World History

Recommended Prerequisite: None

Grades Offered: 9 ‑ 12

Credit: 1/2 ‑ I

SDE Course Code: 3401

MNPS Course Code: SST5510

Course Description

This course is a comprehensive study of World History, which includes the broad history of humankind, with a more concentrated focus from the Renaissance to present day. Students are introduced to cultural, economic, political and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. Without this knowledge, students would lack the context for understanding the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present‑day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse. Students are required to take World History, World Geography, Ancient History or European History‑ AP for graduation.

Course of Study

· The Beginnings of Human Society (prehistory-4000 BCE)

o Nomadic Hunters

o Hunters and Gatherers

o Domesticating Animals

o Early Farming

· Early Civilizations and Pastoral Societies (4000 BCE-1000 BCE)

o Sumer, Babylon, Hittites, Assyrians

o Indus Valley. Mohenjo-Daro,

o China, the Xia and Shang Dynasties

o Ancient Egypt, Nubia/Kush

o Ancient Greece, Homer, Greek Mythology

o Aryans

· Mediterranean and Southwest Asian Civilizations (1000 BCE-399CE)

o Israelites /Judaism

o Phoenicians

o The Lydians

o China, the Zhou Dynasty, Confucianism, the Qin and Han Dynasties,

Daoism

o India, Buddhism, Mauryan and Guptas Empire

o Persian Empire, Zoroastrianism

o Alexander the Great

o Roman Republic and Empire, Christianity

· Cultural Exchange and Encounters (300-1500CE)

o Byzantine Empire

o Rise of Islam and the Islamic Empire

o Charlemagne

o China, the Tang Dynasty

o Shintoism, Feudal Japan

o West African Empires

o Olmecs, Mayas, Mayan Pictographs

o Vikings, Sagas, the Rus

o Baghdad’s Trading Empire

o Korea

o Pacific Islanders and New Zealand Natives

o Anglo-Saxon England

o Crusades

o Rise of Nation States

o Mongol Empire

o Aztec and Inca Empires

o The Renaissance

· First Global Age (1450-1770 CE)

o New Monarchies

o Reformation

o Age of Exploration

o Slave Trade

o Columbian Exchange

o Age of Absolutism

o China, Ming & Qing Dynasties

o Tokugawa Japan

o Ottoman Empire

o Mogul Empire of India

· Age of Revolution (1750-1914)

o Enlightenment

o American Revolution

o The French Revolution

o Napoleonic France

o The Industrial Revolution

o Revolutions in Europe

o Latin American Revolutions

o Adam Smith and Capitalism

o Class Conflict, Socialism, & Communism

o Unification of Italy and Germany

o Age of Imperialism

· Increasing Global Interaction (1900-present)

o World War I

o The Russian Revolution

o Stalin and Totalitarianism

o The Western Democracies Between the Wars

o The Great Depression

o The Rise of Fascism

o World War II

o The Cold War

o The Korean War

o The Third World

o U.N., NATO, Warsaw Pact, OPEC, SEATO

o The Civil Rights Era

o The Vietnam War

o Détente

o The Global Economy

o International Terrorism

o The Politics of Oil

o Fall of the Soviet Union

Reading: In addition to reading the textbook, students are expected to read from a variety of sources including essays, articles, biographies, primary sources, and documents. They will study and interpret maps, charts, and graphs. Students are expected to gain literal understanding of readings and also to interpret, analyze and evaluate information from the readings.

Writing: Students are expected to write regularly and effectively in various domains including narrative, descriptive, persuasive, analytical and practical. Suggested written assignments include essays, book review, document based questions, journals and research papers.

Standards

MNPS World History Standards
http://www.mnps.org/PageFactory.aspx?PageID=3354

TN State Department of Education Standards

http://www.state.tn.us/education/ci/cistandards2001/ss/cissworldhistory912.htm

Textbook

Holt World History: The Human Journey. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston,

2002. (Basal adopted 2002)

Recommended and/or required resources

Wall map of the World

Wall maps of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Mesoamerica, North and South America

Atlases (overhead, computer generated and/or hands on) that accompany the adopted text

TV-DVD/VCR