Mr.

Babineau

School Adress

10th grade World History 2017/2018

World History Course Syllabus

Course Outline

Semester 1

Early Humans & Ancient Civilizations (Beginnings- 500 BCE) ~3 weeks

1. Introduction to World History & Early Humans

2. Early Civilizations

Classical Civilizations (500 BCE- 500 CE) ~5 weeks

3. Classical Civilizations in the East (China, India, Persia)

4. Classical Civilizations in the West (Greece & Rome)

5. Interactions & Overview of the Classical World

The Post-Classical Period (500- 1450) ~9 weeks

6. Post-Classical Middle East & Africa

7. The Middle Ages in Europe

8. Post-Classical Asia (China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia)

9. Interactions & Overview of the Post-Classical World

10. Pre-Columbian America (Beginnings-1492)

Semester 2

The Early Modern Period (1450-1750) ~8 weeks

11.Global Interactions

12. The Transformation of Europe (Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolution, & Enlightenment)

The Modern World (1750- Today)~11 weeks

13. The Age of Revolutions

14. Global Empires & World Wars

15. The Modern World (since 1945)

16. A Globalized World

Study Guides & Tests

For nearly every unit of study you will be given a study guide on the first day of the unit that includes a
list of terms and concepts (questions) that you need to know. This is an assignment that is due the day
of the test. You will be allowed to use that study guide on your test. The study guide will include several
concepts that are underlined- from this list I will choose the short answer questions for the test that will
be written in complete sentences. Each day in class I will post what terms and concepts we are covering
that particular day and we will try to review them each day. In addition, these study guides will serve as
an important tool for the final assessments each semester. Fully and accurately completing your study
guides is one of the most important keys to being successful in this class! The tests are designed in a
way that if you properly prepare you will do well, but you will likely not do well if you do not work hard.
Study guides can be typed or hand-written, but you need a paper copy to turn in and use for the test.
Students who want to type but do not have a printer at home can print in the library or talk to me for
another arrangement.

Why do I allow you to use study guides on the test?

In the real world you are rarely asked to simply memorize information. Instead, you are asked to
create something or perform a task with the resources that you were given. All of the things we do and
go over in class are those resources. You must create your study guide and then use that to perform
on the test. My hope is that the unit tests will accurately reflect the amount of work and preparation
you put into it.
Are the tests hard?

The tests are more difficult than they would be if you were being asked to memorize information.
Questions will go beyond simply recognizing remembered facts and will ask you to use what you know in
various ways. If you are well prepared they should be easier than taking a test without any resources.
However, if you are not prepared they will be more difficult.

Grade Distribution

Area Percentage of Grade

Summative Assessments

(tests, projects, essays, etc.) 60%

Homework 25%

Semester Final Assessments 15%

Why do we need to study World History?

Any history course should begin with an argument stating why we need to study history and why it is
important. In my opinion we study history for a number of different reasons and none of them include
the rote memorization of names, dates, and places. First, learning history in general teaches us very
important skills (see below). Learning our history teaches us how and why our world is the way it is. We
are learning the story of humanity- and its an amazing story! It teaches us tolerance, respect, and
appreciation for past peoples, for different cultures, and other areas of the world. A person who is
informed in history need not know every date, name, and event, although there are certainly watershed
dates, events, and individuals whose importance we will learn. More important to history is being able
to identify the common themes, threads, and overarching story and have the ability to connect them to
each other and show how they are relevant to our lives today.

But really, do I need to know World History?

Throughout this school year, as we learn World History I will be asking you to work on, practice, and
improve important skills that you will need for other high school courses, school work beyond high
school, and the real world:

Critically analyze or interpret a written source to understand its meaning

Synthesize, or combine information from multiple sources, to come to a single meaning

Create a clearly written argument or thesis

Prove an argument or thesis using evidence to support your argument

Be able to clearly organize and communicate your thoughts and ideas in writing and verbally

Be able to establish and understand cause and effect

Be able to effectively compare and contrast

Ok, but what should I know by the end of the year?

By the end of the year each student should be able to:

1. Give a broad overview, even a rough chronological outline of world history

2. Identify the key cultures, civilizations, events, and people that have impacted world history and their
contributions to human society

3. Understand how the main themes of the course have shaped and continue to shape world history
(see below)

Themes & Forces that Shape World History

1. Interaction of Humans & the Environment

* How do the resources, climate, location, and geography of a society impact history?

* How have farming, disease, industrialization, and globalization impacted global population levels?

* How has the environment shaped where we live and settlement patterns?

* How has migration impacted human history both in the past and today?

2. Economic & Labor Systems

* How have economic and trade systems functioned and impacted history?

* What types of labor systems have humans utilized?

4. Development & Interaction of Cultures

* What are the beliefs of the worlds religions and how have they shaped human societies and history?

* How are cultures developed and spread and how do they shape history?

* What major philosophies and ideas have shaped human history?

5. Government & State Building

* What types of government systems and organizations have humans used?

* How has warfare and conquest impacted human history?

* How have revolutions, nationalism, and globalization changed politics?

6. Social Organization

* What are the ways that human societies organize social classes or hierarchies?

* What are the various ways that humans have organized gender roles?

* How have the ideas of race and ethnicity changed and developed over time?

7. Development & Spread of Technology

* How has the development and spread of new technologies changed how humans live?