Instructor: J.G. Sued
Cell: (267) 294-9839
Email: JSued@KIPPPhiladelphia.org
Website: sued10.wordpress.com
A.P. WORLD HISTORY SYLLABUS
TWO YEAR PROGRAM: AP WORLD HISTORY, YEAR II
Advanced Placement World History is the College Board college-level survey course that
introduces students to world civilizations and cultures. Pre-AP World Cultures begins the
process but at a slower pace as it introduces students to all of the concepts of the sophomore AP
World History. The course guide for both classes is the College Board’s AP World History
course description. A student’s performance on the AP World History exam (offered in May)
determines a student’s eligibility to earn up to six hours of college credit. Course curriculum,
materials, and expectations are designed to prepare students for the rigorous three-hour exam.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
At our school, AP World History is a two-year course split into the ninth grade Pre-AP World
Cultures and Geography and the tenth grade AP World History. Students take the AP test in
May of their sophomore year.
Pre-AP World Cultures and Geography is a ninth grade introductory level course to the AP
curriculum, skills, and themes which are continued in sophomore level AP World History.
While the themes, skill and content are Advanced Placement in nature, the pacing of the class,
amounts of work, reading and depth of the content are more relevant to the maturity and
education levels of ninth graders. The Pre-AP World Cultures and Geography course will cover
events from prehistoric human culture through 1450. The tenth grade AP World History
course begins with a nine week review of the Foundations Period from of the period 500 BCE
to 1450 CE, but emphasizes early modern, modern, and contemporary periods and mastery of
skills critical to the May AP World History exam.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY: WHY TAKE THIS COURSE:
Pre-AP World Cultures and AP World History are superior preparations for college. While our
goal is that you will all receive acceptable scores of threes or higher on the May exam for
credit, additional goals include preparing students for eleventh grade AP US History and AP
English and the ACT college placement exams.
THE SEVEN HABITS OF THE MIND:
1. Constructing and evaluating arguments; using evidence to make plausible arguments;
2. Using documents and other primary data; developing the skills necessary to analyze point of
view, context, and bias and to understand and interpret information;
3. Developing the ability to asses issues of change and continuity over time;
4. Capacity to handle diversity of interpretations through analysis of context, bias, frame of
reference.
5. Seeing global patterns over time and space while also acquiring the ability to connect local
developments to global ones and to move through levels of generalizations from the global to
A..P. World History Syllabus
1
the particular;
6. Developing the ability to compare within and among societies, including comparing
societies reactions to global processes;
7. Developing the ability to assess claims of universal standards yet remaining aware of human
commonalities and differences; putting culturally diverse ideas and values in historical context,
not suspending judgment but developing understanding. Every part of the Pre-AP World
Cultures and AP World History courses assess habits of mind as well as content. Students will
take multiple-choice tests and write essays which will include studying maps, using graphs,
analyzing art works, and interpreting quotations. Other aspects include assessing primary
data, evaluating arguments, handling diverse interpretations, making comparisons, and
understanding historical context.
THE FIVE THEMES:
Every chapter will utilize themes to analyze societies, to compare different societies and to
demonstrate change and continuity over time.
CLASS STRUCTURE AND EVALUATION:
Students who take this course should realize that AP courses are taught and graded at the
college level; this includes pre-AP World Cultures and Geography. Consequently, both courses
exceed the demands and expectations for typical high school courses. But the class is truly
manageable and I am aware that you have other classes and extracurriculars.
CLASS STRUCTURE:




We meet four times a week.
A typical day will include a warm-up exercise (SOAPPS-Tone/APPARTS, OPTIC,
TWEDYADWTS, AP PARTY or Quiz), followed by three different activities. One will
usually involve a lecture, the second time block will be an exercise to check your
understanding of the content as a class, and the third will usually be individual
assignments. There will be no time to do homework in class so make sure you come
with your assignments completed.
All work assigned is due at the beginning of class.
Every Friday is a writing workshop.
BINDERS:
Binders should be kept in chronological order, corresponding to chapters read each nine
weeks. The divisions should be (1) handouts including syllabus and rules; (2) lecture/class
notes (outlines), (3) daily work including your writing spiral, SOAPPS-Tone, OPTICS, and
reading exercises; (4) returned work such as tests and quizzes; (5) all work on essays; and (6)
geography and map work. Once your binder becomes full, I expect you to maintain a separate
binder at home with all of our work which you will need to review for the exam. NOTHING
we do is every garbage.
EXAM FORMAT:



All multiple choice exams will conform to the standard AP format of 70 multiple choice
questions with five answer choices in 55 minutes.
Quizzes will be in a similar format.
All essays will be graded with the official College Board AP World History rubrics.
A..P. World History Syllabus
2

Short writing assignments will use a rubric modeled on the official rubrics.
CURVING EXAMS AND QUIZZES
This is college level work. Because I must be honest with you on the quality of your
assessments, sometimes I might curve your grades. To “curve” your grades basically means
that the teacher decides to change the value of your grades for a higher value based on a
mathematical formula.
EXTRA CREDIT
Providing you have no zeroes, I will offer extra assignments. You may do any or some or none
of the work.
GRADES:
15% Homework
25% Essays
20% Projects (3 a year)
25% Tests, Quizzes
15% Classwork/participation
A+: 97-100
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86
B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72
D: 65-69
F: below 65
HOMEWORKS:



Your homework will be in many different formats. Sometimes, you will have to do an
assigned reading and answer questions; sometimes, you have to write up Cornell notes
for a chapter; sometimes you will be assigned packets for a period of time with your
homework in it; sometimes, you will do homework online; sometimes, you will have
field homework. This varies with the assignments.
You are expected to do all of your homework. If for some reason you do not have the
homework, you need to speak to me.
Homework is to be handed in at the beginning of the period in your period’s bin.
SUMMER READINGS
Your summer readings will involve summer work prior to the beginning of school. Generally
this will include reading one book, looking at primary source materials, and formulating
responses in a response journal.
THE MAY NATIONAL EXAM
The AP National exam is in May. The test is cumulative and comprehensive covering material
from both years. Students should maintain a binder, participate in after-school reviews, form
student study groups, and work your review books. Final responsibility for preparing and
passing the exam is of course the student’s.
A..P. World History Syllabus
3
WEBSITES
AP information is available on-line at http://www.collegeboard.com/ap Visit the site; there is
a great deal of information about the AP philosophy, the program, and materials or hints for
students. Our class blog is www.sued10.wordpress.com
REQUIRED TEXTS
Our primary text is Ways of the World by Robert Strayer.
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXT
My lectures are based on materials from Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on
the Past, 3rd Edition by Jerry Bentley and Herb Ziegler, and Ways of the World by Robert
Strayer. I will supplement your text with primary sources and documents. You do not have to
purchase these readers as we will read from a class set of texts. I also use materials from online sources.
ON-LINE PRIMARY SOURCES
Many of my historical documents, which we will analyze, will come from The Internet History
Sourcebook Project: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/
STUDY GUIDES:
While I do not endorse any one of the study guides to accompany AP World History, I do
suggest you buy one of the test preparation guides. There are many good ones and you can
order them from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
HALL PASS:
Because we have so much to learn, the use of the hall pass will be reserved for emergencies. If
you have a medical condition, please speak to me.
EXPECTATIONS:
100% of students will master:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
At least 76% of the AP World History content.
At least 76% of the AP benchmarks
At least 76% of the cross-bridged ACT Writing Standards
At least 76% of the cross-bridged ACT Reading Standards
At least 85% of all assessments.
100% of students will receive an average of 76% or higher on:
1. Assessments such as Document Based Question essays, comparative essays,
multiple choice exams, free response essays, projects, etc.
2. Participation
100% of students will earn a homework completion rate of 76% or higher.
100% of students will have completed at least 76% of their college level work.
A..P. World History Syllabus
4
KEY CONCEPTS IN AP WORLD HISTORY:
Period
Period Title
1
Technological and
Environmental
Transformations
2
3
1.1
Big Geography and
the Peopling of the
Earth
2.1
The development
and codification of
religious and
cultural traditions
Organization and
Reorganization of
Human Societies
Regional and
Transregional
Interactions
4
Global Interactions
5
Industrialization
and Global
Integration
6
Key Concepts
Accelerating Global
Change and
Realignments
1.2
The Neolithic
Revolution and
Early Agricultural
Societies
2.2
The Development of
States and Empires
1.3
The development and
interactions of Early
Agricultural, Pastoral
and Urban Societies
2.3
Emergence of
Transregional
Networks of
Communication and
Exchange
3.3
Increased Economic
Productive Capacity
and Its Consequences
3.1
Expansion and
Intensification of
Communication
and Exchange
Networks
4.1
Globalizing
Networks of
Communication
and Exchange
3.2
Continuity and
Innovation of State
Forms and Their
Interactions
4.2
New Forms of Social
Organization and
Modes of
Production
4.3
State Consolidation
and Imperial
Expansion
5.1
Industrialization
and Global
Capitalism
5.2
Imperialism and
Nation-State
Formation
5.3
Nationalism,
Revolution, and
Reform
6.1
Science and the
Environment
6.2
Global Conflicts and
Their Consequences
6.3
New
Conceptualizations of
Global Economy,
Society, and Culture
5.4
Global Migration
PERIODS:
Period
Period Title
1
2
Technological and Environmental Transformations
Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies
3
4
5
6
Regional and Transregional Interactions
Global Interactions
Industrialization and Global Integration
Accelerating Global Change and Realignments
A..P. World History Syllabus
5
OBJECTIVES:
Course objectives are primarily based on the AP World History, and ACT reading and writing
standards.
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDENTS:
The single most important contributor to student success is whether he/she completes each
reading assignment and its accompanying work. There is no substitute. Do the reading
faithfully. Reading is assigned for each class period. At first it may seem time consuming and
difficult, but practice makes perfect! And use a dictionary every time you do not understand a
word.
Although we are in high school, this is a college course. We will discuss topics that may be
new and different. Please keep an open mind. You do not have to agree with what you read
and hear, but you will need to think historically and critically.
Keep an organized notebook for all semesters and use it to review. Proper prior planning
prevents poor performance. This is especially true of college courses.
Work at mastering writing styles. In that one-half of the AP grade is writing, you must be able
to write if you want to pass. Come to tutorials if you need help.
Form and join an informal study Group with students in the same class. These are very
successful. The group is not a substitute for reading or the work, but two heads are often better
than one. This also allows you to get missing notes. And exchange phone numbers so you can
call each other if need be.
If you have a question or concern, call, email me, or come by. I will help you all as much as is
possible, but you have to see me outside of class.
UNITS, DEADLINES, AND CONTENT:
Age of Accelerating Connections
UNIT 1
Sub-Unit
Commerce and
Culture
Topics
Date
Sea Roads
09/12
Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and
Mediterranean Sea
09/12
Southeast Asia - Spices, Gold,
Merchants
09/13
East Africa and Swahili
09/14-09/15
Growing Demand for East African
Products
9/14-09/15
Trans-African Trade
09/14-09/15
WRITING DAY
09/16
A..P. World History Syllabus
6
Afro-Eurasian
Connections
An American Network - Trade
Network
09/19
States and societal systems in Africa
09/20
Afro-Eurasian Trade - Mediterranean
as Center ($=Italy)
09/21-09/22
Islam - Africa, Spain, Asia, World
09/21-09/22
WRITING DAY
Leaders of Connections: Ibn Battuta,
Marco Polo, Zheng He
Comparison to Columbus + Margin
Time
09/23
EXAM / Debate
09/28-09/29
WRITING DAY
09/30
09/26
09/27
UNIT 2
Commerce and Culture
Sub-Unit
Civilizations of the 15th
Century
Topics
Date
Paleolithic Persistence in Oceania,
Africa, and Americas - Aztecs, Incas,
etc.
10/03
Agricultural Village Societies - Yoruba,
Benin, Igbo (Things Fall Apart,
Iroquois, Timur & Mongol Empire,
10/03
China - Ming Dynasty China,
Confucianism, Zheng He
10/04
Europe - Renaissance Art & Literature,
Humanism
10/0510/06
WRITING
10/07
A..P. World History Syllabus
7
Maritime Voyaging - Spain, Portugal,
and differences with China (which
include rival states, no overarching
authority to cease it, Europeans were
willing to use violence and needed
riches of the East).
Islamic World - Second Flowering of
Islam
10/11
Songhay and Mughal Empires
10/1210/13
10/1210/13
WRITING
10/14
Webs of Connection
EXAM
10/17
Early Modern World
UNIT 3
PROJECT THIS UNIT :
Sub-Unit
Empires and Encounters
1450-1750
A..P. World History Syllabus
Topics
Date
Columbian Exchange
European Empires in the Americas Spaniards in Caribbean, and Aztec and Incan
Empires; Portuguese in Brazil, British, French,
and Dutch colonies in North America
10/18
10/1910/20
WRITING
10/21
The Great Dying - Disease and Violence;
10/24 to
10/25
Case Study: Sugar Trade; Social Classes in
Colonial Americas
10/2610/27
8
10/2610/27
WRITING: Comparing Colonial Societies in the
americas
African Diaspora
10/28
Eurasian Empire: Asian Empires - Qing,
11/01
11/0211/03
11/0211/03
Muslims and Hindus in the Mughal Empire Akbar
11/07
Muslims Christians and Muslims in the
Ottoman Empire
11/08
Eurasian Empire: Russian Empire
Eurocentrism
Global Commerce
East India companies
11/0911/10
11/0911/10
11/0911/10
11/0911/10
WRITING
11/11
Asian Commerce
11/14
Case Study: Silver Trade
Fur in Global Commerce
11/15
11/1611/17
WRITING
11/18
Europeans and Asian Commerce
Portuguese control of commerce
Spain and the Philippines
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Religion and Science
Human Commerce - Atlantic Slave Trade
11/28
Impact of Slave Trade on Africa
11/28
Martin Luther and Protestantism
11/29
11/3012/1
Christian missionaries
A..P. World History Syllabus
9
An Asian comparison: China and the Jesuits
African Elements in Christianity
WRITING (Possible topic: Economic
Globalization - Then & Now)
11/3012/1
11/3012/1
12/2
Wahhabism
12/5
Bridging the Hindu Muslim divide in india
12/5
Growth of Sikhism
12/5
Scientific Revolution
12/6
Science as Cultural Revolution - Copernicus,
Kepler, Galilei, Newton,
Enlightenment
12/6
12/712/8
cultural borrowing
12/712/8
WRITING
12/9
EXAM
12/12
+/- Margin Day
12/13
The European Moment in World
History
UNIT 4
PROJECT THIS UNIT :
Sub-Unit
Topics
Atlantic Revolutions & their
echoes
North American
Revolution
French Revolution
A..P. World History Syllabus
Date
12/1412/15
and
12/1912/22
12/1412/15
and
12/1912/22
10
WRITING
Haitian Revolution
Latin American
Revolutions
Echoes of Revolution Smaller Revolutions
Followed
Echoes of Revolution Abolition of Slavery
12/16
12/1412/15
and
12/1912/22
12/1412/15
and
12/1912/22
12/23
12/23
HOLIDAY BREAK
Revolutions of
Industrialization
Internal Troubles, External
Threats: China, Ottoman
Empire, Japan; 1800-1914
A..P. World History Syllabus
Echoes of Revolution Nations and Nationalism
1/4th1/5th
Echoes of Revolution Feminist Beginnings
1/4th1/5th
WRITING
1/6
EXAM
Explaining the Industrial
Revolution - Why
Europe? Why Britain?
The 1st Industrial
Society - Increase in
output, Aristocracy,
Middle Class, Working
Class, Social protests,
1/9
WRITING
Comparing
Industrialization - United
States and Russia
The Industrial
Revolution and Latin
America in the
Nineteenth Century
1/13
+/- Margin Day
1/23
The External Challenge:
European Industry and
Empire
1/24
1/10
1/111/12
1/17
1/181/19
11
Reversal of Fortune:
China's Century of
Crisis
The Ottoman Empire
and the West in the
Nineteenth Century
1/251/26
1/251/26
WRITING
01/27
EXAM
The Japanese
Difference: The Rise of
a New East Asian
Power
01/30
01/31
Reflections: Success
and Failure in History
Colonial Encounters, 17501914
Second wave of
European conquests
New players (Germany,
Italy, Belgium, Us,
Japan)
02/0102/02
02/0102/02
WRITING
A..P. World History Syllabus
Military force
02/06
How places became
colonies
02/06
Responses to threat
02/07
Under European rule
02/0802/09
Comparing colonial
economies
WRITING
Reflections: Who Makes
History?
Believing and
Belonging: Identity and
Cultural Change in the
Colonial Era
02/0802/09
EXAM – END UNIT
02/14
02/10
02/13
12
UNIT 5
The Most Recent
Century, 1914-Present
PROJECT THIS UNIT :
The collapse and recovery of
Europe
The collapse and recovery of
Europe
A..P. World History Syllabus
Unifications
02/1502/16
WRITING
02/17
Great War
02/21 to
02/23
WRITING
02/24
Technology
02/27
Treaty of Versailles
02/28
Armenian Genocide
02/2903/01
Creation of Arab
States
02/2903/01
WRITING
Legacies- Total War,
Trench,
rearrangement of
central Europe,
dissolution of Ottoman
Empire, US as a
creditor
03/02
Capitalism Unraveling:
Great Depression
03/703/8
WRITING
03/9
03/0503/06
13
Causes of the Great
Depression and the
Great depression
Japan and Germany
coping with
Depression
WRITING
Democracy Denied:
Japan, Italy, and
Germany
03/12
03/13
03/14
03/1903/20
Fascism and Nazism
03/2103/22
WRITING
03/23
Hitler and the Nazis
03/27
Japanese
Authoritarianism
03/2803/29
WWII – Road to War
in Asia
03/2803/29
WRITING
03/30
SPRING BREAK
Rise and Fall of Communism
A..P. World History Syllabus
WWII – Road to war in
Europe
04/0904/10
WWII – Outcomes of
War
04/1104/12
Recovery
04/1104/12
WRITING
04/13
Global Communism
04/16
Comparing
Revolutions
04/17
14
Independence and
Development in the Global
South
East v West – Cold
War
04/1804/19
WRITING
04/20
Building Socialism in
Two Countries
04/23
Comparing paths to
end Communism
WRITING
Reflections: To Judge
or Not to Judge: The
Ambiguous Legacy of
Communism
Toward Freedom:
Struggles for
Independence Asia,
Africa, Middle East
A..P. World History Syllabus
04/24
Fathers of New States
04/24
Comparing freedom
struggles - India
04/2504/26
Comparing freedom
struggles – Africa
Collapse of Empires –
Ottoman, German,
Japanese, Russian,
04/2504/26
WRITING
04/27
Experiments with
freedom
Experiments with
Culture- Turkey and
Iran
Accelerating Global
Interaction since 1945
04/23
04/2504/26
04/30
04/30
Transformation of
World Economy
05/01
Globalization
05/01
15
World Bank and IMF
International Credit,
Stocks, TNCs, and
Trade
Economic changes 
Social Class
comparison, loss of
jobs in US, labor
standards,
05/01
Globalization and an
American Empire
Intense dislike of
American
“imperialism” and
doctrine of preemptive
war, Vietnam, Iraq
05/0205/03
WRITING
The Globalization of
Liberation: Comparing
Feminist Movements:
US, Europe,
Communist nations
05/04
Feminism in the West
Feminism in the
Global South, Korea,
Chile, Africa
05/07
Struggle against
Terrorism
Religion and global
modernity Fundamentalism
Religion and global
modernity – WTC –
9/11
Technology
WRITING
The World’s
Environment and the
Globalization of
Environmentalism
A..P. World History Syllabus
05/01
05/01
05/0205/03
05/07
05/07
05/08
05/08
05/08
05/0905/10
05/11
05/14
16
A..P. World History Syllabus
Green and the
Environment
05/14
UNIT EXAM
05/15
TEST TIPS AND
TRICKS
A.P. EXAMINATION
05/16
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
05/17
17