Class Information

In this course, students begin a two-year examination of the world's history spanning pre-historic times until the present day. Global History & Geography I is designed to focus on the five social studies standards and common themes that recur across time and place over the course of ten units of study ending in the mid-1700s. 

Students that successfully complete this course move on to Global History & Geography II which culminates in the New York State Regents Examination in Global History & Geography. While specific content from this course will not be assessed on the later exam, the writing and historical thinking skills developed are essential to being successful in later courses.

In this course students survey American history from the pre-Columbian period to the present, with a special focus on the development of the United States governmental institutions and actions. Beginning with the interactions between indigenous and European explorers, the course traces the colonial and constitutional foundations of the United States and explores the government structure and functions written in the Constitution. The course continues onward to examine the development of the nation and the political, social, and economic factors that led to the challenges our nation faced in the Civil War. Industrialization, urbanization, and the accompanying problems are examined, along with America’s emergence as a world power, the two world wars of the 20th century, and the Cold War. Students explore the expansion of the federal government, struggles of differing communities to achieve, and expand, acceptance and greater rights, the threat of terrorism, and the place of the United States in an increasing globalized and interconnected world.

A key element of the New York State Social Studies Framework calls for students to learn about the structure and function of governments and to learn how to take on their roles as citizens. Students should understand those basic principles and the cultural heritage that support our democracy so that they can become informed, committed participants in our democracy. This core curriculum focuses on how individuals and groups throughout history have challenged and influenced public policy and constitutional change.

The course culminates in June with the New York State United States History & Government Regents Examination.

In this course students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in nine historical periods from approximately 1491 to the present today. Students develop and use the same skills and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical connections; and utilizing historical thinking skills including comparison, causation, and continuity and change. The course also provides several themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: Migration and Settlement (MIG), America in the World (WOR), Geography and the Environment (GEO), Politics and Power (POL), American and National Identity (NAT), Work, Exchange, and Technology (WXT), and Culture and Society (CUL).

There are no course prerequisites for Advanced Placement United States History, and all motivated and academically prepared Juniors are welcome to register for the class. The College Board suggests that enrolling students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

The course culminates in May with the Advanced Placement United States History Examination and in June with the New York State United States History & Government Regents Examination.

From the MVCC Course Catalogue: "This survey course traces the American involvement in Vietnam from the end of World War II through the defeat of the Republic of South Vietnam. It develops an understanding of the events, conditions, and policies that moved the United States from a position of little involvement and interest in 1945 to a national commitment to the survival of an independent South Vietnam."

Here at Sauquoit Valley, we expand the scope of the established MVCC class to include not only an examination of America's involvement in the Vietnam War, but also the social, economic, and political developments that happened domestically during this three-decade period.