Download AP World History Curriculum

AP World History: Teacher: Craig R. Dorsi
Purpose
The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global
processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced
through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the
nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among
major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge deployed in conjunction with leading interpretive
issues and types of historical evidence. The course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and
technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage. Periodization, explicitly discussed, forms
an organizing principle for dealing with change and continuity throughout the course. Specific themes provide
further organization to the course, along with the consistent attention to contacts among societies that form the
core of world history as a field of study.
College world history courses vary considerably in the approach used, the chronological framework chosen, the
content covered, the themes selected, and the analytical skills emphasized. The material that follows describes the
choices the AP World History Development Committee has made to create the course and exam. These choices
themselves are compatible with a variety of college-level curricular approaches.
Themes, Frames and Habits of Minds
The topic outline provides information about what students are expected to know for each part of the course. In
addition, the outline contains examples of what the AP World History Exam does and does not assess.
The course begins with "Foundations," which introduces the course and focuses on setting the historical and
geographical context. This part of the course introduces world historical patterns that form the basis for future
developments.
For each part of the course there is an outline of major developments that students are expected to know and be
able to use in making comparisons across cultures. These developments and comparisons relate to the following six
overarching themes:
 Patterns and impacts of interaction among major societies: trade, war, diplomacy, and international
organizations
 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)
The ordering of the developments in the topic outline suggests chronology and depth of coverage. For each period
after Foundations, periodization is the first major task and serves to create links and explain differences with the
period just covered and with the period to come. For all periods, major interpretative issues, alternative historical
frameworks, and historical debates are included.
Examples of the people, events, and terms that students are expected to know and use accurately in their work for
the course and the exam appear under major developments. The comparisons or "snapshots" listed here are
suggested by way of example; many other comparisons are possible and relevant. There are also selected examples
of the types of information that students should know, in contrast to what they are not expected to know, for the
multiple-choice section of the AP World History Exam. The list is illustrative and not exhaustive. Nor is the list
meant to prohibit students from studying these topics.
Habits of Mind or Skills
The AP World History course addresses habits of mind or skills in two categories: 1) those addressed by any
rigorous history course, and 2) those addressed by a world history course.
Four Habits of Mind are in the first category:
 Constructing and evaluating arguments: using evidence to make plausible arguments.

Using documents and other primary data: developing the skills necessary to analyze point of view, context,
and bias, and to understand and interpret information.
 Developing the ability to assess issues of change and continuity over time.
 Enhancing the capacity to handle diversity of interpretations through analysis of context, bias, and frame of
reference.
Three Habits of Mind are in the second category:
 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 the particular.
 Developing the ability to compare within and among societies, including comparing societies' reactions to
global processes.
 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 AP World History Examination assesses habits of mind as well as content. For example, in the
multiple-choice section, maps, graphs, artwork, and quotations are used to judge students' ability to assess primary
data, while other questions focus on evaluating arguments, handling diversity of interpretation and making
comparisons among societies, drawing generalizations and understanding historical context. In the essay section of
the examination, the document-based question (DBQ) focuses on assessing students' ability to construct arguments;
use primary documents; analyze point of view, context and bias; and understand the global context. The remaining
two essay questions focus on global patterns over time and space and comparisons within and among societies.
Topics
The course will cover the period from approximately 8000 B.C.E. to the present, with the period 8000 B.C.E. to
600 C.E. serving as the foundation for the balance of the course. An outline of the periodization for the course with
associated percentages for suggested course content is listed below:
Foundations: c. 8000 B.C.E.–600 C.E. -- 7 Weeks (19–20%)
600 C.E.–1450 -- 8 Weeks (22%)
1450–1750 -- 7 Weeks (19–20%)
1750–1914 -- 7 Weeks (19–20%)
1914–Present -- 7 Weeks (19–20%)
Foundations: c. 8000 B.C.E.–600 C.E.
Major Developments
I. Locating world history in the environment and time
A. Environment
1. Geography and climate: Interaction of geography and climate with the development of human
society
2. Demography: Major population changes resulting from human and environmental factors
B. Time
1. Periodization in early human history
2. Nature and causes of changes associated with the time span
3. Continuities and breaks within the time span
C. Diverse Interpretations
1. What are the issues involved in using "civilization" as an organizing principle in world history?
2. What is the most common source of change: connection or diffusion versus independent
invention?
II. Developing agriculture and technology
A. Agricultural, pastoral, and foraging societies, and their demographic characteristics (Include Africa, the
Americas, and Southeast Asia.)
B. Emergence of agriculture and technological change
C. Nature of village settlements
D. Impact of agriculture on the environment
E Introduction of key stages of metal use
III. Basic features of early civilizations in different environments: culture, state, and social structure
A. Mesopotamia
B. Egypt
C. Indus
D. Shang
E. Mesoamerica and Andean South America
IV. Classical Ccivilizations: Greece, Rome, India & China
A. Major political developments in China, India, and the Mediterranean
Social and gender structures
B. Major trading patterns within and among Classical civilizations; contacts with adjacent regions
C. Arts, sciences, and technology
V. Major belief systems: basic features of major world belief systems prior to 600 C.E. and where each belief system
applied by 600 C.E.
A. Polytheism
B. Hinduism
C. Judaism
D. Confucianism
E. Daoism
F. Buddhism
G. Christianity
VI. Late Classical period (200 C.E.–600 C.E.)
A. Collapse of empires (Han China, loss of western portion of the Roman Empire, Gupta)
B. Movements of peoples (Huns, Germans)
C. Interregional networks by 600 C.E.: Trade and religious diffusion
Major Comparisons and Snapshots
 Comparisons of the major religious and philosophical systems including some underlying similarities in
cementing a social hierarchy, e.g., Hinduism contrasted with Confucianism
 Role of women in different belief systems -- Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, and Hinduism
 Understanding of 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 and cultures that include cities with pastoral and nomadic societies
 Compare the development of traditions and institutions in major civilizations, e.g., Indian, Chinese, and
Greek
 Describe interregional trading systems, e.g., the Indian Ocean trade
Examples of What You Need to Know
 Below are examples of the types of information you are expected to know contrasted with examples of
those things you 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 date of the introduction of
agriculture to specific societies
 Nature of patriarchal systems, but not changes in family structure within a single region
 Nature of early civilizations, but not necessarily specific knowledge of more than two
 Importance of the introduction of bronze and iron, but not specific inventions or implements
 Political heritage 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
Major Developments
I. Questions of Periodization
A. Nature and causes of changes in the world history framework leading up to 600 C.E. – 1450 as a period
B. Emergence of new empires and political systems
C. Continuities and breaks within the period (e.g., the impact of the Mongols on international contacts and
on specific societies)
II. The Islamic world
A. The rise and role of Dar al-Islam as a unifying cultural and economic force in Eurasia and Africa
B. Islamic political structures, notably the caliphate
C. Arts, sciences, and technologies
III. Interregional networks and contacts
A. Development and shifts in interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange
B. Trans-Sahara trade
C. Indian Ocean trade
D. Silk routes
E. Missionary outreach of major religions
F. Contacts between major religions, e.g., Islam and Buddhism, Christianity and Islam
G. Impact of the Mongol empires
IV. China's internal and external expansion
A. The importance of the Tang and Song economic revolutions and the initiatives of the early Ming dynasty
B. Chinese influence on surrounding areas and its limits
V. Developments in Europe
A. Restructuring of European economic, social, and political institutions
B. The division of Christendom into eastern and western Christian cultures
VI. Social, cultural, economic, and political patterns in the Amerindian world
A. Maya
B. Aztec
C. Inca
VII. Demographic and environmental changes
A. Impact of nomadic migrations on Afro-Eurasia and the Americas (e.g., Aztecs, Mongols, Turks, Vikings,
and Arabs)
B. Migration of agricultural peoples (e.g., Bantu migrations, European peoples to east/central Europe)
C. Consequences of plague pandemics in the fourteenth century
D. Growth and role of cities
VIII. Diverse interpretations
A. What are the issues involved in using cultural areas rather than states as units of analysis?
B. What are the sources of change: nomadic migrations versus urban growth?
C. Was there a world economic network in this period?
D. Were there common patterns in the new opportunities available to and constraints placed on elite
women in this period?
Major Comparisons and Snapshots
 Japanese and European feudalism
 Developments in political and social institutions in both eastern and western Europe
 Compare the role and function of cities in major societies
 Compare Islam and Christianity
 Gender systems and changes, such as the impact of Islam
 Aztec Empire and Inca Empire
 Compare European and sub-Saharan African contacts with the Islamic world
Examples of What You Need to Know

Below are examples of the types of information you are expected to know contrasted with examples of
those things you 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
 Manorialism, but not the 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
1450–1750
Major Developments
I. Questions of periodization
II. Continuities and breaks, causes of changes from the previous period and within this period
A. Changes in trade, technology, and global interactions
III. Knowledge of major empires and other political units and social systems
A. Ottoman, China, Portugal, Spain, Russia, France, England, Tokugawa, Mughal, characteristics of African
empires in general but knowing one (Kongo, Benin, Oyo, or Songhay) as illustrative
B. Gender and empire (including the role of women in households and in politics)
IV. Slave systems and slave trade
V. Demographic and environmental changes: diseases, animals, new crops, and comparative population trends
VI. Cultural and intellectual developments
A. Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
B. Comparative global causes and impacts of cultural change
C. Changes and continuities in Confucianism
D. Major developments and exchanges in the arts (e.g., Mughal)
VII. Diverse interpretations
A. What are the debates about the timing and extent of European predominance in the world economy?
B. How does the world economic system of this period compare with the world economic network of the
previous period?
Major Comparisons and Snapshots
 Imperial systems: European monarchy compared with a land-based Asian empire
 Coercive labor systems: slavery and other coercive labor systems in the Americas
 Comparative knowledge of empire (i.e., general empire building in Asia, Africa, and Europe)
 Compare Russia's interaction with the West with the interaction of one of the following (Ottoman Empire,
China, Tokugawa Japan, Mughal India) with the West
Examples of What You Need to Know
 Below are examples of the types of information you are expected to know contrasted with examples of
those things you are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section.
 Neoconfucianism, but not specific Neoconfucianists
 Importance of European exploration, but not individual explorers
 Characteristics of European absolutism, but not specific rulers
 Reformation, but not Anabaptism or Huguenots
 Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, but not the Safavid Empire
 Siege of Vienna (1688–89), but not the Thirty Years' War
 Slave plantation systems, but not Jamaica's specific slave system
 Institution of the harem, but not Hurrem Sultan
1750–1914
Major Developments
I. Questions of periodization
A. Continuities and breaks, causes of changes from the previous period and within this period
II. Changes in global commerce, communications, and technology
A. Changes in patterns of world trade
B. Industrial Revolution (transformative effects on and differential timing in different societies; mutual
relation of industrial and scientific developments; commonalities)
III.. Demographic and environmental changes (migrations, end of the Atlantic slave trade, new birthrate patterns,
food supply)
IV. Changes in social and gender structure (Industrial Revolution; commercial and demographic developments;
emancipation of serfs/slaves; and tension between work patterns and ideas about gender)
V. Political revolutions and independence movements; new political ideas
A. Latin American independence movements
B. Revolutions (United States, France, Haiti, Mexico, China)
C. Rise of nationalism, nation-states, and movements of political reform
D. Overlaps between nations and empires
E. Rise of democracy and its limitations: reform; women; racism
VI. Rise of Western dominance (economic, political, social, cultural and artistic, patterns of expansion; imperialism
and colonialism) and different cultural and political reactions (reform; resistance; rebellion; racism; nationalism)
A. Impact of changing European ideologies on colonial administrations
VII. Diverse interpretations
A. What are the debates over the utility of modernization theory as a framework for interpreting events in
this period and the next?
B. What are the debates about the causes of serf and slave emancipation in this period and how do these
debates fit into broader comparisons of labor systems?
C. What are the debates over the nature of women's roles in this period and how do these debates apply to
industrialized areas and how do they apply in colonial societies?
Major Comparisons and Snapshots
 Compare the causes and early phases of the industrial revolution in western Europe and Japan
 Comparative revolutions (compare two of the following: Haitian, American, French, Mexican, and Chinese)
 Compare reaction to foreign domination in: the Ottoman Empire, China, India, and Japan
 Comparative nationalism
 Compare forms of western intervention in Latin America and in Africa
 Compare the roles and conditions of women in the upper/middle classes with peasantry/working class in
western Europe
Examples of What You Need to Know
 Below are examples of the types of information you are expected to know contrasted with examples of
those things you are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section.
 Women's emancipation movements, but not specific suffragists
 The French Revolution of 1789, but not the Revolution of 1830
 Meiji Restoration, but not Iranian Constitutional Revolution
 Jacobins, but not Robespierre
 Causes of Latin American independence movements, but not specific protagonists
 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
1914–Present
Major Developments
I. Questions of periodization
A. Continuities and breaks, causes of changes from the previous period and within this period
II. The World Wars, the Holocaust, the Cold War, nuclear weaponry, international organizations, and their impact
on the global framework (globalization of diplomacy and conflict; global balance of power; reduction of European
influence; the League of Nations, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Nations, etc.)
III. New patterns of nationalism (the interwar years; decolonization; racism, genocide; new nationalisms, including
the breakup of the Soviet Union)
IV. Impact of major global economic developments (the Great Depression; technology; Pacific Rim; multinational
corporations)
V. New forces of revolution and other sources of political innovations
VI. Social reform and social revolution (changing gender roles; family structures; rise of feminism; peasant protest;
international Marxism)
VII. Globalization of science, technology, and culture
A. Developments in global cultures and regional reactions, including science and consumer culture
B. Interactions between elite and popular culture and art
C. Patterns of resistance including religious responses
VIII. Demographic and environmental changes (migrations; changes in birthrates and death rates; new forms of
urbanization; deforestation; green/environmental movements)
IX. Diverse interpretations
A. Is cultural convergence or diversity the best model for understanding increased intercultural contact in
the twentieth century?
B. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using units of analysis in the twentieth century, such as the
nation, the world, the West, and the Third World?
Major Comparisons and Snapshots
 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)
 The notion of "the West" and "the East" in the context of Cold War ideology
 Compare nationalist ideologies and movements in contrasting European and colonial environments
 Compare the different types of independence struggles
 Compare the impacts of Western consumer society on two civilizations outside of Europe
 Compare high tech warfare with guerrilla warfare
 Different proposals (or models) for third world economic development and the social and political
consequences
Examples of What You Need to Know
 Below are examples of the types of information you are expected to know contrasted with examples of
those things you are not expected to know for the multiple-choice section.
 Causes of the World Wars, but not battles in the wars
 Cultural and political transformations resulting from the wars, but not French political and cultural history
 Fascism, but not Mussolini'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 details of a particular struggle
 The issue of genocide, but not Cambodia, Rwanda, or Kosovo
 The internationalization of popular culture, but not the Beatles
 Artistic Modernism, but not Dada
The Exam
Test your knowledge of world history -- and gain some college credit while you're at it -- with the AP World History
Exam. The three-hour-and-five-minute exam includes a 55-minute multiple-choice section and a 130-minute freeresponse section.
Section I: Multiple-Choice
The 70 multiple-choice questions cover world history from the Foundations period up to the present. Several
questions are cross-chronological.
Unlike other multiple-choice tests, random guessing can hurt your final score. While you don't lose anything for
leaving a question blank, one quarter of a point is subtracted for each incorrect answer on the test. But if you have
some knowledge of the question and can eliminate one or more answers, it's usually to your advantage to choose
what you believe is the best answer from the remaining choices.
Section II: Free-Response
There are three free-response questions. You'll write a document-based essay (DBQ), a change-over-time essay, and a
comparative essay. Each essay is counted equally toward your final grade.
Please pay close attention to the directive words in the essay questions. Ignoring directives will result in a lower
exam score. The following directives may be included:
 Analyze: determine their component parts; examine their nature and relationship
 Assess/evaluate: judge the value or character of something; appraise; evaluate the positive and negative
points; give an opinion regarding the value of; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
 Compare: examine for the purpose of noting similarities and differences
 Contrast: examine in order to show dissimilarities or points of difference
 Describe: give an account of; tell about; give a word picture of
 Discuss: talk over; write about; consider or examine by argument or from various points of view; debate;
present the different sides of
 Explain: make clear or plain; make clear the causes or reasons for; make known in detail; tell the meaning of
Document-Based Essay Question
Put on your "historian" hat to demonstrate your ability to analyze source materials and develop an essay based on
those materials. Your goal: a unified essay that integrates your analysis of four to ten given documents with your
treatment of the topic. Comparative topics on the major themes will provide one of the focuses of the DBQs,
including comparative questions about different societies in situations of mutual contact. The DBQ begins with a
mandatory 10-minute reading period. Then you'll have 40 minutes to write the essay.
The source materials are chosen for two reasons: the information they convey about the topic and the perspective
they offer on other documents used in the section. There is no one perfect DBQ answer; a variety of approaches
and responses are possible depending on your ability to understand the documents and, ultimately, judge their
significance. Remember: You'll most fully understand some of the documents when you view them within the wider
context of the entire series.
When writing the document-based essay, it's important to:
 Refer to individual documents within the framework of the overall topic.
 Use all or all but one of the documents.
 Discuss the materials in reference to the question -- don't just summarize them.
 Cite documents by naming the author and/or by naming the document number.
 Also, remember:
 There are no irrelevant or deliberately misleading documents.
 It's important that you put your analytic skills to work and demonstrate that you understand context, bias,
and frame of reference regarding the documents' sources and the authors' points of view. Group or
juxtapose documents in a variety of ways (e.g. according to their ideas or points of view); suggest reasons for
similarities or differences in perspective among the documents; and identify possible biases or
inconsistencies within documents.
 You'll be asked to explain the need for additional documents that would help you answer the question more
completely. You may also have to discuss which points of view are missing from the given documents. Since
the DBQ focuses on historical skills within a world history framework, remember to place documents
chronologically, culturally, and thematically.
 You're not expected to know the author or topic of all the DBQ documents, or to include information
outside of the documents.
Change-Over-Time Essay
The change-over-time essay focuses on large global issues such as technology, trade, culture, migrations, or
biological developments. It covers at least one of the periods in the course outline and one or more cultural areas.
You'll have 40 minutes to write the essay. It's recommended that you spend five minutes planning and/or outlining
your answer before you begin writing. You may be able to choose different cases to illustrate your point.
Comparative Essay
In the final free-response essay you'll answer a comparative question that focuses on developments in two or more
societies, and their interactions with each other or with major themes or events (e.g. culture, trade, religion,
technology, migrations). You'll have 40 minutes to write the essay. It's recommended that you spend five minutes
planning and/or outlining your answer before you begin writing.
History & Social Science Strategies
The following strategies for answering the free-response questions were developed by faculty consultants to help
you on exam day:
 Answering essay questions generally requires a good deal of training and practice. Students too often begin
to write immediately, creating a string of disconnected, poorly planned thoughts. You need to learn to attack
questions methodically and to plan your answers before putting pencil to paper.
 Carefully analyze the question, thinking through what is being asked, and identify the elements that must be
addressed in the response. Others require you to consider all the similarities between people or events, and
then to think of all the ways they are different.
 After you have determined what is involved in answering the question, consider what evidence you can
incorporate into your response. Review the evidence you learned during the year that relates to the question
and then decide how it fits into the analysis. Does it demonstrate a similarity or difference? Does it argue for
or against the generalization that is being addressed?
 Whenever you offer evidence to illustrate contrast or similarity, clearly state your intent. Then, with
additional information or analysis, elaborate on the ways in which these pieces of evidence are similar or
different. If there is evidence that refutes a statement, explain why it argues against the statement. Your
answer should reflect an understanding of the subtleties of the questions.
 Begin writing only after you have thought through the evidence you plan to use, and have determined what
your thesis statement will be. Once you have done this, you will be in a position to answer the question
analytically instead of in a rambling narrative. You will also know whether you are going to argue on a side
that supports or refutes the statement, and whether similarities outweigh the differences.
 Learn how to present your thesis statement: describe your overarching framework and then position your
supporting evidence so that it is obviously directed to the question—not just a string of abstract
generalizations. State your points as clearly as possible, not leaving it to the reader to infer what is meant or
how something illustrates a point.
 If you have done the analytical work required prior to writing, you should be able to demonstrate an
understanding of the complexity of the question. You should be able to state your thesis, introduce the
elements that support the thesis, and demonstrate the logic that led you to link the elements in support of
the thesis. By applying these ideas you will construct an excellent essay.
 While essay writing in general is a valuable exercise, you may wish to work specifically on free-response
questions from previous AP Examinations. This will allow you to compare your own responses with those
that have already been scored and evaluated by faculty consultants. Free-response questions are available
through the Advanced Placement Program® in numerous formats.
Scoring the Exam
The multiple-choice and free-response sections are each worth half of the final exam grade.
2005 Grade Distribution
Examination Grade
Percentage Earning Grade
Extremely Well Qualified
5
10.2
Well Qualified
4
17.1
Qualified
3
25.2
Possibly Qualified
2
23.4
No Recommendation
1
24
Mean Grade
2.66
Standard Deviation
1.29
Number of Students
64,207
Number of Schools Administering AP
2,380
Number of Colleges Receiving AP Grades
1,410