AP European History
Leigh Munley ()
Career Center High School, 2012-2013
(336)727-8181
Room# S206
Course Description and Objectives
This survey course will cover European history from 1450 to the present. Students will acquire a knowledge and understanding of the general narrative of European history during that time period, and they will develop the ability to see the facts of history in context, trace the course of movements or trends, recognize causes and results, and determine significances. They will gain an appreciation for the rich cultural contributions made by those who created the Western heritage, as well as an awareness of the consequences of European contacts with other areas of the world. They will achieve the ability to read historical materials in a discriminating way; to weigh evidence and reach conclusions on the basis of fact, rather than prejudice; and effectively express their understanding in writing and oral presentation.
Course Themes
Students will be able to relate these themes horizontally--to show change and progress--and vertically--to get a total picture of European society at any given period.
Government & Politics – changing role of government, wars & foreign policy, rise of nationalism, progress toward European unity
Economic – from an Agrarian, to an Industrial, to a post-Industrial economy. Changing economic systems: mercantilism, capitalism, socialism
Social -from a very fixed, stratified structure to a more mobile, egalitarian one. Changing gender roles and the family, the rise of the middle class.
Intellectual & Cultural – Major artistic periods; increasing secularism in the West; faith in science; philosophies
Methodology
Students will be expected to read, understand, and evaluate a large amount of material from their textbook, as well as additional primary sources and secondary sources by modern academic historians. The teacher’s lectures will supplement and re-enforce these readings. Each student will be called upon to contribute to the class discussions on a regular basis. While lectures and discussions form the basis of most classes, there will also be classroom activities, as well as video and student presentations from time to time.
Document-Based Question (DBQ) and thematic Free Response Question (FRQ) essays will be introduced in the first quarter. Throughout the year, students will work to perfect their writing skills in various exercises. Most prompts and documents will be derived from prior AP exams. The documents will include works of art, maps, and tables as well as written sources.
In addition to formal essays, students will often write brief reactions to questions, issues, or readings in the midst of, or at the beginning of a class lecture. These will generally serve to generate discussion or form the basis of later classroom activities, and will be kept in a writing notebook/journal. Timelines (teacher-, textbook/resource-, and student-generated) will be used in conjunction with each unit.
Student Evaluation
Students will be assigned frequent readings from our text, The Western Heritage, by Kagan, Ozment, and Turner. These readings will serve as the basis of the course, to be supplemented by class lectures, activities, and discussion; additional readings; and outside research and writing. There will be (almost) weekly reading quizzes to insure the completion of the textbook readings.
Unit tests will be given every three to four weeks. All tests will combine multiple choice questions (which require critical thinking), and thematic essays and documents (which require analysis and synthesis). For each test, as well as the semester exams, you will be responsible for class lectures and activities, supplemental readings, homework, and the textbook readings, whether discussed in class or not.
Tests and quizzes must be made up within two days of an excused absence. I will take work late, however, for each day late, 10 points will be subtracted. Cheating on any assignment or test will not be tolerated and will result in an automatic zero.
Each quarter, other grades will be derived from DBQ and FRQ essays, writing notebooks, and a major student research paper or project. Classroom and homework activities, student presentations, map or art quizzes, and class discussions may also contribute to the students’ quarter grades.
Performance assessment will be as follows:
· Tests (2-4 per quarter) & research project/paper average = 60% of quarter grade
· Quizzes (4+ per quarter), Class/Homework
Writing notebook & class participation average = 40% of quarter grade
As per school policy, each quarter will count as 50% of the semester average (with the mid-term exam being included in the 2nd quarter average). Each semester average will then count as 37.5%, and the final exam will constitute 25% of the final course grade. The first semester exam will include material from the Renaissance through Napoleon. It will be made up of comprehensive multiple choice questions, FR essay questions from released Advanced Placement exams, and a Document-Based Question. The exam will count as two test grades on the 2nd quarter grade, according to school-wide year-long course guidelines.
The second semester exam will cover content from the entire year, with an emphasis on the 2nd Semester material (from post-Napoleon to the present) and will be similar to the 1st semester exam in format. It may be exempted by students who meet the school’s attendance requirements and take the Advanced Placement Exam.
*Within each Unit of Study, DBQ and/or Free Response practice will be provided. Based upon data analysis of individual and class progress, additional DBQ and FR practice opportunities will be assigned. There will be a total of at least 5 DBQs and 5 FRQs throughout the course of year.
Some final Notes
Students are required to bring to class daily each of the following: writing utensils and looseleaf paper, an organized notebook (one that will accommodate numerous handouts), and the writing notebook (composition, not spiral). A set of colored pencils is optional.
Class attendance is an important part of success in this course. When a student misses class, he/she must bring a signed excuse for that absence. Repeated absences, especially on test/quiz and assignment due dates, will be noted and addressed if they become an issue. Students are independently responsible for making up all missed assignments (including getting class notes and writing notebook entries) upon their return to school, and they should submit assignments electronically, when possible, if they are out of class on a previously assigned due date. School attendance policies will be strictly enforced. Additionally, tardies will be recorded and dealt with as needed.
I hope to be at school by 7:30 each morning. I will be leaving by 2:45 most days. If you have any concerns about your performance, the class, or a classmate please come see me in the classroom between classes, during the second period break, or at lunch. Additionally, you may reach me via email at . Class assignments and updates will be posted on my website.
The Course of Study
FIRST SEMESTER
INTRODUCTION - August
Europe Before 1300 ( pages lx – lxxvii of Western Heritage textbook)
· The Fall of Rome; Medieval Europe; Christianity’s European Dominance
UNIT 1 – August/September
Europe, From the Late Middle Ages to Renaissance and Discovery (Chapters 9 & 10)
· Social and Political Breakdown; Italian and Northern Renaissance; Rise of Monarchies;
New Empires in the East and West
UNIT 2 – September/October
The Protestant Reformation and the Age of Religious Wars (Chapters 11 & 12)
· Corruption in the Late Medieval Church; Luther, Calvin and the English Reformation;
The Counterreformation; French Wars of Religion; The 30 Years War
UNIT 3 – October/November
Political Consolidation and Intellectual Development in 16th, 17th, and 18th Century Western Europe
(Chapters 13 & 14)
· The Rise of Parliamentary England vs. Absolute Monarchy in France; Central and Eastern Europe: the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns; The Rise of Russia; The Ottoman Empire; The Scientific Revolution and the Religious Response
UNIT 4 – November
18th Century Europe: The Old Regime, Colonialism, and Colonial Rebellion (Chapters 15 & 16)
· Social and Economic Hierarchy and Privilege in the Old Regime; The Agricultural Revolution; The Early Industrial Revolution and Growth of Cities; The Transatlantic Economy; Colonial Systems; Trade Wars and Colonial Revolutions
UNIT 5 – November/December
The Age of Enlightenment and The French Revolution (Chapters 17 & 18)
· 18th Century Political, Social and Religious Thought; The Philosophes; Enlightened Absolutism; The Phases of the French Revolution; European Reaction to the Revolution
UNIT 6 – January
The Age of Napoleon (Chapter 19)
· Napoleon’s Rise, Conquests and Empire; The Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna; The Rise of Romanticism
SECOND SEMESTER
Unit 7 – January/February
Early 19th Century Europe: The Conservative Order & Its Challenges ; The Industrial Revolution; and Social Unrest (Chapters 20 & 21)
· Conservatism, Nationalism and Liberalism; Wars of Independence in Latin America; Revolution and Reform in France and Britain; Industrialization and Its Socio-Economic Impact; Early Socialism; 1848: A Year of Revolution
UNIT 8 – February
The Age of Nation States (Chapter 22)
· The Crimean War; German Unification; Italian Unification; The Emergence of a French Republic; The Hapsburg Dual Empire; Revolutionary Stirrings in Russia; Britain’s Continued March Toward Democracy
UNIT 9 – February/March
The Building of European Supremacy and The Birth of Modern European Thought (Chapters 23 & 24)
· The Second Industrial Revolution and the Emergence of the Middle Class; The Birth of the Modern City; Labor, Socialism and Politics to WWI; The Rising Dominance of Science, and Christianity Under Siege; Toward a 20th Century Frame of Mind
UNIT 10 – March
Imperialism, Alliances, and World War I (Chapter25)
· The New Imperialism; The Emergence of the German Empire; The Alliance System and the Road to War; World War I and the Settlement at Paris; The Russian Revolution
UNIT 11 – March /April
Between the Wars (Chapters 26 & 27)
· Post WWI political and Economic Aftermath; Political Experiments in the 1920’s; The Successor States of Eastern Europe; The Great Depression; The Weimar Republic and Nazi Seizure of Power in Germany; Stalin’s Soviet Union
UNIT 12 – April
World War II (Chapter 28)
· The Origins and Course of the War; Racism and the Holocaust; The Domestic Fronts; The Atomic Bomb and Preparations for the Coming Peace
UNIT 13 – April/May
Post WWII: Cold War and the Emergence of a New Europe (Chapters 29 & 30)
· The Emergence of the Cold War; The Decline of the Soviet Union, from Khrushchev to Brezhnev; Gorbachev and the Collapse of European Communism; European Decolonization; The Rise of Radical Islam; Migration and Technological/Cultural Transformations in 20th Century Europe; The European Union
About the AP Exam…
The AP European History Exam is 3 hours and 5 minutes long and will test the breadth and scope of this course. Section I is 55 minutes long and consists of 80 multiple-choice questions. Approximately half the questions test knowledge from 1450 to The French Revolution/Napoleonic Era, and the other half tests from Napoleon to the present. About 20-30% of the multiple choice questions will cover cultural/intellectual themes; 30-40% cover political/diplomatic themes; and 30-40% cover social/economic themes.
Section II of the Exam is a 130-minute free response section, which begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading period. This is followed by Part A, the Document-Based essay Question (DBQ), which is 45 minutes long and based on the documents read, analyzed, and organized during the 15-minute reading period. The DBQ evaluates a student’s ability to formulate and support a thesis, based on the documents provided, rather than on previous knowledge. The DBQ is weighted as 45% of the free response section.
Section II, Parts B and C consist of two thematic essay questions to be answered in 70 minutes (It is suggested that 35 minutes are spent on each question – 5 minutes of planning, 30 minutes of writing). Students have the opportunity to choose one essay from three choices in Part B and one essay from three choices in Part C. Time may be spent during the 15-minute reading period considering Part B and C choices. Here students will provide a thesis, as well as the evidence to support the thesis, based upon their individual previous knowledge of the topic. Together, the two thematic essays are weighted as 55% of the free response section.
The multiple-choice and free response sections are weighted equally in the total exam score.