Topic |
Topic Title |
Subtopics |
Objectives |
1 |
Early Civilizations and the Ancient World |
- Ancient Civilizations
- The Laws of Hammurabi
- the Old Testament
|
- Identify the major concepts and events that contributed to the development of early civilizations
- Identify Hammurabi and describe how his code of laws affected social relationships
- Explain the contributions of early Egyptians to the development of the Western world.
- Describe the early influence of the major religions on the development of near-Eastern political, social and economic organizations.
|
2 |
Classical Greece |
- The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece
- Athenian Democracy
- Greek Art and Culture
- Classical Greek Culture
|
- Explain the rise, fall, and legacy of ancient Greece.
- Compare and contrast Homer, Hesiod, and Herodotus and explain how their social and cultural outlooks shaped Greek culture and world history.
- Compare and contrast Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and describe the role of philosophy in Greek politics
- Describe what life was like in a Greek polis
- Examine Classical Greek art and theatre to summarize the influence of Greek culture on contemporary Western traditions.
- Describe the evolution of Athenian Democracy and explain its impact on contemporary democracies.
- Develop a deeper understanding of the impact of the Peloponnesian Wars on Greek history.
- Describe the impact of Classical Greek art and culture on contemporary Western civilization.
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3 |
The Hellenistic World |
- The Rise of Macedonia
- The Hellenistic Age (323-30 BC)
|
- Describe the cultural and political restructuring of Greece following Alexander the Great’s death.
- Examine the expansion of Macedonian culture and describe the transformation of Greece from a collection of quarreling city-states to a huge empire.
- Define Hellenization and explain the importance of Alexander the Great in spreading Greek culture during the Hellenistic period, including his impact on the development of Western culture.
- Examine the transition between the Greek Classical Age and the Hellenistic world.
|
4 |
The Rise of Rome |
- Early Roman History
- The Expansion Period
- From Republic to Empire
|
- Analyze and describe the conditions and major events that fostered and contributed to the founding, rise, and Western expansion of Rome.
- Describe the Hellenization of Rome, and compare and contrast Roman and Greek cultural and political structures.
- Explain how the Punic Wars and internal political conflicts contributed to the destabilization and end of the Roman republic.
- Examine the elements associated with the expansion and stabilization of the early Roman economy, and relate these factors to the transition of Rome from republic to empire.
- Examine Julius Caesar and explain the significance of his rise to power.
|
5 |
The Roman Empire |
- The Last Days of the Empire
- Christianity in Rome
- The Decline of Rome
|
- Examine Roman life under Augustus, also known as Octavian Caesar, to identify his major political, social, and economic policies and his role in defining the early Empire.
- Summarize the reign of Marcus Aurelius and describe his Stoic principles
- List briefly the reforms of Diocletian and explain why they did not prevent the decline of Rome in the long term.
- Identify key Christian figures and describe the impact of the growth of Christianity on the Roman social and political systems.
- Summarize the major events that contributed to the decline of Rome as an Empire.
- Identify Constantine and describe the Christianization of Rome, including the impact of Christianity on Roman law.
|
6 |
The Early Middle Ages |
- The Western World Divided
- The Medieval World
|
- Define and describe the origins of feudalism.
- Analyze the Germanic invasions of Roman Europe.
- Explain the role of the Byzantine Empire in preserving Western culture during the Middle Ages.
- Identify Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, and describe his relationship with the Church.
- Examine the secularization of religious authority to develop a deeper understanding of the political underpinnings of the Medieval world.
- Identify the Vikings and describe the expansion of Viking culture.
|
7 |
Islam in the Medieval World |
- The Birth of Islam
- Muslim Empires
- The Decline of Medieval Islam
|
- Identify the Prophet Muhammad and describe his role in spreading Islam throughout the Western world.
- Explain what the Qur’an is and how it impacts social relationships and governance.
- Compare and contrast Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
- Analyze how and why Islam spread so quickly especially after the death of Muhammad in 632 AD.
- Describe European interaction with and resistance to Islam.
- Explain the decline of medieval Islamic Civilization.
|
8 |
The Restoration of Order |
- Feudalism
- The Rise of Centralized Monarchies
- Describe what peasant life was like.
|
- Describe the evolution of medieval culture and explain what life was like in Medieval Europe.
- Analyze the development of centralized government in Medieval Europe and explain the transition from nation-states to theocratic monarchical systems.
- Identify the technologies that contributed to the age of agriculture, and describe the relationship between an agrarian-based economy and rapid population expansion.
|
9 |
The Crusades |
- Capturing the Holy Land
- The Later Crusades
|
- Identify Pope Urban II and describe the Church’s involvement in the Crusades.
- Compare and contrast the attitudes of Muslims and Europeans during the Crusades.
- Explain how the Crusades contributed to the expansion of Papal influence in Europe.
- Describe the achievements of the first few Crusades, and contrast this with the results of later Crusades.
- Explain why Europeans were at a strategic disadvantage during the Crusades.
|
10 |
The Late Middle Ages |
- Proclamation of Papal Supremacy
- The Conciliar Movement
- The Black Death
|
- Compare and contrast the major religious, social, and political reforms that led to the introduction of the doctrine of papal supremacy.
- Identify St. Thomas Aquinas and describe the impact of Summa Theologiae on secularization.
- Define the Conciliar Movement and describe the impact of the Great Schism on papal authority.
- Analyze the long-term results of the Hundred Years’ War.
- Describe the political and economic consequences of the fall of Constantinople.
- List and describe the causes of the bubonic plague and the social, economic, and political changes in Europe that resulted from it.
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11 |
The Renaissance |
- The Italian Renaissance
- Politics in Italy
- The Northern Renaissance
|
- Analyze the Renaissance and describe the evolution of European culture during the late Middle Ages.
- Define humanism and describe the influence of Franceso Petrarch and Niccolo Machiavelli on the concept of individualism.
- Examine the relationship between early Greek philosophy and the Renaissance.
- Describe the birth of the Italian Renaissance.
- Identify the art, people, and culture that characterize the Italian Renaissance.
- Describe the politics of Italy during the Renaissance.
- Compare and contrast the Italian and Northern Renaissances.
|
12 |
The Reformation of the Church |
- Martin Luther and the early Protestant Reformation
- Piety, Protest, and Politics
- The Catholic Counter-Reformation
|
- List and analyze various internal tensions and reformist traditions in the Roman Catholic Church that led to the Protestant Reformantion.
- Explain how the Reformation strengthened the role of secular government.
- Describe the influence of Christian humanism on Catholic Reformation.
- Discuss the creation of the Society of Jesus and how the Jesuits exemplify the Catholic Counter-Reformation
- Describe the role of the Council of Trent in attempting to eliminate Church corruption.
- Describe the evolution of Christianity during the Reformation.
- Compare and contrast the beliefs and doctrines of Martin Luther and John Calvin, and describe their roles in the Protestant Reformation.
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13 |
The New World |
- The Search for the New World
- The New World Discovered
- Conquest of the New World
|
- Describe Portugal and Spain’s contributions to westward expansion
- Identify Christopher Columbus and describe his role in the European colonization of the Americas.
- Describe the function of the slave trade during westward expansion.
- Define colonialism and explain the nature of European colonialism.
- Explain the evolution of the European economy during westward expansion.
- Describe the transformation of European culture during westward expansion and describe how it affected the peoples and cultures of the Americas.
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14 |
The Age of Revolution |
- The Wars of Religion
- Absolutism in France
- The Power of the English Parliament
- The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
|
- Describe the evolution of France under Henry IV.
- Compare and contrast the French and English Civil Wars and describe their impacts on future Western governments.
- Demonstrate an understanding of what the English House of Commons is and explain the function of Parliament.
- Compare and contrast Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, and explain how they contributed to our contemporary understanding of the fields of Physics and Astronomy.
- Define absolutism and develop and understanding of the effect of French absolutism on world politics and its connection to mercantilism.
- Describe the importance of Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment in relation to contemporary Western culture.
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15 |
Review Topic |
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- Complete a review of key content covered in this course.
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