World History

Who are we and how did we come to be this way? These are the essential questions we set out to answer in World History, a sweeping survey course in which the students will explore deep historical foundations to answer questions about our world today. The course will cover the basics: students will follow the development of civilizations around the world, with a focus on human-geographic relationships, political and social structures, economics, science and technology, and the arts.

Students will investigate major religions and belief systems, explore world geography, and study major benchmarks in world history, such as the development of agriculture, the spread of democracy and the rise and fall of great civilizations. At every turn, this course seeks to relate events of the past to questions that rage in the present-day world about power, conflict, culture and identity. What can be learned about the conflict between Israel and Palestine by an exploration of the beginnings of Judaism and Islam, and the fall of the Ottoman Empire? What role has British colonialism played in the civil war in Darfur, Africa’s largest country.

The goals of this course are for students to develop research and writing skills, read and discuss current events and works of nonfiction, think critically about the world and develop the analytical skills to form and communicate well-reasoned opinions during class discussions and written assignments. At the end of the day, we want students not just to learn history, but to be historians and to consider the study of the past a critical component of evaluating the present.

Textbook(s): World History: The Human Experience The Early Ages, Student Edition  HYPERLINK "http://www.ecampus.com/textbook/9780078287190"   
Edition: 1st, Author(s): FARAH03, Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington, and A Long Way Gone; Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.

Prerequisites: Humanities or an equivalent grade 9 social studies course.

Instructor: Fred Alvarez