Modern World History

Course Calendar

1/5 - In class reading and discussion of the Holocaust

1/7 - Answer Questions for Homework Videos about the Holocaust

1/12 - Quiz on Reading - Russian Revolution and Answer Homework Questions

1/13 - Quiz on Reading - Stalin & Soviet Union and Answer Homework Questions

1/15 - Quiz on Reading - Cold War Europe and Answer Homework Questions

1/16 - Quiz on Reading - Global Cold War and Answer Homework Questions

1/21 - Quiz on Reading - End of Cold War and Answer Homework Questions

1/22 - Quiz on Reading - Modern Europe

1/26 - Quiz on Reading - Former Soviet Republics

1/27 - Prepare for Mid-Year Test

1/29 - Prepare for Mid-Year Test

1/30 - Mid-Year Test

Important Test Information - 

The test will be worth 40 points (point of reference - quizzes and home works are usually 10 points each)

The test will have three essay based questions and you will have to answer two of the questions.   Each question will have a list of 5 - 6 key terms that you will need to include in your answer.  The essay questions will be based around the main topics in the review sheet and the list of key terms are listed below.

Important Test Information - 

The test will be worth 40 points (point of reference - quizzes and home works are usually 10 points each)

The test will have four list of an idea and 5 - 6 key terms and you will write answers for two of the lists.  The unit terms are listed below and on the first page of the unit.  This is an example from a test from a previous year: "How the Scientific Revolution affected the Enlightenment -  Rational World View, Isaac Newton, John Locke, Montesquieu, The Encyclopedia".  A good answer uses all the terms to explain the idea.  

Section # 2 - Essay - The test will have two of the three essay questions written below.  You will have to answer one of the two questions on the test.  

Your answer will need the following:

• Start with a topic sentence (thesis) that answers the prompt by stating the idea that explains the answer.  

• Presents factual evidence and reasoning that explains how the evidence supports the idea in the topic sentence (thesis).    

Question # 1 - The three events of the formation of the National Assembly, the storming of the Bastille and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, together represent the start of the French Revolution because together they created a distinct break with the past that could not be undone.  With that in mind, which of the three events was the tipping point that made the revolution inevitable? 

Question # 2 - The French Revolution began with the ideals of the Enlightenment shown in “Declaration of the Rights of Man” yet ended in the violence of the Reign of Terror.  At what point and for what reason did the French Revolution turn away from the ideals of the Enlightenment and toward violence and repression? 

Question # 3 - Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis Philippe and Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) were all emperors, yet they all set the stage for France to become a stable democracy in the Third Republic.  Which of these three leaders contributed the most to the development of stable democracy in France? 

Course Description - This is the link for the course syllabus - click here

Welcome to Modern World History.  The general focus of the course will be based around developing an answer for the essential question: “What does the term ‘modern’ mean in the phrase ‘modern world’?”

 The class will be approaching the answer to this question over the course of the world through two additional questions:

• First Semester – How did the world become “modern”?

• Second Semester – Is the whole world currently “modern”?

 The course will study history through the lens of four major questions:

• Should society be governed from the top-down or from the bottom-up?

• Why is it so hard to form a stable democracy?

• How much power should the government have in the economy?

• Should countries be based on a national identity?

In addition to studying history, this course will also be focused on developing skills for organizing and communicating complex ideas and concepts.  The ability to organize materials and communicate ideas in a clear and effective manner is a crucial skill in today’s world.  At their roots, organizing and communicating are thinking skills.  The class will be doing the following types of projects to develop organization and communication skills:

• Writing essays on the topics of the major questions addressed by the course

• Creating visuals to show data, historical events and causal relationships

• Building a web page to show research on a topic in the current world

• Making a documentary video about a topic on the current world