AP EUROPEAN HISTORY

INSTRUCTOR

Peter Evans

[Themes] [Required Readings] [Fall/Spring Syllabus] [Useful Links]

[Summer Assignments]

Welcome

The AP European History Course at Torrey Pines High School deals with varied political, intellectual, and socio-economic themes.  The course of study is designed to familiarize students with the interrelationships of these themes through several chronological periods.  And because the entire chronological scope of European history from the High Renaissance through the 1980's is reflected in the AP exam, we will pay careful attention to each century within this framework.  We will look at medieval times, also, as that period strongly affected the Renaissance which followed.

In dealing with political and diplomatic history, we will work in greater depth with certain topics that were introduced in World Civilizations, such as the growth of the modern nation-state, the development of absolutism, constitutionalism, and revolution, and international peace-keeping efforts.   We will delve into Central and Eastern Europe in far greater depth, as well as balance of power diplomacy.

In intellectual and cultural history, we will continue our study with changes in religious and secularized thought and culture, and trends in literature and the arts, focusing far more on philosophy and literature than was done in World Civilizations.  Our look at creative forces will include the visual areas of painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as music and the interrelationships of the arts historically.

In Social and economic history, we will look at demographics and the influence of social classes, the development of commercial practices and the changing economic influence on the world.

A final thought on this class:  You will find that the amount of time necessary to do the reading and to perform well on tests and essays can become overwhelming.  Pace yourself carefully.  Always try to enjoy the class and not worry too much about grades.  Enter this class because you wish to be challenged and you wish to learn.  The grade you work for, you will earn both in this class and on the AP exam.

Have a great year!

THEMES:

1.    Intellectual and Cultural History

• Changes in religious thought and church structure
• Secularization of learning and culture
• Scientific and technological developments and their consequences
• Major trends in literature and the arts
• Intellectual and cultural developments and their relationship to social values and political events
• Developments in social, economic, and political thought
• The diffusion of new intellectual concepts among different social groups
• Changes in popular culture, such as the development of new attitudes toward religion, the family, and work
• Impact of global expansion on European culture
  

2.     Political and Diplomatic History

• The rise and functioning of the modern state in its various forms
• Relations between Europe and other parts of the world: colonialism, imperialism, decolonization, and global interdependence
• The evolution of political elites and the development of political parties and ideologies
• The extension and limitation of rights and liberties (personal, civic, economic, and political); majority and minority political persecutions
• The growth and changing forms of nationalism
• Forms of political protest, reform, and revolution
• Relationship between domestic and foreign policies
• Efforts to restrain conflict:  treaties, balance-of-power diplomacy,a and international organizations
• War and civil conflict:  origins, developments, technology, and their consequences

3.    Social and Economic History

• The role of urbanization in transforming cultural values and social relationships
• The shift in social structures from heirarchical orders to modern social classes:  the changing distribution of wealth and poverty
• The influence of sanitation and health care practices on society; food supply, diet famine, disease, and their impact
• The development of commercial practices and their economic and social impact
• Crime and resistance to social norms
• The origins, development, and consequences of industrialization
• Change and continuity in the European family structure
• Changes in the demographic structure of Europe, and their consequences
• Gender roles and their influence on work, social structure, and interest group formation
• The growth of competition and interdependence in national and world markets
• Private and state roles in economic activity.   Development of racial/ethnic identities

Required Reading (in the TP bookstore):
Text:  Spielvogel, Jackson J., Western Civilization
Supplementary Reading: Classics of Western Thought - the Modern World (3^rd / 4^th                                       editions) and The Other side of Western Civilization, Vol.II

Fall Syllabus
Spring Syllabus

Useful Internet Links:
Click here for AP European Sites

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