Sandra C. M. Howard for Scholars Online
This website contains resources, readings, and other information for Mrs. Howard's classes given through Scholar's Online. The webpages are only available to students of these classes.
For information on Mrs. Howard's other classes:
Tudor England, summer 2009
World History 2009-2010 academic year
World History II is designed as the second half of a two-year survey course covering topics from the earliest traces of civilization through the modern world. It is a challenging, academically rigorous course, using a textbook designed for a college audience, though we cover the material in two years rather than a single year as would be done in a college course. Students will be expected to keep up with reading assignments, including both textbook reading and outside reading of primary sources. Students are also expected to participate regularly in class discussions of the material, and complete written assignments in a timely fashion. Though becoming educated in history requires far more than merely memorizing names and dates, and identifying places on a map, these are all necessary building blocks for a full understanding of history, and will be expected of the students as a matter of course.
Class assignments are listed on the main moodle page for this course, as well as on the assignment page on this website. The assignment is to be completed by the time class begins on the date listed-do not wait until that date to look at the assignment or it will be late. The assignment page lists the reading that must be completed before class time as well as any written assignments that are due. Please check these assignment pages regularly! You are responsible for knowing what your assignment is and completing the assignments on time.
We begin the year with a look at the scientific revolution, including a look at just what that term means, and whether it is justified. This year we are increasingly looking at the world as a whole, or at least keeping in mind that each part of the world is more influenced by others, and has more influence on others, than has been true in the past. We are looking at what is called by most historians the Modern World, even though for most students, the 16th century seems to belong to the far distant past.
This year we will be studying a large number of ideologies and philosophies—the world is changing ever more rapidly, and new economic, political, philosophical, and religious beliefs are spread from one country to another at an ever-increasing pace. Many students have said that we seem to study nothing but wars and revolutions this year, and while that is an exaggeration, there is some truth to it. History tends to focus on the large, well-known, influential events. But at the same time we will not lose track of the people involved, and will keep our eye on social history as well as political events.
Throughout the year, there will be opportunities for students to do additional research, reading, or writing about topics that they find particularly interesting, intriguing, or confusing. Some of this will be required material for the course, but for each chapter there will be opportunities for students who are interested to go beyond the assigned material to pursue a more in-depth understanding of some piece of the great puzzle that is the history of the world. These opportunities will be discussed further in class as the year progresses.
I am often asked how much time I expect students to spend on the reading and writing assignments for this class; this is always a difficult question to answer, since much will depend on the students own ability. As a very rough estimate, I expect an average of 8 hours per week for an average student, which includes both class time and time for study and writing assignments. Class meets for about 2 1/2 hours per week, so I would expect that students would spend an average of 5-6 hours per week in addition to that doing homework. Some weeks may be more or less.
Assignments will include both reading and writing, with chapter quizzes at the end of each chapter. There will be 3 midterm exams during the year, and a final exam at the end.
Reading assignments include both textbook reading and outside reading of original source documents, which I will supply or link to on the internet. There will be 3-5 class sessions devoted to each chapter, depending on the length of the chapter and the amount of additional material I wish to cover. For each class session, you will be expected to be prepared to discuss a part of this reading assignment, which will be indicated on the assignment page. The reading should be completed before class begins.
Chapter quizzes will be multiple choice, and are designed to test recall and absorption of important facts from the chapter and other reading.
The midterm exams are generally made up of three types of questions: multiple choice questions (to test factual recall), definitions (to test understanding of important terms, people, or events), and essays (for understanding and analysis of larger ideas or trends) The exams will be taken under the supervision of a parent or other responsible adult, and are to be taken within a time limit and without using books, notes, or any other outsde materials.
Writing assignments will vary as to type and length, with the most frequent being short essays of 3-5 paragraphs. Most writing assignments will be more analysis than factual recall; most will not require any outside research, though some will. There will be a longer writing assignment requiring significant outside research and culminating in an 10-12 page research paper; this will be completed over the course of several weeks, and will involve drafts and rewrites. Most writing assignments will not involve rewriting; I would expect that students will apply what they learn about writing in one assignment to their writing the next assignment.
Student evaluations for this class are based on a combination of exams, written assignments, and in-class participation. I welcome e-mail from students or parents at any time during the year.