EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
Enriched Global History and Geography I – Mrs. Drivas
Classroom - A319 / Social Studies Office - B301
Office Phone: (607) 762-8242 / Cell Phone: (607) 222-6647
drivasj@binghamtonschools.org
Welcome Students - to Enriched Global Studies 9 at Binghamton High School!
COURSE OVERVIEW:
In your freshman year you will begin a 2-year sequence in Global Studies, which will conclude at the end of
your 10th grade year with the New York State Global History and Geography Regents Exam. This exam is a
requirement for all students to graduate high school in New York State. It is a comprehensive exam, which
means it will cover material from BOTH 9th and 10th grade. The exam is also quite difficult as it includes 50
multiple choice questions, a full DBQ Essay, and a full Thematic Essay – all to be completed in a three hour
testing session.
This handout lets you and your parents know what you need to have and do in order to participate and be
successful in this course. It also gives you an understanding of how we will learn. Please read, sign, and date
the last page. This handout is for you to keep in your binder, and the tear off sheet is for me to keep. Please
return it as quickly as possible because it counts as points toward your grade.
As enriched students, you will be following the AP World History curriculum which will give you a more
detailed and in depth understanding of the material. It will prepare you to continue with the AP World History
course offered in 10th grade. This year we will study cultures and societies from around the world, beginning at
the dawn of civilization and ending with Global Interactions up to 1750. We will examine the geographic,
historical, economic, political, and social development of these regions. The course is designed to familiarize
you with the world and enable you to see how you and your community play a role in the world. As an
enriched course we will focus on interpreting primary and secondary sources, using higher level critical
thinking skills, and writing. A final exam will be given at the end of this year.
Reading is one reason this course is challenging. The course requires an intense amount of college level
reading. In order to meet the AP World History requirements, students must read an AP level text. All AP
approved texts are written on a college freshman reading level. Therefore, the text will be difficult to read at
first. Additionally, the pace of the course requires us to cover roughly one chapter per week. Chapters range
from 15 to 30 pages each (usually around 20). For each chapter, text notations will be assigned. Although this
expectation will be a great challenge, with time and practice, reading this difficult text will become easier
throughout the year.
This course will require BOTH intelligence and hard work. Having one without the other will hinder your
success in the course. Of the two traits, hard work is significantly more important to your success than
intelligence.
The following table identifies and outlines each unit in order:
Units
Topic – Textbook Chapter
1: From Hunting and
Geography, Culture, Social Scientists, and Global History and Geography Skills
Gathering to Civilizations
(Origins / Technological
and Environmental
Transformations)
Early Humans, Paleolithic Age, Neolithic Revolution, and River Civilizations –
Stearns World Civilization: The Global Experience - Chapter 1: pp. 2 - 33
2.5 million – 1,000 B.C.E.
2: The Classical Period
China: the Qin and Han Dynasties – Stearns Chapter 2: pp. 34 - 59
(Uniting Large Regions /
Expansion and
Intensification of
Communication and
Exchange Networks)
India: Mauryan and Gupta Empires – Stearns Chapter 3: pp. 60 - 79
1,000 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.
Classical Societies of Africa, the Americas, and Oceana – Lockard Chapter 9: pp.
204 - 227
3: The Post Classical
Period
The First Global Civilization: The Rise and Spread of Islam – Stearns Chapter 6:
pp. 130 - 161
(New Faith and New
Commerce / Expansion and
Intensification of
Communication and
Exchange Networks)
500 – 1450
Persian Empire and Greek City-states – Lockard Societies, Networks, and
Transitions: A Global History: Chapter 7: pp. 154 - 177
Roman Republic and Empire - Lockard Chapter 8: pp. 178 - 203
Abbasid (Caliphate) Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization – Stearns
Chapter 7: pp. 162 - 183
African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam – Stearns Chapter 8: pp. 184 - 203
Byzantine Empire and Early Russia – Stearns Chapter 9: pp. 204 - 219
Medieval Europe – Stearns Chapter 10: pp. 220 - 242
Pre-Columbian America – Aztec and Inca Empires – Stearns Chapter 11 : pp. 244
- 265
Tang and Song Dynasties of China – Stearns Chapter 12: pp. 266 - 288
Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the Sinification of East Asia – Stearns Chapter 13: pp.
290 - 313
The Mongol Empire – Stearns Chapter 14: pp. 314 - 335
The World in 1450: Changing Balance of World Power – Stearns Chapter 15: pp.
336 - 551
4: The Early Modern
Period
(The World Shrinks /
Globalizing Networks of
Communication and
Exchange)
1450 – 1750
The Muslim Empires – Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid Empires – Stearns Chapter
21: pp. 468 - 493
The Global Economy – An Age of Exploration – Stearns Chapter 16: pp. 354 - 379
The Transformation of the West – Renaissance and Reformation in Western Europe
– Stearns Chapter 17: pp.380 - 399
The Rise of Russia – Stearns Chapter 18: pp. 400 - 415
Early Latin America – Stearns Chapter 19: pp. 416 – 443
Africa and Africans in the Age of the Atlantic Slave Trade – Stearns Chapter 20:
pp. 444 - 467
Asian Transitions in a Global Age of Change – Stearns Chapter 22: pp. 494 - 517
5: Comprehensive Final
Exam Review
Review of Global 9 Material in Preparation for the Final Exam
MATERIALS:
1. Pens or Pencils (You MUST bring a writing utensil to class EVERYDAY!).
2. A 3” or larger 3-ring binder used EXCLUSIVELY for Global Studies. You CANNOT use this binder for any
other class!
3. Loose-leaf paper
4. Optional: Colored Pencils (I have pencils for the class to use, but they get worn down and abused. If you
want your own, you should purchase them).
MAIN TEXT:
Stearns, Peter N., Michael Adas, Stuart B. Schwartz, and Marc Jason Gilbert. World Civilizations: The Global
Experience. 6th ed. New York: Pearson and Longman, 2011. [CR1a-c, CR5a-e, CR7, CR8]
GRADING:
Each quarter is worth 22.5% of the final grade point average with the other 10% coming from the cumulative
final exam.
Your grade will be based on a variety of individual and group projects and activities, homework, essays,
quizzes, tests, binder checks, and participation. Your grade for each quarter will be based on a system of 1000
points. Each assignment graded during the quarter will be worth a certain number of points, and at the end of
the quarter the total of these points will be equal to 1000. Your total number of earned points will be divided by
10, and that will be your grade. If you receive full credit on all assignments, you will receive a grade of 100
(1000÷10=100). If, for example, your points total 850, your grade will be 85 (850÷10=85).
Students participating in this enriched class will receive a weighted average grade at the end of each marking
quarter, to be recorded on your report card and transcript. Your unweighted grade will be multiplied by 1.1 to
find the weighted grade. If, for example, you earn a grade of 85, it will be multiplied by 1.1 and become a 93.5,
which rounds up to a 94. The 94 will be used to determine your class rank as a senior.
PARTICIPATION:
This is OUR class, and we all have meaningful ideas and knowledge to bring to it. EVERYONE’S opinions
will be respected, and all questions will be heard and answered. Participation includes:
-Being prepared to work when the bell rings
-There will be in class assignments where participation is required. If you are legally absent on a day when we
do an activity where participation is an element, you will have the opportunity to make up the grade by doing an
alternate assignment.
PASSING THE COURSE:
You will pass this course and receive credit if you pass the course with a final average of 65 or above, OR if
you pass the final exam with a grade of 65 or above.
ATTENDANCE:
Success in this class begins with good attendance (We all need to be here). The Student Handbook outlines the
school attendance policy. For a legal absence (white attendance slip), it will be your responsibility to see me so
that I can let you know what work you missed and need to make up. You have 2 days per day legally missed to
make up work. For an illegal absence, you do not have the opportunity to make up missed work, but see me
anyway.
TARDINESS:
Three tardies is a lunch detention. Coming in late is disruptive to the class once we have started a lesson.
Homework is due at the beginning of the period. If you do not have a legal tardy pass I will consider the work
to be a day late. If you feel you have a valid reason for being late on a regular basis, please talk to me so we can
do something about it.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
Duration of Lateness
Percentage Deducted from Credit Earned
1 day
- 20%
1 week
- 50%
Beyond 1 week mark
No Credit
ACADEMIC HONESTY: All work that you present as your own must be your own. Participants in any act of
academic dishonesty will be given no credit for the related assignment. Further action, including notification of
parents or administrators, may be taken at my discretion. This policy applies to both the giver and the receiver.
If any student is aware of acts of academic dishonesty it is their responsibility to report such activities. Such
reports will be kept strictly confidential.
*A Note on Group Work: As a community of learners, it is important that we learn from each other. However,
many assignments require individual thought, concentration, and effort. Therefore, group work is only
permitted at my direction.
TEACHER AVAILABILITY:
I am available to work with students every day after school and during the school day periods 1, 6, and 8 in
room A319. If you need to meet with me at any other time, please come talk to me so we can work out a time
that works for both of us.
CLASSROOM RULES:
1. The MOST IMPORTANT rule is RESPECT. All members of our classroom community should…
- Respect themselves
- Respect others
- Respect other’s property (including school property)
2. Think before you act! Behave in a manner that represents you at your best. Do not engage in behavior that
will prevent you or others from learning.
3. Arrive on time. Be seated and prepared to learn by the time the bell rings. The understanding goal, assigned
homework, and entrance tasks will be posted on the board prior to the beginning of the class period. I expect
each student to take note of the understanding goal, record their homework assignments in their agenda, and
begin entrance tasks as soon as they enter the classroom.
4. Be prepared for class. Bring your binder and something to write with EVERYDAY
5. Keep all cell phones, mp3 players, headphones, or other electronic devices turned off and out of sight.
The use of these items in class is strictly prohibited at Binghamton High School, and they are a serious
distraction! Lunch is the only exception to this rule. The use of these devices in my classroom will not be
tolerated. Students caught using such devices during a class period will receive one polite warning. If it
continues, I will hold the device until the end of class. Repeated violations will result in parent and/or
administrative involvement.
6. No Food or Drink Allowed in the Classroom (If you need to eat or drink for a medical reason, please make
me aware of this ahead of time). Gum is allowed, as long as you do not pop or snap it, and as long as wrappers
and gum are disposed of properly. Water is the only beverage allowed.
7. No Hats with a brim or hoods are allowed to be worn in class (Hats with a brim and hoods are not allowed
in the hallway, so you should not be wearing one when you walk into class).
8. Manage your time inside of school effectively. Take your restroom breaks between classes or during
lunch time. In case of dire emergency, hall passes will be written at my discretion. Binghamton has a “10/10”
policy which states that you are not allowed to leave a class during the first or final ten minutes of the period. I
follow this procedure.
9. Remain in your seat until the bell rings. On rare occasions that we are not actively learning up to the
ringing of the bell, students are asked to remain in their seats. Do NOT get up and crowd around the doorway.
10. Take responsibility for your own learning. Do your best everyday and ask for help when needed.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR:
All students have the right to learn without being disrupted by others.
You, the student, are expected to come prepared to class with the appropriate materials and the willingness to
learn. You are expected to behave respectfully to the teacher and to other students, and you are expected to
accept the consequences for misbehavior. Those consequences include:
- Lunch detention
-You will be sent to the office to see the principal in charge of 9th grade
-A parent contact/conference
I, the teacher, am expected to treat students fairly. I am expected to present the material you need to know in a
stimulating and useful way. I am expected to ask the students to be the best that they can be. I am expected to
use teaching practices that will motivate students to engage in worthwhile learning. I will do whatever I can to
help you succeed in this class.
All school rules, regulations and policies are explained in your Student Handbook.
TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS:
My goal for this year is for your child to learn, to enjoy doing so, and to excel at it. This is OUR class. I am
trying to be interesting and creative in creating my lesson plans. I hope to involve your child in their own
learning. If you need to contact me for any reason, please do so! It can be about a problem your child is
having, or about something your child finds interesting. I also hope that you will offer suggestions. If you have
any ideas or know about anything that we are doing in class, feel free to contribute. Please involve yourself in
any way that you can. Your input is welcome and valuable. I am very excited about this year, and I plan to
pass my enthusiasm onto your children.
I can be contacted at 762-8242, which is the social studies office, (607) 222-6647, which is my cell phone, or by
e-mail at drivasj@binghamtonschools.org. If you call and I am not available, please leave a message and I will
get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank You So Much,
Mrs. Drivas
To Student:
Please sign this sheet as evidence that you have read and agree with the Course Expectations for
Enriched Global Studies 9. Have your parent or guardian sign as well. I will keep the signature sheet
on file, and you will keep the Course Expectations in your binder for reference during the school year.
I have carefully read the Course Expectations and Requirements for Enriched Global Studies 9, and I
understand what I need to do to successfully complete this course. I understand that if I fail to meet
my responsibilities, I may receive a final grade of failing or incomplete, and will not earn credit for the
course.
September 2014
Teacher:
Janice Drivas
Student: _________________________________________________________________
Parent or Guardian: _________________________________________________________
To Parent:
Home telephone Number: ____________________________________________________
Work telephone number: _____________________________________________________
Cell Phone number:________________________________________________________
E-mail Address_______________________________________________________________
Please feel free to write any questions or comments in the space below:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mrs. Drivas (Global Studies) Contact Information:
Social Studies Office Phone
(607) 762 – 8242
Personal Cell Phone
(607) 222 – 6647
E-mail
drivasj@binghamtonschools.org
*Remove and save my contact information in case you need to reach me in the future*