ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORLD HISTORY
Syllabus
Welcome to
Advanced Placement World History. This
course offers you the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit
for world history. Neither is
guaranteed. The AP exam in May is
difficult. It is my responsibility to
help you prepare for the exam. Your
responsibilities include keeping up with your assignments (especially the
readings) and coming to class ready to actively participate in class
discussions.
The AP test is
designed around six general themes. They
are:
1)
The
impact of interaction among major societies (trade, systems of international
exchange, war and diplomacy).
2)
The
relationship of change and continuity across the world time periods covered in
this course.
3)
The
impact of technology and demography on people and the environment (population
growth and decline, disease, manufacturing, migrations, agriculture, weaponry).
4)
Systems
of social structure and gender structure (comparing major features within and
among societies and addressing change).
5)
Cultural
and intellectual developments and interactions among and within societies.
6)
Changes
in functions and structures of states and attitudes toward states and political
identities (political culture), including the emergence of the nation-state
(types of political organization).
At this time these
themes probably do not mean much to you, but they will. We will discuss them in class. It is important that you read your text with each
of these themes in mind, as they will constitute a significant portion of the
questions you will face throughout the school year and on the AP exam.
The course looks
at historical periods fro about 1000 C.E. to the present. About 19% of the exam involves information
from before this period, so the first four-five weeks of class are an overview
of early civilizations. Grades in this
class will consist mainly of tests, essays, quizzes, projects, thematic charts,
and supplemental readings.
You will receive a
weekly overview of the topic and any particular assignments for the week (this
overview will be on my web page). Feel
free to copy the overview and use as a study guide.
A gentle reminder
to all, do not be afraid to ask questions!
Many AP students labor under the mistaken assumption that everyone in
the class is smarter than they are. They
are then afraid to ask questions for fear of appearing dumb in front of
classmates, who obviously understand EVERYTHING because none of them are asking
questions. This is not the case. If you have a question or do not understand
something, there is a very good chance that others in the class are in the same
boat. Please feel free to ask that
question in class, or call or e-mail if a question should arise after
class.
All the best to
you!
“Let the games
begin!”