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.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Book Review Project Guidelines and Resources

Fall Semester

I. Book review project calendar and due dates:
         Week 3-5: Book selection process.
         Week 5-6: Reading and drafting period; in-class and weekend time for reading.
         Week 6: Book Review drafts due on Wednesday, 10/1/2014.

II. Instructions
1.    Begin to strategically read your book of choice
- Make sure you have chosen a book that you want to read, which is both interesting and potentially helpful for your research.
- Read the introduction to gain a sense of what the author(s) aims to do with his, her or their book project. Identify the key arguments they want to make, note how they organize their book into chapters, and decide which chapters or sections would be the most helpful for your research. FOCUS on those sections in your reading.
- Search the index, if included, for key terms to help guide your reading and follow the footnotes or endnotes for leads on more primary and secondary sources, which could be helpful for further research.
- Take notes on 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.
- Research: Find out more about the history behind the story of the book you have selected; also find out more about the author, his or her background and expertise and what else they have written, all of which could provide useful background for your review and your readers.

2. For additional book review guidelines: please check out the following websites:
 
3. For examples of book reviews, please follow the links to these two reviews:
OR to search further: please check out

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
- 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.
- Keep in mind that your reader may know nothing about this book or the subject; it may help to draw your reader's attention to the larger question or topic of the book. Make sure to write for a reader that you do not know. Assume the reader knows nothing about this topic or book.

B. Body paragraphs - organize around possible key points:
- Usually start with the strengths of the book, where possible, and end with constructive criticism
- Where it makes sense, discuss the author's background and expertise
- Explain the author(s) aims with his, her or their book project
- Briefly note information on how the book is organized.
- Discuss key chapters that illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the book.
- Identify key arguments they want to make and the quality of the evidence they use.
- Write about 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:
- Avoid simply summarizing what you have already stated. 
- If possible, link discussion in your conclusion to the bigger picture and what this book has to offer for general readers or more specialized researchers.

II. Additional notes:
- Length: at least 500-750 words, preferably 2-3 pages, double spaced.
- MLA citation format.

5. Book review drafts will be due on Wednesday, October 1. For those students with extenuating circumstances like the late arrival of your books on order at the library, PLEASE talk to your instructor about adjusting due dates.

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