Mr. Gibson's WORLD HISTORY COURSE OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
Ni hao parents and students,
May I first take this opportunity to say "xie xie." I am honoured and feel privileged to teach your students as part of the Global Citizenship Program at Mingdao High School. At this point and time I want to share a few things about myself, how the course has been developed, and how I plan to teach the course.
I am a 23 year old American from St. Louis, MO, a large city in the American Midwest. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO which I received in December of 2007. I have taught in the Cape Girardeau School District in Cape Girardeau, MO for two years and one year at Korean International School of Qingdao in Qingdao, China as a homeroom teacher. I am also studying Mandarin.
Your sons and daughters have a tremendous opportunity to study in two languages and two worlds. I pledge to do my best to bridge Taiwanese Culture with Western Culture during our study of World History. In the Global Citizenship Program, we want our students to become "global citizens" aware of, and prepared for, the increasingly more interdependent, multicultural and globalized world while still being aware of and proud of their cultural identity as Taiwanese. We aim for students to be like tall trees. We want them to have strong roots in their home soil, yet be tall enough to see what's going on in the rest of the forest.
WHAT CURRICULUM DOES WORLD HISTORY FOLLOW?
Since many of you are aiming to attend university in a western country such as The U.S., or The U.K., the performance expectations, learning goals and thematic strands for our World History course are based off of what was developed by the American National Council for the Social Studies (Schneider et. all, 2004). The thematic strands include...
- Culture
- Time, Continuity, and Change
- People, Places, and Environment
- Individual Development and Identity
- Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- Power, Authority, and Governance
- Production, Distribution, and Consumption
- Science, Technology, and society
- Global Connections
- Civic Ideals and Practices
For a complete list of which learning goals and thematic strands will be used in each lesson, please see the course syllabus.
WHAT IS YOUR TEACHING STYLE?
My personal teaching style de-emphasizes rote memorization. In order to do well in my class, MEMORIZATION WILL NOT WORK!!! Instead, I emphasize a thematic, question based approach to each lesson/question that we are preparing to study based on a "Question of the Day" such as "Why does civilization first arise around river valleys?" or "Why were Europeans so superstitious in the Middle Ages?" Upon being asked the question, the class attempts to answer it by reading related texts, researching, reading and interpreting maps, asking questions, and applying knowledge from other disciplines (Did you notice how each section of this course outline has a question?). I evaluate by having each student demonstrate their knowledge by writing essays, writing research papers, and answering questions about each "Question of the Day" in our daily quizzes and exams.
WHAT ARE OUR GOALS FOR THIS CLASS?
The ultimate goal of this course is for each student, through inquiry, research, and the scientific method, to gain a large body of knowledge about the history of mankind and civilization, while at the same time developing valuable critical thinking skills. We will do this by answering each chapter and unit's thematic "Question of the Day." Broadly, our learning goals are to learn about the history of mankind, and learn to think critically because it helps us learn more about our planet, our country, our own human nature, ourselves, and it teaches us how NOT to make the same mistakes. For each specficic learning goal, please see the course syllabus.
WHAT TEXTS/ RESOURCES WILL WE USE?
The main text of our class is the 2009 edition of McDougal and Littell's World History: Patterns of Interaction (Beck et. All, 2009). This is one of the most up to date publications on the market in the United States. It is being used as the main textbook in many school districts, such as The Kenosha (WS) Unified School District #1 (http://www.kusd.edu/), The Parajo Valley (CA) School District (http://www.pvusd.net/), and at many recognized schools across the United States including DeSmet Jesuit High School in Creve Couer, MO (http://www.desmet.org/ ), which is a nationally recognized "Blue Ribbon School of Excellence."
While this book will be our main text, and a majority of the assignments and reading will come from it, it is only one of many sources we will you use. The students will also be expected to listen to lectures, and do their own research subject via internet resources, handouts from class, Primary Source Documents (PSD's) and Document Based Questions (DBQ's). Please keep in mind that no one source will be enough to fully comprehend any given lesson.
HOW IS THE CLASS BROKEN UP?
Our World History class is made up of thirteen thematic units that cover different stages of the worlds' development.
- The Beginnings of Civilization
- The Development of the Asia and the Americas
- The Development of Africa and the Middle East
- The Worlds' Religions
- The Development of Europe
- Europe During the Middle Ages
- Europe Nations Explore, Build Empires and Become Rich
- The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution
- Republican Governments Develop in Europe
- European Industrial Imperialism
- The World at War
- Post War and Cold War
- Perspectives on the Present
The units are based off chapters in the textbook. However, our units in World History do not go in order. Please compare the order of our class from our class outline with the order of each chapter in the textbook on pages viii – xvi. As you can see, we will not follow the order in the book.
WHAT WILL WE STUDY?
The first unit focuses on the early human beings, how human beings migrated across the globe, and the beginning of civilization. During this section, we will look at the migration of early humans, why early civilizations and empires developed where they did, and how they rose and fell.
After that, our class breaks the world down into regional blocs and focuses on how each respective region develops. Building off of the developments of the earliest civilizations, we will look first at Asia by examining China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australasia, India, and the Americas. Then we will study Africa and the Middle East by examining African tribal Civilization, Islamic Civilization, African Empires and States, and the Turks. After that we will look at The European world by examining Greece, Rome, The Byzantines, and Russia.
After the unit on Africa and the Middle East we will have a short unit in which the students will be paired up and assigned a research paper on one world's major religions. Each pair of students will need to research their topic, cite their sources in MLA format, write a paper in clear English with original thoughts, and present their speech to the class entirely in English.
Once everyone has turned in their paper and made their speech, our class will shift gears and focus on Europe's development from the Fall of the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages, Crusades, Development of International Trade, Plague, Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolutions and Political Revolutions.
In the process of studying Western Europe, we will enter the era in which the world becomes more interdependent via large regional and international trade routes and the development of Europe's international empires. From here on out, we will shift away from studying each region or nation independently, or as a regional bloc, and look at how each region of the world becomes changed as a result of the development of the Atlantic Trade Network and Colonialism.
Then, we will re-focus on Europe and investigate the revolution in its domestic politics, Enlightenment and its Industrial Revolution. This will naturally lead us into The First World War, The Uneasy Peace in between the two wars and The Second World War.
After that we will finish up by examining the Cold War and how it affected each region of the world. Then we will look at the era between 1945 and 1975 in which nation-states declared independence from their respective European colonizer and the various challenges to establishing democratic and sustainable governments.
Finally, our last unit will look at how the world became interdependent and more "globalized." Then, we will look at challenges to maintain a peaceful, stable, environmentally sustainable, interdependent world. During this unit, each student will pick one of the world's biggest man-made environmental disasters, research it, write a research paper on it, create visuals to help explain how it happened and present all of it to the class. This assignment will also require a great deal of research into their science textbooks.
Keep this in mind, as we study World History. We are not only going to study important dates (like 1949/10/10, or 1789/07/14), and important people ( like Chang Kai-Shek and Muhammad the Prophet). Nor are we only going to look at diplomatic and military history. We are going to use agricultural history, economic history, political history, diplomatic history, military history, artistic history, and social history to answer each question. Also, because history is the KING of all subjects, it is impossible to study history in a vacuum. Therefore, we will also need to use geography, philosophy, religious studies, art, science, mathematics and literature in order to complete our study of history. In certain units, you will even notice that what you study in your other classes, such as Literature, Science, or Algebra will go along with what you are studying in World History.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF WORLD HISTORY CLASS?
The ultimate goal of this course is for each student, through inquiry, research, and the scientific method, to gain a large body of knowledge about the history of mankind and civilization, while at the same time developing valuable critical thinking skills.
The goal of our World History class is not to score well on a test or simply memorize the important people and dates from ancient history. Memorizing facts only helps us in the short term and in life, no one gives you a test. Therefore, we have a higher goal. Our goal is to learn how to ask relevant questions and answer them by using the scientific method, researching and thinking critically. Ironically, I will grade you by having you take tests. However, if you learn how to ask relevant questions, use the scientific method, and learn how those valuable critical thinking skills, you will do well on the test. For a complete list of our learning goals as developed by the American National Council for the Social Studies, please see the Course Syllabus.
WHAT WILL A TYPICAL DAY BE LIKE IN WORLD HISTORY?
Typically, each day will start off with a quiz on whatever we read and studied the night before. Each quiz will be worth 10 points, and we will have 73 in the fall semester (Look on your class outline for a breakdown of the point system). After that quiz, we will then begin to look at the next section. For each section, I will write down our "Questions of the Day." Our job is then to answer those questions. Again, each student should be prepared to look at maps, internet websites, the textbook, and other texts in order to answer our "Questions of the Day." After about 12-18 days, we will have a unit exam, and we will have two weeks in which all we do is work on research papers ("World Religions" and "Man-Made Environmental Disasters").
WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO CLASS?
Every day, each student should bring your textbook, pencils, pens, English-Chinese and Chinese-English dictionary and some sort of folder in which you can …
- Keep track of papers I hand out
- Keep track of your notes
Other than that, all I ask is that you come into our classroom on time, curious, and ready to have some fun as we study.
WHAT IS YOUR HOMEWORK POLICY?
We will have homework every night, but I will not check it. It will be your responsibility to pay attention and take notes when we discuss the section and answer our "Questions of the Day." At night, you must read the section and any additional resources. You also need to complete the section assessment at the end of each section. If you do that, you will be prepared for the next day's quiz. If you fail to do these things, you will not be prepared. I will know whether or not you completed your homework by looking at your quiz scores!
WHAT IS YOUR POLICY ON CHEATING
I take cheating very seriously. Cheating is dishonest, unfair to those who work hard and has serious consequences for society if it is allowed. If you are caught cheating, I will assume that you have cheated everyday! I will not show any compassion or mercy to those caught cheating. The first time you are caught cheating, your parents will be called to the school and you will receive a zero on whatever assignment you cheated on. If you are caught cheating a second time, your parents will be called again and you will receive a zero on your assignment and a zero on your next unit exam.
Please keep in mind, plagiarism is the same thing as cheating. If you get information from a source and write that information as your own, this is cheating. You must cite all of your sources MLA style. When you start your research papers, you are not allowed to copy text from a book, website, or any other source without citing where you got the information and you are not allowed to use any quotes without putting them in quotations and citing where you found the quote. For an example of how to cite sources, see below or look under the section "What Books/Resources Will We Use?."
EXAMPLE:
In the 15th century, after interacting with various other cultures and tribes and learning their ways, the Safavids aligned themselves with the Shi'a branch of Islam, conquered Persia and began to build a great empire (Beck, pg.15)
This website, <http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm>, has an easy to follow list of how to cite your sources.
WHAT IS MR. GIBSON'S CONTACT INFORMATION
Cell Phone: 093-904-5858
Email Address: mtgibby1985@hotmail.com
World History Website:
World History Blog:
WHAT WORKS DID YOU CITE IN THIS COURSE OUTLINE?
Schneider, Donald, et.all. Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Silver Springs, MD: Library of Congress. 2006
Beck, Roger B., Linda Black, Larry S. Kreiger, Phillip C. Naylor, and Dahia Ibo Shabaka. World History: Patterns of Interaction.
Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2009.
Kenosha Unified School District #1. "Hisgh School Course Syllabus." Kenosha Unified School District #1. 2009. Kenosha Unified School District # 1. 18 Aug 2009. < <http://www.kusd.edu/search.html?cx=015461689138230376857%3Avltubysnozq& cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=World+History+texts#1058 f>
Pajaro Valley Unified School District. "Pajaro Valley High School Social Studies Department." Pajaro Valley Unified School District. 2009. Pajaro Valley High School Social Studies Department. 18 Aug 2009. <http://www.pvusd.net/departments/C- I/textbook/documents/RenaissanceCurrentAdoptionlistList08-09.pdf>
DeSmet Jesuit High School. "Social Studies Curriculum Guide." DeSmet Jesuit High School Social Studies Department. 2009. Desmet Jesuit High School Social Studies Department. 18 Aug 2009. <http://www.desmet.org/s/109/images/editor_documents/curriculum/socialstudies.pdf>
