Course Description:
In AP 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.
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Class Resources
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Essay Resources
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Course Focus & Content
All information is taken from the CollegeBoard website
All information is taken from the CollegeBoard website
Units
The AP World History course is structured around themes and concepts in nine different units from approximately 1200 CE to the present:
AP History Thinking Skills and Reasoning Processes
The AP World History course seeks to teach students to the practice of history by emphasizing the development of disciplinary practices and historical reasoning skills while learning historical content. The practices and skills that students should develop in all AP history courses are listed below.
Thematic Learning Objectives
The themes serve as the connective tissue of the course and enable students to create meaningful connections across units. They are often broader ideas that become threads that run throughout the course. Revisiting them and applying them in a variety of contexts helps students to develop deeper conceptual understanding. Below are the themes of the course and a brief description of each.
THEME 1: HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT (ENV)
The environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments.
THEME 2: CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS AND INTERACTIONS (CDI)
The development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves, and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social, and cultural implications.
THEME 3: GOVERNANCE (GOV)
A variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, and governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
THEME 4: ECONOMIC SYSTEMS (ECN)
As societies develop, they affect and are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services.
THEME 5: SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND ORGANIZATION (SIO)
The process by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and between individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organization.
THEME 6: TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (TEC)
Human adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.
THEME 1: HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT (ENV)
The environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments.
THEME 2: CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS AND INTERACTIONS (CDI)
The development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves, and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social, and cultural implications.
THEME 3: GOVERNANCE (GOV)
A variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, and governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
THEME 4: ECONOMIC SYSTEMS (ECN)
As societies develop, they affect and are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services.
THEME 5: SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND ORGANIZATION (SIO)
The process by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and between individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organization.
THEME 6: TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (TEC)
Human adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.
Geographical Coverage
The AP World History: Modern course requires that students learn world history from a global perspective. Balanced coverage of the regions within the course ensures that a single region is not situated at the center of the historical narrative.
Students need basic geographical knowledge in order to understand world history. Geospatial awareness is also essential for students to build an understanding of the cross-cultural contacts, trade routes, migrations, etc., which are important concepts in the AP World History course.
The two maps that follow give students a starting point for identifying regions and their locations relative to other regions and landforms. These maps are a reference point for teachers and students alike. Because geographic naming conventions are not universal, these maps define regions and show the locations and commonly used names of regions that students are likely to encounter on the AP World History Exam.
Students need basic geographical knowledge in order to understand world history. Geospatial awareness is also essential for students to build an understanding of the cross-cultural contacts, trade routes, migrations, etc., which are important concepts in the AP World History course.
The two maps that follow give students a starting point for identifying regions and their locations relative to other regions and landforms. These maps are a reference point for teachers and students alike. Because geographic naming conventions are not universal, these maps define regions and show the locations and commonly used names of regions that students are likely to encounter on the AP World History Exam.
- Map 1. AP World History: World Regions—A Big Picture View identifies five major geographical regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
- Map 2. AP World History: World Regions—A Closer Look identifies various subregions within the five major geographical regions.
EXAM DATE: Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 8am
AP World History Exam Structure
AP® Equity and Access Policy
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.