AP World History
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Welcome to AP World History!!
Advanced Placement World History Mrs. Kornacki
Purpose of this Course
The College Board designed AP World History to challenge highly motivated students to understand the global processes that have shaped human history for the last 10,000 years. Students who work at meeting this challenge will have the opportunity to earn college credit during their high school years. However, the purpose of this class extends beyond an understanding of world history and the possibility for college credit. The nature of this course provides high school students the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills that will form a strong foundation for continuing college preparation courses in high school and survey level college courses.
This will be a survey course of World History using the textbook, Ways of the World by Robert Strayer with supplementary readings in the form of documents, essays, or books on special themes. The objective of the course is to prepare students to take the AP examination, which is given in early May.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to:
• prepare students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in future AP and college classes
• promote a global understanding of human events that have shaped the modern world
• prepare students to pass the AP World History examination
• meet the objectives for high school graduation in world history in the state of New York
College Board’s Historical Thinking Skills and Themes
In addition to general objectives the AP World History course addresses four historical thinking skills and five main themes.
Four Historical Thinking Skills
1. Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence: Involves historical argumentation and the appropriate use of relevant historical evidence.
2. Chronological Reasoning: Involves the ability to understand historical causation, the ability to identify patterns of continuity and change, and an understanding of the importance of historical periodization.
3. Comparison and Contextualization: Involves the ability to compare aspects of different cultures as well as to contextualize, that is, place into historical context, specific cultures.
4. Historical Interpretation and Synthesis: Involves the ability to interpret past events and history and to synthesize historical evidence to create new understanding of the past and present.
Five Themes of AP World
Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
• Demography and disease
• Migration
• Patterns of settlement
• Technology
Theme 2: Development and Interaction of
Cultures
• Religions
• Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
• Science and technology
• The arts and architecture
• Political structures and forms of governance
• Empires
• Nations and nationalism
• Revolts and revolutions
• Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations
Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of
Economic Systems
• Agricultural and pastoral production
• Trade and commerce
• Labor systems
• Industrialization
• Capitalism and socialism
Theme 5: Development and Transformation of
Social Structures
• Gender roles and relations
• Family and kinship
• Racial and ethnic constructions
• Social and economic classes
Historical Periodization
The AP World History course content is structured around the investigation of course themes and key concepts in six chronological periods.
1. Technological and Environmental Transformations to 600 B.C.E. 5%
2. Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies 600B.C.E. to 600 C.E. 15%
3.Regional and Transregional Interactions 600 C.E. to 1450 20%
4. Global Interactions 1450 to 1750 20%
5. Industrialization and Global Integration 1750 to 1900 20%
6. Accelerating Global Change and Realignments 1900 to the Present 20%
AP Exam Information
The AP World History Examination is approximately three hours and five minutes long and includes both a 55-minute multiple-choice section and 130-minute free-response section. The multiple-choice section accounts for half of the student’s examination grade and the free response section for the other half.
Exam Format
70 multiple-choice questions – 55 minutes
1 document-based question (DBQ) – 50 minutes
1 change-over-time essay – 40 minutes (compares periods studied)
1 comparative essay – 40 minutes (compares different regions studied)
Expectations For Students:
The student will:
1. attend class regularly and be on time.
2. take the responsibility for acquiring the facts of the course. Material missed due to absence is
your responsibility to acquire. Exchange phone numbers and email addresses with someone in
class in order that you will be aware of assignments, tests, notes, work covered, etc. Absence is not an
excuse for not taking a test or turning in an assignment which has been announced.
3. draw on a vast amount of material presented.
4. analyze and interpret primary sources, documentary material, maps, statistical tables, and pictorial
and graphic evidence.
5. take notes from lectures and discussions.
6. read 15-20 pages each evening.
7. complete chapter study guides and notes before the quiz.
8. contribute intelligently to discussions.
9. submit all assignments on time Late assignments will not be accepted and
will receive a grade of "0." Absenteeism from class on the due date is NOT a valid excuse.
10. behave in a courteous manner that represents respect for self and for others.
11. Class time is NOT to be used as a study hall. All videos, lectures, discussions, etc. will be tested.
It is the responsibility of each student to take notes every day.
Best of Luck!!
Notes To Parents:
1. AP World’s level of difficulty is much greater than the Regent’s course. This is due to the analytical nature of the AP exam. You and your son/daughter should expect that their grades in this course, at least initially, will not be as high as in their Regent’s courses.
2. If your son/daughter misses a test, they MUST make it up on the day after the test was given. Exceptions are made for extended illnesses.
3. A substantial summer assignment is given and will be due on the first day of class in September.
4. Please take time to talk to your child concerning his/her progress in the course. A student who achieves a grade of 3, 4, or 5 on the May AP examination usually receives college credit for the high school AP course. This can mean substantial savings on college tuition. Urge your child to take advantage of this opportunity.
5. You can stay informed about upcoming assignments, tests & quizzes by going to the class website: www.aldenschools.org/webpages/AKornacki and looking under homework and the calendar. All tests & quizzes are scheduled for the year and appear on the calendar.
6. Feel free to contact me at akornacki@aldenschools.org .