Download Advanced Placement European History Syllabus

Advanced Placement World History Syllabus
2011-2012
Instructor: J. Eileen Rueth
Room 118
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: e-chalk – www.jamesislandcharterhs.org
Course Description
The Advanced Placement Program in World History covers the entire history of the world, dealing with
prehistory to the present. Throughout the study of history, we will examine the political, social, and
economic changes between civilizations. We will also analyze the effects that religions, governments, and
ideals had on the world in the past and present. The program makes demands upon students that are
equivalent to those of full-year introductory college courses. The course is designed to give students
grounding in historical content with a focus on historiography and interpretation and analysis of primary
and secondary documents. Students are provided with the analytical skills and factual knowledge
necessary to deal critically with problems and materials in World history. Emphasis is placed on
analyzing historical data, synthesizing evidence and evaluating the ideas of others as students develop
the ability to express themselves with clarity and precision when writing essays. These skills are
transferable to all subject areas. Students who successfully complete the course stand a good chance of
making a passing grade on the Advanced Placement World History Examination, which will be
administered in May 2012. On successful completion of the exam students may be awarded college
credit. The most critical keys to student success are consistency and commitment.
Students will:
 develop and demonstrate effective use of interpretive and analytical skills
 draw upon a broad base of historical knowledge and use that knowledge to exercise critical analytic
skills
 develop a historical perspective
 develop an understanding of the process of historical inquiry
 examine and assess the validity of various schools of historical scholarship
 examine intellectual, cultural, political, diplomatic, social, and economic themes, concepts and events
that have developed in world history
 recognize change over time
 further develop research and composition skills
 work collaboratively
 prepare to pass the AP exam
Course Materials
Bentley and Ziegler. 2010. Traditions and Encounters. Fifth Edition. United States: McGraw Hill
(PRIMARY TEXT)
Secondary Sources:
Christian, D. 2000. Silk Roads or Steppe Roads? The Silk Roads in World History. Journal of World History 11,
no. 1.
Diamond, J. 1999. Guns Germs and Steel. WW Norton & Company.
Gilbert, E. and Reynolds, J. 2006. Trading Tastes: Commodity and Cultural Exchange to 1750. Pearson
Education.
Mintz, S. 1985 Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. Penguin Books.
Noonan, T. 2007. Document Based Assessment for Global History. Walch Education.
Pomeranz, K. and Topik, S. 1999. The World That Trade Created. M.E. Sharpe.
Risso, P. 1995 Merchants and Faith: Muslim Commerce and Culture in the Indian Ocean. Westview Press Inc.
Wilson, W. and Herman, G. 2004. Critical Thinking Using Primary Sources in World Histroy. Walch
Education.
Course Themes
Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
 Demography and Disease
 Patterns of Settlement
 Migration
 Technology
Development and Interaction of Cultures
 Religions
 The Arts and Architecture
 Belief systems, Philosophies and Ideology
 Science and Technology
State-Builiding, Expansion and Conflict
 Political structures and forms of governance
 Nations and Nationalism
 Empires
 Revolts and Revolutions
 Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations
Creation, Expansion and Interaction of Economic Systems
 Agriculture and pastoral production
 Industrialization
 Trade and commerce
 Capitalism and Socialism
 Labor Systems
Development and Transformation of Social Structures
 Gender roles and relations
 Racial and ethnic constructions
 Family and kinship
 Social and economic classes
The EXAM
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 – All students are required to sit for the AP World Exam
The AP World History examination is approximately four hours in length. It consists of a 55-minute multiplechoice section and a 130-minute free-response section. The multiple-choice section consists of 70 questions. A
number of questions may be cross-chronological or combine several approaches. The questions focus on
cultural-intellectual themes, political-diplomatic themes, and social-economic themes. The free-response section
begins with a mandatory 10-minute reading period followed by a document-based essay question (DBQ) to be
completed in 45 minutes. Students are then asked to answer two thematic (Comparative Essay and a Continuity
and Change over Time) questions in 70 minutes. Students choose one essay from each of two groups of three
essays; they are advised to spend 5 minutes planning and 30 minutes writing each of the essays. Thematic
questions are grouped to ensure that students consider a range of historical periods and approaches. Grouping is
often not chronological. The DBQ essay is weighted 45% and the two thematic essays together are weighted 55
%. For the total examination score, the multiple-choice and the free-response sections will be weighted equally.
Withdrawing from the Course
If a student feels that AP World is not a good fit for them, they have 10 school days in which to withdraw from
the course.
Grading Policy
The course differs from traditional honors level courses in the following ways:
1. Formal essay grades may account for up to 50 percent of the student’s grade each quarter.
2. Individual tests will cover a significantly greater body of information than students may be accustomed to
covering.
3. Homework consists primarily of reading assignments for which the student is responsible for mastery of the
factual information.
4. Grades are based solely on the quality of the end product.
5. There are very few “simple” assignments where the student can improve his/her grade merely by completing
the work.
6. There are relatively few graded assignments each quarter, which increases the need for adequate preparation
for each assignment, and there is no extra credit work.
8. Late work will result in the deduction of 20 points per day.
9. Responsibility for mastering the content rests with the student.
The State of South Carolina has mandated a uniform grading policy. The Charleston County School District
and James Island Charter High School, for use in regular classrooms, has approved the following basic marking
system:
A - 93 –100
B - 85 – 92
C - 77 – 84
D - 70 – 76
F - 0 – 69
Nine-week grades in AP World History will be determined in the following manner:
Quizzes/HW/Note Checks = 25%
DBQs, CCoTs and Comparative Essays=35%
*There will only be 2-4 writing assignments a quarter*
Tests -40%
* There will be a 2-4 tests per quarter*
If absent on a due date, the assignment is due the day the student returns to class. In cases of excused extended
absences, makeup work must be completed within the first five days after a student returns to school.
Essays will be graded using the AP standards and according to the College Board Generic Core-Scoring Guide
for AP World History. All essays will be graded 0 – 9 and then converted according to the following scale:
9 = 98 (100)
8 = 93
7 = 90
6 = 85
5 = 83
4 = 80
3 = 77
2 = 73
1 = 70
0 = 65
Essays turned in late will be graded down one level on the scale for each day the essay is late.
Teachers and administrators will treat cheating and plagiarism as a very serious matter. Teachers will confer
with the appropriate administrator to review the evidence of any misconduct. All substantiated infractions will
result in the grade being affected. Parents will be notified. A zero will be recorded for the assignment, and
there will be no opportunity for make-up work.
Unit Activities
Writing Assignments
Each unit includes writing assignments designed to develop the skills necessary for creating well-evidenced
analytical essays on historical topics.
Short Document Analysis: Students will analyze several different primary source document types (written,
visual and quantitative) for intended purpose, point of view, historical context and other skills that will be
applied throughout the course
Document Based Question (DBQ): Students analyze evidence from a variety of sources in order to develop a
coherent written argument that has a thesis supported by relevant historical evidence. Students will apply
multiple historical thinking skills as they examine a particular historical problem or question.
Change and Continuity over Time (CCoT): Students identify and analyze patters of continuity and change over
time and across geographic regions. They will also connect these historical developments to specific
circumstances of time and place, and to broader regional, national or global process
Comparative Essay: Students compare historical developments across or within societies in various
chronological and/or geographic contexts. Students will also synthesize information by connecting insights
from one historical context to another, including the present.
Text Timeline Review
This is an activity will be completed at the end of each unit in order for the students to address chronological
thinking. Students will use their textbooks, primary and secondary sources provided in class as well as other
research to create a timeline. Additionally students will answer the following prompts as it pertains to the
associated unit
1. What is the relationship between the causes and consequences of the events or processes identified
on the completed timeline?
2. Discuss the contradictions/inconsistencies between the textbook’s chronological timeline and that of
other sources.
Point/Counterpoint
Students will use the Socratic seminar format in each unit to explore key controversies in world history from
ancient times to the present. The foundation for these conversations will be Taking Sides: Clashing Views on
Controversial Issues in World Civilizations. This book examines issues that allow students to identify and
evaluate diverse historical interpretations by introducing students to controversies in world civilization. This
debate style reader contains readings representing the arguments of leading historians and commentators on
world history and reflects a variety of viewpoints presented in pro/con format. All of the topics/questions listed
in each unit for this activity come from this book.
World History Artifact Posting Assignment
Each student will discover a historical artifact or document (one that has not been used in class) that they
believe represents the unit being studied. I will set the parameters each unit for these artifacts in order to ensure
that students recognize the study of history that has been shaped by the findings and methods of other
disciplines (archeology, literature, political science, visual arts, geography, economics). They will then post an
image of the artifact or a copy of document along with a 2-3 paragraph discussion that identifies the artifact
(who, what, when, where, and significance) and address what the artifact says (indicates, suggests) about
society, politics, or culture in the time and place it was made. These will be posted on the class website and all
research must be properly documented in MLA format. Each classmate must read and comment/question on at
least 3 postings. Authors of the postings are responsible to answer all the questions posted on their artifact.
(CR15)
Advanced Placement World History Instructional Units and Timeline
Course Overview
(1 Week)
Introduction to AP World History – Terminology, Course Expectations DBQ, CCoT and Comparative Essay
Writing skills
Reading/Writing Tutorials:
 Yali’s Question – from Guns, Germs and Steel with response questions






Rubrics for DBQs, CCoT and Comparative Essays
“How To Analyze Documents”
PERSIA and other acronyms for document analysis
Power Notes for document grouping/essay organization
“How To Construct a Thesis Statement”
“AP Expository Writing Checklist”
Unit 1: To 600 BCE: Technological and Environmental Transformations
(2 Weeks)
Key Concepts
♦ Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
■ Paleolitic migrations lead to the spread of technology and culture
♦ Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
■ Neolithic Revolution leads to new and more complex economic and social systems
■ Agricultural and pastoralism begins to transform human society
♦ Development and interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies
■ Location of early foundational civilizations
■ State development and expansion
■ Cultural development in early civilizations
Unit 2: 600 BCE – 600 CE: Organization and Reorganization of Human
Societies (5.5 Weeks)
Key Concepts
■ The development and codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions
♦ How belief systems affect gender roles
♦ Emergence, diffusion, and adaptation of new religious and cultural traditions
♦ Artistic expressions show distinctive cultural developments
■ The development of States and Empires
♦ Growth of Imperial societies
♦ Techniques of Imperial administration
♦ Decline, collapse and transformation of Empires (Rome, Han Maurya)
■ Emergence of Trans-regional Networks of Communication and Exchange
♦ The geography of trans-regional networks, communication and exchange
♦ Technologies of long distance communication and exchange
♦ Consequences of long distance trade
Unit 3
650 – 1450 Regional and Transregional Interactions
(5.5 Weeks)
Key Concepts
■ Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks
♦ Existing trade routes promoted growth of powerful new trading cities.
♦ New trade routes centering on Mesoamerica and the Andes developed.
♦ Growth of interregional trade in luxury goods was encouraged by innovations in
transportation and commercial technologies.
♦ Commercial growth was also facilitated by state practices, trading organizations and
state-sponsored infrastructures.
♦ The expansion of empires facilitated the Trans-Eurasian trade and communication.
■ The movement of peoples caused environmental and linguistic effects
♦ Expansion and intensification of long-distance trade routes often depended on
environmental and technological adaptations to it
♦ Environmental impacts of migrations
♦ Migrations and commerce led to the diffusion of languages
■ Cross Cultural exchanges were fostered by intensification of existing, or new, networks of
trade and communication
♦ Islam and the expansion of Muslim rule through merchants and missionaries
♦ Merchant organization of diasporic communities, introducing their cultural traditions to
the indigenous culture
♦ Writings of interregional travelers illustrate the extent and limitations of intercultural
knowledge and understanding
♦ Increased cross cultural interactions resulting in the diffusion of literacy, artistic and
cultural traditions
■ There was continued diffusion of crops and pathogens throughout the Eastern Hemisphere
along the trade routes
♦ New foods and agricultural techniques were adopted in populated areas
♦ The spread of epidemic diseases, including the Black Death, followed the well
established paths of trade and military conquest.
■ Continuity and Innovation of State forms and their interactions
♦ Following the collapse of empire, most reconstituted governments combined traditional
sources of power and legitimacy with innovations better suited to the current
circumstances.
♦ Some states synthesized local and borrowed traditions.
♦ In the Americas state systems expanded in scope and reach
■ Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires encouraged significant
technological and cultural transfers
■ Increased Economic Productive Capacity and its consequences
♦ Innovations stimulated agricultural and industrial production in many regions
♦ The fate of cities varied greatly; multiple factors contributed to the declines and
revivals of urban areas
■ Continuities in social structure and methods of production, changes in labor management and
the effect of religious conversion on gender relations and family life
♦ Social structures shaped largely by class and caste hierarchies.
♦ New forms of coerced labor.
Unit 4
1450 – 1750: Global Interactions
(5.5 Weeks)
Key Concepts
■ Globalizing Networks of Communication and Exchange
♦ Intensification of all existing trade networks brought prosperity and economic
disruption to the trading regions of the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Sahara and overland
Eurasia
♦ Technological developments in navigation and cartography led to the transoceanic
travel and trade.
♦ Remarkable new transoceanic maritime reconnaissance occurred in this period
♦ New global circulation of goods was facilitated by a variety of sources including royal
charters.
♦ The new connections between Eastern and Western hemispheres resulted in the
Columbian Exchange
♦ Increased interactions between the hemispheres expanded the spread of reform of
existing religions.
♦ As economies prospered, funding for the visual and performing arts increased
■ New forms of social organization and modes of production
♦ The increasing need for traditional agriculture and the demand for labor intensified
resulting in a growing global demand for raw materials and finished products.
♦ New social and political, ethnic, gender and racial hierarchies emerged
■ State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion
♦ Rulers used a variety of methods to legitimize their rule
♦ Imperial expansion relied on the increased use of gunpowder, cannons and armed trade
to establish large empires in both hemispheres.
♦ Competition over trade routes, state rivalries, and local resistance all provided
significant challenges to state consolidation and expansion
Unit 5
1750 – 1900: Industrialization and Global Integration
(5.5 Weeks)
Key Concepts
■ Industrialization and Global Capitalism
♦ Industrialization fundamentally changed how goods were produced
♦ New patterns of global trade and production developed
♦ To facilitate investments at all levels of industrial production, financiers developed and
expanded various financial institutions
♦ Major developments in transportation and communication
♦ The development and spread of global capitalism led to a variety of responses
♦ Societies were restructured as a result of a new global economy
■ Imperialism and Nation State Formation
♦ Industrializing powers established transoceanic empires
♦ Imperialism influenced state formation and contradiction around the world
♦ New racial ideologies, especially Social Darwinism, facilitated and justified
imperialism
■ Nationalism, Revolution and Reform
♦ The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment thought often preceded the revolutions and
rebellions against existing governments
♦ Beginning in the 18th Century people developed a new sense of commonalties based on
language, religion, social customs and territories
♦ Increasing discontent with imperial rule propelled reformist and revolutionary
movements
♦ Global spread of European political and social thought and increasing number of
rebellions stimulated new transitional ideologies and solidarities.
■ Global Migration
♦ Migration in many cases was influenced by changes in demography in both
industrialized and unindustrialized societies that presented challenges to existing patterns
of living
♦ Migrants relocated for a variety of reasons
♦ Large scale migrations produced a variety of consequences and reactions on part of the
migrants and existing population
Unit 6
Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 - Present
(5 Weeks)
■ Science and the Environment
♦ Researchers made rapid advances in science that spread throughout the world, assisted
by the development of new technology.
♦ As global population expanded and an unprecedented rate, humans fundamentally
changed their relationship with the environment
♦ Disease, scientific innovations, and conflict led to demographic shifts
■ Global Conflicts and their Consequences
♦ Europe dominated the global political order at the beginning of the 20th Century but
both land based and transoceanic empires gave way to new forms of transregional
political organization by the end of the century.
♦ Emerging ideologies of anti-imperialism contributed to the dissolution of empires and
the restructuring of states
♦ Political changes were accompanied by major demographic and social consequences.
♦ Military conflicts occurred on an unprecedented global scale.
♦ Conflict and warfare dominated much of the 20th Century, some individuals and groups
– including states- opposed this trend. Other individuals and groups intensified these
conflicts.
■ New Conceptualizations of Global Economy, Society and Culture
♦ States responded in a variety of ways to the economic challenges of the 20th Century.
♦ States, communities and individuals became increasingly interdependent.
♦ Popular consumer culture became global
REVIEW
2 Weeks
Student Assistance:
I will be available most mornings at 7:20 on during the lunch period and by appointment. Students should notify
me in advance if they plan to see me after school.