Course Syllabus

AP World History

2025-26 Course Disclosure

Contact Info

Instructor: Mr. Alex Jeppson

Email: aljeppson@dsdmail.net         Phone: 801-402-4200 EXT. 54376           Room: 264       SRC: Except for rare circumstances, I am available during SRC/Lunch every school day.

Course Description: This course fulfills one credit towards the necessary three credits in Social Studies needed to graduate from high school. To earn that credit, students will need to demonstrate skills connected to the Utah State Core Standards. In addition, this course is geared to prepare students to take the College Board’s Advanced Placement World History Test at the end of the year. Students who pass this test will receive university credit for their efforts. Students will study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the development of the modern world. You will analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments.  You will learn how to analyze primary and secondary sources, analyze claims and evidence, put historical events in context, make connections throughout history, and develop a claim/thesis that you can defend with evidence and reasoning. To accomplish these goals, this course will be extremely intensive in reading and writing. 

Classroom Expectations: The College Board requires students to sign up for the AP exam by the middle of November. Since the purpose of this class compared to a regular US history course is to prepare students to take the exam and earn college credit, I expect all students to take the exam. If students are wanting to take the class without taking the exam, they or their parent needs to talk to me about it as soon as possible since they will potentially be taking the place of a student who would like to earn college credit but cannot take the course because it is full. Students will be expected to work hard inside and outside the classroom to prepare to pass the exam (even if they end up not taking it). I want every student who is willing to put in the work to take this class, and I will do everything in my power to help those that are motivated to be successful. In short, I do my best to make this class accessible to every student and to work with them where they are at in terms of the skills required for the course, but I need every student to be able to behave like college-level students. 

Even though this is a college level class, my goal is to maximize the limited in-person class time we will have and not overload students with homework. I realize that students have other difficult courses they are taking and lives outside of school. I will try to make anything and everything we do essential to doing well in this class essential to learning and preparing for the AP exam, but students and parents should feel free to contact me if they feel my expectations are too rigorous, or conversely, not rigorous enough.

Topics and Rough Schedule:  The College Board has recently dictated that this course would cover the development of the world history from the year 1200 to the present day. To accomplish this goal, the course is divided into these topics/ periods. The time frame in parentheses is meant to give a general scope of the class, but it is subject to change based on need. 

Topics and Rough Schedule:  The College Board recently changed this course so that it will only cover world history from the year 1200 CE to the present.  To accomplish this goal, the course is divided into these topics/periods.  The time frame provided is meant to give a general scope of the class, but it is subject to change based on need. 

Introduction Unit (Course Overview and Pre 1200): August 18th through August 25th

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200-1450)- August 28th through September 15th 

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange: (1200-1450)- September 18th through October 7th

Unit 3: Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)- October 10th through October 28th

Unit 4: Trans-Oceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)- October 29th through December 5th

Mid-Year Review: December 5^th through December 19th

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900): January 6^th through January 30th

Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization (1750-1900): February 2nd through February 20^th

Unit 7: Global Conflict (1900 to Present): February 21st through March 6th

Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization (1900 to Present): March 7^th through March 20th

Unit 9:  Globalization (1900 to Present): March 20^th through April 6th 

Review for Exam: April 7th through May 7^th

AP World History Exam: May 8^th at 7:30 AM in the Viewmont Media Center

 

Content Note: I know there has been a lot of discussion in the past few years about what should and should not be taught in history. Please know that the College Board provides the curriculum I need to cover to help students prepare for the AP exam, and everything I teach will be connected to the Davis Desk Standards. (For a link to the College Board Curriculum, click here.  For a link to the Davis DESK Standards, click here.)Links to an external site.  We will be addressing issues related to slavery, racism, prejudice, etc. on an international scale. However, critical race theory (the study of history through a lens centered around race relations) will NOT be utilized in his course. While we will address many complex and difficult issues related to world history, please know that my teaching philosophy is to teach students HOW to think critically about issues and not WHAT they should think about a particular issue. We will be looking at different perspectives on a variety of issues, ALL students will always have a voice in my classroom, and I will never attempt to brainwash students into seeing the world the way I do. If you ever have any questions or concerns about what students are learning in class or the way I am teaching it, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Parents/guardians are even welcome to sit in on lessons if they would like (which would be fun simply because of how much it would mortify students), and I always encourage parents/guardians to discuss with students what they are learning in class. An effective way for parents/guardians to be aware of what their students are learning and doing in class is to become an observer of the course on Canvas. (See note on Canvas). The more parents/guardians are partners with teachers, the more likely quality learning will take place.

 

Grading: My teaching philosophy dictates that a student should be graded based on their ability to demonstrate they have learned the necessary content and skills for them to be successful on the AP Exam. Therefore, most of a student’s grade (70%) will be based on assessments (unit tests, reading check quizzes, essays, projects, etc.)  To encourage students to do necessary work to learn a given concept, 30% of their grade will be based on day-to-day practice assignments (journals, reading responses, discussion questions, homework, etc.)  The following is the grading scale I will be adhering to:

 

A: 93%-100%

A-: 90-92%

B+: 87-89% 

B: 83-86%   

B-: 80-82%

C+: 77-79%   

C: 73-76%

C-: 70-72%

D+: 67-69%

D: 63-66%  

D-: 60-62%

F: 59% or Below

 

Learning Materials: Since we are lucky enough to provide laptops for all students, much of our work will be completed electronically. However, students need to come prepared, daily, with the following items (not coming prepared consistently could impact a student’s citizenship grade): 

• Writing Utensils
• A laptop/cloudbook (charged the night before so it can be utilized during class)
• A three-ring binder (size 2 inch should be sufficient) to keep important course documents, reading notes, work that is currently being completed, or work that has been passed back.  (I cannot emphasize how important this is. Students bring a binder for this course to class and who keep it organized will do better grade wise and on the AP test than those who do not. It will also become a useful resource for review as the AP test approaches. If you cannot get a binder for whatever reason, please talk to me, and I can figure out a way to get you/your student one.)  
• The reading material necessary to participate in class. We utilize the AMSCO Advanced Placement US History textbook published by Perfection Learning) OR The American Pageant published by CENGAGE Learning. A copy will be loaned out to students that they will need to return at the end of the year). Students can keep their textbooks at home to complete their reading assignments, and I will have a classroom set available in case we need to use the textbook in class. (The AMSCO Textbook is for students who want less to read with the same essential content. The American Pageant is for students who have more time and want a more in depth, traditional textbook option).
• Heimler’s History Videos (Covers essential curriculum and will be utilized throughout the year).Links to an external site.
• *Any other materials the teacher requests throughout the year
• * Some parents and students may wish to purchase an exam review book for their child as the exam gets closer, but I believe families should not have to purchase anything for this course besides paying for the AP test (that is already expensive enough). I will add a review course on Canvas for students as the test gets closer, our textbook also functions as a review book, and if I am doing my job, students will be more than prepared for the test without having to buy their own review book. (We will finish the content of the course with at least a month left to review). With that said, more resources to review would not ever hurt, so if you would like suggestions about the best review books, I would be happy to help. 

Homework: While I believe that most challenging work should be completed in the classroom where I am available to help students, the nature of this college level course necessitates students complete some of the of content work outside of class (content meaning the “what happened in history” part of the course). While I will not grade their reading notes that they complete outside of class, they will be able to use those notes on assessments as an incentive to complete them (at least at the beginning of the year), and only students who can show me completed notes will be able to retake assessments. However, I realize that I cannot treat this exactly like a college class for a variety reasons. Every year, I have tried to become more and more efficient with our time based on what I have learned is essential to student learning and doing well on the AP exam, and most of the time, the workload outside of class will be around 30 minutes a week.  (That is not an exact number, some students might take less time than that on homework, others might take more). If that is too much to handle, please refer to the class expectations section.  With that said, if you find your student is consistently spending more than an hour completing work outside of class each week, please have them talk to me--I am serious about not wanting to overwhelm them. 

Lastly, while I realize that most students appreciate the effort I put into making the workload light in this class (at least based on the feedback I have received over the years) there are some who will have the time and desire for more.  I will provide enrichment opportunities and extra resources for those students to take advantage of, and whenever students doing something beyond what is required, I will try to find a way to reward them academically for it.

Late Work and Retakes: Since my grading is heavily weighted towards assessments and students demonstrating what they have learned, I will give students every opportunity to demonstrate mastery of a standard even if it occurs later than others.  Because of this, I will accept late work with no penalty up to the date a given unit of study ends (I will keep students and parents aware of when this would occur. Generally speaking, there is a hard deadline at midterm and the end of the term).  In addition, students can retake any assessment or resubmit any essay/project without penalty if they complete any necessary remedial work as long as it happens before the deadline for work to be completed by.  If a student wanted to retake a quiz or end of unit assessment, they would first need to show me the notes they took on outside reading and complete any assignments related to the assessment before I would allow them to do a retake. Depending on how students did on the initial assessment, a retake might be taking the whole assessment over again, completing only the parts they struggled with, or even reviewing assessments one on one with me so that we can use them as a learning experience. 

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism:   As previously mentioned, I will allow students to use notes they have taken on assessments at the beginning of the year, but some students may be tempted to not complete their weekly readings/course work by thinking they could simply look up answers to the test online. Assessments will be completed in class where students will be monitored, and I will try to design my assessments like this past year’s AP test where students would not be able to simply look up answers to the test. Also, students and parents should be aware that Davis School District has invested in plagiarism detection software that can alert teachers as to when written material may not be a student’s own work. However, there may be times this year that students are tempted to cheat on an assignment or assessment. I want students to realize that if they are not using their own knowledge and abilities to complete assignments and assessments, they will only be sabotaging themselves as the year goes on and we get closer to the AP test. I have found that students who take "shortcuts" throughout the year may find a way to get a decent grade in the class, but they are also the ones who typically score low on the AP exam. Furthermore, since students can retake assessments, there should be little to no incentive for students to try to “take an easy way out.” Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in a 0 for the assignment and a U citizenship grade!  Any essay or project that is plagiarized cannot be resubmitted. I am hopeful that taking away the incentive to cheat shift our focus on learning rather than on chasing points.

I should also mention here that I recognize the advent of AI into education and society in general will change things quite a bit. This is especially true since the AP history tests are going digital starting this year. My philosophy when it comes to this controversial resource is that if it is helping students learn, they should take advantage of it. For example, if students utilized a reputable/accurate AI chat as another textbook option to ask questions they are struggling with, that is fine. Davis School District even provides students with AI resources on Canvas. However, I do not want students to use AI to avoid learning or to replace showing me what they have learned. Since students will need to complete the AP test on their own (and more importantly, since the knowledge and skill they gain in this course will help them the rest of their lives), it is important that all their summative assessments (tests/essays/projects/assignments that show me what they have learned) are their own work and not produced by an AI program.  I will be using AI detection software on all summative assessments to ensure that students are using the tool responsibly. Students caught using AI on a summative assessment or to replace what should be their own work may receive a 0 on the assignment and a U for citizenship. 

Extra Credit: Since students will have opportunities to turn in late work and retake assessments without penalty and because I want their grade based on what they have learned, I will not give extra credit opportunities. This is in alignment with Viewmont High School’s move towards standards-based grading. However, I will give students ways to earn back points on assessments through a variety of enrichment opportunities like viewing films, gamified competitions, responding to extra readings, etc. While I will provide some structured enrichment opportunities throughout the year, students should tell me when they do anything on their own to engage with the content and make connections beyond what is required so that I can find a way to reward them.

Absences: Regular attendance will be a key component to success in my class. Typically, students that struggle in this class are chronically absent or constantly distracted when attending. Students are encouraged to attend as much as possible, but there will undoubtedly be occasions where they are forced to miss. I will post anything and everything we do in class on Canvas for students who are not able to attend, and I will be available to communicate with students who are not able to attend class as much as possible. I also post a week at a glance schedule on my Canvas homepage with a link to the forecasted schedule for the entire term. Wednesday mornings will also become an extremely important day as far as working with students goes.

I will also be utilizing the Remind App to communicate with students remotely and to remind them of any important information/work they should be completing. This tool allows me to communicate with students without either party exposing their actual phone number. I will encourage all my students to sign up for this on the first day of class, and parents are welcome to sign up too. (A link with instructions to join Remind can also be found on my Canvas page).

*While I do my best to respond to student/parent messages and emails in a timely fashion, it is easy for me to become too attached to my work if I do not set boundaries. If you send me a message before 2:30 PM each day, I promise to respond by the end of the school day. However, please realize that any messages sent after that time may not receive attention until the next school day. *

Canvas: Canvas is a learning management system that I will utilize as much as possible this year. I will keep my Canvas page updated with what was completed in class each day, assignments, learning material, etc. If students or parents are ever wondering what happened in class, or if they need materials to help them succeed, this is an excellent resource to go to. To access Canvas, students and parents can go to dsd.instructure.com. My home page will contain a welcome message, brief schedule of the unit we are in, and any important links to helpful resources. Modules will contain a list of all the needed coursework and resources for each unit and is the best place to go if you are absent/engaging in remote learning. Parents can also add themselves as observers to their student's Canvas Course to keep an eye on what they are doing in class and to monitor whether they are staying caught up on their work. If you are a parent and would like to learn how to add yourself as an observer to this course, click here).

 

Citizenship: Since I believe a student’s academic grade should reflect learning and not behavior, I will utilize the following rubric to evaluate a student’s citizenship grade. The lowest grade in any category will be the student’s citizenship grade.

	Honorable	Satisfactory	Needs Improvement	Unsatisfactory
Attendance	Student has one or less tardies and no unexcused absences	Student has two tardies and/or one unexcused absence	Student has three tardies and/or two unexcused absences	Student has four tardies and/or three unexcused absences
Work Habits	Student has one or less late assignment and one or less missing assignments	Student has 2-4 missing and/or late assignments	Student has five late and/or missing assignments	Student has six or more late and/or missing assignments
Engagement	Student has not needed to be reminded to stay focused in class. Student has not demonstrated off task behavior like cell-phone use, improper use of computers, sleeping in class, side-conversations, and other distracting behavior.	Student has rarely needed a reminder to stay focused in class. On occasion, student has demonstrated off task behavior like cell-phone use, improper use of computers, sleeping in class, side-conversations, and other distracting behavior.	Frequently, student has needed a reminder to stay focused in class. Frequently, student has demonstrated off task behavior like cell-phone use, improper use of computers, sleeping in class, side-conversations, and other distracting behavior.	A student's inability to focus has been so consistent despite reminders to improve that it has become disruptive to their learning experience or that of their peers. Despite interventions, they continue to demonstrate off task behavior like cell-phone use, improper use of computers, sleeping in class, side-conversations, and other distracting behavior.
Respect	Student has never engaged in behavior that was disrespectful to peers or the teacher. Student has never attempted to cheat or plagiarize. Student has found times to meaningfully participate in class in a respectful manner.	Student has never engaged in behavior that was disrespectful to peers or the teacher. Student has never attempted to cheat or plagiarize. Student has rarely found time to meaningfully participate in class in a respectful manner.	A. Student has occasionally engaged in behavior that was disrespectful to peers or the teacher. This required a discussion of why that behavior was inappropriate, which led to improvement. B. Student attempted to cheat or plagiarize. It was used as a learning experience, and they did not engage in that behavior again	A. Student has occasionally engaged in behavior that was disrespectful to peers or the teacher. This required a discussion of why that behavior was inappropriate, but the negative behavior has continued. B. Student attempted to cheat or plagiarize multiple times, which shows they have not learned from previous mistakes.
Preparation	Student arrives to class prepared to learn. They have completed necessary work and reading to be engaged and have the materials necessary to learn each day.	On occasion, student arrives not prepared to learn. They either did not complete the necessary work or reading to be engaged in class, or they did not have the materials needed to learn that day.	Frequently, student arrives not prepared to learn. They either did not complete the necessary work or reading to be engaged in class, or they did not have the materials needed to learn that day.	Student's consistent inability to arrive to class prepared in terms of work completion/reading or materials necessary to learn has prevented them from being engaged in my class.

 

Cell Phones and Computer Use: Since I want to treat this like a college class, I expect students to be self-disciplined with their use of their cell phone during my class. They need to learn to use this tool rather than let it use them to be successful in the next phase of their life. I do not want to have to babysit how they use their phones, but I do expect them to keep them put away when they should be engaged with what is happening in class. Usually, students who are on their cell phone during class suffer the natural consequences of not learning what they should and getting the grade they desire. I will typically try to remind students to put their phone away, but if it continues to be an issue after a few reminders, then I will get parents involved. If it continues to be an issue after that, then we may have to come up with a plan for students to monitor cell phone use or for them to place their phone on my desk at the beginning of the period, but I am hopeful it will never get to that point.  

My policy is the same for computers. I want students to learn to be self-disciplined with their computers, but if I notice they are getting distracted, I will have a conversation with them in private. If it continues after that, the consequences will escalate. 

Dress Code: Viewmont High School's dress code policy will be enforced in this classroom. For questions concerning what is appropriate and what is not, please refer to viewmont.org and to the "policies" section.

Food/Drink: It would be ridiculous for me to expect students to go an hour and a half without a drink. Students need energy to concentrate and learn. Considering this, I have no problem with students bringing drinks with lids and small snacks into my classroom. I expect students to be mature about cleaning up after themselves and to not make this a distraction. If we struggle with either of those things, this policy could change.

Credit Recovery: Please note that if a student fails a given term, I am willing to produce a plan for them to make-up credit extending a few weeks into the following term. (It will be up to students to take the initiative and talk to me about this option). If credit is not successfully recovered by that time, the student will need to pursue other options for credit recovery. To be frank, if a student is failing this class and getting behind in the current term trying to make up credit from a previous term, they may be better off in a general world history class. 

Civil Rights Disclosure: Davis School District is committed to providing educational and employment opportunities to students without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin or disability in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title XI of the Educational Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and with the Americans with Disabilities Act.