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WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
Class Introduction
This is a college level course and students will be expected to learn at a college level. The end
goal of this course is the successful completion of World History Advanced Placement
examination. It is my goal that all students receive an overall score of 4 or 5 on the exam. With
hard work and the proper preparation this is very possible.
World History is a survey of the history of humankind. Due to the expanse of world history and
the time limitations of the school year, the scope of this course will focus on “essential” concepts
and skills that can be applied to various eras, events, and people. The major emphasis is on the
study of significant people, events, and issues from the earliest times to the present. Traditional
historical points of references in world history are identified as students analyze important events
and issues in western civilization as well as in civilizations in other parts of the world. Students
examine the impact of geographic factors on major historic events and identify the historic
origins of contemporary economic systems.
Students analyze the process by which
constitutional governments evolved as well as the ideas from historic documents that influenced
the process. Students trace the historical development of important legal and political concepts.
Students examine the history and impact of major religious philosophical traditions. Students
analyze the connections between major developments in science and technology and the growth
of industrial economies, and they use the process of historical inquiry to research, to interpret,
and use multiple sources of evidence.
Resources
Textbook:
World Civilizations: The Global Experience. 3rd ed. by Peter N. Stearns, et al. (Pearson, 2000)
AP Exam Preparation Book:
Cracking the AP World History Exam, 2012 Edition by Princeton Review. (Princeton Review,
2011)
Supplemental Primary Resources:
Documents in World History: Volume 1. 3rd ed. by Stearns, et al. (Prentice Hall, 2003)
Documents in World History: Volume 2. 3rd ed. by Stearns, et al. (Prentice Hall, 2003)
Supplemental Secondary Resources:
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (Penguin, 2011)
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (W. W. Norton & Company, 2005)
Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Civilizations, Volumes I and II
5th ed. by Helen and Joseph Mitchell (McGraw Hill, 2007)
The World that Trade Created by K. Pomeranz. And S. Topik. (M.E. Sharpe, 1999)
Note: Additional resources, including a variety of internet resources, will also be used during the
course of the year.
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
Course Design
AP World History is a rigorous course that will ask students to work harder and think more
deeply than a traditional high school history class. The benefits beyond the potential of college
credit are tremendous. Students will obtain a solid foundation in content as well as skills in
researching, note taking, analyzing primary and secondary sources, making inferences,
generalizing, drawing conclusions, and presenting knowledge. The students will gain an
understanding of the integration of political, economical, philosophical, social, and geographical
elements in world history. This course is truly a world history course with a balanced approach
to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as opposed to the traditional Euro-centric approach.
AP World History meets every day for 47 minutes. The course traces the development of human
history from pre-historic times to the present.
The main emphases of the course are centered on the Five AP World History Themes:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
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
In addition to the themes presented above, this class will also utilize the AP periodization as the
chronological framework upon which this class is constructed. That periodization framework is
listed here for your reference:
Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E.
Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies, c. 600 B.C.E. to c. 600 C.E.
Period 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450
Period 4: Global Interactions, c. 1450 to c. 1750
Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 to c. 1900
Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 to Present
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
Course Grading
Course Grading
Student grades will be recorded according to the following percentage breakdown:
Major Grades .............60%
Minor Grades .............40%

Major Grades test a student’s comprehensive knowledge of the content we have covered
and their ability to apply that knowledge at in-depth levels. Examples of Major Grades are
exams and projects. Please see the section titled “Testing and Assessment” for more
information regarding exams.

Minor Grades are the day-to-day assignments used to assess your understanding of the
material as we are studying it. Examples of Minor Grades include homework, quizzes,
discussions, participation, other daily grades.
Advanced Placement Exam
The AP exam will be May 2012. Students are required to take the exam. Taking and scoring high
on the exam is the only way that students can earn college credit for this course since this class is
NOT dual credit. The opportunity to earn college credit should not be overlooked.
The national exam will be seventy multiple choice questions, one document-based question
(DBQ), one change-over-time essay, and one comparative essay. The exam is three hours and
five minutes in length. The essay is graded on a one-to-five scale. Most colleges accept a four or
five for college credit.
For a comprehensive and complete look at the World History AP curriculum (which this class
will follow) and details about the test itself, please visit the following website (it will take you to
a PDF):
http://tinyurl.com/apcurriculum
Units of Study
Unit 1: Rise of Human Society (8000 BCE to 600 BCE)
Key Concept 1.1. Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
Key Concept 1.2. The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
Key Concept 1.3. The Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban
Societies
Content topics in the unit will include:
1) How did homo sapiens sapiens evolve? (Theme 1)
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
2) What was the economy and society of hunter gathering peoples like and how did they evolve
into agricultural societies? (Theme 2-5)
3) How do we characterize early societies in Southwest Asia and the Indo-European
migrations? (Theme 2)
4) What characterized the early African societies and Bantu migrations? (Theme 3)
5) What Common characteristics and distinctions were possessed by early societies in South
Asia, East Asia, the Americas, and Oceania? (Theme 2, 3)
6) How do different ancient regions of the world solve common economic problems? (Theme 4)
7) How do different ancient regions of the world establish order? (Theme 2)
8) What role does geography play in solving economic problems and establishing political
order? (Theme 1-5)
AP ASSIGNMENT:
Students will each be responsible for an event or action from early human history, working
together to put them in order to create a timeline. Students will then work individually to
analyze the timeline and explain how homo sapien sapiens utilized their environments and
worked together to create the first lasting societies. Finally, students will examine “Period 1:
Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E.” and assess if it is
appropriately named and if the periodization accurately reflects the dates duration of such events.
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
 Population statistics: Demographic Transition Cycle
 Map: Prehistoric Global Human Migration
 Graph: Human Population Growth - Global
 Document: Hammurabi’s Laws on Family Relationships
 Document: Israelites’ Relations with Neighboring Peoples
 Document: The Great Hymn to Aten
 Document: The Rigveda on the Origin of the Castes
 Document: Family Solidarity in Ancient China
 Document: The Voyage of Ru
Unit 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Society (600 BCE to 600)
Key Concept 2.1. The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions
Key Concept 2.2. The Development of States and Empires
Key Concept 2.3. Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange
Content topics in the unit will include:
1) How did religion in classical society differ from ancient kingdoms? (Theme 2)
2) What roles did the Han and Chin dynasties play in the unification of China? (Theme 3)
3) How did religion and government combine to unite Classical India? (Theme 2)
4) What criteria were used in the different classical civilizations to create social distinctions?
(Theme 5)
5) What role does Alexander the Great play in combining civilizations? (Theme 2)
6) What role does classical trade play in syncretism? (Theme 4)
7) What contributions do the Aryans, the Greeks, and the Romans make to the evolution of
government? (Theme 2, 5)
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
8) What similarities can you find in the teachings of Buddha, Ahira Mazda, Abraham, Jesus?
(Theme 2)
9) What comparisons can you make in Hammurabi’s Code and Roman law? (Theme 2)
10) What moved along the Silk Road besides trade goods? (Theme 1-4)
11) What comparisons can you see between the Han empire in China and the Roman empire in
the Mediterranean world? (Theme 3, 4)
12) Why did the fall of the Roman empire have a more dramatic impact on the western world
than the decline of the Han empire had on the eastern world? (Theme 3)
AP ASSIGNMENT:
Students will write an essay in which they evaluate the cycle of societal growth and decline,
citing evidence from all of the Classical Civilizations concerning changes in their political,
economic, social, and cultural systems. Specific figures and events must be cited throughout the
work.
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
 Population statistics: Demographic Transition Cycle
 Graph: The Growth of Religious Traditions In Asia
 Map: World Religions
 Statistics: Silk Road Trade
 Document: Zarathustra on Good and Evil
 Document: Confucius on Good Government
 Document: Caste Duties according to the Bhagavad Gita
 Document: Socrates’ View of Death
 Document: Chart: Geographic Growth of the Roman Empire and Han Empire
 Document: Tacitus on Corruption in the Early Roman Empire
Unit 3: Developing Regional and Trans-Regional Interaction (600 CE to 1450 CE)
Key Concept 3.1. Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks
Key Concept 3.2. Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions
Key Concept 3.3. Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences
Content topics in the unit will include:
1) In what ways did the Eastern Roman Empire carry on the classical heritage at
Constantinople? (Theme 2)
2) What tensions existed between eastern and western Christians? (Theme 3)
3) How did Byzantium influence eastern Europe? (Theme 2-5)
4) How was Islam so immediately successful? (Theme 2-4)
5) How did Islam change the values of the Middle East? (Theme 2)
6) What role did the Sui and Tang dynasties play in the resurrection of rule in East Asia?
(Theme 3, 4)
7) How does the Middle East advance knowledge and contain the wisdom of the ancient world?
(Theme 1, 2, 4)
8) What role does trade play in the spreading of religion? (Theme 2, 4)
9) What role does religion play in the re-establishment of order in Europe? (Theme 2-5)
10) What role was played by Turkish Migrations and Imperial expansion? (Theme 3)
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
11) How did East African migrations during this time period impact population growth and
political organization? (Theme 2)
12) How did the spread of Islam impact the two major parts of Africa? (Theme 2)
13) How successful were Christianity and Islam as they competed for converts? (Theme 2, 3)
14) How were “New World” civilizations able to accomplish so much with the relative absence
of wheels and written languages? (Theme 1-5)
15) How does the theocracy of the Aztecs and Incas compare with the theocracy of Islam?
(Theme 2)
16) What patterns can we detect in diplomatic, military and economic travel during this time
period? (Theme 2-4)
17) Why did initial European exploration result in increased curiosity while east Asian
exploration at about the same time resulted in apathy about the outside world? (Theme 1-4)
18) What role did the spread of disease play in the continued belief in religion, the movements of
peoples, urbanization, depopulation and population recovery, and the coming of the modern
world? (Theme 2-4)
AP ASSIGNMENT:
Students will create maps showing the spheres of influence for Christianity and Islam during the
Medieval Era, including both natural (e.g. the Mediterranean Ocean) and artificial features (e.g.
the Silk Road) that facilitated their transmission. Students will also analyze several accounts of
both Christians and Muslims of this era (e.g. Ibn Battuta, Gregory of Tours) which describe how
they spread their religion, and saw it practiced in other regions. Such documents will be
analyzed using the SOAPSTone method. This information will be used to write an essay about
how religion spreads, impacting and being impacted by other cultures.
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
 Population statistics: Demographic Transition Cycle
 Map: Growth of Islam
 Document: Anna Comnena on the Suppression of Bogomil Heretics
 Document: The Quran on Allah and His Expectations of Humankind
 Document: Benjamin of Tudela on the Caliph’s Court at Baghdad
 Document: Cosmas Indicopleustes on Trade in Southern India
 Document: Life on an early Medieval Manor
 Document: Gregory of Tours on the Conversion of Clovis
 Document: The Mongols and Eurasian Integration
 Document: Nomadic Conquerors and their Contemporary Appeal
 Document: Ibn Battuta on Muslim Society at Mogadishu
 Document: Sundiata and the Reconstruction of Niani
 Document: Francesco Balducci Pegolotti on Trade Between Europe and China
 Document: Thomas of Celano on St. Francis of Assisi
 Document: Mexica Expectations of Boys and Girls
Unit 4: Global Interactions (1450 CE to 1750 CE)
Key Concept 4.1. Globalizing Networks of Communication and Exchange
Key Concept 4.2. New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production
Key Concept 4.3. State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
Content topics in the unit will include:
1) What motivated Europeans to explore? (Theme 2, 3)
2) What new technologies aided the exploration process? (Theme 3)
3) What did Europeans bring to the New World and what did they bring back with them to the
Old World? (Theme 2-4)
4) How was Europe transformed by the Columbian Encounter? (Theme 1-4)
5) What new forms of government evolved in Europe? (Theme 3, 5)
6) How did the Price Revolution impact Europe? (Theme 4)
7) What new forms of economic devices evolved? (Theme 4)
8) How did the subjugation of aboriginal humans in Australia compare to the Spanish Invasion
of the Americas? (Theme 3)
9) How did syncretism express itself in the conquering and colonizing of the “New World?”
(Theme 3)
10) How does the slave trade change Africa? (Theme 2-5)
11) What motivates the unification of Japan? (Theme 3)
12) What economic and social changes occur in China at this time? (Theme 3, 4)
13) What are the Gunpowder Empires and why are they unable to maintain their dominance?
(Theme 1, 3, 4)
AP ASSIGNMENT:
Students will analyze Africa and the Americas, comparing how each of those continents was
exploited and analyzing Europe’s social, political, and economic motivations for those
exploitations. Three documents from the list below must be analyzed for historical context,
purpose, audience, the author's point of view, type of source or argument and tone and utilized as
evidence.
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
 Population statistics: Demographic Transition Cycle
 Graph: The Decline of Native American Populations in the 15th and 16th Centuries
 Chart: The Columbian Exchange
 Timeline: European Subjugation of the “New World”
 Document: Christopher Columbus’ First Impressions of American Peoples
 Document: Vaccination and the Eradication of Smallpox
 Document: Adam Smith on the Capitalist Market
 Document: The Holy Herb Nicotine
 Document: Captain James Cook on the Hawaiians
 Document: The Globalization of African Music
Unit 5: Global Interaction and Industrialization (1750 CE to 1900 CE)
Key Concept 5.1. Industrialization and Global Capitalism
Key Concept 5.2. Imperialism and Nation-State Formation
Key Concept 5.3. Nationalism, Revolution, and Reform
Key Concept 5.4. Global Migration
Content topics in the unit will include:
1) How does the Enlightenment redefine the relationship between humanity and government?
(Theme 5)
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
What is the relationship between popular sovereignty and political upheaval? (Theme 2, 3)
Under what circumstances does revolution occur? (Theme 1-5)
Which revolutions had the greater impact upon the western world? (Theme 3)
What patterns for industrialization exist? (Theme 1, 3, 4)
What is the relationship between capitalism, imperialism, mercantilism, the price revolution,
the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution? (Theme
7) How does the American Revolution in North America differ from other American
revolutions? (Theme 3)
8) Why does North America become economically independent while South America becomes
economically dependent? (Theme 1, 4, 5)
9) How is the Ottoman Empire able to maintain the bluff while deteriorating economically,
politically, and militarily? (Theme 2-4)
10) How is the Russian Empire an anachronism? (Theme 3)
11) Why (how?) is Japan the only Asian nation to modernize itself at this time? (Theme 3, 4)
12) How do the European Imperialistic powers justify their practices? (Theme 2-5)
13) Was European imperialism profitable? (Theme 4)
14) How was Australia used as a tool of English imperialism and to what outcome? (Theme 2, 4)
15) How does European imperialism explain syncretism? (Theme 1-5)
16) Even after the political imperialism of the 19th century is completed, what residue remains?
(Theme 3-5)
AP ASSIGNMENT:
Students will examine how governments must change and adapt over time to succeed or survive
as a nation. Students will focus their writing on three case studies, examining those countries
from start to finish (if applicable), the major issues each of those countries encountered, and an
evaluation of how they responded to those issues. Each case study will be based on secondary
research and primary accounts of how citizens have witnessed their countries change. Upon
completion of their case study analyses, students will examine the periodization used to describe
this time period, and evaluate if it is appropriately named and if the thresholds used to delineate
this time period accurately reflects the dates of such events. Students will draw on their analyses
to support their conclusions regarding this periodization.
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
 Population statistics: Demographic Transition Cycle
 Statistics: Bill of Lading – Goods Traded Through Mercantilism
 Document: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
 Document: Thomas Malthus on Population
 Document: Marx and Engels on Bourgeoisie and Proletarians
Unit 6: Global Fragmentation and Realignment (1900 CE to the Present)
Key Concept 6.1 Science and the Environment
Key Concept 6.2 Global Conflicts and Their Consequences
Key Concept 6.3 New Conceptualizations of Global Economy, Society, and Culture
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
1) What is the difference between positive and negative nationalism? (Theme 3)
2) What new technologies lead powers into new conflagrations? (Theme 3)
WORLD HISTORY ADVANCED PLACEMENT SYLLABUS
2015 – 2016 School Year
3) How does nationalism cause global jealousies? (Theme 2-4)
4) To what extent is there a shift in power at the end of WWI? (Theme 3-5)
5) How are the 1920s a worldwide economic and psychological depression? (Theme 1, 2)
6) To what extent is the end of WWI the end of the Enlightenment? (Theme 2, 3)
7) How is democracy questioned after WWI? (Theme 3, 5)
8) How is the 20th century a new Scientific Revolution? (Theme 3, 4)
9) How does Africa and Asia break away from their colonial harnesses? (Theme 1, 3)
10) To what extent should WWI and WWII be thought of as one war? (Theme 3)
11) How was WWII a total war? (Theme 1, 3)
12) Why is the post-WWII scene considered bipolar? (Theme 1-5)
13) Is the U.N. a promise or a nemesis? (Theme 3)
14) How does the Cold War impact the Third World? (Theme 1, 4)
15) How does the fundamentalist world react to the “Five Mikes?” (Theme 2, 3)
16) How has globalization impacted different regions of the world (e.g. North America, South
America, Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia/Oceania)? (Theme 1-5)
17) How have local traditions and lifestyles reacted to globalization and the spread of Western
culture, specifically in the Middle East, South America, Africa, and Oceania? (Theme 1-3)
AP ASSIGNMENT:
Students will analyze the roots of modern globalization as a product of the Industrial Revolution,
increased global trade, and the development of new technologies related to transportation and
communication. After analyzing its roots, students will then analyze how the globalization has
changed the modern world, comparing those changes to specific examples from the past.
In addition to the textbook, the following primary and secondary sources will be explored:
 Population statistics: Demographic Transition Cycle
 Chart: Survey of Global GDPs
 Map: Global Transit in the Modern Era
 Document: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918
 Document: FDR and Nothing to Fear
 Document: Genocide
 Document: Silent Spring
 Document: Global Terrorism
Unit 7: Exam Review
The review will consist in class time reviewing of strategies and a discussion of out-of-class
strategies for reviewing content.
Unit 8: Research Paper or Class Project