Annual Course

The major purpose of this course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. It emphasizes relevant factual knowledge used in conjunction with leading interpretive issues and types of historical evidence. The course builds on understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage. "Periodization", explicitly discussed, forms an organizing principle for dealing with change and continuity throughout the course. Specific themes provide further organization to the course, along with consistent attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as field of study. If a student passes the CEEB Advanced Placement Exam, this course may be accepted by colleges for course credit.