World History Syllabus.

Spring Semester 2022/23

N O’Dwyer & T Warren
Room E112 for 1st Period/ N223 for 3rd Period
Email: nodwyer@psdschools.org, tessaw@psdschools.org
Introduction
World History is one of the most fascinating and stimulating courses that you can take in
your time in High School, and those who truly engage with the subject develop skills
which they will utilize for years to come, skills which are applicable far beyond the Social
Studies.

However, another truth is that you cannot complete a comprehensive study of world
history in one semester. Consider for a moment that a professional historian might
spend their entire career studying one era within one country, for example Early
Colonial American History! Therefore by necessity this is a survey course, which will
cover a variety of places and will move across vast periods of time. It also means that in
order to ensure a meaningful classroom experience that choices must be made in terms
of what we cover. Therefore, although care has been taken to make the course
representative and inclusive, it is also necessary to focus activities and class time on a
relatively limited selection of civilizations. The course has been designed to reflect the
development of the human story. This approach will be balanced by emphasizing trends
that transcend cultural boundaries.

Units

3rd Quarter
Unit 1: Pre History & Fertile Crescent
Unit 2: Belief Systems & Eastern Civilizations
Unit 3: Classical Civilizations
Unit 4: Native American, Islam and Medieval Society
4th Quarter
Unit 5: Renaissance, Reformation and Exploration
Unit 6. Absolute Monarchy, Enlightenment and French Revolution
Unit 7. Industrialization & Imperialism
Unit 8. 20th Century

Themes

Throughout this course, students will consider 8 themes throughout the various units:

1. Power 5. Values
2. Conflict 6. Creativity
 3. Identity 7. Interdependence
4. Diffusion 8. Transformation

Required Materials:

- Laptop
- Three-ring binder (or some other sort of organizational system that can hold
paper, etc.)
- 3-hole notebooks for class notes and textbook readings
- Paper, black or blue pens, and pencils

Assignments and Assessment

Weighting

Textbook Reading, Note Taking: 15% Essay Writing: 10%

All other Assignments, All other Assessments: 50%
Presentations: 25%

Grading Policies

We are at a very interesting moment in terms of grading policies, with PSD and many
districts throughout Colorado and the nation currently experimenting with new ideas
related to principles of equity. For this course we will be charting a middle ground, with a
mixture of traditional and modern approaches.

Specifically in terms of the new, for the first time this semester any work that is
completed and submitted will receive at least 50% in the gradebook. This change has
been undertaken in the belief that the established range of 0-60% for an F is somewhat
severe, considering that the other letter grades are all 10% bands. Missing work will still
go in as 0% until submitted. Late work will result in a 20% reduction.

On the other hand assessment and assignment retakes will not be done in this class.
There are too many practical obstacles to cater to this practice, and there is still
considerable debate as to the pedagogical soundness of retakes at High School level.
However, all efforts will be taken to properly prepare students for each test. Review
guides, skill building and practice activities will be integrated into each unit.

Finally, extra credit will not be available in World History. Extra credit opportunities,
although often well intended, promote inequality and are now not allowed under District
policy.

Late work Policy

Late work will be graded out of 80% of the original assignment. Students who have
been absent may have one extra day per day of absence to submit work.
Work will not be accepted after a unit has ended, unless there is a verified extended
medical circumstance pertaining to a student’s absence. If this is the case, please
contact both Mr. O’Dwyer and Ms. Warren.

How we will learn

Our class will incorporate a wide variety of activities and learning strategies. These will
include but are not limited to the following:
● Lecture and Discussion
● Peer Collaboration
● Simulations / Role Plays
● Primary Source Analysis
● Secondary Source Analysis
● Documentary / Film Analysis
● Textbook and Supplemental Readings
● Group Presentations (All students must present to the class unless they have an
official medical exemption)
● Assessments (quizzes/tests/projects/essays)

A small note: History classes will very rarely not include lectures. In order to truly
understand the material we are learning about, and in order to make sure we are being
historians, we sometimes must engage in lectures. Because of this, my class will
include days where we take notes along with other activities or assignments we may be
doing.

Textbook:

World History: The Human Legacy

Electronic version available:
- All chapters from the book uploaded into our Google Classroom
- You can also follow the link below to shared chapters, case studies, and
references in PDF form:
https://tinyurl.com/y3ub96ps

Assessment

Students will primarily be tested through a mixture of short answer questions, checkbox
and multiple choice questions. The MC and checkbox questions will be delivered
electronically and will in many cases be accompanied by relevant stimuli. Written
responses questions will include both laptop based and pen and paper sections.

Students will also be taught how to write an argumentative essay and will have one
formal essay assessment each quarter. The skill of essay writing will be of significant
importance to our students as they move through 2nd and 3rd level education. The key
to essay writing is the ability to construct an argument and support it with relevant facts.
We will work together to develop these skills.
All students are also obliged to take a District assessment at the end of the course.

Technology Policy

Technology has enriched the educational experience, and students will have many
opportunities to use their laptops and develop their IT skills. However, laptops will be
used in a targeted fashion.

For example, students will not use them during lecture and discussion, due to their
tendency to distract from important conversations.

The use of cell phones in class is not permitted. Students who are caught using
their phones will be given three warnings before the cell phone is put in Mr.
O’Dwyers desk. Should a student's cell-phone continue to be an issue, it will be
given to the front office where they can collect it at the end of the day.

If a student needs to use their phone in the event of a family emergency, they
must communicate that with the Teacher BEFORE class starts (if possible).

Policy & Procedures:

All students will be expected to follow all school policies and procedures outlined in the
Fossil Ridge High School Student Handbook.