AP World History, Semester B

Course Description

Advanced Placement® (AP) World History B is the second semester in a two-semester series that takes a global perspective on the study of history from c. 1200 CE to 1900 CE. Students will follow the rise follow the rise of Post-Classical Empires through to the end of the Cold War as globalization accelerates with the advent of the Internet. In AP World History B, students will explore how the industrial revolution disrupted traditional ways of life and paved the way to global conflict, viewing history from multiple thematic perspectives. As they progress through the course, students will develop the skills to analyze a variety of historical documents to make and support arguments, make comparisons, determine causation, and analyze change over time. 

About AP® Courses 

Advanced Placement (AP®) courses are equivalent to college-level courses. We highly recommend that you review the College Board’s AP World History: Modern Course Information page before beginning this course. Students are required to take the UTHS final exam for each semester course to earn high school credit. Students wanting to earn college credit may take the AP® exam offered by the College Board after completing the semester B course; however, it is not required to receive credit for the course from UT High School. 

Semester Topics

• Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization
  
• Unit 7: Global Conflict
  
• Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization
  
• Unit 9: Globalization

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, you will be able to—

• explain how various economic factors contributed to the development of the global economy from 1750 to 1900; 
• explain how ideologies contributed to the development of imperialism from 1750 to 1900; 
• explain how imperialist expansion, the buildup of modern militaries throughout Europe, the effectiveness of major alliance systems, and the rise of nationalism led to World War I; 
• analyze how the conclusion of World War I left many participating nationals restless and unsatisfied with the results; 
• explain the causes and effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War; 
• compare the processes by which various peoples pursued independence after 1900; 
• explain how the development of new technologies changed the world from 1900 to present; 
• identify and describe a historical context for a specific historical development or process; 
• make a historically defensible claim, support an argument using specific and relevant evidence, and use historical reasoning to explain relationships among pieces of historical evidence; 
• identify and explain a source’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience, including how these might limit the use(s) of a source.  

Required Course Materials

Please visit the Computer Requirements page to view minimum device, internet, and application requirements for all UT High School courses. Generally, a desktop or laptop device five (5) years or newer with access to an office suite, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, will be adequate to participate in most UTHS courses.

Unless otherwise noted, students are responsible for purchasing or securing all the following course materials:

• Textbook: 1200 Update-Ways of the World with Sources: For the AP Modern Course (4th ed.) by Robert W. Strayer and Eric W. Nelson
  • Publisher: BFW High School Publishers, 2020
  • ISBN#: 9781319236571
• Interactive Notebook: A paper or digital composition book is acceptable. or paper composition books, please also have the following items on hand: 
  • Pens or Pencils
  • Tape or Glue

Course Organization

Students must complete the course in sequence: You will not be able to access the next unit until all work in the preceding unit is completed. You may take your final exam only after completing all units and submitting all graded assignments.  

• Units: Each unit includes multiple lessons and graded assignments as well as ungraded practice quizzes to help you check your understanding of the material.
  
  
• Summative Assessments: Each course includes two online, virtually proctored summative assessments testing your understanding of the material presented in the preceding 2-3 Units.
  • Format: Online, Multiple-choice
  • Time Allowed: 1 hr 30 min
    
    
• Final Exam: Each course includes an online, virtually proctored final exam testing your knowledge of all material presented in the course.
  • Format: Online, Multiple-choice and free response
  • Time Allowed: 3 hrs 20 min

Course Grade Weighting

Your final course grade is calculated by weighting the three assignment groups displayed in the table below:

Online Proctored Exams

All course exams, including both summative assessments and the final exam, must be completed online. Students must test online with Proctorio and are required to add the Proctorio extension to either their Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome browser—installation instructions are provided in the student's course. Proctorio uses a student's computer, web camera, and microphone to record video of both the student and their desktop during the exam. Then, UTHS instructors review the student's exam video data collected by Proctorio. Only authorized UTHS staff and instructors can view the exam recordings. Student data is not shared with any persons or organizations outside of UTHS and are deleted after one year. We encourage you to visit Proctorio's Data Security and Privacy site pages to learn more about how we protect student date.