Essentials World History B

About This Course

Join modern time travelers Ali and Soo-jin as they journey through World History and help students discover how world events and eras are connected. In Segment 1, students will learn how the Roman Empire developed in two very distinct directions. Next, students will discover the great intellectual and cultural contributions of the Islamic Empires. They will journey through the Middle Ages of Europe and Japan to learn how knights and samurais lived. While investigating the rise and fall of some of the great kingdoms of the Americas and Africa and then travel back to the Europe of the Renaissance and Reformation era. Segment 2 begins with a bang as students learn about advancements in science and thought during the Age of Enlightenment, as well as the social and political revolutions that followed as a result. As students meander through the 19th century, they will learn about the transformation from an agricultural to an industrial world and the many changes that resulted from that shift. Students will then learn about the interconnectedness of nationalism and colonialism and the two massive world wars that were the end result. As students approach the finish line, they will learn about development in our modern world and the implications that historical events have on us today. Prerequisites: World History A

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Identify the physical characteristics and the human characteristics that define and differentiate regions
• Compare the causes and effects of the developments of constitutional monarchies in England with the absolute monarchies developed in France, Spain, and Russia
• Identify the major contributions of individuals associated with the Scientific Revolution and how those contributions challenged those of the early classical and medieval periods
• Evaluate the impact of Enlightenment ideals on the development of economic, political, and religious structures in the Western world
• Describe causes and effects of 19th century Latin American and Caribbean independence movements led by Bolivar, de San Martin, and L’Ouverture
• Describe the agricultural and technological innovations that led to industrialization in Great Britain and its subsequent spread to continental Europe, the United States, and Japan
Compare the philosophies of capitalism, socialism, and communism, as described by Adam Smith, Robert Owen, and Karl Marx
• Identify major events in China during the 19th and early 20th centuries related to imperialism
• Summarize the causes, key events, and effects of the unification of Italy and Germany
• Describe the 19th and early 20th century social and political reforms and reform movements and their effects in Africa, Asia, Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America
• Summarize significant effects of World War I
• Describe the rise of authoritarian governments in the Soviet Union, Italy, Germany, and Spain, and analyze the policies and main ideas of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Francisco Franco
• Trace the causes and key events related to World War II and summarize the causes and effects of President Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan
• Explain cultural, historical, and economic factors and governmental policies that created the opportunities for ethnic cleansing or genocide in Cambodia, the Balkans, Rwanda, and Darfur, and describe various governmental and non-governmental responses to them
• Identify the United States-and-Soviet-aligned states of Europe, and describe the impact of the Cold War
• Summarize key developments in post-war China
• Summarize the causes and effects of the arms race and proxy wars in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East
• Identify the factors that led to the decline and fall of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
• Analyze the rise of regional trade blocs, such as the European Union and NAFTA, and predict the impact of increased globalization in the 20th and 21st centuries

Course Outline:

Module 5: The Enlightenment and Revolutions

Module 6: 19th Century Changes

Module 7: The World at War and the Fires Between

Module 8: The Modern Era

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 diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system. Total course points may vary per student based on the items students test out of. The total points in the course may vary per student based upon the number of lessons which each individual demonstrates mastery through scores earned on lesson pre-tests. Students will be exempted from the points possible on a lesson quiz associated with successfully passing a related lesson pre-test.

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: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/

Lightweight devices such as Apple iPads, Google Chromebooks, and tablets have limited support for Java or Flash which still appear in a small percentage of our catalog. While FLVS does not offer technical support for these devices, FLVS is working to remove Flash from their remaining course content. Students will need extra work-around steps or alternate browsers to engage with some portions of those courses. FLVS recommends students have a Windows or Mac based computer available to complete coursework in the event that your selected mobile device does not meet the needs of the course. Fully supported Operating Systems for FLVS courses include Windows (10 or higher) and MacOS (11 or higher). Supported Browsers include the most recent versions of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari on devices that support Java and HTML5. Browsers need to be up to date, and some FLVS courses may require installation or enabling of the following Plug-ins: JavaScript enabled, Cookies enabled, Java installed. https://www.flvs.net/student-parent-resources/more/system-requirements

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org 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 customercare@michiganvirtual.org 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: No special skills are required beyond being able to operate a computer and use word processing software.

Additional Information: This course permits students to test out of content and therefore are not NCAA eligible. If you are enrolling a student athlete for Credit Recovery purposes, we recommend our full-length Plus courses.