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Kaufman High School
Advanced Placement European History
Course Syllabus, 2011-2012
Instructor: David C. White Textbook: Civilization in the West
Room Number: C55
Phone: 972-932-2811 ext.1657
Office Hours: Before or after school or by appointment during my conference period
Course Objective: This course will aim to heighten students’ ability to see relationships and distinctions in European political, social, economic, and intellectual history. The study of history goes far beyond the mastery of content. The study of history is about developing critical skills that will serve students in college and as a life long learner. Objectively, this course will help students improve on the following skills:
1. time management, organization, and study skills 6. comparative analysis
2. critical reading of primary and secondary sources 7. making historical analogies
3. constructing and evaluating historical interpretations 8. inductive and deductive reasoning
4. essay writing and oral communication
5. cause and effect relationships
I. Course Purpose
Advanced Placement European History course is a college-level survey course that introduces students to the rich political, cultural, social, and intellectual heritage of Europe. It is part of a cooperative endeavor by high schools, colleges, and The College Board to provide highly motivated students the challenge and opportunity to earn college credit during their high school years. Performance on The College Board’s AP European History exam determines a student’s eligibility to earn college credit. Course curriculum, materials, and expectations are designed to prepare students for success with this three-hour exam. The overall purpose of this course, however, extends beyond the possibility of earning college credit by providing students the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that will form a foundation
for their continuing educational endeavors.
II. Course Description and Course Themes
Advanced Placement European History develops an understanding of the main themes in modern European history including political and diplomatic, intellectual and cultural, and social and economic history. Analyzing historical evidence and reading critical literary narratives is integrated into the chronologically ordered whole picture of the modern history of Europe. Using a college-level textbook, this course begins with the Renaissance and concludes with the demise of communism in Eastern Europe, the reunification of Germany, and the crisis of global terrorism. This course is weighted on a five-point scale.
Course Themes (see sub-themes)
1. The Growth in power of the state and competition among nation-states.
2. Individualism as a force for progress and its conflict with the demands of society.
3. The impact of economic innovation on the standard of living and traditional ways of life.
4. The struggle by women, workers, peasants, and ethnic minorities for emancipation and power.
5. The dynamism and destructiveness resulting from Europe’s quest for mastery of its natural and
human environments.
III. Course Format
This course will be taught as a seminar, which means that each student will play a vital role in the learning process. As in most of my courses, there is a tremendous amount of discussion. In the traditional seminar, students are responsible for completing outside readings so that the interpretation of the literature can be discussed for deeper analysis and understanding in class. As part of class participation, each student is expected to guide a class session over an assigned problem and/or concept.
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IV. Exams and Quizzes
Each six weeks students will take two or three exams covering material from the textbook, supplemental readings, discussions, and lectures. The design of each exam will be multiple-choice in the style of the AP test with five answer choices per question. Short “pop” reading quizzes are given to measure each student’s understanding of the reading. Exams measure not only how well a student can answer basic factual information, but one’s ability to understand the concept. There will also be at least one essay per six weeks that will count as a test grade on the final average.
V. Course Outline
First Six Weeks
I. The Italian Renaissance
- Renaissance Society
- Renaissance Art
- Renaissance Ideals
- The Politics of the Italian City-States
II. The European Empires
- European Encounters
- The Formation of States
- The Dynastic Struggles
III. The Reform of Religion
- The Intellectual Reformation
- The Lutheran Reformation
- The Protestant Reformation
- The Catholic Reformation
IV. Europe at War, 1555-1648
- The Crises of the Western States
- The Struggles in Eastern Europe
- The Thirty Years’ War, 1618-1648
V. The Experiences of Life in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1650
- Economic Life
- Social Life
- Private and Community Life
VI. The Royal State in the Seventeenth Century
- The Rise of the Royal State
- The Crises of the Royal State
- The Zenith of the Royal State
Second Six Weeks
VII. Science and Commerce in Early Modern Europe
- The New Science
- Empires of Goods
- The Wars of Commerce
VIII. The Balance of Power in Eighteenth-Century Europe
- The Rise of Russia
- The Two Germanies
- The Greatness of Great Britain
IX. Culture and Society in Eighteenth-Century Europe
- Eighteenth-Century Culture
- Eighteenth-Century Society
Third Six Weeks
X. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era, 1789-1815
- The French Revolution and the Fall of the Monarchy
- Experimenting with Democracy, 1792-1799
- The Reign of Napoleon, 1799-1815
XI. Industrial Europe
- The Traditional Economy
- The Industrial Revolution in Britain
- The Industrialization of the Continent
XII. Political Upheavals and Social Transformations, 1815-1850
- The New Ideologies
- Protest and Revolution
XIII. State Building and Social Change in Europe, 1850-1871
- Building Nations: The Politics of Unification
- Reforming European Society
- Changing Values and the Force of New Ideas
XIV. The Crisis of European Culture, 1871-1914
- European Economy and the Politics of Mass Society
- Outsiders in Mass Politics
- Shaping the New Consciousness
Fourth Six Weeks
XV. Europe and the World, 1870-1914
- The European Balance of Power, 1870-1914
- The New Imperialism
- The Search for Territory and Markets
- Results of a European-dominated World
XVI. War and Revolution, 1914-1920
- The War Europe Expected
- The New Kind of Warfare
- Adjusting to the Unexpected: Total War
- The Russian Revolution and Allied Victory
- Settling the Peace
XVII. The European Search for Stability
- Crisis and Collapse in a World Economy
- The Soviet Union’s Separate Path
- The Rise of Fascist Dictatorship in Italy
- Hitler and the Third Reich
- Democracies in Crisis
XVIII. Global Conflagration: World War II, 1939-1945
- Aggression and Conquest
- Racism and Destruction
- Allied Victory
Fifth Six Weeks
XIX. The Cold War and Postwar Economic Recovery: 1945-1970
- The Origins of the Cold War
- Postwar Economic Recovery in Europe, Japan, and the Soviet Union
- The Welfare State and Social Transformation
XX. The End of the Cold War and New Global Challenges, 1970 to the Present
- The End of the Cold War and the Emergence of a New Europe
- Ethnic Conflict and Nationalism
- The West in the Global Economy
Sixth Six Weeks
Essay Construction
DBQ Essay
Compare and Contrast Essay
Change over time Essay
FRQ Essay
Content Review
AP Test Taking Strategies
AP EUROPEAN HISTORY EXAM – FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2012 - NOON
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