Course Description:
The Advanced Placement World History course is designed for highly motivated college-bound students who wish to earn college credit in high school through a rigorous academic program. The course covers all periods of world history with emphasis on political, economic, cultural, and social history form the time of the first civilizations through the modern era. Students will read and write extensively and develop individual and group projects throughout the course.
The AP World History course is an academic, yearlong course with an emphasis on non-Western history. The course relies heavily on college-level texts, primary sources, and outside readings. Students will be required to participate in class discussions, as well as in-group and individual projects. A special emphasis will be given to historical writing through essay and document-based questions (DBQ). Students will write numerous essays using released topics from the College Board and topics relating to the period currently under study. The essays will include Change and Continuity Over Time, as well as, Comparison. In addition, objective exams, simulations, and integrated computer-technology assignments will be incorporated into the curriculum.
AP World History is an academically rigorous course that can easily become overwhelming if you get behind in your work. There are substantial reading assignments almost nightly, and quizzes are not uncommon. The class syllabus contains the reading materials for APWH. Additionally, students will be required to write essays throughout the course. Students must quickly become accustomed to presenting clear, concise, relevant and well-substantiated arguments in their written assignments, as well as in class discussions. It is also imperative that you keep up with all assignments. Advanced Placement World History is a college level course. Many college freshmen and sophomores are currently enrolled in a similar course at the university level.
Students will take the AP World History Exam administered by the College Board on May 14, 2015 at 8:00 am . This exam will have 70 multiple-choice questions and 3 essays which will consist of one DBQ (students asked to read and analyze a set of documents and then write an essay about them), one Change Over Time essay (students asked to deal with broad changes in one or more regions of the world over at least one periodization), and one Comparative essay (students asked to compare two or more societies on a set of issues). This APWH FINAL EXAM is a national exam, and the curriculum has been created by The College
Board. Due to the enormous amount of information to be covered between August and May, the class will be moving at fast rate. Most class meetings will be in lecture format. Any topics not covered in class due to time constraints or other extenuating circumstances will be the students’ responsibility.
Instructional Philosophy : Students will participate in lectures, note-taking, videos, role-playing, class discussions/debates. Students will work independently, in small groups, and large groups to complete various tasks and assignments. Assignments will require students to draw upon skills learned in language arts and computer applications classes. In addition, students will have class work, reading assignments, and periodic assessments (quizzes & exams).
Objectives:
Students will describe and analyze the:
* Impact of interaction among major societies (trade, systems of international exchange, war, and diplomacy).
* The relationship of change and continuity across the world history periods covered in this course.
* Impact of technology and demography on people and the environment (population growth and decline, disease, manufacturing, migrations, agriculture, weaponry).
* Systems of social structure and gender structure (comparing major features within and among societies and assessing change).
* Cultural and intellectual developments and interactions among and within societies.
* Changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities (political culture), including the emergence of the nation-state (types of political organization).
Course Assessments & Assignments Plan
Exams – 60 %
Quiz – 30%
HW/Daily – 10%
Quiz Descriptions
Vocabulary/Content Quizzes: These are primarily multiple-choice, True/False, and matching quizzes based on class discussions and readings.
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Latin Quizzes: The student will be given 1-2 Latin phrase quizzes every 9 weeks. I will notify students of quiz dates at least 5 days in advance. This is not a foreign language class, but the Latin language is a major contributor to the origin of English, Spanish, French, and Italian so exposing students to Latin will only increase fluency in other major Western languages. Plus, students will be exposed to Latin words/phrases when studying Western civilization.
Geographical Fluency Requirement: Required twice per nine weeks . Students will have 2-4 weeks to complete the assignment. The directions for the assignment are located on the handout. Students will need to have Internet access to complete the assignment. This can be done at home, school, local libraries, etc. as long as it gets done by the due date. This assignment may take students 10 minutes, or
2 hours. A daily grade of a zero (0) will be entered into the grade book until both requirements are met . I do not give partial credit for geographical fluency, and I will only accept score sheets that are printed off. If students turn in another student’s work, they will receive a zero (0). NO
REQUIREMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED LATE. NO EXCEPTIONS. My advice to you is not to procrastinate.
HW Descriptions
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Homework Checks: Homework is not given on a daily basis unless there is a definite need. However, students are expected to keep up with the readings, and this may be nightly. Students will be given either a “check”, “check-minus”, or a “minus”. The value of each mark is determined by the total number of homework assignments given. This will be explained further to students the first week of school.
Post-it-Note Checks: This is an informal assessment normally done 8-10 times per nine weeks. They are given in the last 3 to 4 minutes of class. It is simply 1-3 questions concerning material we covered during the class period, or something that is pertinent review material. Post-it-note questions are usually seen on the next exam. Each post-it-note check is worth 20 pts. Once we have completed 5 of them, the total points accumulated will become a daily grade.
Bonus Point Opportunities
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Periodically, I will offer bonus points to any and all students. This may be a quick, relevant research assignment, or an unexpected homework/class assignment check. Please do not ask for extra credit opportunities at the end of the nine weeks if you are missing any homework assignments, or you failed to take advantage of earlier bonus point chances. Extra credit is designed for students who have worked at the highest level all six weeks.
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Early AP: after the first few weeks of school I will begin offering a voluntary opportunity for students to come to school early to study and prepare for AP World history. Normally, this is done 1-2 times every two weeks, and almost always on exam day. This is not mandatory, but I will chart sign-in and
sign-out times and add up the total minutes served at the end of each nine weeks. The more time served in Early AP, the more points I will add to lowest exam grades. More info will be given on this later.
Grading Scale : 90 & above = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 69 & below = F
Behavior Expectations : It is expected that each student will be:
1 – Respectful & Tolerant of all opinions and ideas – This is not 1950. We must all consider every angle in order to help us understand and develop our own views.
2 – Accepting of constructive criticism – Regardless of your feelings, if we do not address our weaknesses, we will never progress.
3 – Punctual
All offenses will be handled according to the LCHS student handbook that each student is required to acknowledge.
* Note – Although problems are not anticipated, each offense is relative to the situation. Repeat offenders will be dealt with on stricter terms than others. Like it or not, this is how the real world works.
Unexcused Tardies : It is imperative that the handbook section on this be understood thoroughly. No leniency is given for offences of this nature. If traffic is an issue, leave for school earlier. If your locker is not near my room, plan accordingly. All students will sign in if they are tardy. If both feet are not on the carpet when the bell ends, you are tardy.
The Chappell Initiative: This is designed to increase class preparation. Students should bring all their materials to class on a daily basis. This includes any kind of class materials relevant to class participation (i.e. notebooks, handouts, writing utensils, etc.) If a student fails to bring any pertinent class materials, he/she will be subject to the Chappell Initiative, and will be required to serve 10 minutes detention before or after school.
The Loosier Compact : This is designed to address littering in the class room. Any student caught littering in the class room will serve 10 minutes detention before or after school. Littering is unacceptable for obvious reasons.
Absences: There is a direct correlation to a student’s progress and attendance. Do not expect quality grades if you are constantly absent.
*Note: The absolute worst day to miss in this class is the day before an exam, and the day of a group exam. Group examinations will have to be made up individually, and this should be avoided if possible.
NI Days : It is the student’s responsibility to ask the teacher what work was missed, and to make it up in the required amount of time. Please keep in mind that NI days are a privilege and may be revoked if the student is not performing at an adequate level in the class room.
Make-up Work : It is the student’s responsibility to inquire about missed assignments. See handbook for make-up work guidelines.
Progress Reports : I strongly encourage students and parents/guardians to track progress using “ parent portal ”, which can be found by logging onto the school system website. Grades are normally updated once or twice per week. However, if a student or parent/guardian requests a progress report, they will be given one.
AP WH Themes - The following themes will be used throughout the course to identify these broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time.
Foundations: c. 8000 b.c.e.–600 c.e. 6 Weeks (19–20%)
What students are expected to know:
Major Developments
1. Locating world history in the environment and time
Environment
Interaction of geography and climate with the development of human society
The environment as historical actor
Demography: major population changes resulting from human and environmental factors
Time
Periodization in early human history
Nature and causes of changes associated with the time span
Continuities and breaks within the time span; e.g., the transition from river valley civilizations to classical civilizations
Diverse interpretations
What are the issues involved in using “civilization” as an organizing principle in world history?
What is the most common source of change: connection or diffusion versus independent invention?
What was the effect of the Neolithic Revolution on gender relations?
2. Developing agriculture and technology
Agricultural, pastoral, and foraging societies and their demographic characteristics (Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia)
Emergence of agriculture and technological change
Nature of village settlements
Impact of agriculture on the environment
Introduction of key stages of metal use
3. Basic features of early civilizations in different environments: culture, state, and social structure. In addition, students should know enough about two early civilizations to compare them.
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley or Harrapan civilization, Shang or Huang He (Yellow) River valley civilization,
Mesoamerica and Andean South America
4. Classical civilizations
Major political developments in China, India, the Mediterranean, and Mesoamerica
Social and gender structures
Major trading patterns within and among classical civilizations; contacts with adjacent regions
Arts, sciences, and technology
5. Major belief systems
Basic features and locations of major world belief systems prior to 600 c.e.
Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Christianity
6. Late classical period (200 c.e.–600 c.e.)
Collapse of empires/states (Han China, western portion of the Roman Empire, Gupta)
Movements of peoples (Bantu, Huns, Germans, Polynesians)
Interregional networks by 600 c.e.: trade and the spread of religions
Major Comparisons and Analyses: Examples
Compare major religious and philosophical systems including some underlying similarities in cementing a social hierarchy, e.g., Hinduism contrasted with Confucianism
Compare the role of women in different belief systems—Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, and Hinduism
Understand how and why the collapse of empire was more severe in western Europe than it was in the eastern
Mediterranean or in China
Compare the caste system to other systems of social inequality devised by early and classical civilizations, including slavery
Compare societies that include cities with pastoral and nomadic societies
Compare the development of traditions and institutions in major civilizations, e.g., Indian, Chinese, and
Greek/Roman
Describe interregional trading systems, e.g., the Silk Roads
Compare the political and social structures of two early civilizations:
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang, and Mesoamerica and Andean South America
Analyze the role of technologies in the growth of large state structures
Examples of the types of information students are expected to know contrasted with examples of what students are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section:
Nature of the Neolithic revolution, but not characteristics of previous stone ages, e.g., Paleolithic and Mesolithic.
Economic and social results of the agricultural revolution, but not specific dates of the introduction of agriculture to specific societies.
Nature of patriarchal systems, but not specific changes in family structure within a single region.
Importance of the introduction of bronze and iron, but not specific inventions or implements.
Political structure of classical China (emperor, bureaucracy), but not specific knowledge of dynastic transitions, e.g., from Qin to Han.
Greek approaches to science and philosophy, including Aristotle, but not details about other specific philosophers.
Diffusion of major religious systems, but not the specific regional forms of Buddhism or Aryan or Nestorian
Christianity.
600 c.e.–1450 7 Weeks (22%)
What students are expected to know:
Major Developments
1. Questions of periodization
Nature and causes of changes in the world history framework leading up to 600 c.e.–1450 as a period
Emergence of new empires and political systems (e.g., Umayyad, ‘Abbasid, Byzantium, Russia, Sudanic states,
Swahili Coast, Tang, Song, and Ming China, Delhi Sultanate, Mongol, Turkish, Aztec, Inca)
Continuities and breaks within the period (e.g., the effects of the Mongols on international contacts and on specific societies)
2. The Islamic world
The rise and role of Dar al-Islam as a unifying cultural and economic force in Eurasia and Africa
Islamic political structures, notably the caliphate
Arts, sciences, and technologies
3. Interregional networks and contacts
Development and shifts in interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange
Trans-Sahara trade
Indian Ocean trade
Silk Roads
Economic innovations (e.g., Tang, Song, and early Ming China, Swahili Coast trade, economic systems in the
Americas)
Missionary outreach of major religions
Contacts between major religions, e.g., Islam and Buddhism, Christianity and Islam
Impact of the Mongol empires
4. Political systems and cultural patterns
East Asia
China’s expansion
Chinese influence on surrounding areas and its limits (Japan, Vietnam, and Korea)
Change and continuities in Confucianism
The Americas
Apex and decline of the Maya
Rise of the Aztec
Rise of the Inca
Restructuring of Europe
Decentralization—medieval society
Division of Christianity
Revival of cities
Africa
Sudanic empires (Mali, Ghana, Songhay)
Swahili coast
South Asia and Southeast Asia
Delhi Sultanate
Vietnam
Arts, sciences, and technologies
5. Demographic and environmental changes
Impact of migrations on Afro-Eurasia and the Americas (e.g., Aztecs, Mongols, Turks, Vikings, and Arabs)
Consequences of plague pandemics in the fourteenth century
Growth and role of cities (e.g., the expansion of urban commercial centers in
Song China and administrative centers in Africa and the Americas)
6. Diverse interpretations
What are the issues involved in using cultural areas rather than states as units of analysis?
What are the sources of change: nomadic migrations versus urban growth?
Was there a world economic network in this period?
Were there common patterns in the new opportunities available to and constraints placed on elite women in this period?
To what extent was Dar al-Islam a unified cultural/political entity?
Major Comparisons and Analyses: Examples
Compare the role and function of cities in major societies
Analyze gender systems and changes, such as the effects of Islam
Analyze the interactions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims
Compare developments in political and social institutions in both eastern and western Europe
Compare Japanese and European feudalism
Compare European and sub-Saharan African contacts with the Islamic world
Analyze the Chinese civil service exam system and the rise of meritocracy
Examples of the types of information students are expected to know contrasted with examples of what students are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section:
Arab caliphate, but not the transition from Umayyad to ‘Abbasid
Mamluks, but not Almohads
Feudalism, but not specific feudal monarchs such as Richard I
Land management systems, but not the European three-field system
Crusading movement and its impact, but not specific crusades
Viking exploration, expansion, and impact, but not individual explorers
Mongol expansion and its impact, but not details of specific khanates
Papacy, but not particular popes
Indian Ocean trading patterns, but not Gujarati merchants
Neoconfucianism, but not the specific contribution of Zhu Xi
1450–1750 6 weeks (19–20%)
What students are expected to know:
Major Developments
1. Questions of periodization
Continuities and breaks, causes of changes from the previous period and within this period
2. Changes in trade, technology, and global interactions; e.g., the Columbian
Exchange, the impact of guns, changes in shipbuilding, and navigational devices
3. Knowledge of major empires and other political units and social systems
Aztec, Inca, Ottoman, China, Portugal, Spain, Russia, France, Britain, Tokugawa, Mughal
Characteristics of African kingdoms in general but knowing one (Kongo, Benin, Oyo, Dahomey, Ashanti, or
Songhay) as illustrative
Gender and empire (including the role of women in households and in politics)
4. Slave systems and slave trade
5. Demographic & environmental changes: diseases, animals, new crops, comparative population trends
6. Cultural and intellectual developments
Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
Comparative global causes and impacts of cultural change (e.g., African contributions to cultures in the Americas)
Major developments and exchanges in the arts (e.g., Mughal, the Americas)
Creation of new religions (Vodun, Zen, Sikhism, Protestantism)
7. Diverse interpretations
What are the debates about the timing and extent of European predominance in the world economy?
How does the world economic system of this period compare with patterns of interregional trade in the previous period?
Major Comparisons and Analyses: Examples
Compare colonial administrations
Compare coercive labor systems: slavery and other coercive labor systems in the Americas
Analyze the development of empire (i.e., general empire building in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas)
Analyze imperial systems: a European seaborne empire compared with a land based Asian empire
Compare Russia’s interaction with two of the following (Ottoman Empire, China, western Europe, and eastern
Europe)
Compare Mesoamerican and Andean systems of economic exchange
Examples of the types of information students are expected to know contrasted with examples of those things students are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section:
Extent of Ottoman expansion, but not individual states
Slave plantation systems, but not Jamaica’s specific slave system
Institution of the harem, but not Hurrem Sultan
Relations between the Kongo and Portugal, but not individual rulers
Tokugawa Japan’s foreign policy, but not Hideyoshi
Importance of European exploration, but not individual explorers
Characteristics of European absolutism, but not specific rulers
Protestant Reformation, but not Anabaptism or the Huguenots
1750–1914 6 Weeks (19–20%)
What students are expected to know:
Major Developments
1. Questions of periodization
Continuities and breaks; causes of changes from the previous period and within this period
2. Changes in global commerce, communications, and technology
Industrial Revolution (transformative effects on and differential timing in different societies; mutual relation of industrial and scientific developments; commonalities)
Changes in patterns of world trade
3. Demographic and environmental changes (migrations; end of the Atlantic slave trade; new birthrate patterns; food supply; medicine)
4. Changes in social and gender structure (Industrial Revolution; commercial and demographic developments; emancipation of serfs/slaves; tension between work patterns and ideas about gender; new forms of labor systems)
5. Political revolutions and independence movements; new political ideas
United States and Latin American independence movements
Revolutions (France, Haiti, Mexico, China)
Rise of nationalism, nation-states, and movements of political reform
Rise of democracy and its limitations: reform; women; racism
6. Rise of Western dominance (economic, military, political, social, cultural and artistic, patterns of expansion; imperialism, colonialism, and neocolonialism) and different cultural and political reactions (dissent; reform; resistance; rebellion; racism; nationalism; impact of changing European ideologies on colonial administrations)
7. Patterns of cultural and artistic interactions among societies in different parts of the world (African and Asian influences on European art; cultural policies of Meiji Japan)
8. Diverse interpretations
What are the debates about the causes and effects of serf and slave emancipation in this period, and how do these debates fit into broader comparisons of labor systems?
What are the debates over the nature of women’s roles in this period? How do these debates apply to industrialized areas, and how do they apply in colonial societies?
What are the debates over the causes of European/British technological innovation versus development in
Asia/China?
Major Comparisons and Analyses: Examples
Compare the causes and early phases of the Industrial Revolution in western Europe and Japan
Compare the Haitian and French Revolutions
Compare reaction to foreign interference in the Ottoman Empire, China, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan
Compare nationalism in the following pairs: China and Japan, Egypt and Italy,
Pan Africanism and the Indian Congress Movement
Explain forms of Western intervention in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia
Compare the roles and conditions of elite women in Latin America with those in western Europe before 1850
Examples of the types of information students are expected to know contrasted with examples of what students are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section:
Causes of Latin American independence movements, but not specific protagonists
The French Revolution of 1789, but not the Revolution of 1830
Meiji Restoration, but not Iranian Constitutional Revolution
Boxer Rebellion, but not the Crimean War
Suez Canal, but not the Erie Canal
Muhammad Ali, but not Isma’il
Marxism, but not Utopian socialism
Social Darwinism, but not Herbert Spencer
Women’s emancipation movements, but not specific suffragists
1914–Present 6 Weeks (19–20%)
What students are expected to know:
Major Developments
1. Questions of periodization
Continuities and breaks; causes of changes from the previous period and within this period
2. War and peace in a global context (the World Wars; colonial soldiers in the First World War; the Holocaust; the
Cold War; nuclear weaponry; and international organizations and their effects on the global framework, e.g., globalization of diplomacy and conflict; global balance of power; reduction of European influence; the League of
Nations, the United Nations, the Nonaligned Nations)
3. New patterns of nationalism (fascism; decolonization; racism, genocide; the breakup of the Soviet Union)
4. Effects of major global economic developments (e.g., the Great Depression in Latin America; technology; Pacific
Rim; multinational corporations)
5. New forces of revolution and other sources of political innovations
6. Social reform and social revolution (changing gender roles; family structures; rise of feminism; peasant protest; international Marxism; religious fundamentalism)
7. Globalization of science, technology, and culture
Developments in global cultures and regional reactions, including science and consumer culture
Interactions between elite and popular culture and art
Patterns of resistance including religious responses
8. Demographic and environmental changes (migrations; changes in birthrates and death rates; new forms of urbanization; deforestation; green/environmental movements; rural to urban shifts)
9. Diverse interpretations
Is cultural convergence or diversity the best model for understanding increased intercultural contact in the modern world?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using units of analysis for the modern world, such as the nation, the world, the West, and the developing world?
Major Comparisons and Analyses: Examples
Compare patterns and results of decolonization in Africa and India
Pick two revolutions (Russian, Chinese, Cuban, Iranian) and compare their effects on the roles of women
Compare the effects of the World Wars on areas outside of Europe
Compare legacies of colonialism and patterns of economic development in two of three areas (Africa, Asia, and
Latin America)
Analyze nationalist ideologies and movements in contrasting European and colonial environments
Compare the different types of independence struggles
Examine global interactions in cultural arenas (e.g., reggae, art, sports)
Analyze the global effects of the Western consumer society
Compare major forms of twentieth-century warfare
Assess different proposals (or models) for economic growth in the developing world and the social and political consequences
Examples of the types of information students are expected to know contrasted with examples of what students are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section:
Effects of global wars, but not specific battles in the World Wars
Cultural and political transformations resulting from the wars, but not French political and cultural history
Authoritarian regimes, but not Mussolini’s or Vargas’s internal policies
Feminism and gender relations, but not Simone de Beauvoir or Huda Shaarawi
The growth of international organizations, but not the history of the ILO
Colonial independence movements, but not the resolutions passed by the Indian National Congress
The issue of genocide, but not Cambodia, Rwanda, or Kosovo
The internationalization of popular culture, but not the Beatles
Textbook / Readers :Textbook: World Civilizations – The Global Experience AP Edition / DBQ Update 4th Edition
(Stearns) $65.00 http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wcap_4/0,8810,1189431-,00.html
Readers and outside reading :
Worlds of History A Comprehensive Reader Volumes 1 & 2, Kevin Reilly
The Human Record Sources of Global History Volumes 1 & 2, Andrea & Overfield
A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage
The World that Trade Created, Pomeranz & Topik
Tulipomania, Mike Dash
Released College Board AP World History Exams, Essay Questions, Rubrics and Student Samples (College
Board and AP Central)
Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World (2003)
DBQ Practice Exercises, AP Achiever Advanced Placement Exam Prep Guide McGraw-Hill, 2008
Supplies:
* Large 3 ring binder
* dividers (at least 5)
* notebook paper
* highlighters
* black or blue pens
* pencils
* colored pencils
* post-it notes
Student Honor System
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of another person’s ideas, opinions, or theories in one’s own work without clearly and accurately acknowledging the source of the information. Direct copying of another student’s work as one own is a violation of the LCHS Plagiarism Policy and will result in a grade of zero on the assignment. Any student who allows his work to be copied by another student is guilty of violating the
LCHS Plagiarism Policy. Failure to provide accurate documentation of source material in a work is a violation of policy and may result in a failing grade. Both intentional and unintentional plagiarisms are violations of
LCHS Plagiarism Policy.
A student must maintain an honest relationship with the teacher. The student should always do his/her own work. For the first case of ACADEMIC CHEATING, the student will receive a zero for the assignment. For a second case of ACADEMIC CHEATING, the student may be removed from the class and given a failing grade for the semester.