AP World: Modern Syllabus 2022-2023

Alvin High School, Alvin ISD, Mr. Piper, Room CM246

Course Description

• Advanced Placement World History: Modern consists of a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for successful completion of university coursework.  Students experience the very challenges that are presented in full-year introductory college courses.  Consequently, this course demands considerable time devoted to homework and study, and, as a reward, students have the opportunity to earn college credit.

• The AP program requires students to combine critical thinking skills and factual knowledge of historical topics in order to make informed judgments and arrive at conclusions based on scholarly study and argumentation.  Students will need to consistently attend class, engage in class discussions, read diligently, and show great self-motivation.  They must take ownership of the course. 

Course Objectives

Students will:

• Master a broad body of historical knowledge

• Use historical information to support an argument or position

• Interpret and apply information from primary and secondary sources

• Effectively use analytical skills such as cause and effect, bias, inference, evaluation, etc.

• Write analytically

• Prepare for and successfully pass the AP World History: Modern Exam (Note:  a full length mock exam will be administered in the spring for this purpose)

Scope

AP World: Modern is a two semester survey of World history that begins with the Global Tapestry of 1200 C.E. and continues to the present.  We will cover such topics as the Spread of Islam, the Mongol Empire, European Renaissance and Exploration, Industrial Revolution, conflicts of the twentieth century, and Globalization.  Daily reading assignments, reading quizzes, chapter homework assignments, and historical writing are staples of every unit.  Students should expect to read, on average, at least one hour every night.  Free response or document based question (DBQ) essays are to be expected in each unit.  Exams are given at the end of each unit and may be composed of as many as 50 AP format multiple-choice questions.  Quizzes should be expected weekly, and these quiz grades will comprise a substantial percent of the overall grade.

Text Books, Test Registration, and AP Classroom

• Reading Assignments will be posted into Google Classroom and students will be expected to complete all assigned readings outside of class.  

• Students will be expected to read every night and to complete readings prior to arriving in school.  Those readings will draw both from the textbook and other supplemental reading sources.

• Students should also consider purchasing an Advanced Placement prep book.   AP prep workbooks are available on line or in most bookstores.  Publishers include Princeton Review, Kaplan, Barron's, Cliffs, etc.  This is not required, but it is generally found to be helpful. They should be used throughout the year, not just right before the AP exam.

• Additionally, students must register for the AP exam. More details will be provided during the first week of school.  When you register for the test, you will receive a code for AP Classroom.  We will use this resource throughout the year, so it is urgent that you register as soon as possible.

Required Materials

• Students must come to class prepared and ready to work everyday.  This means students must not only come equipped with physical supplies, but also with an appropriate mindset (mental framework).  The rigorous nature of this class requires that students get sufficient sleep.  Students who spend an inordinate amount of time playing video games, networking with social media, or working at a job will find this class extremely difficult to pass.

• The physical supplies required EVERY DAY are: a dedicated binder with paper or a composition book, pencil and pens (blue or black ink).  Most essays will be written in INK (blue or black), whereas quizzes and other assignments require pencils. In addition, colored map pencils and highlighters may be helpful to have in class.

Grading Policy

A variety of assessments are used to measure student mastery of skills and content in the course.  The following categories and percentages are used to determine each 9 weeks average:

• Daily Grades (including HW, quizzes, class work, etc) 40%

• Major Grades (Tests, essays, projects, etc.) 60%

Students who fail exams may be given opportunities to improve their scores, however this must be done on student time, not during class time, and requires all preparatory work (textbook notes and class assignments) be completed beforehand.  

Students are expected to turn in their own work.  Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated.  District policy will be followed, which states: “A grade of zero will be recorded for work on which students have cheated”.

Late or Make-Up work:  

• Unless otherwise noted, late work will be accepted, but with a 10% deduction each day late.  Typically, assignments are given days in advance, allowing students time to plan.  Therefore, while emergencies are understandable and excusable, being absent because of a school event on the due date is not typically an acceptable excuse.  As always, though, students and parents should feel free to communicate any concerns.  Frequent references to Google Classroom are recommended.

• When absent, students are responsible for going to Google Classroom to get any materials or work necessary.  Work will be organized by topic and week to make it easy to find.  For work assigned while you were absent, you will have the same amount of time as was originally allocated.  Missed Exams and quizzes must be made up before or after school, not during class.  Perhaps more importantly, missing class time means missing instructional time and this will make it extremely difficult to achieve a satisfactory grade.

Tutoring:

• I will be available for tutoring or extra assistance at the following times:  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:  2:50 - 3:30 pm.  Arrangements for tutoring at other times can be made with prior notice.  

Feel free to contact me at the school by email or telephone.  

email:  mrpiper@alvinisd.net

phone: 281-245-3000 ext.4230