Honors World History 2019-2020 Syllabus, Mr.

Milius

Contact Information and Tutoring

-Email: ​jmilius@laalliance.org Tutoring:

-Website: mrmilius.weebly.com - By appointment (as needed)

Welcome​!
I’m super excited to welcome you to Honors World History for the 2019-2020 school year! Please keep these
things in mind as we start out the year:

● This is a college-prep reading and writing class. ​Students will be expected to complete all readings
and will be expected to write regular essays and reflections based on their readings. As a college
course would, this class emphasizes the intelligent discussion of ideas over the memorization of
random facts. However, you will be expected to do a little bit of both to be successful. ​Only by reading
the assigned work, being able to express yourself in writing and speech, and keeping up with
the discussion can one expect an “A” in this course. ​You will leave this class a changed student
and I know you will gain valuable skills.
● I expect students to show initiative and attention to their own learning. ​While I am always willing
to assist, I expect students to meet me halfway in terms of hard work and dedication.

Materials
● ✓ 2-3 blue or black ink pens for daily writing assignments
● ✓ 2-3 pencils with erasers for class notes and multiple-choice tests
● ✓ 1 Three ring binder for

Course Description from the College Board:

Honors World History: Modern, students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and
processes from 1200 to the present. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods
employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making
historical connections; and utilizing reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change over
time. The course provides six themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make
connections among historical developments in different times and places: humans and the environment,
cultural developments and interactions, governance, economic systems, social interactions and organization,
and technology and innovation.

RESOURCES​:

● CLASS WEBSITE​:​ http://www.mrmilius.weebly.com​. Daily lesson plans, homework/project reminders

● Lecture Notes​: All lecture notes given in class are available for download/review in class website.
● Primary Textbook​: ​Ways of the World, A Global History,​ 3​rd ​AP edition,Robert Strayer, ​et al​; Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016.
● Supplementary Text (Class Set)​: ​AMSCO AP World History: Modern (1200 - Present)
● College Board APWH Curriculum Framework:
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-world-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf
● Khan Academy World History: ​https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history​. Online articles,
videos, & practice quizzes.
 ● World History Crash Course:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
● Get a Five: ​http://www.getafive.com​. Outside-class assignments to be completed throughout the
course.
● Primary Sources: documents, images, maps, charts, graphs: ​The Human Record​, 4​th ​ed., Alfred Andrea
and James Overfield; Boston: Houghton Mifflin; 2000. ​World History: The Big Eras – A Compact History
of Humankind for Teachers and Students, ​Edmund Burke III, David Christian and Ross Dunn; ISBN
978-0- 9633218-7-9. Text available on-line at World History For Us All
(http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/)​.
● A variety of other primary and secondary sources will be used during the course; most found from
www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html​ and​ www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html

Historical Thinking Skills & Reasoning Processes

This history courses seek to apprentice students to the practice of history by emphasizing the
development of thinking skills & reasoning processes while learning historical content. Students best
develop these skills and processes by investigating the past through the exploration and
interpretation of a rich array of primary sources and secondary texts and through the regular
development of historical argumentation in writing. Every exam question will assess one or more of
these skills and processes.

Historical Thinking Skills: Reasoning Processes:

1. Developments and Processes 1. Comparison
2. Sourcing and Situation 2. Causation
3. Claims and Evidence in Sources 3. Continuity and Change
4. Contextualization
5. Making Connections
6. Argumentation

The Six Themes

1. HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT (ENV): ​Demography and disease; Migration; Patterns of
settlement; Technology
2. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS AND INTERACTIONS (CDI):​ Religions; Belief systems,
philosophies, and ideologies; the arts and architecture
3. GOVERNANCE (GOV): ​Political structures and forms of governance; Empires; Nations and
nationalism; Revolts and revolutions; Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations
4. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS (ECN): ​Agricultural and pastoral production; Trade and commerce; Labor
systems; Industrialization; Capitalism and socialism
5. SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND ORGANIZATION (SIO): ​Gender roles and relations; Family and
kinship; Racial and ethnic constructions; Social and economic classes
6. TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (TEC): ​Science and technology; medicine; writing systems
Periodization​: ​The course is broken into 9 thematic units of study over 4 time periods. There is an
additional unit on Ancient/Classical history to provide context.

Classroom Expectations
Discipline: this is an Honors class. Students are expected to set an example for the rest of the school, so I
have high standards:

● Arrive on time to class every day.

● Be prepared by having required materials and by being an active participant in classroom discussions
and group collaborations.
● Take responsibility for your education by completing assignments on time and being aware of daily
classroom objectives.
● Stay on task and maintain discipline when working independently.
● Listen and follow instructions from bell-to-bell.
● Wait for dismissal at the end of class. The bell does not dismiss you, Mr. Milius does.
● Follow school-wide expectations and policies as found in the parent/student handbooks.
● Be model citizens by not using inappropriate language and/or inappropriate physical interactions, being
disrespectful and/or taunting others.
● Maintain academic honesty by not cheating or plagiarizing.
● Take care of your personal needs (i.e., going to the bathroom) before class

Remember: if Honors were easy, it wouldn’t be worth signing up for. My goal as a teacher is to help
you prepare for college and challenge you academically in ways you have never experienced. ​You will
not grow in this class without doing the required work.
Grading Rubric
- You will be graded for ​each​​ standard on a 4-point scale.

● 4.0 ← 3.4 (Advanced Mastery — “A”)

○ Student has advanced and detailed understanding of the standard and can apply
complex ideas and processes for the standard.

● 3.39 ← 2.7 (Proficient Understanding — “B”)

○ Student has a complete and detailed understanding of all the information important to
the standard.

● 2.69 ← 2 (Basic — “C”)

○ With help, student has a partial understanding of the standard.

● 1.9 ← 1 (Non-Proficient — “NP”)

○ With help, student demonstrates no understanding and possesses no skills to meet the
objectives of the standard. Also, this may result from insufficient student work.

The Final Exam

The Final Exam consists of two sections:

Section I Section II
● 55 multiple-choice questions (55 minutes; • One document-based question (60 minutes, which
40% of exam score) includes a 15-minute reading period; 25% of exam
● Three short-answer questions (50 minutes; score)
20% of exam score) • One long-essay question, chosen from three (40
minutes; 15% of exam score)

At the end of the day, the fact that you challenged yourself and prepared yourself for college should be
your end goal in taking this course.

World History Regions

Syllabus and Film Screening Signature Page

Your signature will serve as a contract that acknowledges that have read and understood the
guidelines and policies stated in this syllabus.

Student Name (printed): _______________________________________________________

Student Signature: ___________________________________________________________

Student E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________

Do you have reliable internet access at home?

❏ Yes
❏ No

Do you refer to read using…

❏ Digital platforms (computers, iPad, Kindle, etc.)
❏ Textbook/printed copies

Comments/Suggestions/Concerns:

FILM SCREENING​:​ Schindler’s List​ – In the spring, the class will complete a unit on the Holocaust (with lessons
provided by the National Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.) and screen Stephen Spielberg’s
masterpiece & Best Picture Oscar Winner, Schindler’s List. (NOTE: The film is rated R for its depiction of the Holocaust)

________ YES, my student MAY view Schindler’s List.

_________ NO, I prefer my student NOT view Schindler’s List and will complete an alternate assignment.