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**Link to Googledocspage** __**Course Description:**__ Modern World History investigates the emergence and shaping of the modern world, beginning with the 15th century civilizations that spanned the globe. These are the main content areas of the course: ● Worlds of the 15th Century – Exploration, Contact and Early Globalization ● Early Modern World – Empires, Encounters, Global Commerce, Religion and Science ● European Moment – Revolutions, Industrialization, Upheaval, Colonialism ● Most Recent Century – War, Communism, Collapse, Global South, Global Interaction
 * Tabor Academy 2015-16**  **Modern World History**   **Mr. Downes**

__**Expectations**__
 * Come to class on time, in dress code, paper or electronic notebook open, ready to learn
 * Contribute by speaking, listening, and respecting your classmates' opinions and efforts
 * Demonstrate your understanding that memorization is a key tool of history, but not its goal
 * Do not plagiarize by taking someone else's words and presenting them as yours without credit
 * Rewrites of some assignments will be allowed on request for extra credit.
 * My office hours are each class day morning 7:30-7:55 AM in classroom H-5.

__**Resources**__ Textbook: //Ways of the World,// Robert Strayer (ISBN: 9780312583491, Bedford-St. Martin’s) Supplement: //A Student’s Guide to History//, Jules R. Benjamin, 12th edition Electronic: Class Wikispaces page mwhdownes2015-16.wikispaces.com __**Assignments and Grading:**__
 * 1) Category 1 – Assessments that cover the entire unit – 40% (ex. Tests, major papers or essays) //  These are always announced in advance, and may include in-class compositions, content assessments, collaborative projects online, or research projects and presentations.  //
 * 2) Category 2 – Assessments that cover more than a day – 30% (ex. Quizzes, short essays, etc…) //  Several of these assignments occur for each unit, and will draw on readings, class notes, and specific preparation assignments for writing, speaking, or interpreting.  //
 * 3) Category 3 – Assessments that cover daily work – 20% (ex. HW, reading quizzes, blogs, etc…) //  Each assignment includes two parts. One is reading or watching, and the other is thinking and processing what you have learned. In class you may be asked to practice any of the historical skills we will develop to make sense out of what you have prepared, and these may be assessed with a grade, comment, or note.  //
 * 4) Category 4 – Overall Class Participation – 10% //  Please come to class ready to participate and contribute to your classmates' and your own learning. There will be opportunities to speak in both small group and full class settings.  //

__**Thinking like a Historian**__ • Cause & Effect • Change & Continuity • Using the Past • Through their Eyes • Turning Points