| AP World History: Traditions and Encounters 2003-2004 Mr. Stephen Staggs sstaggs@hollandchristian.org (616) 394-9499 Available: M-Th, 7-9 p.m. Course Description Taking a global approach to history, the chronological framework of the course will be the period from approximately 1000 to the present. The course will analyze the traditions of and encounters among societies of the past in order to understand the present global traditions and encounters. Thematically, the course will highlight the impact of interaction among major societies, the relationship of change and continuity, and the impact of technology and demography on people and the environment. The course will also explore systems of social structure and gender structure, cultural and intellectual developments and interactions among and within societies, and changes in functions and structures of states. World History is a varied, interactive, and participatory course in which the contribution of students significantly shapes the learning. The course will invite active and critical listening, reading, viewing, thinking, discussing, reflecting, and writing, asking learners to both be and do. The course will challenge us to grow and change in our articulation of biblical ideals regarding relationships with other societies as we do history. In the end, we hope to leave the classroom with a clearer vision and deeper understanding of the diversity and universality existing within the intricate historical tapestry being woven by the Master Weaver. In short, a vision of the past and present, in which God reigns and is present, as articulated by the writer of Isaiah: "Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord - with the first of them and with the last – I am he." - Isaiah 41:4 Course Goals
§ developing geographic knowledge and understanding of the relationship between geography, history, and socio-cultural development § examining societal interaction in world history from a reformed understanding of the Christian faith: what does it mean to be in the world but not of it? Texts and Essentials
§ Stearns, Peter. Cultures in Motion: Mapping Key Contacts and their Imprints in World History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001. ** § Guest card for Van Wylen Library (Hope College's Library) § Three-ring binder and two notebooks * we may not get to reading this. If we do, we will read it at the end of the course. ** provided in class Learning Opportunities A. Discussion: dialogue with your peers, and myself will occur throughout the course. As learners, we will all be expected to contribute to class discussions as I am convinced that dialogue prompts us to grow in our understandings. B. Geography and Reading Quizzes: expect periodic geography and reading quizzes. C. Essays: expect periodic document-based, change-over-time, and comparative essays, including a Do-It-Yourself DBQ due . D. Research Essay: as defined by Charles Darling, "A research paper presents the results of your investigations on a selected topic. Based on your own thoughts and the facts and ideas you have gathered from a variety of sources, a research paper is a creation that is uniquely yours" (online at http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml, 1). The bibliography must include a minimum of five published items appropriate to the chosen topic. Again, critically read and view the scholarly works you select in conjunction with your partner and myself, collecting data in your research journal. Finally, write an 8-page research essay on your research topic and question. Learners' work will be discussed in class and there will be a number of workshops devoted to writing as well as conferences with your peers and myself. Research Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography Due Outline and Introductory Paragraph Due First Draft and Conferences Final Draft Due E. Secondary Source Reviews: compose two-page reviews (double-spaced; be sure to save these reviews) of two academic works related to your historical research question that will become part of the foundation for your research essay. At the end of the course, you may also be writing a two-page review of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel that you will relate to your research question. o SECONDARY SOURCE REVIEW # 1 (secondary source): Due o SECONDARY SOURCE REVIEW # 2 (secondary source): Due F. Mid-Term Exam: The mid-term will take place during the week of first semester exams. It will consist of two sets of questions: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. The free-response sections will be broken up into three essays: a document-based essay (DBQ), a change-over-time essay, and a comparative essay. It will be a helpful preparation for the AP Exam. G. AP Exam: The AP examinations are administered each year in May and represent the culmination of college-level work in a given discipline in a secondary school setting. Rigorously developed by committees of college and AP high school faculty, the World History AP Exam tests students' ability to perform at a college level. H. Research Presentation: in the last few weeks of class, you will have the opportunity to present your research paper. This is not a summary of your research and exhibit, but instead an engaging, interactive, opportunity for the rest of the class to reflect and experience the significance, curiosity, complexity, and rationale for studying such a cultural encounter. The presentation must include an artifact to represent your experience. I. Evaluation and Assessment A. Meeting the Course Objectives: meaning such matters as attendance, turning in assignments when they are due, and responding to my comments and questions. B. Involvement and effort: that is, of course, perceived effort. I cannot ever positively know how many hours you put in, how many headaches you suffer from passionate, anguished thinking, how far you extend yourself, what and how much you are contemplating when you choose not to speak out loud in class. All I can do is perceive, estimate, and infer your effort and involvement. C. Growth and Potential for Growth: this is, of course, very subjective and will depend on such things as my perceptions of your willingness to challenge your own assumptions and progress in asking genuine and thoughtful questions. Also related to growth is the insight you share that demonstrates your open-mindedness, creativity of thought, and your being willing to entertain and seriously consider a variety of ideas. D. Achieved Knowledge: that is, what you know at the end of the course, assessed, along with "A-C" above, through the aforementioned opportunities. Some examples of achieved knowledge are found in the course goals outline on the first page. What the Letters ("A"-"D") Mean… This is my attempt to articulate what I am thinking when I assign the following grades. Most importantly, a grade other than an "A" does not mean you are not a good student or inferior. A Outstanding work and significant evidence of growth B The work for the course was well done and learning occurred with noticeable growth C The work and growth were adequate to receive credit D Most of the work and growth were adequate to receive credit Grades between these reflect my wavering between these benchmarks. Upon request, at any time, you can get an up-to-the-moment status report from me. The principal factor I will consider in determining grades is the degree to which you seriously consider the ideas and principles to which you are exposed in the course. Chronological Periods 8000 B.C. - 600 A.D. (7 weeks) 600-1450 (8 weeks) 1450-1750 (7 weeks) 1750-1914 (7 weeks) 1914-2000 (7 weeks) Final Weeks: what follows are possibilities for the final weeks of the course. Research Presentations Guns, Germs, and Steel Review and Discussion Commanding Heights: How will the global economy change life in the 21st century? Find out what experts from 20 countries think, from Bill Clinton to Lee KuanYew, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Vicente Fox. This powerful documentary draws on the best seller by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. Three Perspectives on September 11: A Reading
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