One credit in World History is required to graduate from any high school in the State of Florida. AP World History fulfills that requirement while also giving the student an opportunity to earn college credit by scoring well on the AP exam.
The AP exam score has no bearing on the grade for this class.
This full-year course explores the total history of the human world. Not only are there many facts to learn, but students will also need to use critical thinking skills necessary to analyze historical evidence. Five themes are used as a frame of reference during the chronological study of world history;
The Five Themes of AP World History
• Theme 1 – Interaction between humans and the environment
• Theme 2 – Development and Interaction of Cultures
• Theme 3 – State-building, expansion and conflict
• Theme 4 – Creation, expansion and interactions of Economic Systems
• Theme 5 – Development and transformation of social structures
Each student is assigned a textbook and will have access to an online treasure trove of resources. The course relies heavily on college-level resources. This includes texts, and a wide variety of primary sources. These resources are designed to develop the skills required to analyze point of view and to interpret evidence to use in creating plausible historical arguments. These tools will also be used to assess issues of change and continuity over time, identifying global processes, comparing within and among societies, and understanding diverse interpretations.
The course is broken into 6 core chronological units (as determined by the AP exam) with a multiple choice test after each one. Students will prepare for the AP exam essay section by having weekly writing assignments.