"The past is never dead. It's not even past." William Faulkner
Course Description
Welcome! This site is for students, parents, teachers and anyone else interested in the tenth-grade World History 2 Course at Santa Fe Prep.
The overall course covers the history of the world from roughly 1500 to the present. The first quarter opens with the time when Asia was the center of world affairs, then traces European encounters with Asia and the Americas, and the complex interactions and consequences of the so-called "Columbian Exchange" between Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. The first quarter ends with a survey of the European Renaissance and Reformation, in both its local and global dimensions. The second quarter will focus on the rise of absolute monarchies and new ideas and practices, especially with the scientific revolution and Enlightenment. The second quarter ends with assessments of the legacies of the French Revolution, Napoleon and the emergence of the British Empire. The third quarter starts with the implications of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars in the wake of the Congress of Vienna, i.e., the discourse on rights, reaction, revolution and reform, the rise of new ideologies, in particular, Classical Liberalism, nationalism, and romanticism, and conservative reactions to the changes wrought by the American and French Revolutions. The course then examines the rise of industrialization and social change in 19th-century Europe, and the emergence of middle and working class cultures, followed by new iterations of liberalism and conservatism, the proliferation of more ideologies, e.g., socialism, communism, ultranationalism, social Darwinism, and antisemitism. Then the course examines the unification of the Italian and German nation states, and the creation of the modern welfare state. From there the course traces the rise of a new wave of Western imperialism, followed by the rest of the world's reactions to the rise of European empires and ideas, and in particular, the emergence of industrial Japan and their surprising victory over Russia. The third quarter ends with the outbreak of the First World War. The fourth and final quarter surveys the effects of the First World War, followed by the brief peak of classical liberal nation states and promises for peace, and the rapid rise of authoritarianism, in both communist and fascist variations, with a special focus on the rise of Nazism, the Nazi racial transformation of Germany and the Holocaust and Shoah of modern Europe. The fourth quarter concludes by looking at the causes and effects of the Second World War, the Cold War, the end of European empires in Asia and Africa, the emergence of the Modern Middle East and China, the end of the Cold War, history since 1989, all the way to the present, including current events.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Week 6: Africa in the World - The Sweetness of Power, Slavery and Freedom
Discussion of book review projects, strategic reading and writing.
Reading time for book review projects.
Discussion of document-based writing guidelines.
Document-based question #1 on Friday, 10/4.
Day 1: The sweetness of power.
- In-class: Recap synthesis of historiography on the effects of European colonization (1500-1600).
- In-class: Discuss book review projects, strategic reading and writing.
- Homework: Read Charles Mann, "Bad Beginnings," in 1493, pp. 369-382 (begin in class), and prepare comprehensive answers to the following questions for discussion (BE PREPARED TO SHOW NOTES and to DISCUSS IN CLASS as part of homework and participation grades):
Reading questions:
1. What is the history of sugar?
2. How does the history of sugar connect to the history of slavery and what were the results?
Key terms: al-zucar, Saccharum, plantations, Madeira, and Iberian slavery
LONG PERIODS: Reading time in library for book review projects.
- Prepare for one-on-one discussions with the instructor and librarians.
Day 2/3: Africa in the world: Quilombos, maroons, slavery and freedom.
- In-class: Discuss the history of sugar and its role in the rise of chattel slavery.
- Homework: Read Charles Mann, "Forest of Fugitives," in 1493, pp. 421-442, and prepare comprehensive answers to the following questions for discussion (BE PREPARED TO SHOW NOTES and to DISCUSS IN CLASS as part of homework and participation grades):
What are quilombos and what do they tell us about the early modern history of Africans in the Americas?
In other words, what are the myths about Africans, particularly African slaves in the Americas, and what does the latest research tell us?
- Key terms: quilombos, maroon communities (mocambos, palenques, cumbes), Jolof Empire, Palmares, and bandeirantes.
- Key persons: Aqualtune, Ganga Zumba, and Zumbi.
- Key historiographical debates: The origins and effects of the African slave trade.
Day 4: Document-based question.
- In-class essay on one of the first three historiographical debates.
Document-Based Question Guidelines
1. What accounts for the rise of European colonial empires, starting in the 1400s?
2. What were the effects of European colonial empires on the rest of the world?
II. Tips on how to prepare a response to the questions.
A. Introductory paragraph & thesis statement.
B. Second paragraph: Overview of historiography and set-up of argument.
C. Body paragraphs: key points and use of primary source materials as evidence.
D. Conclusion paragraph.
A. Introductory paragraph & thesis statement.
- Finish by outlining and explaining what you plan to argue and show in the rest of your essay, e.g., how your research builds on existing arguments, OR the need for a synthesis that brings together all of the older and more recent research and arguments to put together a fuller explanation of the problem, OR an antithesis that uses more recent research and your own efforts to refute a standing argument.
- Choose a compact, poignant quote or example from the primary source
- Contextualize the primary source
- Use the SOAPSTONE rubric to analyze the source to help provide context, i.e., who is the speaker, what is the document, etc.
- Clearly explain what this quote or example shows and how this helps support the point you want to make in this body paragraph.
- Avoid simply telling a reader a key point in your argument as if a matter of established fact; instead SHOW your reader the primary source evidence to support your point and demonstrate your argument.
- Be aware of any weaknesses or counter-points to your argument, and be prepared to address these problems in your own argument and use of evidence.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Week 5: New Spain and the Legacy of Columbus
Event: Parents Open House, Saturday, 9/28
Quiz on Friday
Day 1: The Perspectives of Encounters, Conquest and Exchange
- In-class: Discuss the primary source handouts: #1 Christopher Columbus' letter to Lord Sanchez (1493), and Bernal Diaz del Castillo's memoir on the Aztecs, and apply the SOAPSTONE rubric for analysis and interpretation of the primary sources.
- Homework: Read "Family Values," in Mann, 1493, pp. 393-410. Prepare notes on the casta system, how it was supposed to function and how it actually worked.
- See also Maria Elena Martinez, "Social Order in Spanish New World", PBS online
Key terms: Tenochtitlan, repartimiento (or mita), encomienda, syncretism, purity of the blood, casta system, casta paintings, Peninsulare, Criollo, Mestizo, and Mulatto.
Key persons: Motecuhzoma, Cortes, Malinche, Pizarro, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bartolome de Las Casas.
Key historiographical debate: The effects of European colonization.
Day 2: The Casta System
- In-class: Finish discussing the primary source by Bernal Diaz del Castillo.
- In-class: Discuss the casta system, how it was supposed to function and how (and why) it actually functioned.
- Homework#1: Read the primary source handout, "The Siege of Tenochtitlan," from The Broken Spears, and the excerpt from Bartolome de Las Casas, Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies (1542), and conduct a SOAPSTONE analysis of each source to the best of your ability.
- Homework#2: ALSO read the secondary source handout, M. L. Bush, "The Effects of Expansion on the Non-European World," from Western Civilization, ed. Sherman, pp. 43-44; for discussion, clearly identify the author's argument and evidence (as well as the limits and problems with the argument), and think of other possible effects, other arguments and evidence that we have seen this semester. NOTES WILL BE CHECKED AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Book Review Project Guide
I. Book review project calendar and due dates:
II. Instructions
2. For additional book review guidelines: please check out the following websites:
4. Begin to outline your review of the book you have chosen to read.
Title: Think of a title that can hook the reader.
I. Format:
A. Introduction
- Keep in mind that your reader may know nothing about this book or the subject.
- There are different ways to start your book review, but find a way to hook your reader's interest to continue reading your review and to learn more about this book.
- Make use of your background research on the author and your notes from reading.
B. Body paragraphs - organize around possible key points:
- Author's background and expertise
- The author(s) aims with his, her or their book project
- Brief information on how the book is organized.
- Discussion of key chapters that illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the book.
- Key arguments they want to make
- What strikes you about the book, i.e., how it is written, what one can learn from it, if the author(s) successfully accomplished what they set out to do in terms of the argument, research and use of evidence, and/or any questions, comments or criticism you might have about the book.
C. Conclusions
II. Length: at least 500-750 words, preferably 2-3 pages, double spaced.
Week 4 - The Rise of the West
Quiz#2 on Friday, 9/20 (covers Week 3 & 4)
Day 1: The Interpretation of Primary and Secondary Sources on the Rise of Europe
- In-class: Discuss possible independent research topic and possible selections for the book review project; book selections are DUE Friday, 9/20 in class
- Continue review of "Atlantic Journeys," in 1493, pp. 51-151 for discussion
- Explore the new online Primary Source Investigator from West in the World - CLICK HERE:
- Using the SOAPSTONE rubric for primary source analysis, read, analyze and interpret the two sources, entitled, "Discovery of Guinea," and "The Condition of England."
- Using these sources, ANSWER the question: why did the Europeans, i.e., the Portuguese and English, begin exploring.
- Homework: Read the two secondary source HANDOUTS, Richard B. Reed, "The Expansion of Europe," in Western Civilization, ed. Sherman, pp. 41-43, and Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik, "Woods, Winds, Shipbuilding, and Shipping: Why China Didn't Rule the Waves," pp. 47-49.
- For each secondary source, ANSWER the question: What is the author(s) argument about the rise of Europe vs. China, and what kind of evidence do they use to support their argument (DUE in class on Day 2)?
Key Terms: The Reconquista (Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula), nation state, the "new monarchies," joint stock company, entrepot, and market forces.
Key Persons: Gomes Eannes de Azurara, Prince Henry the Navigator.
Key Historiographical Arguments: The reasons for the rise of Europe and retreat of China.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Week 3: Atlantic Journeys: When Plants and Bugs Made History
Event: Camping Trip, Wednesday through Friday, 9/11-13
Day 1: Atlantic Journeys
- In-class: Discuss the homework, "Treating Good News as No News," in The World that Trade Created, ed. Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik, pp. 18-20; turn in reading questions.
- In-class: Begin to discuss "Atlantic Journeys," in 1493, pp. 51-151.
- Homework (DUE: Monday, September 16): Think about a possible independent research topic and possible selections for the book review project.
- Continue review of "Atlantic Journeys," in 1493, pp. 51-151 for discussion.
- Explore the new online Primary Source Investigator from West in the World - CLICK HERE:
- Once you are in the Primary Source Investigator, open the drop-down menu item, "Chapters," and click open Chapter 12, "Faith, Fortune and Fame".
- Using the SOAPSTONE rubric for primary source analysis, read, analyze and interpret the two sources, entitled, "Discovery of Guinea," and "The Condition of England."
- Using these sources, ANSWER the question: why did the Europeans, i.e., the Portuguese and English, begin exploring.
For review:
S = Speaker
O = Occasion
A = Audience
P = Purpose
S = Subject
and TONE of the document.
Use this rubric to write a few notes on each point, i.e., speaker, occasion, audience, etc., and then use this information to respond to the question.
Key Terms: Jamestown, joint stock company, Tassantassas, the Starving Time, tobacco, malaria, Seasoning, indentured servants, and chattel slavery.
Key Persons: John Smith, Powhatan, Pocahantas and Sir Francis Drake.
Key Historiographical Arguments: The origins of chattel slavery and the role of the Columbian exchange.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Week 2: When Asia Was the Center of the World Economy
Events: Monday, 9/2, Labor Day; Tuesday, 9/3, Founders' Day and Thursday, 9/5, Zozobra.
Day 1: Early Modern China
- In-class: Review key terms from week 1; discuss reading handouts and questions from The World that Trade Created, ed. Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik, pp. 9-11, and "The Chinese Tribute System," from The World that Trade Created, pp. 11-14.
Day 2: Pacific Journeys on the Columbian Exchange
- In-class: Discuss Pacific Journeys," Parts 1&2, in Charles Mann, 1493, pp. 157-247.
- Homework: Read "Funny Money, Real Growth," and "When Asia Was the World Economy," in
The World that Trade Created, ed. Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik, pp. 14-18, and answer the related questions on the handout.
Day 3: When Asia Was the Center of the World Economy
- In-class: Discuss the reading and questions from "Funny Money, Real Growth," and "When Asia Was the World Economy," in The World that Trade Created, ed. Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik, pp. 14-18.
- In-class: Review the materials in preparation for the first quiz.
- In-class: The first reading quiz on Weeks 1 and 2.
- Homework: Read "Treating Good News as No News," in The World that Trade Created, ed. Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik, pp. 18-20, answer the related question on the handout (TURN IN on Monday, September 9), and review "Atlantic Journeys," in 1493, pp. 51-151 for discussion.
Key Terms: Homogenocene, Anthropocene, Fujian Province, Diaspora, Tribute System, Zheng He, the Ming Dynasty, the Treasure Fleets, Woukou, Potosi, and the Loess Plateau.
Key Historiographical Arguments: The insularity of China, the Hydraulic Model of Asia, and Ruddiman's Thesis about the Little Ice Age.