Epic Moments in World History

Course Duration: Full Year

Category: Electives, High School, History/Social Studies

Assessment: Pre-Test, Lesson Practice, Unit Exams, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam

Language: English

Course Overview

Epic Moments in World History is an elective History course that will take students through the beginnings of civilization, to the present day, looking into just how our global society has evolved into the world we now live in. Acellus Epic Moments in World History is taught by Acellus Instructor Todd Edmond.

Sample Lesson - The Boston Tea Party

This course was developed by the International Academy of Science. Learn More

Scope and Sequence

Unit 1 - The Rise of Ancient Civilizations (3500 - 1000 B.C.)In the introductory unit of Epic Moments in World History, students learn about the rise of ancient civilizations beginning as long ago as 3500 B.C. They begin with the Indus valley, and continue learning about Mesopotamia, China, and Ancient Egypt.Unit 2 - Classical Greece (2000-300 B.C.)In this unit students explore Classical Greece. They study Greek life, Greek Myths, and law and order as practiced by the people of Classical Greece. They study Sparta, as well as the philosophers of Greece and the origins of the Olympics.Unit 3 - Ancient Rome (500 B.C. - 500 A.D.)In this unit students investigate Ancient Rome, beginning with the Republic and its power, and going on to study the lasting legacy of Julius Caesar, the rise of Christianity and its impact, and the contributions of Rome that have endured through the centuries.Unit 4 - Empires in East Asia (600 - 1350 A.D.)In this unit the students turn to the East to study the Empires of East Asia. They explore the Tang and Song Dynasties of China, then learn about how the Mongols rose to power, and the influence of Marco Polo.Unit 5 - The Formation of Western Europe (800 - 1500 A.D.)In this unit, students come to understand the role that religion played on the early formation of Western Europe. They study the crusades and the Knights Templar, and investigate trade and business. They learn about the rise of the University, the impact of the Bubonic Plague on Trade, and the lasting impact of the Hundred Years' War.Unit 6 - European Renaissance and Reformation (1300-1600 A.D.)In this unit students explore Italy as the birthplace of the Renaissance, as well as the art revolution that occurred during the Renaissance. They study Leonardo da Vinci and the reasons he is called "The Renaissance Man." They investigate Thomas More's Utopia, as well as William Shakespeare, and the lasting impact the Renaissance has had. Finally, they study Martin Luther's Reformation and its legacy.Unit 7 - The Age of Exploration (1400-1800 A.D.)In this unit students learn about the spread of Christianity, the search for better, faster trade routes, and the beginning of a focus on the riches that could be made from the import of foreign goods. They discuss European exploration, and the isolation of China and Japan during that exploration. They study Christopher Columbus and Spain's Conquistadors, and the lasting impact all of these explorers had on the world. They gain understanding of European settlement in North America, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the lasting impact of the Columbian Exchange.Unit 8 - The Enlightenment and Revolution (1550-1800 A.D.)In this unit students gain understanding of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution. They begin with the scientific revolution, and go on to discuss Thomas Hobbes' 'Leviathan,' John Locke's 'Natural Rights,' 'On the Spirit of Laws by Baron de Montesquieu, 'The Social Contract' by Jean Jacques Rousseau, and 'The Rights of Women' by Mary Wollstonecraft. Students explore the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, and learn about the Boston Tea Party, the Impact of the Enlightenment on America, the Articles of Confederation, the American Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the impact of the American Presidency. They also discuss Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Empire, and the Congress of Vienna.Unit 9 - The Industrial Revolution (1700-1900 A.D.)In this unit students investigate the rise of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, the transportation revolution, the rise of global urbanization, and the global spread of the industrial revolution. They further study Laissaz-faire Economics and Adam Smith, capitalistic economics, socialist economics, and Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, as well as unions, slavery, and women's rights.Unit 10 - The Age of Imperialism (1850-1914 A.D.)In this unit, students learn about the lasting impact of both social Darwinism and the Suez Canal, as well as about the Berlin Conference, China and the West, the Economic Imperialism of the United States, and the lasting impact of global imperialism.Unit 11 - The Great War (1914-1918 A.D.)In this unit students begin to understand World War I. They learn about the assassination of Ferdinand, the Bolshevik Revolution, the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations, and the Chinese Civil War.Unit 12 - The Second Great War (1935-1947 A.D.)In this unit students investigate World War II. They study the worldwide depression of the 1930's, the election of Adolf Hitler, Hitler's plan for the 'Third Reich,' the Non-aggression Pact, and the Munich Pact. They learn about the lasting impact of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the global turning point of Stalingrad, and the lasting impact of the Invasion of Normandy Beach. They explore the Manhattan Project, its global impact, and the start of the atomic age. They also learn about the economic impact of the G.I. Bill, the creation of the United Nations, and the global ramifications of the Iron Curtain.Unit 13 - The Postwar World and the Cold War (1945-1991 A.D.)In this unit students learn about the Potsdam Conference, the Cold War and its impact, the CIA and the KGB, and the Berlin Airlift. They study the H-Bomb and the Cold War, as well as the detonation of the atomic bomb by the USSR, the impact of the Korean, the Vietnam, and the Chinese Civil Wars. They learn about the impact of Sputnik, the failure of the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, the construction of the Berlin wall, and the Cuban missile crisis. They further study the impact of the space race between the United States and the USSR, the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan, and the global impact of the fall of the USSR.Unit 14 - Global Interdependence (1960-Present Day)In this unit, students study current global issues. These issues include security (especially in regards to the role of the United Nations), health, human rights, and media. Students further discuss the future challenges and hopes of globalization.