Samples of Evidence to Satisfy the AP World History Curricular Requirements What s here? This table presents samples of evidence that address the curricular requirements for AP World History. For each curricular requirement, there are three separate samples of evidence provided. Each sample either fully or partially satisfies its requirement. The samples are taken from three distinct sample syllabi published in their entirety elsewhere on AP Central. The far-left column of the table presents each of the curricular requirements. In some cases, complex requirements have been broken down into their component parts. The columns to the right present the three evidence samples. How can I use this information? Use these samples to become familiar with both the nature of evidence and the variety of formats in which evidence can be presented. For any one curricular requirement, the ways in which evidence is both described and presented can vary considerably from course to course. No single format is preferred over any other. Narrative text, tables, bulleted lists, and other formats that clearly convey the content of your course are all acceptable. The most important consideration is that your syllabus (the evidence) clearly and explicitly satisfies the curricular requirements in their entirety. Curricular Requirements Periodization guidelines and course themes form the organizing principles for dealing with issues of change, continuity, and comparison throughout the course. UNIT 1. Foundations, c. 8000 BCE to 600 CE (5 weeks) UNIT II. 600-1450 (7 weeks) UNIT III. 1450-1750 (4 weeks) UNIT IV. 1750-1914 (5 weeks) UNIT V. 1914-2000 (6 weeks) We will use the following APWH themes throughout the course to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time. The Six AP World History Themes 1. The relationship of change and continuity from 8,000 BCE to the present. 2. Impact of interaction among and within major societies. 3. Impact of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment 4. Systems of social structure and gender structure. 5. Cultural, religious, and intellectual developments. 6. Changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities, including the emergence of the nationstate. My course is based on a global perspective of the world and human interactions from 8000 B.C.E. to present day, using the six themes outlined in the AP World History Course Description consistently throughout the course The AP World History course provides a lens through which to understand history and a foundation from which to view the complexities of today s global arena. Its emphasis on encounters and interactions provides a framework that is especially important. The general contours of our AP World History course, in terms of content covered and skills developed, are shaped by the six themes and the habits of mind that are outlined in the Course Description provided by the College Board. These overarching themes and the habits of mind foster critical thinking and encourage students to develop their own abilities and to truly be part of the learning process. The course, which adopts the periodization approach to analyzing global events and interactions from the foundations of history to the present, is designed to challenge students to become owners and creators of independent ideas by maintaining a student-centered classroom environment. One goal for the course is to provide an engaging and rigorous curriculum that motivates students. The long-term objective is for students to demonstrate an understanding of how the big picture of world history assists in understanding the complexities of today s global arena.
Curricular Requirements Periodization guidelines are used to select relevant course content from 8000 B.C.E. to the present. UNIT 1. Foundations, c. 8000 BCE to 600 CE (5 weeks) UNIT II. 600-1450 (7 weeks) UNIT III. 1450-1750 (4 weeks) UNIT IV. 1750-1914 (5 weeks) UNIT V. 1914-2000 (6 weeks) Unit I. Formation of Civilizations: Foundations, from 8000 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. [7 weeks] Unit II. Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter: The World from 600 to 1450 [8 weeks] Unit III. Emergence of the First Global Age: The World from 1450 to 1750 [7 weeks] Unit IV. Age of Revolutions and Empire: The World from 1750 to 1914 [6 weeks] Unit V. A Technological Age: The World from 1914 to the Present Day [5 weeks] UNIT ONE The 20 th century to the Present. ("Where are we?") UNIT TWO Foundations: c. 8000 BCE to 600 CE UNIT THREE 600-1450 UNIT FOUR 1450-1750 UNIT FIVE 1750-1914 The six overarching themes articulated in the Course Description receive approximately equal attention throughout the course. We will use the following APWH themes throughout the course to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time. The Six AP World History Themes The relationship of change and continuity from 8,000 BCE to the present. Impact of interaction among and within major societies. Impact of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment Systems of social structure and gender structure. Cultural, religious, and intellectual developments. Changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities, including the emergence of the nation-state. My course is based on a global perspective of the world and human interactions from 8000 B.C.E. to present day, using the six themes outlined in the AP World History Course Description consistently throughout the course. Unit IV. Age of Revolutions and Empire: The World from 1750 to 1914 [6 weeks] A. Political Revolutions (2 weeks) B. Industrial Revolutions/Imperialism (2 weeks) C. Social Revolutions (1 week) D. Rise of Nationalism (1 week) Readings Spodek, The World s History, Social Change (chapters 16 18) Major Activities and Assessments Lecture: Crane Brinton s model for revolution (PowerPoint) Group work: Venn diagrams of political revolutions Comparison essay: Women s rights (2003 exam) Group work: Cartoons of China s relationship with the West DBQ essay: Choose among the following: (1) political revolutions and expansion of rights, (2) technology and imperialism, (3) effects of imperialism Project: Timeliner from 1750 to 1914 The AP World History course provides a lens through which to understand history and a foundation from which to view the complexities of today s global arena. Its emphasis on encounters and interactions provides a framework that is especially important. The general contours of our AP World History course, in terms of content covered and skills developed, are shaped by the six themes and the habits of mind that are outlined in the Course Description provided by the College Board. These overarching themes and the habits of mind foster critical thinking and encourage students to develop their own abilities and to truly be part of the learning process. 1.
Curricular Requirements The course provides balanced global coverage, with Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe all represented. No more than 30% of course time is devoted to European history. UNIT II. 600-1450 (7 weeks) Focus questions: Should we study cultural areas or states? Did changes in this period occur from the effects of nomadic migrations or urban growth? Was there a world economic network during this period? Topic 1. The Islamic World, the Crusades, and Schism in Christianity Topic 2. Silk Road trade networks, Chinese model and urbanization Topic 3. Compare European and Japanese feudalism, Vikings Topic 4. Mongols across Eurasia and urban destruction in Southwest Asia, Black Death Topic 5. Compare Bantu and Polynesian migrations, Great Zimbabwe and Mayan empires and urbanization; Aztec and Incan empires and urbanization Topic 6. Ming Treasure Ships and Indian Ocean trade networks (Swahili coast) COMPARISONS: Japanese vs. European feudalism, European monarchy vs. African empires, role of major cities, Aztec vs. Incan empires. Unit III. Emergence of the First Global Age: The World from 1450 to 1750 [7 weeks] A. Columbian Exchange and the Emergence of Atlantic Trade (1 week) B. World Trade: Empire Building (Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch) (2 weeks) C. Asian Migrations: Mughal, Ottoman, Safavid (1 week) D. Renaissance/Reformation/ Enlightenment: Impact on the World (1 week) E. Demographic and Environmental Changes (2 weeks) UNIT TWO Foundations: c. 8000 BCE to 600 CE 1. World history in place and time Interaction of geography and climate with the development of human society Major population changes resulting from human and environmental factors Nature and causes of changes Continuities and breaks within the course what "works" and doesn't? 2. Developing agriculture and technology Agricultural, pastoral, and foraging societies and their characteristics Emergence of agriculture and other technological change Nature of villages Effects of agriculture on the environment and peoples 3. Basic features of early civilizations in different environments Political and social structure of: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, Shang, Mesoamerican and Andean South America 4. Classical civilizations Major political developments in China, India, and the Mediterranean Social and gender structures Major trading patterns within and among Classical civilizations Arts, sciences, and technology 5. Major belief systems Basic features of major world belief systems prior to 600 CE Physical place of each belief system by 600 CE: Polytheism, Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Christianity 6. Late Classical period (200 CE to 600 CE) Collapse of empires(han, Western Roman Empire, Gupta) Movements of peoples (Huns, Germans) Interregional networks by 600 CE: Trade and religious diffusion
Curricular Requirements The course teaches students to analyze evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. About two or three times in each unit, we will conduct whole class seminars where you will discuss diversity of interpretations that historians present in your textbook and in other secondary sources such as articles given to you by the teacher. We also will do simulations and debates that challenge you to address questions about human commonalities and differences and the historical context of culturally diverse ideas and values. B. World Geography and the Agricultural Revolution (1 week) Objectives o For students to understand the effects of the Agricultural Revolution o For students to have a better sense of world geography and how it affects history Readings Spodek, The World s History, chapter 2 Major Activities and Assessments Socratic seminar: Defining civilization Essay on civilization I train students using the Socratic seminar method from the first week of school. To scaffold to the level I would like, I start with fishbowls with students peer-grading each other, and I model how to facilitate using the Socratic method. To create a fishbowl discussion, I merely split the students into two groups, where one group first discusses a prompt in an inner circle, while the outer circle observes silently. When the inner circle is done, I solicit critiques from the outer circle observers. The two groups then switch places, and the new inner circle is given a related, but new prompt. Eventually, students come prepared with their own prompts and can ideally lead a whole-class discussion. Socratic seminar: Defining civilization Unit 1 (Foundations). Focus on Point of View and World Religions Stearns, chapter 5 Find current-events articles on the same topic from different perspectives, and use to introduce the concept of point of view World religions overview: Using Internet sources, students investigate the major religions as homework In-class activities on comparing and contrasting major world religions Cultural diffusion exercise: Analyzing images of the Buddha from different locations Mental mapping on the origins, spread, and influence of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism, using Stearns, Cultures in Motion (on mental mapping, see Johnston, The New World History) The course includes extensive instruction in analysis and interpretation of a wide variety of primary sources, such as documentary material, maps, statistical tables, works of art, and pictorial and graphic materials. For example, almost every day in class we will analyze primary sources both texts and visuals. This primary source analysis will help you directly with the tasks required for the Document-Based Question (DBQ) essay on the exam, but the daily use of historical materials also will help you practice using evidence to make plausible arguments. You also will become expert at identifying point of view, context, and bias in these sources I often put students in groups to process primary-source documents or large amounts of content, usually with the goal of generating theses and outlines for sample questions that I have written on the board. The processing is accomplished through various exercises that focus on a selected set of skills. For example, the groups might focus on how to determine and analyze point of view, or on how to group a set of documents. Document Reader: Andrea, Al and Overfield, James. The Human Record: Sources of Global History, 4 th ed. Vols 1 & 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Homework: Assigned readings, with questions, from The Human Record Historical maps to label and color The course provides students with frequent practice in writing analytical and interpretive essays such as documentbased questions (DBQ) and thematic essays addressing issues of change, continuity, and comparison (see the Course Description for more information). Write comparative essay on empires Timed Writing: DBQ Essay on Silk Road Trade Networks Timed Writing: Change Over Time Essay on Trade from 600-1450 in AfroEurasia The course imposes a heavy reading and writing load throughout the year, and the demands on students are equivalent to a full-year introductory college course. Early in the year the essays are take-home assignments, and the students engage in peer-grading of each other s work to better understand what I am assessing. Later, I provide more practice with in-class essay assignments using questions in the style of the AP World History Exam, as well as the AP Exam free-response questions posted on AP Central. Homework: Essay writing practice DBQ Project: In place of a term paper, students will work in pairs to create a APWH-style DBQ of their own. Final Exam: Students will take a 3 hour, 5 minute released exam as their final exam, in preparation for the live exam in APWH.
Samples of Evidence that Address Multiple Requirements What s here? This table presents samples of evidence that each address multiple Curricular Requirements for AP World History. For each sample provided in the left column, the corresponding Curricular Requirements are provided to the right. Note that each sample may only partially satisfy one or another requirement, and additional evidence would need to be provided elsewhere in the syllabus to address the requirement(s) with complete satisfaction. These samples were taken from sample syllabi that are published elsewhere on AP Central in their entirety. How can I use this information? Use these samples to become familiar with ways in which numerous Curricular Requirements can be addressed (either partially or completely) within the description of one unit, lesson, or activity, or by describing a recurring theme or process in your course. Integrated Evidence from Selected Syllabi Students refine their analytical abilities and critical thinking skills in order to understand historical and geographical context, make comparisons across cultures, use documents and other primary sources, and recognize and discuss different interpretations and historical frameworks. This class approaches history in a non-traditional way in that it looks at the common threads of humanity over time: trade, religion, politics, society and technology and it investigates how these things have changed and continued over time in different places. Requirements Addressed (Partially or Fully) by Integrated Evidence Bold text indicates the portion(s) of the requirement that are demonstrated. The course teaches students to analyze evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. AND The course includes extensive instruction in analysis and interpretation of a wide variety of primary sources, such as documentary material, maps, statistical tables, works of art, and pictorial and graphic materials. Periodization guidelines and course themes form the organizing principles for dealing with issues of change, continuity, and comparison throughout the course. AND The course teaches students to analyze evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.