AP WORLD HISTORY - Guilford County Schools



AP WORLD HISTORY

Mrs. Russell

AP World History is one of the most challenging courses a high school student can take. This course carries a heavy reading and writing load. You will be expected to perform at the level of students in an introductory college course, but I am here to support you and help you grow academically and intellectually throughout the year. The purpose of this course is to offer a survey of the world from 8000 BCE to the present. You will be progressing through the course in two ways: in terms of content/themes and in terms of historical discipline practices and thinking skills.

Themes

1. Interaction between Humans and the Environment: demography and disease, migration, pattern of settlements, technology

2. Development and Interaction of Cultures: religion, 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: agriculture 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

Historical Discipline Practices

1. Analyzing Evidence: content and sourcing

2. Argument Development: proving and disproving claims

Historical Thinking Skills

3. Contextualization: global processes and historical movements

4. Comparison: similarities and differences

5. Causation: long and short-term causes and effects

6. Continuity and Change over Time

Textbook/Readings

Primary Text:

Stearns, Peter N. et al. World Civilizations: The Global Experience. 6th Ed. Upper Saddle

River, New Jersey: Addison Wesley, 2008.

Optional Alternative Book for Reading and Studying:

Wood, Ethel. AP World History: An Essential Coursebook. Reading, Pennsylvania: WoodYard

Publications, 2016 (3rd ed.).

* This book was purchased by many AP World students in previous years; however, editions prior to 2016 will no longer be used in this class. Because it is not just a review book – it is designed like a textbook – homework assignments in this class will sometimes allow you to choose to read from EITHER the Stearns book OR this book. The homework assignments that match this book will only line up with the 3rd edition, not the 1st or 2nd editions. You may can purchase one brand new at the start of this school year for a reduced cost (standard list price is $24.95 – the school gets a discount for bulk ordering).

Supplementary Readings may come from the following:

Stearns, Peter, et al. Documents in World History. Vols.1-2. New York: Longman, 2003.

* We actually have a class set of these for us to use as needed

Reading is primarily done at home, so you will not be required to bring your textbook(s) to class. Plan to read and study every night for this class. Your question should never be, “Do I have World History homework?” It should always be, “What is my World History homework?” You will be instructed to download a homework calendar at the start of every unit. It will cover the vast majority of assignments we will be doing so you can plan your reading, research, and study time accordingly. You should expect to work 1 hour a night for this course and several hours on weekends!

Materials/Notebook

You are required to have the following for use in this class

- a 3-ring binder, at least 2” thick

- 6 dividers to mark units in the course

- looseleaf paper

- 3X5 index cards

- blue or black pens and pencils

- a flash drive or a Google/Cloud account for saving and submitting work

- red pens and highlighters if possible

- 1-2 black ink cartridges for use with your home printer, if you have one

Websites

The most important tool that you will be using for this class is my website. Please visit the following web address: Then bookmark the page so you will have quick access to it at all times. You will need to visit this site frequently in order to download and print assignments for this class. If you do not have internet access at home or a printer that works, make plans to print from the school library on your own time. The second most important tool that we will be using is my Moodle site. You must use your Gaggle account to access this site; you will be receiving instructions on the first day of school about setting this up and enrolling in my Moodle course.

Notebook Organization

You will organize your notebook according to the Table of Contents at the front of the room. You must keep all work in it, and notebook checks will be conducted periodically in class. Your notebook will be divided by units of study, NOT separate sections for homework, notes, quizzes, tests, projects. You are required to bring your notebook with you to class every day. I reserve the right at any time to make surprise notebook checks. Please make sure you have a binder of the correct size – 1 inch binders won’t cut it! Also, DO NOT THROW AWAY ANYTHING – you will need it for a final notebook check in May!

For many assignments (and all homework assignments), you will be asked to download and/or print Word documents. If you cannot open Word documents on your computer, visit the following website for a free download that will help you: or consider using Google Docs online.

AP Curriculum

AP World History is organized into the following units and topics. We will discuss why the years 600 BCE, 600 CE, 1450, 1750, and 1900 are major turning points in World History.

Unit 1: 8000 BCE – 600 BCE 1.5 weeks of instruction Chapter 1 (Stearns book)

Key Concepts:

1.1 Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth

1.2 The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies

1.3 The Development and Interaction of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban

Societies

Unit 2: 600 BCE – 600 CE 4.5 weeks of instruction Chapters 2-5

Key Concepts:

2.1 The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions

2.2 The Development of States and Empires

2.3 Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange

Unit 3: 600 – 1450 7 weeks of instruction Chapters 6-14

Key Concepts:

3.1 Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks

3.2 Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions

3.3 Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences

Unit 4: 1450 – 1750 6 weeks of instruction Chapters 15-22

Key Concepts:

4.1 Globalizing Networks of Communication and Exchange

4.2 New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production

4.3 State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion

End of First Semester

Unit 5: 1750 - 1900 6 weeks of instruction Chapters 23-27

Key Concepts:

5.1 Industrialization and Global Capitalism

5.2 Imperialism and Nation-State Formation

5.3 Nationalism, Revolution, and Reform

5.4 Global Migration

Unit 6: 1900 – present 6 weeks of instruction Chapters 28-36

Key Concepts:

6.1 Science and the Environment

6.2 Global Conflicts and Their Consequences

6.3 New Conceptualizations of Global Economy, Society, and Culture

For the purposes of your notebook, I will divide each section by unit except for Units I & II, and a tab for Writing & Research, thus 6 dividers. Each unit will be marked by its own Table of Contents. You will complete multiple assignments per unit, take one or more quizzes, write/plan two or more essays, and take a test to finish the unit. The sixth divider will cover materials that you will need for the entire year including instructions for research, writing, and grading. Please make sure you have a binder of the correct size.

Class Rules

1. Come to class on time and with all your materials.

2. Raise your hand and be recognized before you speak.

3. Respect your teacher, fellow classmates, and others’ property.

4. Food, drinks other than water and candy belong in bookbags only.

5. Keep your heads up and eyes open at all times.

Special note on cell phones: There will be opportunities during the year for you to use web-enabled devices for class activities and reviews. I will announce in class when they are needed; otherwise, cell phones and other electronic devices should not be in use during class. If electronic devices prove to be a problem during tests or other assessments, all such devices will be collected at the beginning of class and will not be returned until the bell rings.

Tardy Policy

Given that my classroom is on one end of campus and your other classes are probably on the other, you will have to manage your transitions carefully to avoid earning penalties for tardies. The first tardy earns a warning and the loss of one of your special passes. The second tardy costs you the other special pass for the quarter and a parent contact. Following the schoolwide tardy policy, the third and all subsequent tardies will earn you a referral to administration. Your best bet is never to be tardy.

Classroom Management

I do not expect AP students to cause problems in my classroom. However, for those who cannot conduct themselves like young adults, the following will apply for class rules that are broken:

1st consequence: minus on the plus/minus sheet

2nd consequence: conference with the student outside the classroom

3rd consequence: removal from class, parent contact, possible referral to administration

For students who do well in my class, the following rewards are available:

- Praise from teacher

- Plusses for participation

- Weekly honor roll

- Cumulative honor roll bonuses at the end of the quarter

AP Exams

These are the components of the AP World History Exam, which will be taken in May and will match the format of the other AP History Exams.

1. Multiple Choice Questions

- 55 questions in 55 minutes

- all are stimulus-based (meaning they include 1-2 passages or visuals of some kind)

- in groups of 2-5 questions per stimulus

- 40% of exam

2. Short Answer Questions (SAQs)

- 3 questions in 40 minutes

- Q1-2 contain a stimulus and will come from Units 3-6

- choice of either Q3 from Periods 1-3 or Q4 from Periods 4-6

- each question is worth 3 points, for a total of 9 points

- 20% of exam

Essays: 100 minutes (includes a 15 minute reading period)

3. Document-Based Question (DBQ)

- 1 prompt, 7 documents

- from Periods 3-6

- must include outside knowledge

- 60 minutes; scored out of 7 points

- 25% of exam

4. Long Essay Question (LEQ)

- choose from 3 prompts

- Q1 will come from Units 1-2; Q2 from Units 3-4; Q3 from Units 5-6

- prompts will both be comparison, causation, or CCOT

- based solely on own knowledge

- 40 minutes; scored out of 6 points

- 15% of exam

Some important notes:

- 60% of the AP World History Exam involves writing

- over 75% of the questions are stimulus-based and will require interpretation and analysis

The exam is graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. It is up to individual universities whether they accept AP scores, but most universities will give credit for one or two history courses taken in high school as long as the student scored 4s or 5s. Many schools will also give credit for a 3, which explains why teachers count a 3 or better in their percentages of students who earn college credit. Even if you get a 1 or a 2 and do not get any college credit, you still get the benefit of a weighted grade. More importantly, you get exposure to a college-level course that will make many of your other high school classes seem easy by comparison. Also, research consistently demonstrates that students who take AP classes, regardless of their scores on AP Exams, perform better in college than their peers who have had no AP courses. Here is the data from the study completed in 2014:

|Students who scored this out of 5 on the AP Exam |Are this much more likely to graduate from |

| |college compared to their peers |

|1 |2 - 6% |

|2 |7 - 11% |

|3 |12 - 16% |

|4 |17 - 22% |

|5 |23 - 25% |

Students enrolled in AP courses should take the AP exam. Success on the AP exam is the only way to earn college credit. All students enrolled in AP classes will receive one higher quality point for being in an AP (A = 5.0 GPA; B = 4.0; etc.). The score a student receives on the national exam does not affect the final grade in this class.

The state of North Carolina covers 100% of the costs so that students can take the exams free of charge. Students will have to register in one of the school computer labs for the purposes of ordering AP exams by the appropriate date. You will receive more information about this and testing later in the school year.

Grade Weights

This class is graded using a total points system. Collected bellringers, homework assignments, and discussion seminars count 20 points usually, sometimes 40 points. Major assignments and quizzes count 40 or 50 points. Essays or essay plans will count 50 or 100 points, depending on the essay. A multiple choice test counts 100 points and will be given according to the social studies test schedule. A project also counts 100 points. To find your grade, use these weights, add up your scores, and divide by the total number of points.

Quizzes will be given at least once per unit. You will have two SAQ prompts and will have to answer both within 25 minutes. Each multiple choice test will cover one unit of instruction, and there will be only one test per unit (Units I & II will be covered together). In-class LEQ essays and essay plans will be timed at approximately 40 minutes, with DBQ essay and essay plans covering a full class period.

North Carolina Grading Scale:

90-100=A 80-89=B 70-79=C 60-69=D 59 and below=F

Multiple Choice Grading Scale for Tests (based on AP procedures using 55 MC questions):

See conversion chart following the AP formula on my website (click AP World Documents on the left side, then General Documents folder).

DBQ Essay Conversion Scale (for essays written entirely by the student, not essay plans):

7=100 6=92 5=84 4=76 3=68 2=60 1=52

If you attempt to write a DBQ essay, you have multiple paragraphs and you have written on the assigned prompt, you will earn a 44 for your attempt. If you do not write anything more than an introduction or you cannot write the essay at all, you will earn a zero.

LEQ Essay Conversion Scale (again, full essays only, not plans):

6=100 5=90 4=80 3=70 2=60 1=50

If you attempt to write an LEQ essay, you have multiple paragraphs and you have written on the assigned prompt, you will earn a 40 for your attempt. Essays that are only introductions or that cannot be written at all earn a zero.

There will be separate conversion scales used for SAQs and In-Class Essay Planning days. Rubrics for those will be given to you in advance so you know how these assessments are scored.

One more note: over the last few years, GCS has generously paid for AP World students at NWHS to have access to the AP Insight Program. On certain days, we will complete work online through the AP Insight Program to help improve our multiple choice, SAQ and essay skills. Some items are automatically scored, while others will involve self- or teacher-scoring. All will involve Next Steps Resources and require reflection. The majority of these assignments will begin in a computer lab but will have to be completed at home and submitted by a certain date. Most AP Insight packets are worth 40 points, but they can go as low as 20 and as high as 100 points. Do your best with AP Insight!

The Plus/Minus System

Plusses: You earn a plus each time you raise your hand in class, are recognized, and give an answer that is correct or that shows critical thinking. Plusses show how often you participate in class. Plusses are added to your quarter grade, and for most people, they will add usually 2-3 points per grading period, although they sometimes 5 or more points to your grade.

Minuses: Minuses are given when a class rule is broken. Unlike math class, one plus does NOT equal one minus. One minus will cancel out several plusses. There is no set number of plusses that one minus destroys; it depends on the size of the class and the number of opportunities I offer to earn plusses. You do not get minuses for answering a question incorrectly. Profanity and any other forms of disrespect automatically earn minuses.

Special Passes: You have two passes per quarter. For each one that is not used, you will earn five plusses at the end of the quarter. They apply to tardies, looking for lost items in another class, etc.

Service Learning

GCS has a focus on service learning throughout all of its schools. You will have an opportunity to choose service learning as an option for part of your 4th quarter project grade. However, you will be allowed to count hours from the start of the current school year. In this class, service for underserved human populations will count towards the 4th quarter project grade, and students must complete a minimum of 10 hours of service. These hours will be recorded on paper but also through an online program. I will give you more information about service learning prior to Thanksgiving Break.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating includes the following:

* giving, sending or receiving information during or after tests, essays, quizzes and exams

* transmitting or receiving these or any test materials, questions, or answer keys – this includes anything sent electronically and/or over a cell phone

* using unauthorized material (like notes) during a test

* taking a test or writing a paper for/with another student or asking someone to write a paper or do your homework for/with you

* submitting the same paper–or different versions of what is essentially the same paper–for more than one course or for more than one student

* obtaining unauthorized materials online or from a previous year’s class

* misrepresenting or falsifying written work, sources, research, or results

* helping another student commit an act of academic dishonesty or lying to protect a student who has committed such an act.

Plagiarism is the theft of intellectual property belonging to another. This includes the theft of written texts, notes, computer programs, designs, website materials and/or visual materials. In many cases, plagiarism is intentional and harmful in its nature. Students simply do not think they will get caught. In some cases, the theft of intellectual property seems to be the result of ignorance and could have been avoided had the student better understood the nature of plagiarism. Since I cannot know what you really intended to do, I have no choice but to treat each case of plagiarism as a serious offense. In the internet age, students often assume that copying and pasting from the internet and turning in the work as theirs is legitimate because it is so easy to do. This is actually the most common form of plagiarism, and no such work will be accepted in this class. (taken online from Jones, 2001)

The consequences for cheating and plagiarism, for all students involved, will include the following: a zero on the assignment(s) affected and a conference with the teacher in order to determine proper disciplinary action. Students who cheat or plagiarize must understand they are jeopardizing their status in National Honor Society and their acceptance to college.

Absences/Late Work

Individual and group participation is essential to this course, so absences have a tremendous impact on your comprehension as well as your grade. Obviously, illness or a family situation may necessitate an absence. I strongly encourage students to make doctor’s appointments outside their AP World class period and to take vacations during school vacations, not the school year. Students planning on being absent for any length of time must notify me in advance and make arrangements for all work to be completed during the absence. If you will have an extended absence, you must notify me as well as the counseling office. If you miss school due to illness, appointments, etc., I strongly encourage you to email me to ask what you need to be doing besides following your homework calendar.

Make-up work will be kept in a notebook at the front of the room for you to pick up when you return to class. It will be organized according to the Table of Contents. You need to look at the Table of Contents to determine what you are missing and retrieve it from the notebook. It is your responsibility to write ABSENT on the work and turn it in on time.

It is always the student’s responsibility to make up missing work. If you are absent one day, all your make-up work must be completed in one day. If you are absent two days, then you have two days to make up the work. Beyond that, you and I will work together to get your make-up work completed. If you miss a test or a quiz, you must sign up for a time to complete these. This is a college level course – we cannot slow down for absences; we have to keep moving along with the calendar in order to finish in April and still have time to review for the AP Exam in May.

When an assignment is due, it is due on the scheduled date at the beginning of the class period unless I say otherwise (example: you have a post on Moodle due by midnight of a certain date). You are not to work on incomplete assignments during class – you must do homework on your own time. I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK UNLESS you attend office hours to make it up, and the maximum it will receive then is half credit. This is true of bellringers as well, since they are primarily based on homework and failing a bellringer means you probably did not do the homework.

Final Exam Exemptions

Aside from the AP Exam in May, there is a final teacher-made exam in this course in June. This exam can be exempted by any student who meets the following criteria:

- Takes the AP Exam in May

- Has no more than 5 absences for the year

- Maintains a C or better average for the year

Students who can exempt the end of year exam will have each quarter count 25% of their yearly average. Students who must take the final exam will have each quarter count 20%, and the final exam will count for the remaining 20% of the year grade. You will learn more details about what to expect on the final exam later in May, but it is definitely worth your time and effort to try to earn the exam exemption!

Checking Grades Online

Parents and students able to access students’ grades online via Power School. You will be given access to Power School relatively early in the school year. You will be able to see grades as they are updated. When you are checking for graded assignments, please allow me two weeks from the time an assignment quiz, test, essay/essay plan, or project is collected before looking for those grades to be handed back in class. Also, if you find mistakes in your grade, that is to say you have received a grade back from me and it is incorrect on Power School, please bring me the graded assignment and ask me to change the grade. Any such mistakes on my part are unintentional, and I will definitely correct them.

Extra Credit

Extra Credit is built into this course in two ways. One is through the plus/minus system of participation. The other is through the weekly class honor roll. Do not ask me for extra assignments or projects you can do to bring up your grade. Do the work you are assigned.

Weekly Honor Roll

Every student has a chance to make the weekly class Honor Roll. This is done by following all class rules, completing all homework and essays on time while earning B’s or above, and on quizzes and tests, either scoring a B, an A, or improving 10% from the previous quiz, test or essay. Rewards for Honor Roll are given at the end of the quarter:

2-3 weeks on Honor Roll = 20 points to replace lowest homework grade

4-5 weeks = 10 plusses at end of quarter

6+ weeks = extra 100 as a major grade

Office Hours, aka “How to Learn to Ask for Help”

In my experience, the three most difficult words for any AP student to say are, “I need help.” Typically, students who have made straight As do not make those grades in my class, at least not in the beginning. This course will require major adjustments in your reading and studying habits. Even after making those adjustments, you may find it hard to accept the idea that you can come to class, do all the work, study for hours, and still make bad grades. The majority of you are high school sophomores in what amounts to 2 semesters of college freshman level work. That alone means it’s going to be hard.

If you are struggling with any aspect of this course, or if you need help with essay writing, project preparation, researching, or taking tests, these are all excellent activities for my office hours. Office hours are Tuesdays 8:00-8:45 and 3:50-4:50, as well as Thursdays 8:00-8:45. Bring your binder with you. Many students have the misconception that only failures come to teachers for help. While it is true that if you fail a test or essay, you will have the ability to make test or essay corrections – that is not the only or even best reason to come see me! If you find that you are spending more than 2 hours a night on this class, you have no social life anymore, or you’re ready to give up and drop the class, come to office hours and we will work together to make your life and grades better.

There are many different ways for you to improve your knowledge, skills, and grades in this class that are built into this course and the way I teach. Take advantage of them. Ask for help before you get in over your head. AP World History is probably going to be the most difficult course you are taking this year. I expect to make you work hard, but I will always be fair, consistent, and available to my students. Having said that, it is up to you to put in the required time and effort.

How to Reach Me

Your best bet any given day is through email. I check my school email russele@ each day when I get home. If you have an issue that’s urgent, you might to try to catch me in the morning. I am here most days during zero period. You also have the option of leaving a message on my voicemail at school: 336-605-3300 ext. 4229.

And remember: School is the right place to be wrong. Don’t be afraid to fail – learn from your mistakes. Here are some examples of what I mean, based on end-of-the-year course evaluations:

Student A spent 20 minutes on homework each week throughout the year and wrote this comment:

“Be prepared for anything - you never know what she has up her sleeve. I would say this because I was blindsided.”

Student B spent 7-10 hours on homework each week throughout the year and wrote this comment:

“I would advise all future students to complete their homework daily and in an organized and detailed fashion. This is because throughout the year, I found that if I really focused on my homework and learned the material, it was not only easier and more understandable in class, but also on the tests and quizzes.”

Which student will you be?

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