AP World History: Modern
Teacher: Colin Norwalk
Email: colin.norwalk@aps.edu
Classroom: D-5
Course Duration: August 7th, 2025 – May 28th, 2026
AP Exam Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 8:00 AM @ Cibola High School
The Class and Exam: A.P. World History: Modern is a college level course in which students have the opportunity to receive college credit. It is the study of global historical developments from around 1200 CE to the present, focusing on the interactions, exchanges, conflicts, and transformations that have shaped the modern world. The course emphasizes major themes such as state-building, trade networks, technological innovation, cultural exchange, revolutions, imperialism, and globalization. Rather than focusing solely on Western civilization, it takes a comparative and cross-cultural approach, highlighting the interconnectedness of societies across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Students are taught to analyze historical sources, recognize patterns of continuity and change, and develop evidence-based arguments about the past.
The AP World History: Modern exam is a standardized test administered by the College Board that assesses students’ understanding of world history from 1200 CE to the present. It includes 55 multiple-choice questions that students will have 55 minutes to complete (40% of the exam score), three short-answer questions (SAQs) in 40 minutes (20% of the exam score), and finally a document-based question (DBQ) and a long essay question (LEQ) which are both full essays that students will have 1 hour, 40 minutes to complete (40% of the exam score). A strong performance can earn students college credit depending on the institution.
While taking the test is highly encouraged, students are not obligated to attempt the AP World Exam just because they are in the class. Students will not receive a grade in my class for taking, or not taking, the AP Exam. The AP World Exam historically costs $100, unless students are on a waiver where the cost will be $3. Last year students had to register by November 15th for the exam to not incur late fees. If a student registers for the exam and decides to cancel after November 15th, they will still have to pay $40. That is a College Board cost. Students on a waiver that decide to cancel will be charged the additional $37 for the cancellation fee. If a student decides to register for an exam after November 15th they will have to pay an additional $40 late fee registration, which is also a College Board fee. Any questions regarding fees or registration should be directed to Mr. Joe Sena in the counseling office, sena@aps.edu.
Breakdown and Pacing: The course is organized into 9 units with each unit making up a percentage of the content of the AP test. Units 3-6 make up a larger part of the exam than units 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9. The percentages included here are published by the College Board.
• Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (c. 1200–c. 1450) — 8–10%
• Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (c. 1200–c. 1450) — 8–10%
• Unit 3: Land Based Empires (c. 1450–c. 1750) — 12–15%
• Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (c. 1450–c. 1750) — 12–15%
• Unit 5: Revolutions (c. 1750–c. 1900) — 12–15%
• Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization (c. 1750–c. 1900) — 12–15%
• Unit 7: Global Conflict (c. 1900–Present) — 8–10%
• Unit 8: Cold War & Decolonization (c. 1900–Present) — 8–10%
• Unit 9: Globalization (c. 1900–Present) — 8–10%
Course Features & Requirements
Historical Thinking Skills: are the tools students use to think like historians—analyzing evidence, interpreting events, and making sense of the past in a meaningful way. They involve looking beyond memorized facts to understand how and why events happened, how societies changed over time, and how different parts of the world influenced each other. Students learn to place events in context, draw connections across regions and eras, and construct arguments supported by historical evidence, developing a deeper and more critical understanding of history as a discipline. They are:
1. Developments & Processes
2. Sourcing & Situation
3. Claims & Evidence in Sources
4. Contextualization
5. Making Connections (Comparison, Causation, Continuity & Change)
6. Argumentation
Course Themes: are the big ideas that connect events and developments across time and place, helping students see history as an interconnected web rather than isolated facts. These themes guide students in exploring how humans have organized societies, interacted with the environment, developed cultures, exchanged goods and ideas, built and challenged political systems, and adapted to new technologies. By returning to these recurring ideas throughout the year, students can recognize patterns, make comparisons, and understand how local events fit into larger global processes. The course themes are:
Environmental Interactions
Cultural Developments
Governance
Economic Systems
Social Structures
Technology & Innovation
Materials:
• Students will check out of the Cibola library: Ways of the World – A Global History with Sources 4th edition.
• Students need a chromebook and they need to make a College Board account.
• Students are expected to bring basic school materials to class everyday, pencil, pen, paper, chromebook
Cell Phone Policy: At the start of every class, students are required to place their cell phones in the designated classroom cell phone holder. Phones must remain there for the duration of class and may not be accessed until the end of the period unless explicitly permitted by the teacher for instructional purposes. Students are not permitted to take their cell phones with them when leaving the classroom on a hall pass; phones must remain in the holder until they return. Failure to follow this policy may result in loss of privileges or further disciplinary action in accordance with school rules.
AI Generated Work Policy: All assignments in this course must represent your own original thinking, writing, and analysis. The use of artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or similar programs) to generate any part of your work—unless explicitly assigned or approved by the teacher—is strictly prohibited. Submitting AI generated material as your own is considered academic dishonesty and will result in a zero on the assignment, a referral for academic misconduct, and possible further disciplinary action in accordance with school policy.
Grading Policy: In this course, assignments will make up 70% of the overall grade, quizzes will account for 20%, and the final exam will be worth 10%. Grades will reflect both the quality of work and the timely completion of tasks.
Late Work Policy: Students are expected to submit all assignments on time. Late work will be accepted only within the grading period in which it is assigned; once the quarter ends, no work from that quarter will be accepted for credit. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with the teacher in advance if circumstances prevent timely submission.
Independent Exam Prep Focus: For students serious about the AP Exam, I recommend that students get an exam study guide such as Barron’s AP World History: Modern for thorough content review and practice questions. There are also excellent resources online such as Heimler’s History and Khan Academy that provide great additional exam prep.
2025-2026 Year at a Glance
1st 9 Weeks (Aug 7 – Oct 9)
Goal: Finish Unit 2
Weeks Unit Focus Notes
Aug 7–Aug 22 1 The Global Tapestry (1200–1450) State building in Afro-Eurasia & Americas
Aug 25–Sep 19 2 Networks of Exchange: Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, Mongols - Emphasize comparison + consequences
Sep 22–Oct 9 2 Finish Networks of Exchange + Trans-Saharan routes & review
2nd 9 Weeks (Oct 9 – Dec 19)
Goal: End at Unit 5.1 (Enlightenment)
Weeks Unit Focus Notes
Oct 14–Oct 31 3 Land-Based Empires (1450–1750) Gunpowder Empires, belief systems
Nov 4–Nov 21 4 Transoceanic Interconnections: Exploration, Columbian Exchange - Deepen maritime empire content
Dec 1–Dec 19 5 Revolutions: Enlightenment (5.1) Foundations for Atlantic & Industrial Rev
3rd 9 Weeks (Jan 6 – Mar 13)
Goal: End at Unit 7.3
Weeks Unit Focus Notes
Jan 6–Jan 23 5 Finish Revolutions (5.2–5.10) Emphasize Industrialization & reactions
Jan 26–Feb 13 6 Imperialism & Migration (1750–1900) Consequences of empire
Feb 17–Mar 13 7 Global Conflict: Causes & Conduct of WWI (7.1–7.3) Shift to 20th century world
4th 9 Weeks (Mar 10 – May 6)
Goal: Finish Unit 9 and Review
Weeks Unit Focus Notes
Mar 16–Mar 25 7 Finish WWI, WWII, mass atrocities (7.4–7.9) Atrocities and turning points
Apr 6–Apr 17 8 Cold War & Decolonization From bipolar tensions to global independence
Apr 20–Apr 24 9 Globalization: tech, environment, culture Contemporary connections
Apr 27–May 6 All Review + timed DBQ/LEQ/MCQ sets Emphasize Units 3–6
May 6–year end Flex Wrap-up or enrichment Optional activities or celebrations