Students in this course study major turning points that shaped the modern world from the late 18th century through the present, including the cause and course of the two world wars. They trace the rise of democratic ideas and develop an understanding of the historical roots of current world issues, especially as they pertain to international relations.
Grading
Each quarter will constitute 45% of the semester grade as follows:
Homework 25%
Classwork 25%
Projects 15%
Participation 10%
Tests 25%
The final exam will count 10% of the semester grade.
Progress reports and a quarter grade will warn parents of possible problem areas.
As much as possible in this honors level course, students will be required to gather information from interviews and other original sources. At the honors level, more independent work is required from students as well as a mature attitude toward the work and complete support of other students.
Students will extrapolate from the American experience that democratic ideals are often acheived at a high price, remain vulnerable and are not practiced everwhere in the world. Students develop an understanding of current world issues and relate them to their historical, geographic, political, economic, and cultural contexts. Students consider multiple accounts of events in orer to understand international relations from a variety of perspectives.
Outline of World Histoy Honors Curriculum
I. Foundations of democracy from ancient times, including the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosopy, in Judaism and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
2. The age of Revolution, including comparing and contrasting the Glorius Revolution in England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution in thems of their enduring effecits on the worldwide political expectations for self-government and individual liberty.
3. The progress and effects of the Industrial Revolution in England, France, Germany, Japan and the United States.
4. Global changes resulting from Imperialism, concentrating on at least two areas or counties or areas.
5. World War I, causes, course, and effects.
6. Between the wars, especially the rise of totalitarian governments and including the Russian Revolution.
7. World War II, causes, course, and effects.
8. Post-World War II, including the Cold War and competition between the free and communist worlds.
9. Modern world problems.
Throughout the year, certain skills will be reinforced in the areas of public speaking, geography, cooperation, research, and writing. Students will be encouraged to recognize cause and effect relationships and synthesize information from other disciplines. Current events will be studied as a way to evaluate our relationship to the present world.
In this honors level course, students are expected to keep up with the coursework at all times. Please arrange a conference if there is a problem.
Homework: There will always be two current events due per week. They should be gathered from the newspaper or internet and written in the form you see here. Other homework will include projects, reading, reinforcement work and essay writing. Homework is expected to be turned in on time and students should always be prepared for class with all necessary reading and exercises done.
There is a community service requirement of 5 hours per semester, due this semester on January 9. Forms were handed out in class and more are available.
