This course is the first course of a two-course sequence offering a comparative study of how and why economic, social, political and intellectual factors shaped and defined the history of Western and non-Western civilizations in the ancient, medieval, and early modern eras. This course also incorporates a geographical perspective to help students visualize, comprehend, and ask questions about why the human and physical systems occur in particular patterns and combinations, where they are on Earth’s surface, why they are there, and the consequences for people and the environment. This course has been designed to align with the principles of the State of Michigan’s High School Social Studies Content Standards and Expectations. Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives:Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Evaluate and explain global patterns and developments over time while connecting more local patterns to larger interregional and global patterns.
- Apply different analytical schemes, including global, regional, national and local to understand developments over time.
- Compare and contrast within and among regions and societies, and across time.
- Analyze and explain the historical and geographic context of human commonalities and differences, particularly in considering claims of universal standards or of cultural diversity, especially as it relates to world religions or belief systems.
- Evaluate, explain and use key conceptual devices and resources world historians/geographers use to organize the past including periodization schemes (e.g., major turning points, different cultural and religious calendars), and different spatial frames (e.g., global, interregional, and regional).
- Explain the basic features and differences between hunter-gatherer societies, pastoral nomads, civilizations, and empires, focusing upon the differences in their political, economic and social systems, and their changing interactions with the environment.
- Identify the location and causes of frontier interactions and conflicts, and internal disputes between cultural, social and/or religious groups.
Course Outline:
Unit 1: Foundations Era
Unit 2: Interactions in the Classical World (300 - 1500)
Unit 3: Growth of Intra-Regional Trade (300 -1500)
Unit 4: Regional Growth (to the 1500s)
Unit 5: Transoceanic Travel (15th to 18th Centuries)
Unit 6: Regional Development--Asia (through the 18th Century)
Unit 7: Regional Development--Europe and Americas (through the 18th Century)
Unit 8: Global Changes and Developments (16th Century through 1914)
Final Exam
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Students must also have access to YouTube.
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: N/A