the
chapters of the text. Throughout the class, we will examine other models of periodization
developed by historians.
Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations
To 600 B.C.E.
Key Concept 1.1: Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth

Major Topics of Study:
o Human migration patterns from East Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas
o Adaptation of technology for use in varying climates
o Use of fire and Development of tools
o Life in hunter-forager society
Key Concept 1.2: The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies

Major Topics of Study:
o Role of climate change in the development of permanent agricultural villages
o Development of agriculture in Mesopotamia, the Nile River Valley, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indus
River Valley, the Yellow River Valley, Papua New Guinea, Mesoamerica, and the Andes.
o Pastoralism developed in the grasslands of Afro-Eurasia
o Domestication of plant and animal species
o Impact of Neolithic Revolution
Key Concept 1.3: The Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban
Societies

Major Topics of Study:
o Core and foundational civilizations including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa,
Shang China, Olmec, Chavin
o Divine Right
o Early examples of empire building including Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and the Nile Valley
o Development of technologies by pastoralist groups including the compound bow and horseback
riding
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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o
o
Contributions of early civilizations (monumental architecture, art and artisanship, systems of
record keeping, law Codes, religion, trade, literature)
Social stratification
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources used in Unit 1: (other sources may be used in addition to this list)
*William H. McNeill, “Why Study History”
*Peter N. Stearns, “Why Study History”
*Summer Reading Assignment: Students will prepare for class by reading McNeill and Stearn’s essays on
“Why Study History”. Students will then use a Venn Diagram to compare the diverse interpretations presented
by the two scholars. Finally, students will write their own essay in which they discuss reasons why they feel
students should study history.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Judgments of Hammurabi*
*The above mentioned document will be used to model APPARTS primary document analysis. Students will
read the document and report to class at which time we will analyze the document together. This activity will
serve as an example for how to properly analyze the point of view, audience, context, etc. of primary sources.
The Book of Documents
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: Indus Valley Civilization (Strayer, Ways of the World: A Global
History with Sources)
Marjorie Shostak, From Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative
Reader)
Elise Boulding, Women and the Agricultural Revolution (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)*
*Boulding’s article will be used to highlight the role that other disciplines can play in shaping our
understanding of history. Boulding uses her expertise in sociology to help shape an understanding of the role
women played in the Agricultural Revolution. Students will then engage in a discussion in which they will be
asked to identify other fields of study that have made important contributions to history.
Chart: Agricultural Breakthroughs (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: World Population during the Age of Agricultural Civilization (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Map 2.2 The Global Spread of Agriculture (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Map 1.1 Early Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 1.2 River-Valley Civilizations, 3500-1500 BCE (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Various other images of art, architecture, etc. will be presented through PowerPoint presentation
Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies
600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E
Key Concept: 2.1: The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions

Major Topics of Study
o Monotheism and Judaism
o Hinduism
o Caste System in India
o Buddhism (origins and spread)
o Emperor Ashoka
o Confucianism
o Daoism
o Christianity (origins and spread)
o Greco-Roman philosophy and science
o Monasticism (Buddhism and Christianity)
o Filial Piety (Confucianism)
o Shamanism and Animism
o Ancestor Veneration
o Literature including Greek plays and/or Indian Epics
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
9
o
o
Distinct architectural styles
Impact of Greco-Roman culture and Buddhism on sculpture
Key Concept 2.2: The Development of States and Empires

Key Topics of Study
o Development of empire in Southwest Asia (Persia), East Asia (Qin and Han), South Asia (Maurya
and Gupta), Mediterranean (Phoenicia, Greece, Rome), Mesoamerica (Teotihuacan, Maya),
Andean South America (Moche)
o Administrative institutions including centralized government and bureaucracy
o Techniques used by imperial governments including diplomacy, supply lines, fortifications, and
military
o Building and promotion of trade and economic integration
o Important cities
o Social Stratification
o Strategies for maintaining food production
o Patriarchy Impact on the environment
o External problems resulting in a decline in classical societies
Key Concept 2.3: Emergence and Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange

Major Topics of Study
o Trade routes including Silk Roads, Trans-Saharan Caravan routes, Indian Ocean sea lanes, and
Mediterranean sea lanes
o New technologies and domesticated pack animals aid in transportation
o Innovative maritime technologies including lateen sail and/or dhow ships
o Changes in farming and agricultural techniques
o Spread of disease and impact on urban populations
o Transformation of religious systems as they spread
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources used in Unit 2: (other sources may be used in addition to this list)
The Buddha, Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Law
The Bhagavad Gita
Laozi, The Classics of the Way and Virtue
Confucius, The Analects
Han Fei, The Writings of Master Han Fei
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Plato, Apologia
Three Helenistic Works of Art (visual source)
Ban Zhao, Lessons for Women
The Laws of Manu
Five Robed Statues (Visual source)
S.A. M. Adshead, China and Rome Compared (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Sarah Shaver Hughes and Brady Hughes, Women in the Classical Era (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative
Reader)
Jerry H. Bentley, The Spread of World Religions (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Lynda Norene Shaffer, Southernization (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Students will read Southernization and engage in a Fish Bowl/Socratic Seminar discussion in which they
discuss course themes exemplified in Shaffer’s essay. Students will then be given an assignment in which they
compare the information found in Shaffer’s essay with interpretations of history seen in traditional middle
school and high school textbooks that typically portray history from a western perspective.
Map 5.1 The Roman Empire (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 5.2 Han China (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Chart: Key Moments in Classical Chinese History (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: Qin Shihuangdi and China’s Eternal Empire (Strayer, Ways of the
World)
Chart: Thinkers and Philosophies of the Classical Era (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Various other images of art, architecture, etc. will be presented via PowerPoint presentation
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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Period 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions
600 C.E. to 1450
Key Concept 3.1: Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks

Major Topics of Study
o Improved transportation technologies result in increased volume of trade
o Established trade routes including Silk Roads, Mediterranean Sea, Trans-Saharan routes, and
Indian Ocean
o Development of trading cities such as Timbuktu
o New trade routes in Mesoamerica and Andean South America
o Luxury trade (silk, spices, etc.)
o Caravan organization used to facilitate trade
o New forms of credit and monetary systems
o State sponsored commercial infrastructure including Grand Canal in China
o Expansion of empires including China, Byzantine Empire, Muslim Caliphates, and Mongols
o Intensification of long-distance trade using knowledge about environment including Viking use of
longships to navigate coastal waterways and inland rivers
o Migration patterns including Bantu-speaking peoples in Sub-Saharan Africa and Polynesian
peoples
o Cultural diffusion that results from migration and interaction including development of Bantu
languages and Swahili
o Islam (origins and spread)
o Diasporas that result in the spread of culture
o Interregional travelers including Ibn Battuta and/or Marco Polo
o Diffusion of literary, artistic and cultural traditions including the spread of Hinduism, Buddhism
and Islam into Southeast Asia
o Cross-cultural interaction including the return of Greek science and technology to Western Europe
(Renaissance)
o New foods and agricultural techniques including Champa rice in East Asia
o Spread of epidemic disease along established trade patterns such as the Black Death
Key Concept 3.2: Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions

Major Topics of Study
o Use of traditional sources of power such as patriarchy helps to reconstitute the Byzantine Empire
and Chinese dynasties (Sui, Tang, Song)
o New forms of governance emerge including caliphates, Mongol Khanates, city-states, and
feudalism
o Synthesis of local and borrowed traditions including the influence of Chinese traditions in Japan
during the Nara period
o Expansion of city-states in the Maya and development of empire with the Inca and Aztec
o Interregional contact and conflict among cultures resulting in technological and cultural transfers
Key Concept 3.3: Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences

Major Topics of Study
o Innovative technologies such as the chinampa field system increase agricultural production
o Transport of crops from their indigenous homelands to areas with equivalent climates
o Expansion of textiles, porcelain in China, Persia and India; iron and steel production increases in
China
o Decline of urban areas due to invasion, disease, decline of agricultural productivity, and cooler
temperatures
o Revival of urban centers following the end of invasions, reliable and safe transport, warmer
temperatures, increased agricultural productivity, increased population, and greater availability of
labor
o Decline of older cities and emergence of new urban centers
o Labor organization including free peasant agriculture, nomadic pastoralism, guilds, coerced labor,
labor taxes, and military obligations
o Coerced labor including serfdom and mita
o Peasant revolts
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
11
o
Patriarchy and social hierarchies
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources used in Unit 3: (other sources may be used in addition to this list)
*Gregory Guzman, “Were the Barbarians a Negative or Positive Factor in Ancient and Medieval History?”
(Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
“Rethinking the Legendary Barbarian: Genghis Khan”. USN&WR Special Edition
*John of Plano Carpini, History of the Mongols (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
*Students will read the three articles/essays listed above and compare the diverse perspectives on the impact of
Mongols and other “barbarian” groups in history. Students will then engage in a discussion in which they
debate the positive and negative results of Mongol conquest. Students will also write a comparative essay in
which they compare the impact of Mongols in Russia and China.
Malik ibn Anas, The Smoothed Path
The Chronicles of Japan
Murasaki Shikibu, from The Tale of Genj i(Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Buddhism in China: From The Disposition of Error (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
A Record of Musings on the Eastern Capital
Shi Baochang, Lives of the Nuns
Han Yu, Memorial on Buddhism
Vikrama’s Adventures
Baldric of Dol, The Jerusalem History
Anna Comnena, The Alexiad
Abu Ubaydallah al-Bakri, The Book of Routes and Realms
Seated Female Figure (Visual Source)
Three Mayan Ceramic Sculptures (Visual Source)
Diego Duran, Book of the Gods and Rites
Pedro d Cieza de Leon, Chronicles
The World Perceived images of maps to illustrate world views (Chinese, European, and Korean)
Chinggis Khan, Letter to Changun
Marco Polo, Description of the World
Ichisada Miyazaki, The Chinese Civil Service Exam System (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: The Leisure Life of China’s Elites (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: Key Moments in the Evolution of Western Civilization (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: Key Moments in the Early History of Islam (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Map 9.3 The Crusades (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 12.1 The Mongol Domains (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Various other images of art, architecture, etc. will be presented via PowerPoint presentation
Period 4: Global Interactions
1450-1750
Key Concept 4.1: Globalization Networks of Communication and Exchange

Major topics of study
o Trading patterns in Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Sahara, and Eurasia
o Technological developments to improve navigation including cartography, compass, astrolabe,
and caravels
o Zheng He and the Ming voyages
o Portuguese exploration (Henry the Navigator and early exploration)
o Spanish exploration
o Northern Atlantic crossings in search of routes to Asia
o Oceania and Polynesia trade routes
o Global trade
o European merchants in Asia
o Impact of silver on global trade
o Mercantilism
o Trade across the Atlantic Ocean
o Columbian Exchange
o Transport of American food crops to Europe, Asia, and Africa
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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Cash crops including sugar
Old world plants and animals transported to the Americas including horses and okra
Impact of new food crops
Impact on environment
Adaptation of Islam to local cultural practices (Sufi)
Protestant Reformation
Buddhism in Asia
Syncretism including Vodun in the Caribbean
Renaissance and development of artistic culture all over the world
Expansion of literacy and important works of literature including Shakespeare and Kabuki
Key Concept 4.2: New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production

Major topics of study
o Peasant labor including use of peasants in cotton textile production in India
o Slavery
o Plantation economy and the use of coerced labor including encomienda and indentured servitude
o Social stratification and hierarchy
o New political and economic resulting from imperial conquest including Creoles
o Existing elites (nobility in Europe) challenged by increasingly powerful monarchs
o Restructuring of gender and family including smaller families in Europe
o Demographic changes in the Americas resulting in new ethnic and racial classifications including
mestizo and mulatto
Key Concept 4.3: State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion

Major topics of study
o Use of arts to display political power including monumental architecture
o Use of religion to legitimize political power including human sacrifice among the Aztec and
divine right in Europe
o Ethnic minorities are used for economic benefits, but are not given power including the Ottoman
treatment of non-Muslims
o Bureaucracy and development of military professionals including the Chinese examination system
o Tribute and tax farming
o Increased European involvement in Africa and Asia
o Land empires expand including the Manchu (Qing), Mughal, Ottoman, and Russian
o Establishment of European maritime empires including the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French,
and British
o Competition over trade routes results in conflict including piracy in the Caribbean
o State rivalries emerge including the Ottoman-Safavid conflict
o Local resistance to outside involvement including samurai revolts
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources Used in Unit 4: (other sources may be used in addition to this list)
Meritorious Deeds at No Cost
Kaibara and Token Ekiken, Common Sense Teachings for Japanese Children and Greater Learning for Women
Zhang Han, “On Strange Tales” and “On Merchants”
Yan Lien, Memorial to Emperor Ming Xizong concerning Eunuch Wei Zhongxian
Tokugawa Hidetada, Laws Governing the Military Households
Tokugawa Iemitsu, Closed Country Edict of 1635
Matteo Rici, Journals
Ogier Ghiselin de Buzbecq, Turkish Letters
Father Paul Simon, Report to Pope Paul V
Jahangir, Memoirs
Sultan Selim I, Letter to Shah Ismail of Persia
Abdul Fazl, Akbarama
Martin Luther, Table Talk
Decrees of the Council of Trent
Gomes Eannes de Azurara, The Chronicle of Guinea
Galileo Galilei, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina
Nzinga Mbemba (Alfonso I), Letters to the King of Portugal
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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Bernardino de Sahagun, General History of the Things of New Spain
Encomienda Records from Nestpala 1547-1565*
Complaint of the Indians of Tocama against Their Encomendero, Juan Ponce de Leon*
Antonio Vazquez de Espinosa, Compendium and Description of the West Indies*
*Students will use the above mentioned documents to engage in a discussion in which they evaluate the causes
and consequences of the use of coerced labor systems in the colonial period.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, “Memorandum on English Alliances” and Memorandum to the King on Finances”
Peter the Great, Edicts and Decrees *
Mikhail Shcherbatov, On the Corruption of Morals in Russia*
*The two documents listed above will be used to analyze various interpretations on the decrees of Peter I
The English Bill of Rights
Joseph Kahn, “China Has an Ancient Mariner to Tell You About” (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative
Reader)
Two European Views of Native Americans (Visual Sources) (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Lynda Norene Shaffer, China, Technology, and Change (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Fukuzawa Yukichi, Good-bye Asia (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
Map 16.1 Religious Reformation in Europe (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 17.1 Colonial Latin America in the Eighteenth Century (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 18.2 The African Slave Trade, 1500-1800 (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 19.1 Muslim Empires in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 20.1 The Qing Empire, 1644-1783 (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: The Conquest of Mexico Through Aztec Eyes (Strayer, Ways of the
World)
Chart: Key Moments in the European Encounter with Asia (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Various other images of art, architecture, etc. will be presented via PowerPoint presentation
Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration
1750-1900
Key Concept 5.1: Industrialization and Global Capitalism

Major topics of study
o Factors leading to the rise of industrial production including: Europe’s location, geographical
distribution of coal, iron, and timber, demographic changes, urbanization, increased agricultural
productivity, private property, abundance of rivers and canals, access to foreign resources,
accumulation of capital
o Development of machines including steam engines and internal combustion engines and the use
of “fossil fuels”
o Development of factory system and specialization of labor
o Methods of industrial production
o “Second Industrial Revolution” including steel, chemicals, and electricity
o Demand for raw resources
o Decline of agriculturally based economies
o Demand for new consumer markets
o Global demand for gold, silver, and diamonds lead to extensive mining
o Development of financial institutions
o Capitalism and the ideas of Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill
o Development of stock markets
o Transnational businesses
o Developments in transportation and communication including railroads, steamships, telegraphs,
and canals
o Workers organize to improve working conditions, limit working hours, and gain higher wages
o Promotion of alternative views on society and the economy including Marxism
o Attempts to resist change in China and the Ottoman Empire
o State sponsored industrialization including the Meiji Restoration in Japan
o Reforms promoted in response to criticisms including state pensions and public health
o Development of new social classes including the middle class and industrial working class
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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Changes in gender roles and family dynamics
Rapid urbanization and unsanitary conditions
Key Concept 5.2: Imperialism and Nation-State Formation

Major topics of study
o Strengthening of control over existing colonies
o Establishment of European, American and Japanese empires in Asia and the Pacific, decline of
Spanish and Portuguese influence
o Use of warfare and diplomacy to create empires in Africa
o Settler colonies including the British in Africa, Australia, and New Zealand
o Economic Imperialism
o Meiji Restoration in Japan
o Anti-imperial resistance in the Ottoman Empire
o Development of new states including the Zulu Kingdom
o Nationalism
o Unification of Germany
o Social Darwinism
Key Concept 5.3: Nationalism, Revolution, and Reform

Major topics of study
o Enlightenment and thinkers such as Voltaire
o Development of new political ideas such as Locke and the Social Contract
o Revolutionary documents including the Declaration of Independence, French Declaration of
Rights of Man and Citizen, and Bolivar’s Jamaica Letter
o Expansion of suffrage
o Abolition of slavery
o Challenging of centralized imperial government
o Rebellions including the American Revolution, French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, and Latin
American independence movements
o Slave resistance and Maroon societies
o Anti-colonial movements including the Sepoy Rebellion (Indian Revolt of 1857)
o Rebellions influenced by religious ideas including the Taiping Rebellion in China
o Reforms resulting from rebellion including the Tanzimat Reforms in the Ottoman Empire
o Development of Liberalism, Socialism, and Communism
o Women’s suffrage and feminism
Key Concept 5.4: Global Migration

Major topics of study
o Global rise in population due to food production and medical conditions
o Migrations due to better transportation and global urbanization
o Migrant labor
o Coerced and semicoerced labor migrations including slavery, indentured servitude, and convict
labor
o Impact of migration on women
o Transplant of culture due to migration
o Attempts to control immigration including the Chinese Exclusion Acts
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources Used in Unit 5: (other sources may be used in addition to this list)
Kangxi, Self-Portrait
Sir Henry Dundas, Letter to Lord George Macartney, September 8, 1792
Mitsui Takafusa, Some Observations on Merchants
Testimony Before Parliamentary Committees on Working Conditions in England
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, The Communist Manifesto
Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species and the Descent of Man
Ohio Women’s Convention of 1850, Resolutions *
Mrs. Humphrey Ward, An Appeal against Suffrage*
*Resolutions from the Ohio Women’s Convention of 1850 and Mrs. Humphrey Ward’s Appeal Against Suffrage
will be used to analyze diverse perspectives on the issue of women’s suffrage. Students will use the documents
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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to complete a Pro/Con chart in which they use evidence from the documents to evaluate arguments for and
against women’s voting rights.
Advertisements and Illustrations from British Books and Periodicals (Visual Sources)*
The White Man’s Burden*
*The two documents listed above will be used to illustrate the role that Social Darwinism played in European
imperialism in the late-1800’s. Students will then analyze the social, political, and economic motivations for
European imperialism.
Sultan Abdul Mejid, Imperial Rescript
Rammohun Roy, Letter to Lord Amherst*
The Azamgarh Proclamation*
*The Azamgarh Proclamation and Rammohun Roy’s Letter to Lord Amherst will be used as a basis for a class
discussion on diverse historical interpretations regarding the impact of the British Raj in India. Students will
then write a CCOT essay in which they use evidence from these documents to evaluate the changes and
continuities that occur in India as a result of British conquest of the subcontinent.
Lin Zexu, Letter to Queen Victoria, 1839
Zeng Guofan, Memorandum to Emperor Xianfeng
Map 23.1 Latin America by 1830 (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 24.1 Africa in the Nineteenth Century (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 24.3 European Possessions in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific, 1870 (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 26.2 The Unification of Germany (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Map 27.1 Africa in 1878 and 1914 (Bulliett, The Earth and Its Peoples)
Visual Sources- Considering Evidence: Art and the Industrial Revolution (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Visual Sources- Considering Evidence: Japanese Perceptions of the West (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Visual Sources- Considering Evidence: The Scramble for Africa (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: The Industrial Revolution and the Global Divide (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: Key Moments in the Growth of Nationalism (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: Chinese/British Trade at Canton, 1835-1836 (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Chart: Long-Distance Migration in an Age of Empire 1846-1940 (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments
1900 to the Present
Key Concept 6.1: Science and the Environment

Major topics of study
o New modes of transportation and communication
o Disease such as tuberculosis, the 1918 influenza epidemic, and heart disease
o Birth Control
o Improved military technology and new tactics in battle including the atomic bomb and trench
warfare
Key Concept: 6.2: Global Conflicts and their Consequences

Major topics of study
o Collapse of old land-based empires including the Ottoman, Russian, and Qing
o Colonies negotiate independence including India
o Armed struggle to gain independence including Algeria and Vietnam
o Dissolution of empires and restructuring of states
o Nationalist leaders such as Mohandas Gandhi
o Regional, religious, and ethnic movements geared toward challenging colonial rule including
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
o Transnational movements including Pan-Africanism
o Movements to redistribute land and resources
o Redrawing of colonial boundatires
o Migrations from former colonies including the movement of South Asians to Britain
o Ethnic violence including the Holocaust
o Displacement of peoples resulting in refugee populations including Darfurians
o World War I and World War II
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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Global conflict including imperialist expansion, competition for resources, ethnic conflict,
rivalries, nationalism, and economic crisis
Great Depression
Cold War
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Nonviolence as a strategy for bringing about change including Marin Luther King
Promotion of alternatives to existing economic, political, and social orders including the AntiApartheid movement in South Africa
Proliferation of conflict including the buildup of the military-industrial complex and arms trading
Violent movements used to achieve political aims including Al-Qaeda
Influence of global conflict on popular culture including video games
Key Concept 6.3: New Conceptualization of Global Economy, Society, and Culture

Major topics of study
o Policies made by communist governments to control their economies including the Five Year
Plans in the Soviet Union
o Great Depression and government plans such as the New Deal
o Nasser’s promotion of economic development in Egypt
o Free market economic policies including China under Deng Xiaoping
o International peace keeping organizations including the United Nations
o Economic institutions including the World Trade Organization
o Humanitarian organizations including the Red Cross
o Regional trade agreements including NAFTA and the European Union
o Multinational Corporations including Coca-Cola
o Environmental movements including Earth Day
o Human rights movements including the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
o New Cultural Identities including Negritude and Exclusionary reactions such as race riots
o New forms of spirituality including New Age Religions and Fundamentalist movements
o Sports as a reflection of national and social aspirations including the Olympics
o Widespread diffusion of music and film including Bollywood
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources Used in Unit 6: (other sources may be used in addition to this list)
Popular Art and Poster Art from Germany, England, and Australia*
Henry S. Clapham, Mud and Khaki, Memoirs of an Incomplete Soldier*
*The two documents listed above will be used to analyze and compare the media/propaganda portrayal of WWI
with the reality of what the war was truly like.
Comments of the German Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference on the Conditions of Peace, October 1919
Joseph Stalin, The Results of the First Five-Year Plan
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf*
The Black Dragon Society, Anniversary Statement*
*The two documents listed above will be used in a discussion seminar. Students will engage in a discussion to
explore possible reasons for the alliance between Germany and Japan and analyze how the extreme nationalism
of each country led to World War II.
Rudolf Hoss, Memoirs
Henry L. Stimson, “The Decision to Use of the Atomic Bomb”*
Iwao Nakamura and Atsuko Tsujioka, Recollections*
*The two documents listed above will be used to analyze the cause and consequences of the use of the atomic
bomb at the end of WWII.
Mustafa Kemal, Speech to the Congress of the People’s Republican Party
Mohandas Gandhi, Indian Home Rule
Mao Zedong, Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan and Strategic Problems of China’s
Revolutionary War
George Kennan, The Long Telegram*
Nikolai Novikov, Telegram, September 27, 1947*
*The Long Telegram and Novikov’s Telegram from September 27, 1947 will be used to analyze diverse
historical interpretations on the origins of the Cold War.
Sally Marks, The Coming of the First World War (Reilly, Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader)
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
17
Chart: World Bank Statistics on World Development
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: Poster Art in Mao’s China (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: Representing Independence (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Visual Sources- Considering the Evidence: Experiencing Globalization (Strayer, Ways of the World)
Map 28.1 Europe in 1913
Map 29.2 WWII in Europe and North Africa
Map 31.3 Middle East Oil and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Map 32.3 World Population Growth
COURSE RESOURCES
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Andrea, Alfred J., Overfield, James H. The Human Record: Sources of Global History, 5th Edition Vols. 1
and 2. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, Mass. 2005.
Bentley, Jerry H. Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times.
Oxford University Press: New York 1993.
Bulliet, Richard W., Crossley, Pamela K., Headrick, Daniel R., Hirsch, Steven W., Johnson, Lyman L.,
Northrup, David. The Earth and Its People: A Global History, 3rd AP Edition, Houghton Mifflin
Company: Boston, Mass. 2005.*Primary Text
Crosby, Alfred W. The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Cambridge
University Press: Cambridge; New York 1993.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Norton: New York 1997.
Dunn, Ross E. The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century. University of
California Press: Berkeley 1986.
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Readings in World History, Harcourt Brace & Co.: Austin, Texas. 2007.
Mintz, Sidney. Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. Reprint. Viking Press: New
York 1995.
McNeill, William H. Plagues and Peoples. Revised. Anchor Books/Doubleday: New York 1998.
Pacey, Arnold. Technology in World Civilization: A Thousand-Year History. MIT Press: Cambridge,
Mass. 1990.
Pomeranz, Kenneth, Topik, Steven. The World That Trade Created: Society, Culture, and the World
Economy, 1400 to the Present. Sources and Studies in World History. M.E. Sharpe: Armonk 1999.
Reilly, Kevin. Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader, 2nd Edition Vols. 1 and 2. Bedford/St. Martin’s:
Boston, Mass. 2004.
Stearns, Peter N., Adas, Michael, Schwartz, Stuart. World Civilizations: The Global Experience, 2nd
Edition, HarperCollins College Publishers: New York. 1996. *Used in lecture/notes
Schaffer, Lynda. “Southernization”. Journal of World History 5(1994): 1-21.
Strayer, Robert, W. Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources. Bedford/St. Martin: Boston. 2011.
*Used in lecture/notes
Wiesner, Merry E., Wheeler, William B., Doeringer, Franklin M., Curtis, Kenneth R. Discovering the
Global Past: A Look at the Evidence, 3rd Edition Vols. 1 and 2. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston,
Mass. 2007.
The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.
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