Download World History Syllabus NUAMES 2016-2017

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World Civilizations Syllabus
Diana LeBaron Bass
NUAMES Early College High School
Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.
-Anthony J. D'Angelo
Consultation Periods
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Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.-7:55 a.m. and 2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Students and parents are welcome to schedule appointments as needed.
Course Overview
The World Civilizations course is a comprehensive and demanding thematic study of the
human experience from 8000 B.C.E. to the present. The course is designed to help
students develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and
contacts including interactions over time. The emphasis will always be on the big
picture, using a global perspective to look at the ways in which people and societies
have been connected through time.
Students will cultivate writing, critical reasoning, effective reading, collaborative, and
analytical skills.
There are high expectations for those enrolled in the course. Self discipline and doing
one’s best are imperative.
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. –
Oliver Wendell Holmes
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Course Objectives:
Students will
 Perform well in the course, with a final grade of C or higher
 Improve expository writing skills
 Build understanding of principle themes, events, and figures in World History
 Analyze and organize data and historical evidence
 Identify and analyze point-of-view in historical sources
 Demonstrate higher-order thinking skills within a rigorous format
 Cultivate skills that will help them in other educational pursuits
Recurrent Themes in World History
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Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
Development and Interaction of Cultures
State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict
Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Historical Thinking Required in this Course:
 Ability to connect historical events to broader regional, national and global
phenomena
 Ability to interpret and synthesize diverse interpretations of historical evidence
Course Format:
Units provide students with a variety of learning activities, including the following:
 Interpret timelines
 Demonstrate insight, prior knowledge and analysis in journal entries
 Identify the significance of historical figures, events, literary works, and treaties
 Respond to questions that require comprehension and application of ideas
 Read and respond to ideas in primary and secondary source material
 Go beyond text reading to access authentic manuscripts, participate in virtual
museum tours, and watch appropriate films
 Organize and defend ideas with visual representations, such as graphic organizers
 Write thematic and document-based essays
 Participate in threaded discussions about course content
 Engage in historical simulations such the trial of Genghis Kahn, an Enlightenment
Salon, and serve as a member of one of three estates during the French Revolution.
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Course Policies/Procedures:
In order to maintain an effective learning atmosphere, the following procedures are
implemented and posted in the classroom:
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Be CONSIDERATE to and RESPECTFUL of the teacher and classmates
Be AWAKE, ALERT, ON TIME, AND POSITIVE
Take care of classroom property
FOCUS on history, not work from other classes
Electronic devices should be turned off and out of sight (unless used for classrelated work)
Citizenship
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Students begin each quarter with 25/25 citizenship points.
Students gain citizenship points for exceptionally good behavior, following
course policies, and contributing to a positive classroom climate.
Students lose citizenship points for violating course policies/procedures, being
tardy to class, or having unexcused absences. Points can also be deducted for
excessive excused tardies or excused absences.
Final citizenship grades will be assigned accordingly:
o 25 + points = Honors (H)
o 16-24 points = Satisfactory (S)
o 11-15 points = Needs Improvement (N)
o 0-10 points = Unsatisfactory (U)
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Additional Course Expectations
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Students are expected to dress appropriately and modestly for class. Ms. Bass has
“lovely ensembles” that students may be asked to sport if distracting and revealing
clothing is worn.
Students are expected to work cooperatively with groups. If a student chooses to
disrupt or fail to participate in the group, he or she will be asked to work alone.
Grading Policies
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All assignments are based on a 100% mastery scale.
Assignments include but are not limited to:
o Log entries
o Portfolios
o Essays
o Video Essays
o Presentations
o Simulations
o Debates
o Discussions
o Current Event Assignments
o Reader’s Journals
Everything created in class or for homework should be saved as it will appear in
the term portfolio.
ONE LATE ASSIGNMENT IS ACCEPTED PER TERM (with a late pass). Assignments
will be accepted on the due date and in the class in which a student is enrolled.
Homework is due at the beginning of class. If an assignment is e-mailed after
class, it is considered late.
Exams and quizzes need to be made up by the Friday after the student’s
absence.
Students are welcome to discuss their grades before or after school.
If a student has an excused absence, she has as many days as she was absent to
makeup all missed work. Thus, if Becca was absent four days, she has four school
days to make up work.
Consult the class website for daily activities and handouts (Absent Log handout):
http://dianabass.yolasite.com/world-history.php
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Grading Scale
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Grades are not rounded up in this class.
Grades are only changed when the teacher has made an error.
93-100%
90-92%
87-89%
83-89%
80-82%
77-79&
A
AB+
B
BC+
73-76%
70-72%
67-69%
63-66%
60-62%
C
CD+
D
D-
Cheating/Plagiarism
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In brief, do NOT do this. Cheating is any act that “defrauds, deceives or employs
trickery” in order to obtain credit for work which has not been completed.
Plagiarism is the “act of passing off the ideas of another as one’s own work.”
Anyone who cheats will receive a failing grade on the said assignment, a call or
letter home, and points deducted from citizenship.
Moo-Lah:
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Moo-lah can be earned through incredible participation, leadership in group
activities, going the extra mile, or through various classroom activities. Each
moo-lah counts for two points extra credit.
Extra Credit
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Extra credit is extended to all students who have a Citizenship H or S.
Extra Credit can improve a student’s grade by a maximum of one-half grade.
Extra credit options will be provided throughout each term.
Extra credit is extended to all students who have a D- or higher in the class.
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Resources
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Primary and Secondary Source Readings
Required Materials
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Three-ring binder or folder for portfolio
Lined paper
Writing utensils
First Semester Topics
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Historiography
Thematic Essay Writing
Document-based Essay Writing
The earliest human groups
The River Civilizations
World Religions
Classical Greece and Rome
Empires
The Middle Ages
Current Events
Second Semester Topics
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The Renaissance
The Old and New Imperialism
The Reformation
The Enlightenment
Comparative Revolutions: French, Chinese, Scientific, Industrial, Haitian, and more!
Comparative Political Systems
Comparative Economic Systems
Global Conflict and War
The Middle East
Culture Fair
Current Events
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Academic schedule
(thematic perspective)
UNIT I: Foundations
Major Topics:
 Sources in history
 Navigating timelines and maps
 The nature of historical inquiry and research
 The strengths and weaknesses of primary, secondary and tertiary sources
 Neolithic Revolution and formation of early cities
 Basic features of early civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Kush, Indus, Shang,
Mesoamerica, and Andean
 The Modern Middle East
 Writing the Five-paragraph essay in history
Sources
 Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Readings
 Richard E. Leakey, The Making of Mankind
 The Epic of Gilgamesh
 The Judgments of Hammurabi
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Writing Workshop: Students will be instructed on how to write a strong fiveparagraph essay for history classes and beyond.
 Short Primary Source Analysis: Students will identify the point of view, intended
purpose, audience, and historical context of the source.
 Discussion on why people would be willing to give up a nomadic lifestyle for a
more settled existence.
 Students will develop archeological digs for the early human groups.
 Analysis of the Lascaux Caves
 Students will design learning centers for the early river civilizations
 Modern Middle East stereotype examples, geography assignment, and country
presentations
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UNIT TWO:
Major World Belief Systems
Topics for Overview:
 The Development and Codification of Religions and Cultural Traditions
 Major Belief systems: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Confucianism, and Daoism, polytheism, animism and shamanism
Sources
 Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Readings or Reader
 The Buddha, Setting in Motion The Wheel of The Law, The Human Record
 Laozi, The Classic of the Way and Virtue
 Confucius, The Analects
 The Sermon on the Mount
 The Qur’an on Allah and His Expectations of Humankind
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Writing a Comparison Essay on the origins, beliefs and practices and diffusion of
three major world religious traditions
 Students will evaluate the causes and consequences of the decline of the Han,
Roman and Gupta empires.
 Dinner Table Assignment Project on the major religions and philosophies of this
time period: Students will research the origins, beliefs and practices, diffusion,
and describe the continuity and changes of the beliefs over time.
 Religion Panel
UNIT THREE: Classical Contributions
Topics for Overview:
 Major political, artistic, philosophical, technological and trading developments in
China, India and the Mediterranean
 Political Developments in Classical Civilizations
 Social and Gender Structures in Classical Civilizations
 Trading Patterns among Classical Civilizations
Sources
 Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
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Socrates’ View on Death
Aesop, Fables
Homer, The Iliad
Plato, The Cave
Detailing the Life of Caesar Augustus
Tacitus on Corruption in the Early Roman Empire
Selective Activities/Assessments
 Students will identify the point of view, intended purpose, audience, and
historical context of the source
 Writing Assignments: Comparison of the role women in classical civilizations
 Discussion: was it preferable to be a woman in the Han or Roman Empire?
 Talk Show with important figures from classical civilizations
 ABC books of classical contributions
 Prevent the Fall of the Roman Empire
UNIT FOUR—The Age of Empires
Major Topics:
 The Mongols Khanates
 Ming and Qing Rule in China
 Japanese Shogunates
 The Byzantine Empire
 Empires in the Americas
 The Ottomans
 The Mughals
 Great Zimbabwe
Sources:
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers:
 Traveling among the Mongols; Journey to the Land of the Tartars, The Human
Record
 Justinian Code
 Francois Bernier, Travels in the Mughal Empire
Selective Activities and Assessments
 Trial of Genghis Khan
 The “Greatest Empire” contest
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UNIT FIVE: The Old and New Imperialism
Overview Topics:
 Motivations for, countries involved in and outcomes of the Old and New
Imperialism
 The Columbian Exchange
 Decolonization
Sources
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
 Columbus’ Letter to the King and Queen of Spain
 The World That Trade Created, 2nd Edition, : Chapter 2, Section 2.2: Better to Be
Lucky than Smart: Christopher Columbus
 A European account of the slave trade
 Aztec accounts of the Conquest of Mexico
 Bartolome de la Casas, Apologetic History of the Indies
 Hobson, Imperialism
 Kipling, The White Man’s Burden
 Morel, The Black Man’s Burden
 Adam Smith on the Cost of Empire
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Students will identify the point of view, intended purpose, audience, and
historical context of the source.
 Project Runway with key explorers, imperialists and nationalists from the
periods.
 Columbian Exchange document activity
 Pro-Se Arguments on the impact of Old and New Imperialism
 Group essay comparing the Old and New Imperialism
 Dual Poetry
 Watch Guns, Germs and Steel
UNIT SIX: Economic Systems and Networks for Exchange
Overview Topics:
 Barter systems, mercantilism, feudalism, communism and capitalism
 Interregional trade networks: Hanseatic League; Silk Roads; Trans-Saharan
routes
 Essay: Changes and Continuities in patterns of interactions along the Silk Road
 Debate on the merits and drawbacks of trade along the Silk Road
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Following an item on the Silk Road project
Sources
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
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Engels and Marx, The Communist Manifesto
Smith, The Wealth of Nations
The World That Trade Created, 2nd Edition: Chapter 4: “Transplanting:
Commodities in World Trade”
Feudal documents
Sixty-second commercials on trade routes
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Students will identify the point of view, intended purpose, audience, and
historical context of source materials.
 Socratic Seminar: Students debate the merits and drawbacks of various
economic systems
 Economic system simulations
 Comparison of the Silk Roads, Hanseatic Trade and Trans Saharan trade
networks
UNIT SEVEN: Global Celebrations
Overview Topics:
 Global celebrations: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, The Festival of Lights, Chinese New
Year, St. Lucia Day, and Christmas around the world
Sources
Outside readings and internet searches
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Group or individual I-Search projects and presentations
UNIT EIGHT: Power and Governance
Overview Topics:
 Comparison of political systems in history
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Points in time assignment for government systems
Trials of political leaders
The enlightened despots
A comparison of dynasties: Song, Romanov, Imperial House of Japan
Comparison of the following empires: Ottoman, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish,
Russian, French, English, Tokugawan, Mughal, Benin, and Songhay.
Sources
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
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The Magna Carta
Machiavelli, The Prince
Hobbes, The Leviathan
Locke, Two Treatises on Civil Government
Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws
Rousseau, The Social Contract
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Government comparison charts and time line
 Hobbes vs. Locke Pre-Se Court
 Machiavelli seminar on various world leaders
 Totalitarian Dictator simulation
 Leader resumes and job interviews
UNIT NINE: Revolutions
Overview Topics:
 Causes, events, and consequences associated with revolutions in
o Russia
o Haiti
o Mexico
o France (1789)
o China
o South African anti-apartheid movement
o Gandhi and India’s independence
Sources
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
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The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
Brinton, The Anatomy of a Revolution
Selected Activities/Assessments
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Revolution game boards
Revolution time line
UNIT TEN: Innovation
Overview Topics:
 Medieval times
 The Northern vs. Italian Renaissance
 The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counterreformation
 The Scientific Revolution
 The Enlightenment
 The Industrial Revolution
Sources
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
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Erasmus, The Praise of Folly
Luther, The Ninety-five Theses
Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man
Vasari, The Life of Leonardo da Vinci
Newton, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
Voltaire, Candide
Dickens, Hard Times
Chadwick, Inquiry into the Condition of the Poor
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Renaissance gallery
 Trial of Martin Luther
 Astronomers round table
 Enlightenment Salon
 Debate on the costs and benefits of the Industrial Revolution
 Invention newscast
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UNIT ELEVEN: Diseases that Altered History
Overview Topics:
 Smallpox
 The Black Death
 Influenza Epidemic
 Cholera
 Malaria
 Polio
 Plant disease associated with the Irish Potato Famine
 AIDS
 The Bacterial Revolution
Sources:
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
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Primary sources on the Black Death
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Document-based essay on the Black Death
 History Bowl
 Internet Scavenger Hunt
UNIT TWELVE: War
Overview Topics:
 Punic Wars
 The Crusades
 Thirty Years’ War
 Napoleonic Wars
 Russo-Japanese War
 World War I
 World War II
 The Cold War
 The War on Terror
Sources:
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Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers
The Crusades through Muslim and Christian Eyes
Excerpts from Stoessinger’s Why Nations Go to War
Wilson, The Fourteen Points
Sun- Tzu, The Art of War
Selected Activities/Assessments
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War newscasts
Phases of the Thirty Years’ War demonstrations
WWI propaganda project
Point-of-view exercises with WWII
Debate over dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Pro-Se debate on the origins of the Cold War
I-Search for the War on Terror
UNIT THIRTEEN: The Creative Genius
Overview Topics:
 Art through the ages
Sources:
Textbook Chapters
Supplemental Reading or Readers:
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Stone, excerpts from The Agony and the Ecstasy
Artist biographies
Selected Activities/Assessments
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Art Gallery
Art history timeline
UNIT FOURTEEN: Our Global Community
Overview Topics:
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Terrorism
The Post Superpower World
“McDonaldization”
The Struggle for Rights
Sources:
Textbook Chapters
Selected Activities/Assessments
 Topicals
 Learning Gallery for the Year
 Portfolios
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