AP World History
Ms. Goyak
Birmingham High School
Welcome to AP world History. This class is designed to not only prepare you for the AP test at the end of the year, but help you develop the skills you need to be successful in AP classes and beyond. It will be a lot of work, but hopefully it will be fun and worth it.
Required Materials:
1. AP History Folder (this should be a separate 3-ring binder with dividers—you will put all returned/graded work in this notebook and keep it well-organized)
2. Paper, Pens, Pencils
3. AP Guide Book: Barron’s AP WORLD HISTORY (Purchase this at any bookstore or library…may need to put-in an order for this)!! PURCHASE THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!! (Be sure to purchase the BARRON’S GUIDE ONLY)!! This guide is an outline of the entire AP World History course and will remain at home (mostly). You will want to read each chapter of this guide as we move along through the course, particularly to study for unit tests.
4. Textbook: This will be used primarily for homework (note-taking) at home and will rarely be brought with you to class
5. You will be required to log on to our website and leave comments on discussion questions. The website address is http://woodgoyak11.blogspot.com
Course Content:
As this course centers on the AP World History Test, the class content will cover what the AP Test expects you to have mastered. Nevertheless, here is a simpler break-down of what we will be learning about by time period:
1. Prehistory—600 CE
· Early Man, Neolithic Revolution, Sumerians, Egyptians, Indus, Celts, Hebrews, Assyrian Empire, Persian Empire, Nubia, Byzantium, Shang/Zhou, Olmec, Chavin, Phoenicans, Carthage, Greeks, Romans, Mauryans/Gupta, Han, Silk Road, Indian Ocean Trade, Trans-Saharan Route, Birth of World Religions
2. 600—1450 CE
· Tang/Song Dynasties, Byzantine Empire, Umayyad Caliphate, Feudalism, King Charlemagne (Carolingian Family), Holy Roman Empire, Medieval Period of Europe, Japanese feudalism, Vikings, Mongol Empire, Yuan, Mali Empire, Zimbabwe, Crusades, Silk Road, Indian Ocean Trade Route, Black Death, Maya, Aztecs, Inca
3. 1450—1750 CE
· Age of Exploration (Columbus, Magellan, Henry the Navigator), European Colonization, Columbian Exchange, Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, Songhai Empire, Qing Dynasty, Tokugawa Shogunate, Russian Empire, Atlantic Slave Trade, Encomienda System, Renaissance, Religious Reformations, Enlightenment (Age of Reason), Scientific Revolution
4. 1750—1900 CE
· American Revolution, French Revolution, Latin American Revolutions, Age of Napoleon, Unification of Italy/Germany, Zionism, Industrial Revolution, Marxism/Communism, Fall of Ottoman Empire, Crimean War, Russo-Japanese War, Taiping Rebellion, Opium Wars, Boxer Rebellion, Meiji Restoration, Age of Imperialism/Colonization, Emancipation (slavery), Civil War, Seneca Halls Convention (women’s rights), start of WWI
5. 1900—Present
· WWI, Russian Revolution, Chinese Revolution, Treaty of Versailles, 14-Point Plan, Great Depression, Fascism and Totalitarianism, Rise of Hitler, WWII, Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, United Nations, Rise of USSR, Cold War Era, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gandhi and Emancipation of India, Apartheid, Mexican Revolution, Iranian Revolution, Tiananmen Square, Cuban Missile Crisis, Environmental Problems, Gender Roles (women’s rights), Globalization
Classroom Policies/Rules:
· Be in your seat when the bell rings, or tardy
· Sit in YOUR assigned seat at all times
· No electronics (these better not even be visible or they are mine)!
· No food/drinks
· No talking (unless class discussion)
· I dismiss you, NOT the bell!!
· No hall pass (see “G-Unit System” below)
· No using computers unless given permission
· No doing work from other classes ( I’m particularly inflexible about this…don’t do it)!
· DO NOT write on my desks, textbooks, or deface ANY school property
· Do NOT plagiarize (this means copying another student’s work OR taking the work from another author and claiming it as your own)…cheating will also result in a zero.
POLICIES IN DETAIL:
- Be on time: You are considered late if you are not in your seat when the tardy bell rings. Come prepared to every class by bringing your materials and assignments!
- Be Considerate: I will treat you with utmost respect and I expect you to do the same for myself, your fellow students, and the classroom. Always listen to and treat ideas of others with respect. Inappropriate language, excessive talking, and defacing school property (desks, walls, books, etc) will not be accepted in this class.
- Hall Passes: Hall passes are not issued upon request. You may only use a hall pass by using “G-Units.”
Grading:
1. History Folder: Class notes (collected at the end of each chapter). Some “Barron’s Guide” notes will also be collected periodically.
2. Chapter Quizzes: Expect quizzes rndomly! Study your textbook notes AND your class notes from the previous day’s lecture for your daily quizzes.
3. Unit Exams/Tests: expect to have a comprehensive exam for each of the major units (5 total)
4. Essays: expect to have several (throughout the semester)
5. Activities (In-class and Out-of-Class): These may include in-class projects, take-home projects, individual or group projects
6. Primary Source Activities
7. Participation (This is based on my observation and is therefore subjective): This will include participating orally in-class, completing work, attendance, punctuality, effort, and generally doing what you’re supposed to be doing when you’re supposed to be doing it!!
8. Final Exams: Fall Semester Final Exam / Spring Semester Final Exam
Grade Scale:
100-90%= A 89-80%= B 79-70%= C 69-60% = D 59-0% = F
Make-Ups/Absences:
Quizzes = No make-ups
Unit Exams = ONLY with an excused absence (illness, or other). I will NOT remind you that you need to make-up an exam at any time…it is YOUR responsibility to take the initiative and inform me that you need to make-up your chapter test. If you fail to do so, you WILL receive an automatic “0” for that missed test.
Final Exams = No make-ups unless a qualified, excused absence
Absences:
- If you are absent from class, please call another student/friend to find out what subjects were covered on the day you were gone (i.e. notes, class activities, homework, etc). If you missed an assignment (in-class), you have the opportunity to make it up. However, assignments will be due upon the day you return to class, NO LATER!! In addition, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you missed, so be sure to ask. I WILL NOT inform you directly.
- You are responsible for going on the website and checking for information/assignments.
- If you happen to be absent on the day of a test, I will give you the opportunity to make it up. However, you need to inform me and make it up, or you will receive a zero for your test grade!
- If you are absent, and the day you return there is a quiz, you will be expected to take that quiz. Thus, be sure to get notes and other important work from someone the night before…I expect you to be PREPARED and RESPONSIBLE!!
G-Unit System: NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE!!! NEITHER IS ANYTHING IN MY CLASSROOM!!! The “G-unit” system is aimed at giving you privileges (academic and otherwise) and rewards for hard-earned work/effort. You may earn G-Units throughout the semester (in numerous ways) by which you may purchase bonuses, percentage increases, class privileges, etc. I generally do NOT offer extra credit in this class, therefore the G Units can or may in some instances act as extra credit points if you wish to spend them in that manner. You may wish, however, to use them for other class privileges. There is a chart hanging in the classroom to inform you. SPEND WISELY!!! J
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