The 11th grade World History course will analyze the importance of political and social changes from 1945 to today. The course will focus on the Cold War, the end of empires and the subsequent independence movements, new nation-states and the rise of the Majority World, conflicts, as well as the globalization movement and the war on terror. Each unit of this course will be woven into current events. Students will analyze political and social changes through a global perspective, using current events to understand World History from different standpoints. The objectives of the class are to allow students to understand 20th century History and how it impacted the 21st century.
Objectives of the course:
• To engage students in critical thinking about political and social changes in the 20th and 21st centuries
• To encourage connections between History and present
• To provide diverse perspectives on History
• To promote understanding of the Majority World
• To bring awareness of global interdependence
• To promote a critical understanding of historiographies
Essential questions:
• How did 20th century political and social changes shape today’s world?
• What are the multiple interpretations of these changes?
• What is the importance of conflicts in the 20th century?
• What is our understanding of the Majority World?
• How does globalization shape our world?
Textbook:
• International history of the twentieth century and beyond, Anthony Best
• The Age of Extremes, Eric Hobsbawm
• The Darker Nations, Vijay Prashad
• Mirrors, Eduardo Galeano
Political and Social Changes since 1945 