World History A
Course Overview:
World History is a survey course where students study the history of humankind from the dawn of civilization to the present day. First semester the course begins with the Neolithic Revolution and the rise of river valley civilizations, continuing through the Greco-Roman Era, the Middle Ages, the European Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Second semester begins with the Scientific, French, and Industrial Revolutions and continues through the modern era. Special emphasis in this course is made on the cause-and-effect relationships between ideas and events, the growth and evolution of nations, and the different methods historians use to interpret the events of the past such as point of view and historical context.
Students taking this course will define unit-specific key terms and explain their significance, analyze primary sources and watch historical documentaries, and will write essays designed to flesh out the broad historical themes of each unit. By doing these activities, students will be exposed to a rigorous academic regimen, develop strong study and writing skills, and most importantly to intellectual material that demonstrates there is so much more to the study of history than memorization of names, dates, and places.
Using this website:
You can navigate to unit sub-pages from this main page or by clicking the triangle next to the page name on the navigation bar on the left. Each sub-page provides information relevant to the unit with links to curricular material and other extras. In addition to this, the course page provides a course-specific calendar and other important links. Helpful links:
Course Sub-pages:
Unit 1: The Beginnings of Human Society (Prehistory-3,000 BC)
Unit 2: Early River Valley Civilizations (3,000 BC-500 BC)
Unit 3: Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires (700 BC-AD 500)
Unit 4: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter (AD 500-1000)
Course Calendar:
The Course Calendar shows the school calendar, dates units should be finished by, and assignment due dates. If you have an account with Gmail, I can share this calendar for you and you can be notified via email and alarms about important due dates. Please contact me if this is something you want to do.
Contact:
If you have any questions or need to get a hold of me, please click here.
Life-sized terra cotta soldiers in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of a unified China, 221-210 BC