A.P. European History Syllabus
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A.P. European Course Description & A.P. Exam Format
A.P. European History
"History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days." - Winston Churchill
Dr. Michael Andrews, A.P. World History, A.P. European History, and Tournament Debate; Head Coach, Speech and Debate Team
Email: mandrews@csh.k12.ny.us
Voicemail: (631) 367-6961
Extra help: TBA; also by appointment
Course Description: This college-level European History course is in preparation for the A.P. European History examination in early May, which students must take to keep the "A.P." designation for this course on their transcript. The course considers the geography, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and culture of Europe during the time period of 1400 A.D. to the present. A.P. World History II offers an in-depth examination of modern politics, economics, philosophy, technology, and society. Interpretative and analytical skills will be emphasized. Sophomore students must also take the New York State Regents exam in World History and Geography in June.
Resources: Students submit a summer book report at the beginning of the course
on ONE of the following summer readings:(1) Eugene F. Rice, Jr. and Anthony Grafton’s The Foundations of Early Modern Europe
(W.W. Norton & Co., 2nd ed., 1994)
(2) Thomas Carlyle’s The French Revolution: A History (Modern Library Classics, 2002);
(3) Richard S. Dunn’s The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (W.W. Norton & Co., 2nd ed., 1980);
(4) J.W. Burrow’s The Crisis of Reason: European Thought, 1848-1914 (Yale University Press, 2000).
Students are also encouraged to read the following on their own during the year:
Georges Lefebvre’s The Coming of the French Revolution (Princeton University Press);
Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages;
Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy; Daniel J.Boorstein’s The Discoverers.
Students should outline/take notes on their nightly readings as well as of the class discussions.Grading Policy: Each quarter may consist of a slightly different number of tests and essays depending upon how test days fall in the calendar, etc. Usually, two or three essays (each worth one test grade) are assigned for each quarter prior to the A.P. exam.
For any given quarter, add the following: Hypothetical numbers:
Essays (100 pts. each)
if 3 essays, up to 300 points
Multiple Choice Tests
if 3 tests, up to 300 points
(each 100 point test covers 1-2 chapters and usually consists of fifty 2-point questions, with a ten-point curve)
Points for homework(mostly reading and class participation) up to 100 points
700/7 = 100 points
A quarter that had more/less essays or tests than another might be 600-800 points and then divided by 6 or 8 accordingly.
For sophomores, the grade for the NYS Regents in World History and Geography, administered in June, counts for 1/5 of each student's final average for the year, i.e. equal to one quarter's worth of work. For juniors or seniors, a research paper counts for 1/5 of each student's final average for the year, i.e. equal to one quarter's worth of work.
The final average for the year is calculated by adding the five number grades (4 quarters' number grades plus the number grade for the Regents exam or Research Paper) and dividing by 5 to determine a final numerical grade. The final letter grade will reflect this resulting number grade.
