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AP World History
Course Syllabus 2016-2017
Instructor: Brian Welch
[email protected]
Room 14-205
Chiles High School
Course Description
Welcome to AP World History!
The purpose of the AP World History course is to help you develop an understanding of the evolution of global
processes and contacts including interactions of different societies over time. This course is shaped by the 5 themes and
the “4 Historical Thinking Skills” that are outlined in the Course Description provided by the College Board. These
themes and historical thinking skills foster critical thinking and encourage you to develop your own abilities as historians.
You will use critical reading skills and analysis in historical and geographical contexts, make comparisons across cultures,
use primary source documents, and recognize and discuss different interpretations and historical frameworks.
AP World History also employs five themes to organize the vast amount of material included in this college-level survey
course and to help students make connections between one period and the next. Recurrent allusions to these themes
make it easier for students to compare societies, political structures, religious beliefs, technologies, or whatever across long
spans of time.
The five AP World History themes, reproduced here from the Course Description, are as follows:
1. Interaction between humans and the environment
• Demography and disease
• Migration
• Patterns of settlement
• Technology
2. Development and interaction of cultures
• Religions
• Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
• Science and technology
• The arts and architecture
3. State-building, expansion, and conflict
• Political structures and forms of governance
• Empires
• Nations and nationalism
• Revolts and revolutions
• Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations
4. Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems
• Agricultural and pastoral production
• Trade and commerce
• Labor systems
• Industrialization
• Capitalism and socialism
5. Development and transformation of social structures
• Gender roles and relations
• Family and kinship
• Racial and ethnic constructions
• Social and economic classes
The course imposes a heavy reading and writing load, and the demands are equivalent to a full-year introductory college
course. The long-term goal is for you to understand how the big picture of world history assists in understanding the
complexities of today’s global arena. Acting as a college student, you are expected to seek, find, and internalize knowledge
on your own. In short, YOU must be the main agent in your educational process. As your instructor, I will provide you
with learning situations and study tools to help you enjoy your AP World History experience, organize your learning, and
help you achieve success on the AP World History exam.
The course is divided into five chronological periods as follows:
• Foundations 8000 B.C.E.—600 C.E. (2 weeks)
• Regional and Trans Regional Interaction 600 C.E.—1450 (8 weeks)
• Global Interactions 1450—1750 (8 weeks)
• Industrialization and Global Integration 1750—1914 (8 weeks)
• Global Fragmentation and Realignment 1914—present (7 weeks)
The Advanced Placement World History exam is Thursday May 11, 2017 at 8:00 AM.
Mark this date on your calendar NOW!!!!!
We will allow 2 weeks for exam review, leaving us approx. 33 weeks of instruction time.
That’s 40 chapters in 33 weeks! YIKES!)
In order to successfully cover the curriculum, an intensive reading schedule must be maintained. It is your responsibility
to complete certain tasks such as reading the text and outside materials. You will be quizzed each week on assigned
readings. The chapter coverage will be broken down as follows:
1st 9 weeks: Aug. 23rd – Oct. 21, Chapters 1-12 (12 chapters)
2nd 9 weeks: Oct. 25 – Dec. 17, Chapters 13-22 (10 chapters)
3rd 9 weeks: Jan. 4 – March 18, Chapters 23-34 (12 chapters)
4th 9 weeks: March 29 – May 12, Chapters 35-40 (6 chapters)
Classroom Instruction
Instruction will be given largely in the form of classroom lecture approximately 2-3 days a week, with supplemental
activities designed to re-enforce the readings the remainder of the week.
I will try and set aside some class time for reading but most of the reading is expected to be done at home or after class
time.
Fridays we will try to focus on writing practice geared toward success on the AP Exam. There will be 1-2 graded writing
practices per 9 weeks, however we will try to practice writing every week on the following schedules:
1st 9 weeks will focus on the FRQ, free response questions
2nd 9 weeks will focus on the DBQ, Document Based Question essay
3rd 9 weeks will focus on the CCOT, Change and Continuity over Time essay, LEQ’s
Website
The website will be a very important tool in keeping up with our class. We will post our daily assignments here as well as
create access to classroom materials and study guides.
You are encouraged to bookmark this site and check daily for important information.
Textbook and Reading Materials:
The textbook for this course is Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 2nd edition, by Jerry
Bentley and Herbert Ziegler. Supplemental reading materials will be distributed over the period of the course.
****I strongly recommend you purchase an AP World History exam review guide. Specifically, the “5
steps to a 5” book published by McGraw Hill****
AP World History Syllabus (continued)
****I encourage you to try and purchase a 1.5 inch , 3 ring binder for our class.***
Evaluation: Grades in this course will be determined by a point system. Generally speaking, points are assigned as follows:
Unit Tests – 100 points ; Chapter reading quizzes- 50points; Reading Guides – 50 points, homework and class
assignments (including seminars, essays, presentations, debates, etc.) 50-100 points.
We will have a Chapter reading QUIZ every week. 50 points. These will be multiple choice, true-false and fill in the
blank.
We will try to have a UNIT TEST every 3-4 chapters. 100 points. These will be stimulus based questions similar to the
AP exam.
Each grading period will have approx. 750-1000 available points.
Late work policy: Homework is due at the beginning of the class. Late homework assignments will not be accepted
unless you have an excused absence; however, assignments are due the first day you return after an absence. In the case of
an extended illness, students need to make arrangements to meet with me about making up assignments.
A final reminder: As you and your parents review the course information in this syllabus and on the web site, remember
that this course is designed to be intellectually stimulating and challenging for the student who loves to learn.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. The easiest and preferred way to reach me is
through my school e-mail. [email protected] I check my e-mail several times a day, so it is the best way to get a
prompt response.
I look forward to working with you this year as you develop the skills you need for success in your academic endeavors.
Success is not a destination, it is a journey!
RELAX, You WILL do great!
Please Print out and Return this page to Mr. Welch. Thanks!
Student and Parent Acknowledgment of Course Expectations
AP World History 2010-2011
Chiles High School
I have read the course description for the AP World History course and understand the expectations for success in this
program. My signature indicates my commitment to completing all required assignments, including a rigorous reading
and writing schedule.
_____________________________ _______________________________
Student signature Date
____________________________ _______________________________
Parent signature Date