ib history syllabus 2009-2010

American International School of LagosIB History SL/HL Syllabus

Teacher: Mr. Carlos De la Sobera, MA Room 200, Annex Building Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 3:00 to 4:00pm Email contact: [email protected]

Course Title: IB History – SL/HL

Course Description: See below

Course Standards: See below

Attendance/Tardiness Policy: Needless to say, being in class each and every day is critical to your success in any IB course. Unexcused absences will not be tolerated, and make up work will not be allowed for those who fail to justify their nonattendance. Tardies are my biggest pet peeve, so if nothing else, make sure you’re always in class on time and ready to go.

Behavioral Expectations: We are all grown-ups and shall treat each other as such. All of us have a right to be respected and an obligation to be respectful to one another and to our school. Disrespect toward any member of our class will not be tolerated. For those that do not behave appropriately, the following procedures will be carried out:

1. Minor misbehavior: verbal warning2. Recurring minor misbehaviors: recess/lunch detention3. Recurring misbehavior despite warnings and detention: Student-led conference

with parents and teacher4. Severe misbehavior: Student-led conference with Secondary Principal, parents,

and teacherUnderstand that our number one priority in class is to learn while having fun. We just need to make sure that we keep everything within the lines of respect and cooperation. Honestly, I truly don’t expect to ever have to use any punitive measures with anyone.

Assessments:Exams 40% (unit exams, roughly once every three weeks)Message Board Prompts 20% (to further class discussions, every three weeks)Homework 15% (short writing assignments, short research activities)Research Project 15% (once every 9 weeks, two per semester)Classwork & Participation 10% (this includes announced/unannounced quizzes)

Make-up Policy: No make-up work is allowed. Period. If you leave early to go on a trip, or are absent from class, it is your responsibility to talk to me beforehand or check the Swift Board to ensure you know what assignments, readings and tasks are due any given week. When absent, work must be submitted to me via email at [email protected] Please note that I do NOT give out work beforehand, so you must ensure that if you go away for any reason whatsoever, you check the Swift Board (or email me) daily for any assignments due.

Textbook: Culpin, Christopher & Hening, Ruth. Modern Europe. Longman, 2008


Summary of the SL/HL IB history curriculum: Our course encompasses the main developments in 20th Century World History. At HL, students will also be covering important aspects in the History of Europe and the Middle East. Throughout the course, students will be required to make comparisons between similar and dissimilar solutions to common human situations whether they are political, economic or social. The course will also invite comparisons between different cultures, polities and national traditions. Students will be encouraged to respect and understand people and events in a variety of cultures throughout the world.

Distinctions between SL and HL:SL Hours HL Hours

SyllabusPrescribed subjects

Arab-Israeli Conflict 20 Arab-Israeli Conflict 20

Topics of Choice Causes, practices and effects of war

45 Causes, practices and effects of war

45

Cold war 45 Cold War 45

HL Option History of Europe and the Middle East

90

Historical Investigation Historical InvestigationInternal Assessment Historical Investigation

25%20 Historical Investigation 20% 20

External Assessment Paper 1----- 30% Paper 1-----20%Paper 2------45% Paper 2-----25%

Paper 3----- 35%

History and Theory of Knowledge


The course will attempt to put into perspective the relationship between theory of knowledge and the study of history. To that end, we will focus on the following questions throughout the syllabus:

Why study History? Is knowledge of the past ever certain? Does the study of History widen our knowledge of human nature? Can History help in understanding the present or predicting the future? To what extent does emotion play a role in an historian analysis? Is historical

objectivity possible? Why do accounts of the same historical events differ? Whose history do we study? What determines how historians select evidence and describe and interpret or

analyze events? When studying History, what problems are posed by changes in language and

culture over time? Can History be considered in any sense scientific?

Aims of the IB History Course

The aims at both SL and HL are:

Promote an understanding of history as a discipline, including the nature and diversity of its sources, methods and interpretations.

Encourage an understanding of the present through critical reflections upon the past.

Encourage an understanding of the impact of historical developments at national, regional and international levels.

Develop an awareness of one’s own historical identity through the study of the historical experiences of different cultures.

Assessment Objectives

Knowledge and understanding Application and interpretation Synthesis and evaluation Use of historical skills

Approaches to the Teaching of IB History

1: The gathering and sorting of historical evidence.

Developing the research skills of locating and selecting relevant and appropriate evidence from books, articles, websites and audio-visual resources

Recognizing the distinctions between different kinds of evidence: primary and secondary, textual, audio-visual, oral, graphic and tabular.

2: The evaluation of historical evidence.


Recognizing the subjective nature of historical evidence. Examining sources for information and interpretations, and for cases where they

corroborate, complement or contradict each other. Recognizing the value and uses of sources and reasons to use them cautiously. Recognizing and appreciating why and how opinions and interpretations differ.

3: Recognizing and understanding historical processes and their relationships to human experience, activity and motivation.

Recognizing, explaining and analyzing causes and consequences. Recognizing, explaining and analyzing continuity, change and development over

time. Recognizing, explaining and analyzing similarity and difference. Relating human activities, experiences and motivations in history to a range of

cultural and social dimensions. Synthesizing material studied across time and space.

4: Organizing and expressing historical ideas and information.

Posing questions and hypotheses and answering or testing them. Handling and synthesizing several sources for one inquiry. Selecting and deploying information and ideas. Constructing narratives, with ideas, analysis and relevant substantiation. Summarizing and arriving at conclusions.


Course of Study: Paper 1, Prescribed Subject 2, The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1945-79

This prescribed subject addresses the development of the Arab-Israeli conflict from 1945 to 1979. It also requires consideration of the role of outside powers in the conflict either as promoters of tension or mediators in attempts to lesson tensions in the region. The prescribed subject requires study of the political, economic and social issues behind the dispute and specific causes and consequences of the military clashes between 1948-1949 and 1973. The nature and extent of social and economic developments within the disputed territory of Palestine/Israel within the period and their impact on the populations should also be studied. The end date for the prescribed subject is the 1979 signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace accords.

The course will focus on: Last years of the British Mandate; UNSCOP Partition Plan; outbreak of the civil

war. British withdrawal; establishment of Israel; Arab response and the 1948-49 War. Demographic shifts: the Palestinian Diaspora from 1947 onwards; Jewish

immigration and the economic development of the Israeli State. Suez crisis of 1956: role of Britain, France, the U.S., the U.S.S.R., Israel and the

U.N.O. Arabism and Zionism; emergence of the P.L.O. Six-Day War of 1967 and the October War of 1973: causes, course and

consequences. Role of the U.S., U.S.S.R. and U.N.O. Camp David and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement.

Course of Study: Paper 1, Prescribed Subject 3, Communism in Crisis, 1976-1989

This prescribed subject addresses the major challenges – social, political, and economic – facing the regimes in the leading Communist states from 1976 to 1989 and the nature of the response of these regimes. Some of these challenges, whether internal or external in origin, produced responses that inaugurated a reform process contributing significantly to the end of the U.S.S.R. and the satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe. In other cases, repressive measures managed to contain the challenge and the regime maintained power throughout the period.

The course will focus on: The struggle for power following the death of Mao, Hua Guofeng, the re-

emergence of Deng Xiaoping: economic policies and the Four Modernizations. China under Deng Xiaoping: political changes and their limits culminating in

Tiananmen Square in 1989. Domestic and foreign problems of the Brezhnev era: economic and political

stagnation; Afghanistan. Gorbachev, glasnost, perestroika and consequences for the Soviet state. Consequences of Gorbachev’s policies for Eastern Europe; reform movements:

Poland – the role of Solidarity; Czechoslovakia – the Velvet Revolution; fall of the Berlin Wall.


Course of Study: Paper 2, Topic I – Causes, Practices and Effects of Wars

War was a major feature of the 20th century. In this topic, the different types of war should be identified and the causes, practices and effects of these conflicts should be studied.

Major Themes:

Different types and nature of 20th century warfare – Civil Guerilla Limited war Total war

Origins and causes of wars – Long-term, short-term and immediate causes Economic, ideological, political and religious causes

Nature of 20th century wars – Technological developments, tactics and strategies, air, land and sea Home front: economic and social impact (including changes in the role and status

of women Resistance and revolutionary movements

Effects and results of wars – Peace settlements and wars ending without treaties Attempts at collective security pre- and post-WW II Political repercussions and territorial changes Post-war economic problems

Material for Detailed Study: WW I (1914-1918) WW II (1939-1945) Africa: Algerian War (1954-1962), Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) Falklands War (1982), Nicaraguan Revolution (1976-1979) Indo-Pakistan wars (1947-1949, 1965, 1971), Chinese Civil War (1927-1937 and

1946-1949) Spanish Civil War (1936-1949, Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), Gulf War of 1991


Course of Study: Paper 2, Topic Five - The Cold War

This topic addresses East-West relations from 1945 to 1990. It aims to promote an international perspective and understanding of the origins, course and effects of the Cold War – a conflict that dominated global affairs from WW II to the early 1990’s. It includes superpower rivalry and events in all areas affected by Cold War politics such as spheres of interest, proxy wars, alliances and interference in developing countries.

Major Themes:

Origins of the Cold War – Ideological differences Mutual suspicion and fear From wartime allies to post-war enemies

Nature of the Cold War – Ideological opposition Superpowers and spheres of influence Alliances and diplomacy in the Cold War

Development and impact of the Cold War – Global spread of the Cold War from its European origins Cold War policies of containment, brinkmanship, peaceful coexistence, détente Role of the U.N. and Non-Aligned Movement Role and significance of leaders Arms race, proliferation and limitation Social, cultural and economic impact

End of the Cold War – Break-up of the Soviet Union: internal problems and external pressures Breakdown of Soviet control over Central and Eastern Europe

Material for Detailed Study: Wartime conferences: Yalta and Potsdam U.S. policies in Europe: Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO Soviet policies: Sovietization of Eastern and Central Europe, COMECON,

Warsaw Pact Sino-Soviet relations U.S.-Chinese relations Germany (especially Berlin, 1945-1961), Congo (1960-1964), Afghanistan (1979-

1988), Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Middle East Castro, Gorbachev, Kennedy, Mao, Reagan, Stalin, Truman


Course of Study: HL Paper 3, Option 1 – History of Europe and the Middle East

This paper is an essay examination on the History of Europe and the Middle East from 1815 to 2000. AISL will choose 7-8 sections to focus on (from the list below), which should comprise about 100 years of history. Students receive 2 hours 30 minutes for this examination, held at the end of their senior year (May). The examination paper comprises 24 questions (two from each section), of which three must be answered as an essay:

Section 1: The French Revolution & Napoleon, mid 18th Century to 1815 Section 2: Unification & Consolidation of Germany & Italy, 1815 to 1890 Section 3: Ottoman Empire, Early 19th to 20th Century Section 4: Western & Northern Europe, 1848-1914 Section 5: Imperial Russia, Revolutions, Emergence of Soviet State, 1853 to 1924 Section 6: European Diplomacy and the First World War, 1870-1923 Section 7: War & Change in the Middle East, 1914 to 1949 Section 8: Interwar Years: Conflict & Cooperation, 1919-39 Section 9: The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, 1924-2000 Section 10: The Second World War & Postwar Western Europe, 1939-2000 Section 11: Postwar Developments in the Middle East, 1945-2000 Section 12: Social & Economic Developments in Europe & the Middle East in the

19th or 20th CenturyThe American International School of Lagos’ IB History program places primary focus on Sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 with particular emphasis on those that overlap with topics in Papers 1 & 2.

Assessment Outline – SL – First Examinations in 2009-2010

Assessment Component Weighting

External Assessment (2 hours 30 minutes)

Paper 1 (1 hour) Route 2: Arab-Israeli Conflict; Communism in Crisis 4 short-answer/structured questionsAssessment objectives 1-3(25 marks)

Paper 2 (1hour 30 minutes)Route 2: Causes, practices and effects of wars; The Cold War2 extended-response questionsAssessment objectives 1-4(40 marks)

75%

30%

45%

Internal Assessment

Historical investigation on any area of the syllabusApproximately 20 hoursAssessment objectives 1-4(25 marks)

25%


Assessment Outline – HL – First Examinations in 2009-2010

Assessment Component WeightingExternal Assessment (5 Hours)

Paper 1 (1 hour)Route 2: Arab-Israeli Conflict; Communism in Crisis4 short-answer/structured questionsAssessment objectives 1-3(25 marks)

Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes)Route 2: Causes, practices and effects of wars; The Cold War2 extended-response questionsAssessment objectives 1-4(40 marks)

Paper 3 (2 hours 30 minutes)History of Europe and the Middle East3 extended-response questionsAssessment objectives 1-4(25 marks)

80%

20%

25%

35%

Internal Assessment

Historical investigation on any area of the syllabusApproximately 20 hoursAssessment objectives 1-4(25 marks)

20%

ib history syllabus 2009-2010

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