Download Syllabus - Jessamine County Schools

World Civilizations
Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor:
James Cabrera
B.A. Social Studies Education, History
Eastern Kentucky University, 2011
[email protected]
Course Overview
The general World Civilizations course is designed to introduce students to the various events, places, and people from around the globe,
spanning from the time before the Italian Renaissance to the modern world. History is the interpretation of the interactions of people
throughout different civilizations and the impacts those interactions have had on the world. History is vitally important, because in order
to predict where the future will take us as a society, we must first understand the past and how it has shaped the present. This class will
be a year-long course and will cover these topics in great detail.
Required Text
Beck, et. al. Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL. McDougal Littell. 2007.
Other Resources to be used:
Crash Course World History by John Greene- Web series dedicated to teaching world history from historian and author John Greene.
History Channel Documentaries will be shown, either in it’s entirety or in small clips during lectures.
Students will also read selected readings from varying sources and primary source books.
Resources and Materials:
All students are expected to be prepared when coming to class: The following should be brought to class everyday:
o Pencil/Pen
o 3 Ring Binder specifically for this class
o Good Attitude
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o Colored Pencils. Crayons, paper, etc. will be used in class for projects. I have a limited supply of art materials available, so if you
would prefer to have your own, it is strongly encouraged to purchase for your needs.
Classroom Procedures and Policies
Policies: In addition to school policies, we will adhere to the following:
1. No food in class unless designated as a special activity
2. Drinks are ONLY permitted if they are in containers specifically designed to be reusable.
3. We will use various types of technology in class. For this reason, smartphones, netbooks, etc. are both permitted and
encouraged for CLASS ACTIVITIES. YOU WILL NOT HAVE PHONES OUT IN CLASS UNLESS YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO DO
SO. 1ST Offense- Verbal Warning, 2nd Offense- Detention, 3rd Offense- Referral and phone taken to front office
Procedures:
It is the expectation that every student upon entering the classroom will:
1.) When entering the class, find their assigned seat and begin assignment on Smartboard
2.) First 15 Minutes- Document of the Day- After these procedures as been explained first day of class, you are expected to follow this
procedure for the first 15 minutes of every class
3.) Lesson for the day
4.) Last 15 Minutes- Vocabulary- you will be assigned a small list of 5 terms or key words from today’s lesson that you are to define using
your own words. These vocab terms will be reviewed and you may use them on formative quizzes.
Non-traditional Instruction (NTI) Days
Because WJHS is a part of the NTI program, it is expected that all students participate in the NTI days when inclement weather keeps us
from meeting in the regular classroom. Because we have so much to cover and every day is important, on those that we miss, it is up to
the students to be held accountable for making up and doing any NTI work assigned on the Snow Days. Students will either be preassigned a hard (paper) copy in class, given that inclement weather is approaching and it is a foregone conclusion that the next day of
school will be a Snow Day or, more typically, the students will be required to check the instructor’s webpage for any documents, details
and assignment dates. My website can be accessed at the WJHS main website by clicking on Faculty Webpages, finding Tommy Grant
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and clicking on General World Civilizations link. For those students who do not have internet access at home, you will need to see me
on the first days of school in order to work out an arrangement.
Vocabulary Requirement
For each lesson at the end of the day, you will be required to write a 1-2 sentence definition of terms given at the last 15 minutes of class.
You should USE YOUR OWN WORDS for these! All vocabulary should be HAND-WRITTEN. Typed vocabulary will not be accepted (no
“copy and pasting between students”). These are important for mastering the content (think of them as EXIT slips). Remember, practice
make perfect!
Homework Expectation
Time for assignments will generally be given to students in class. However, some students work faster than others and as a result, any
assignment not completed in class is subject to be homework. Due to the fluid nature of the school year, some assignments will be
designated as homework, while others are to be completed in class, as determined by the teacher and told to students. It is the
expectation that ALL homework will be completed when assigned. Failure to do so will result in a grade of “zero.” Further, it is the
expectation that all students should take at least 10-15 minutes each night to go over what they have learned in class that day. You will
have a section in your notebooks titled “Homework/Summaries” In it, each student will use that 10-15 minutes to write a short 2-3
sentence summary of what they learned that day, using specific content terms as a result. These will be checked at the end of each week.
Quiz Grading
Quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions based on the assigned readings and vocabulary from each chapter. Students can expect a
quiz per week. Students will be allowed to use vocabulary on quizzes.
Quiz Score Scale
10/10= 100%
8-9= 92%
7= 83%
5-6= 70%
0-4= 40%
Exam Grading
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Unit Exams will be assigned according to the class schedule provided. They will consist of multiple choice questions and Open Response
questions for a total of 100 Points. Exams will include prior unit information starting with EXAM 2. This means that subsequent exams
after Exam 2 will include questions from the previous units, although a majority of the questions will be from the unit being assessed.
EXAM Grade Scale (scores)
93-100= 100%
80-92= 92%
70-79= 83%
51-69= 70%
41-50= 50%
0-40= 40%
TEST RE-TAKES- After each exam, we will go over as a class the standards and your level of mastery. Students are offered the
opportunity to re-take tests if they choose to do so. You have 2 weeks from the date of a test being returned to re-take before or after
school. All formative assessments MUST BE TURNED IN BEFORE you can re-take. IF you have missing work, complete first.
WJHS Grading Scale
A+
100-98
B+
A
97-95
B
A94-92
B-
91-89
88-86
85-83
C+
C
C-
82-80
79-77
76-74
D+
D
D-
Course Distribution Breakdown
Class Activity
73-71
70-68
67-65
Assessments and Course Weight
Unit Exams (5) - Summative
Quizzes (11)- formative
Vocabulary (19 chapters)- Formative
Activities and Projects (TBA)- Formative
Final Exam
Summative- 70%
Formative- 20%
Final Exam- 10%
Course Outline
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The following outline is a broad overview of the topics to be covered by unit. The topics herein are subject to alterations as the instructor
sees fit.
*The following standards derive from the National Council for Social Studies Education Eras of World History Standards
(http://www.nchs.ucla.edu/history-standards/world-history-content-standards)
Unit 1: Renaissance and Rebirth to The New World
1. Prelude to Renaissance- Era 4: Standard 4- The search for political, social, and cultural redefinition in Europe, 500-1000 CE

Fall of Roman Empire

The Dark Ages in Western Europe

The Plague and Population Decimation in Europe
2. Rebirth: Italian Renaissance- Era 6: Standard 2: How European society experienced political, economic, and cultural
transformations in an age of global intercommunication, 1450-1750

New Ways of Thinking: Humanism

Renaissance Art and the Master Artists

Politics of Renaissance Europe
3. Protestant Reformation. Era 6: Standard 4: Economic, political, and cultural interrelations among peoples of Africa, Europe,
and the Americas, 1500-1750

Middle East During Renaissance

Mughal Empire

Ottoman Empire
5. Age of Exploration- Era 6: Standard 1: How the transoceanic interlinking of all major regions of the world from 1450-1600 led
to global transformations

Portugal and Spain lead the way

Columbus and the New World

Spanish Conquests of New World: Impacts of Indigenous Peoples
6. Atlantic World/Atlantic Slave Trade- Era 6: Standard 1: How the transoceanic interlinking of all major regions of the world
from 1450-1600 led to global transformations

Columbian Exchange

Triangular Trade

Atlantic Slave Trade

Middle Passage
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
Impacts of Slave trade on Africa/ New World
Unit 2: European Absolutism to the Age of Revolution
1. Absolute Monarchies in Europe- Era 7: Standard 1: The causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and
early 19th centuries

Absolute Monarchs: England

Absolute Monarchs: France

Absolute Monarchs: Russia
2. The Enlightenment- Era 6: Standard 6: Major global trends from 1450-1770

Enlightenment Philosophy and Philosophers
o Renes Descartes
o Voltaire
o Adam Smith
o John Locke
o Thomas Hobbes
o Denis Diderot

Impacts of Enlightenment on European Politics
3.) Scientific Revolution- Era 7: Standard 1: The causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries

Old Science and New Comparisons of Sci. Rev.
o Geocentrism
o Heliocentrism
o Scientific Method

Sci. Rev. Thinkers
o Isaac Newton
o Galileo Galilei
o Francis Bacon
o Robert Boyle
o Andreas Vesalias
4.) Revolutions- Era 7: Standard 1: The causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

American Revolution

French Revolution
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


Impacts of Enlightenment on Revolutions
Napoleonic Era and Wars
Latin American Revolutions
o Haitian Revolution
o Simon Bolivar and South American Independence
Unit 3: Industrialization and Imperialism
1. Industrial Revolution- Era 7: Standard 2: The causes and consequences of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, 17001850

New inventions/mechanization

Impacts of Industrial Revolution
o Population
o Economic
o Urbanization
o Political
2. European/ Western Imperialism- Era 7: Standard 6: Major global trends from 1750-1914

Scramble for Africa (Berlin Conference)

European Countries and their colonies
o India
o Africa
o Southeast Asia
o Asia (Japan, China, Korea)

Impacts of European Imperialism on the world

American Imperialism/Manifest Destiny
o Matthew Perry/ Opening of Japan
o Spanish American War
o Philippines
o Cuba
o Hawaii
UNIT 4: The Modern World in Crisis- The World Wars and Depression
1. World War I- Era 8:
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Standard 1: Reform, revolution, and social change in the world economy of the early century

Causes of World War I
o Alliance System
o Militarism
o Imperialism
o Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

America Enters War
o Zimmerman Note
o Lusitania Sinking
o Submarine Warfare

Impacts of WWI
o Destruction of Europe
o New military technology
o “Lost Generation”
o Treaty of Versailles/Impacts on Germany
o Wilson’s 14 Points
o League of Nations
2. Great Depression- Era 8: Standard 2: The causes and global consequences of World War I

Causes of Depression

Reactions to Depression
o Roosevelt’s New Deal
3. Rise of Nationalism/Dictators- Era 8: Standard 5: Major global trends from 1900 to the end of World War II

Fascism in Europe
o Italy
o Germany
o Spain

Militarism in Japan

Russian Revolution
o Overthrow of Tsars
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o Rise of Communism- Stalin
Chinese Revolution
o Nationalists vs. Communists

Indian Opposition to Britain
o Ghandi
o Indian Nationalist Movement
4. World War II- Era 8: Standard 4: The causes and global consequences of World War II

Causes of WWII
o Alliances
o Militarism
o Adolf Hitler/Nazism

WWII Combat
o European Theater
o U.S. Enters War- Pearl Harbor
o Pacific Theater

WWII Impacts and Big Ideas
o Aftermath
o Japanese Occupation
o Marshall Plan
o United Nations

UNIT 5: The Cold War and Later 20th Century
1. Post WWII World- Origins of Cold War- Era 9: Standard 1: How post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international
power relations took shape, and colonial empires broke up

Potsdam Conference

Marshall Plan

Berlin Airlift
2. Communism Spreads- Era 9: Standard 1: How post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international power relations
took shape, and colonial empires broke up

China
o Mau Zedong
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o Great Leap Forward
o Cultural Revolution

Korea and Vietnam Wars

Cuba
o Bay of Pigs
o Cuban Missile Crisis
3.) USA vs. Soviets- Era 9: Standard 3: Major global trends since World War II

Space Race

Arms Race
4.) Outcomes of Cold War- World History Across Eras: Standard 1: Long-term changes and recurring patterns in world history

Fall of Berlin Wall

Glasnost

Perestroika

Mikhail Gorbachev

Collapse of Soviet Union

Formation of New Eastern European Countries
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