AP European History
“We live in the present, we dream of the future, and we
learn eternal truths from the past." Mme. Chiang KaiShek
Instructor: Ms. Jacqueline Hermann
E-mail: jhermann@rock-hill.k12.sc.us
Room: A206
INTRODUCTION
Everyone uses history, and all of us use it in many ways. We use it to define who we are and to connect our personal experience with
the history of a particular region, nation, and culture. Both individually and collectively we use the past to explain our hopes and
ambitions and to justify our fears and conflicts. We also use history to discover about human behavior by discovering its variety, its
similarities, and its limitations in different times and circumstances. This course honors that tradition by observing the process of
change and continuity over a long period of time. As you consider the material studied in this course you will exercise critical and
analytical skills in a variety of activities including lectures, class discussions, and analyses of documents, videos, and other primary
sources.
This course is divided into units. Assessment in each unit will include in-class free response essays, an in-class document-based essay,
and a 100 question multiple-choice test. These items will include essay prompts and documents from released AP Exams as well as
original items and prompts. During the year there will be two required book reviews and one research paper.
TEXTS
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization.Thomson Wadsworth, 7th Edition.
Historiography readings from various readers including Sherman, Dennis, Western Civilization: Sources, Images and Interpretations,
Volumes I and II
Primary sources from various readers including Franklin L Baumer’s Main Currents of Western Thought and Paul Hughes and Robert
Fries’ European Civilization: Basic Historical Documents, and Columbia University’s Introduction to Contemporary
Civilization: A Source Book.
**An additional 2 readings will be assigned during the year that the student will need to acquire. These readings will include Niccolo
Machiavelli’s The Prince, Marx and Engel’s Communist Manifesto, and/or other readings.
Grading:
Nine week grades will be weighted as follows:
1. Tests/Project
60%
2. Quizzes
30%
3. Assignments
10%
Semester grades will be calculated as follows:
1st nine weeks
40%
2nd nine weeks
40%
Final Exam
20%
Required Materials
• Daily: Pencils, Pens, Paper
• Notebook* (see guidelines)
• Text/Novel
Notebook Guidelines:
- separate three ring binder for this class - 1 inch binder should do.

Syllabus/Assignments

Daily prompts/Notes

Timeline/Outline/Terms/Organizers for unit

Grades (quizzes, tests, DBQs, FRQs)
Evaluation:
Tests
 Tests will be a combination of multiple choice, DBQ, and FRQ.
 Multiple choice questions will reflect the rigor of the questions the student can expect to see on the AP exam in early May
 If a student is absent on the day of a test, they should come prepared to take the test upon their return to school.
Retesting Policy:
o Students are allowed to retake major tests if they score below a 77.
o In order to retest, students must attend a tutoring session.
o The maximum score that a student can obtain on a retest is a 77.
o The student must make arrangements to take the retest on the day designated by the teacher. The tutoring and retest session dates
are announced in advance to give students an opportunity to participate in retaking a test.
Quizzes, DBQs, FRQs, and Daily Work
* Reading quizzes will be given periodically.
* All DBQs and FRQs will be graded using the rubric that will be distributed on the first day of the semester. Students are encouraged
to refer to the rubric when writing an essay.
* There will be various daily assignments that will include, but are not limited to, reading, note taking, discussions and written
summaries, as well as periodic unannounced checks of your notebook.
Homework
Reading, responding to guided reading questions, and completing IDs will be the bulk of the homework that will be assigned. There
will be a significant amount of reading for this class, therefore it is important that these assignments are completed on a daily basis.
Mid-Term Exam
There will be a mid-term exam at the end of the first semester (January). It will cover all of the material discussed to that date.
Final Exam
The “Afternoon of the Acclaimed” project will count as your final exam grade.
Absences/Makeup Work
The best way to get the most out of this class is to be here every day. However, I understand that there will be days that you
are unable to attend. It is your responsibility to make-up work you miss while you are out. I WILL NOT seek you out. I am available
after school by appointment to make up missed assignments or for extra help. If you have an unexcused absence, any homework is due
the next day after your return with no exceptions. If you have an excused absence, you will have 3 days from the day you return to
make up any daily work you missed or to turn in any homework.
Late Work
For any long term assignments (essays, etc. assigned in advance of your absence) you will have 1 day from the day you
return to turn in this work. If you know in advance that you will be absent the day an assignment is due – the assignment is due the last
day that you will be present at school prior to the scheduled absence. For each day a long term assignment is late 10 points will be
deducted from the overall grade. NOTE: A grade of zero will be entered until the work is submitted.
The assignment MUST be handed in during class or it will be counted as LATE!
If you are not in class but in school, the assignment is still due that day.
Classroom Behaviors:
The students in this class will reflect the behavior expectations found in individuals who recognize that they are responsible for their
own learning. Our behavioral philosophy will focus on the word respect.
*Yourself
*Classmates
*Teachers
*Property
*Parents
Discipline occurs when there is a failure to respect.
Academic/Intellectual Honesty
I expect you to practice academic/intellectual honesty. Cheating is a very serious offense. This is a college preparatory course. Many
colleges will expel students found guilty or suspected of cheating (after the first offense!) If you are discovered to engage in cheating
or plagiarism, it will result in a grade of “0” and a conference. In general, copying or verbally sharing answers from another student
or relying on impermissible resources (e.g. notes, text messaging) during an exam or quiz constitutes cheating. Plagiarism is when
you take ideas that are not your own and pass them off as yours in a paper or project without citing your sources. Typically, this
involves copying or paraphrasing information from a print source, the Internet, or a person and passing it off as your own work. If
you have questions about behavior that constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please ask.
Participation Policy
One of the goals of this course is positive participation. This means several things; it is much more than speaking in class. It is more
than asking questions or giving correct responses. Participation is being able to take in information as well as respond to it. It involves
being prepared and creating an atmosphere where discussion and exploration of ideas are encouraged.
RESEARCH PAPER
The goals of this research assignment are:
1. to enhance the ability of the student to discover pertinent information about a topic;
2. to demonstrate a working knowledge of various research tools available; and
3. to enhance the ability of the student to organize and present the information in a clear and coherent format.
The assessment of the research paper will include a demonstration of the student to:
1. work with a research problem;
2. formulate a working thesis (a tentative answer to the problem);
3. prepare an appropriate selected bibliography;
4. cite sources and exact page numbers using MLA format;
5. use writing skills learned in essay writing.
Papers are to be typed, double-spaced, and a minimum of 1200 words in length. A minimum of three scholarly sources are to be used.
Students may choose from the following topics, or you may select your own topic. Students who choose to write their paper on
another topic must have that topic approved by the instructor.
a. Write a paper analyzing the impact of the invention of the printing press on the northern Renaissance or on the Protestant
Reformation.
b. Write a paper analyzing some of the ways in which the Industrial Revolution transformed the workplace for women.
c. Write a paper evaluating the political, social, and cultural reforms Enlightenment thinkers sought in 18th century European society.
d. Write a paper analyzing the political and economic forces that brought about the French Revolution.
e. Write a paper analyzing the basic differences between nationalism, conservatism, and liberalism in early 19th century Europe.
f. Write a paper analyzing the social and political conditions in Germany that facilitated Hitler’s rise to power.
g. Write a paper analyzing the role of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan in bringing about the Cold War.
ESSAYS
In each unit there will be two free-response essays and a document-based essay. These will be completed in class and will be part of
the formal evaluation for that unit. A general guideline for writing essays is as follows (this guideline will also be used for the
research paper):
Introduction
A. Broad opening sentence introducing the topic
B. The time and setting of the topic
C. A thesis statement
D. Categories or main ideas in support of the thesis
Body
A. Good topic/transition sentence
B. Transitional words or phrases between sentences
C. Main idea supportive of the thesis
D. Specific details supportive of the main idea (supporting evidence)
Conclusion
A. Restatement of the thesis
B. Summary of major ideas supportive to the thesis
C. Strong closing sentence
D. No new ideas or solutions introduced
The essays will be evaluated on how well the student carries through on each of the above listed parts. In addition, students will also
be graded on grammar and punctuation, and in the case of the research paper, MLA format in citation of information and works
cited page will also be graded.
BOOK REVIEW
There will be two required book reviews for this class. These are not book reports, but are critical book reviews which will require the
student to interpret, critically analyze and evaluate the content of a book. A book review is composed of four basic parts:
1. a brief summary of the book’s contents; 2. identification of the method of treatment, e.g., thematic or chronological,
popular or scholarly writing style; 3. critical analysis which includes a statement of the author’s biases and position
and how well and by what means this position is supported; and 4. the reader’s personal reflections, e.g., what impact the book had on
the reader and how it confirmed or changed the reader’s thinking about the subject.
Final Comments
The best advice I can give you is to take responsibility for your education. Don’t try to shift that responsibility to parents, teachers,
friends, luck, circumstances, or anything else. We all have to deal with life, so deal with it; but don’t use it as an excuse for neglecting
your education. What you do now will impact how you spend your life. Those who educate themselves will have opportunity, those
who choose not to educate themselves will see those opportunities shrink, in many cases dramatically.