World History II

This course is organized thematically, with each unit focused on a larger concept and then broken into smaller issues to be investigated throughout each term. Themes for the year include colonialism, revolutions, Cold War conflict, and globalization. Organizing the curriculum by theme allows students to develop a deeper understanding of how an issue evolves over time. This process will inspire intellectual curiosity, promote deeper engagement with the past, and empower students to be active participants in their learning as they formulate their own answers.

In this course students will continue to learn about how the world around them interconnects politically, economically, historically and geographically through an inter-disciplined approach. We will of course look at the past but we will seek to discover how the past informs the present. Students should expect to interact with a plethora of contemporary issues, not just those of the past.

In the first semester we will look at human rights, what they are, what they are not and why we need them.  We will then dive deep into the social studies toolbox and look at how the art of interpretation is fundamental across a multitude of disciplines with a focus on the Cold War.

In the second semester, we will begin by examining the struggle between science and religion throughout history in terms of ethics, centered on the idea of how much say should religion have on scientific and technological advancements. We will then finish the academic year by seeking to find connections between commodities and conflict before casting our judgement of whether globalization is a "good" or "bad" thing.