AP World History Syllabus 2009-2010 Course Description The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of the development of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of factual knowledge and analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge deployed in conjunction with leading interpretive issues and types of historical evidence. The AP World History course offers motivated students and their teachers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the processes that, over time, have resulted in the knitting of the world into a tightly integrated whole. AP World History offers an approach that lets students “do history” by guiding them through the steps a historian would take in analyzing historical events and evidence worldwide. The course offers balanced global coverage with Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe each represented. College Credit Each college or university decides which AP Examination grades it will accept for credit. Almost all colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Europe, take part in the AP program, most institutions accept grades of “3” and above. Text and Resources Bulliet, Richard et.al. The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. ***Student resources for the textbook available at: http://www.college.cengage.com/history/world/bulliet/earth_peoples/4e/student_ home.html Andrea, Al and Overfield, James. The Human Record: Sources of Global History, 2 vols.,5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. We will have a classroom set of these. Other supplemental texts, articles, and materials will also be used throughout the year to produce assignments, essays, and document-based questions.(DBQs). We will be developing writing skills throughout the year. This will range from writing on primary sources, writing thesis statements, organizing materials to write your essays, and writing the essays at home. Later, more practice with timed in-class essay assignments using questions in the style of the AP World History Exam will be provided, as well as the AP Exam free- response questions posted on AP Central®. Contact information for Mrs. Griffin or Mrs. Brodie. ggriffin@ccboe.net or deidre.brodie@ccboe.net Themes This course is based on a global perspective of the world and human interactions from 8000 B.C.E. to present day, using the five themes outlined in the AP World History Course Description consistently throughout the course. 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, trans-regional, 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 themes are used throughout the course as unifying threads, helping you to put what is particular about each period or society into a larger framework. The themes also provide ways to make comparisons over time. The interaction of themes and periodization encourage cross period questions. I can’t stress the importance of the themes enough. We will mention them and work with them daily. Habits of Mind or Skills The AP World History course addresses habits of mind or skills in two categories: 1) those addressed by any rigorous history course, and 2) those addressed by a World History course. Four habits of mind are in the first category: • Constructing and evaluating arguments: using evidence to make plausible arguments • Using documents and other primary data: developing the skills necessary to analyze point of view and context, and to understand and interpret information • Assessing continuity and change over time and over different world regions • Understanding diversity of interpretations through analysis of context, point of view, and frame of reference Five habits of mind are in the second category: • Seeing global patterns and processes over time and space while connecting local developments to global ones • Comparing within and among societies, including comparing societies’ reactions to global processes • Considering human commonalities and differences • Exploring claims of universal standards in relation to culturally diverse ideas • Exploring the persistent relevance of world history to contemporary developments Chronological Boundaries of the Course The course will have as its chronological framework the period from approximately 8000BCE to the present as listed in the periodization outline below. Period covered in this class Foundations (8000BCE – 600CE) 19-20% 600 1450 22% 1450 1750 19-20% 1750 1914 19-20% 1914-the present 19-20% Manageable Coverage For each time period, knowledge of major developments that illustrate or link the five thematic areas and of major civilizations in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas is expected. Knowledge of year to year political events is not required. Maximum Percentage Coverage of European History Coverage of European history does not exceed 30% of the total course. This encourages increased coverage of topics that are impor¬tant to Europe in the world and not just to Europe itself, as well as attention to areas of the world outside Europe. Grading Tests-50 % of your grade. Essays and quizzes- 30 % of your grade. Homework/classwork- 15 % of your grade. Participation-5% of your grade Tests Tests and quizzes cover information from the readings, handouts, and lectures and are usually in multiple-choice format. The multiple-choice questions are taken from test banks and are also teacher generated. They will include 5 multiple choice answers. We will discuss and have activities over how to take multiple choice tests. Test will be over units or partial units. After completion of each unit you will have a multiple chice test. You will also have an essay test covering major comparison and analysis after each unit. This is usually given several days after the multiple choice test. Quizzes/Essays You will have a vocabulary quiz on Fridays. You will also have a content quiz each Wednesday covering information covered in class and in readings for that week. Be prepared!! Keeping u p with your notes and bringing them to class daily is your responsibility. You will use these on your Wednesday quizzes. Homework/Notebook A notebook devoted exclusively to AP World History is required. Notes, homework assignments, essay writing guides, charts and other handouts should be placed in these notebooks. Dividers should be used to organize your information. Your notebook should be divided by the Periods mentioned above (under the subtitle Chronological Boundaries of the Course). You will received a handout on how to put your notebook together. Class Participation Participation is a crucial part of the class. You are expected to fully participate in class discussions, group projects, and presentations. Sleeping in class, non participation in activities and any other off task behavior will be reflected in your participation grade for the day and nine weeks. Outside Readings and Resources used in the course: 2002 AP World History Released Exam (College Board) 2003–2006 AP World History Essay Questions, Rubrics and Student Samples (AP Central) CNN’s Millennium VHS (Turner Home Entertainment, 1999) Cracking the AP World History Exam: Student Study Guide (Princeton Review, 2004). DBQ Practice: AP-Style Document-Based Questions to Help Students Prepare for the World History Examination, Williams, ed., (Social Studies School Services, 2004) Guns, Germs and Steel by Diamond (DVD 2005) The Silk Road DVD Collection (Central Park Media ,2002) Lost Civilizations Videos. The Patriot Monty Python and the Holy Grail Schindler’s List Swing Kids And any other videos approved by the school media committee. PARENTS AND STUDENTS Some of the videos that we will use during the year will include adult content. It will be in an educational format, but nudity is included in some of these videos. For instance in Guns, Germs and Steel it shows native women in tropical climates not fully clothed. Sign below to acknowledge that you have received this notice. Please keep in mind that this is a college level class. I will certainly do all I can to help the students accept the visuals and discussion of sensitive materials in mature way. I understand that some of the support materials may contain adult content. ___________________________________________ Parent Signature ___________________________________________ Student Signature