9th Grade History Syllabus
The Making of the Modern World
The Making of the Modern World is a year course required of all LREI students. The central theme of the MMW is the development and interdependence of civilizations. The course is designed to encourage students to think historically, comparatively, and in an interdisciplinary manner about the Western and non-Western cultures covered in MMW. Disciplinary perspectives include those from literature, history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, political science, and the fine arts. Students interpret primary documents and artifacts from diverse eras and cultures, and enhance their understanding with information from secondary sources. The course emphasizes the development of research and critical thinking skills through hands on projects. Finally, students will gain insight into the complexity of world cultures and the necessity of global citizenship.
CENTRAL QUESTIONS
First Trimester (09/09 – 12/10)
1. Why are some societies richer than others? (c. 10,000 BCE – c. 500 CE)
• Culture / Rise of Cities / the Axial Age / Empires
2. Is there one true religion? (c. 500 CE – c. 1400 CE)
• Islam / Christendom / Buddhism / Hinduism / Animism
3. Is the pen mightier than the sword? (c. 1400 CE – c. 1650 CE)
• The Renaissance / The Reformation and Counter-Reformation
4. What happens when cultures collide? (c. 1400 CE – c. 1750 CE)
• Age of Exploration / Overseas Empires / Slave Trade / Commercial Revolution
Second Trimester (12/09– 03/10)
5. Is god dead? (c. 1500 CE – 1750 CE)
• The Scientific Revolution / the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason
6. Who should rule? (1648 CE – 1815 CE)
• The Age of Absolutism / the Age of Revolutions
7. Does technology improve our lives? (c. 1750 CE – c. 1900 CE)
• The Age of Industry / The Cultural Revolution / Reform and Democracy
8. What makes a nation? (1815 CE – 1914 CE)
• Reaction and Nationalism / The Balance of Power
9. How did the West conquer the world? (1871 CE – 1914 CE)
• The New Imperialism / Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Third Trimester (03/10 – 06/10)
10. Is war inevitable? (1914 CE – 1945 CE)
• WWI / The Age of Anxiety / the Spread of Nationalism / WWII
11. Do free markets make a free world? (1945 CE – 2001 CE)
• The Cold War / The Great Liberation / Globalization
12. What next? (2001 CE -?)
• Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe
Expectations – CPR
COOPERATION / PARTICIPATION / RESPECT
Grading
Homework (30%)
• Homework is due at the beginning of class.
• All assignments must be typed or written in pen.
Quizzes and Exams (20%)
• All quizzes are announced in advance.
• There is an exam following the completion of each Central Question.
• The Final Exam at the end trimester three is cumulative.
Participation (20%)
• Students are graded on their preparation for and contribution to class discussions and activities.
• Notebooks are collected and checked.
Project (20%)
• Each trimester has a central project with individual and group components.
• The projects are graded on the quality of the process and the product.
Essays (10%)
• There will be at least one formal essay, requiring several drafts, each trimester.
Each late assignment lowers the overall grade for the class.
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
– Sun Tzu