Contemporary History Syllabus
WPHS 2016
Mr. St.Germain
Course Study
The grade 9-12 Contemporary History course consists of American History, World History, Geography, Humanities, Civics and Government. The primary content emphasis for this course pertains to the study of the development of the contemporary world within the context of history in order to analyze current events. Students use knowledge pertaining to history, geography, economics, political processes, religion, ethics, diverse cultures and humanities to solve problems in academic, civic, social and employment settings. Content will include, but is not limited to, world events and trends in the 20th and 21st centuries with emphasis on the past two decades, historical antecedents of contemporary political, social, economic and religious issues, impact of religious thought on contemporary world issues, interaction among science, technology and society, influence of significant historical and contemporary, figures and events on the present, and projection of current trends and movements.
Expected Student Learning Results:
Students Will
· Relate the moral and ethical principles in major religions to Western political thought and events.
· Analyze patterns of global change in the era of the following regions or countries: Africa, Southeast Asia, China, India, Latin America, and the Philippines.
· Analyze instances of nation-building in the contemporary world of the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and other parts of Latin America and China.
· Compare and contrast the changing geopolitical issues in the contemporary world.
· Analyze the major social, political and economic issues facing the modern world.
Possible Units of Study (Headlines will drive the curriculum. Some of the major issues of the last few years include the following…)
- Migration and Immigration
- Foreign and Domestic Terrorism
- The rise of religious and political fundamentalism
- The increasing income gap
- Social liberalism, conservatism and the polarization of politics
- Gun control and the influence of lobbyists
- The 2016 election
Evaluation Procedure
· Class Discussions (Small Group & Harkness Discussions) 60%
· Deep Reading and Depth of Knowledge Questions 40%
Total 100%
Expectations
· Class begins with a warm-up activity, students are expected to be in their seats prior to the bell, and begin the warm-up immediately.
· Classwork must be completed in class and all students are expected to participate in class discussions.
· If a student has an excused absence the information for make-up work will be online. Please check the school website under my name to get all absent work.
· All assignments are posted on my webpage via the school webpage under teachers. When absent visit the webpage to find all missing work and instructions.
Remind 101
I will send reminders to students and parents via Remind 101. This will allow you to see the messages that I will send to the class and help increase communication with students and parents.
Website
The website for this class is located on the WPHS home page under teachers. I will have study guides, a class calendar, assignments, links and daily activities for the units posted on the webpage. Please visit the site often to find missing assignments and tools to help understand the material presented in class.
News & Media Information
It is my intention to show clips, videos, newscasts and material that will help student’s gain greater understanding of events, which helped to shape our society and our world. The idea is to present multiple viewpoints to a given issue or event with the understanding that historical interpretation, analysis and historiography are essential aspects to contemporary history. Media will include but are not limited to:
John Stewart and The Daily Show
John Oliver Last Week Tonight
Fox News
CNN
Al Jazeera
The Drudge Report
The Atlantic Weekly
The St. Pete/Tampa Times
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