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History of the Americas

The second year will incorporate IB-prescribed subjects: The USSR Under Stalin, 1924 - 1941, and The Emergence and Development of the People's Republic of China, 1946 - 1964. In addition, the following three IB 20th Century World History theme topics will be integrated into a regional and international study of major events, ideologies, and personalities:
  1. Causes, practices, and effects of war;
  2. Nationalist and independence movements, decolonization and challenges facing new states; and
  3. the rise and rule of single-party states.
This course will build upon the information and skills that candidates acquired and utilized in their previous history courses. An emphasis will be placed on a comparative analysis and understanding of the roles, actions, and influences of the countries and leaders in relation to 20th century world events.
 
External Assessment
The External Assessment for students in History will consist of three papers.
Paper 1: will be a document based question on one of the prescribed 20th Century World History. 
Paper 2: will ask candidates to write two essays, each from a different topic based on the 20th Century World History theme topics. 
Paper 3: will ask that candidates answer any 3 questions out of 25 dealing with the History of the Americas. In each of these papers candidates will be expected to demonstrate an awareness of historical perspective while providing specific details and support for their arguments.
 
Paper 1: Prescribed Subject
Communism in Crisis: Reform, Revolution, Reaction 1976-1989.
This prescribed subject address the major challenges (social, political and economic) facing the regimes in the leading socialist (Communist) states and the nature of the response of these regimes. In some cases, challenges (whether internal or external in origin), produced responses which inaugurated a reform process contributing significantly to the end of the USSR and the satellite states in central and Eastern Europe. In other cases (China) repressive measures managed to contain the challenge and the regime maintained power in the period.
 
Questions will focus on:
  • The struggle for power following the death of Mao Zedong, Hua Guofeneg, the re-emergence of Deng Xiaoping and the defeat of the Gang of Four.
  • China under Deng Xiaoping, economic policies and the Four Modernizations.
  • China under Deng Xiaoping: political changes and their limits, culminating in Tiananmen Square (1989).
  • Domestic and foreign problems of the Brezhnev Era: economic and political stagnation and Afghanistan.
  • Gorbachev and his aims/policies (glasnost and perestroika) and consequences for the Soviet State.
  • Consequences of Gorbachev’s policies for Eastern European reform movements: Poland-the role of Solidarity; Czechoslovakia-the Velvet Revolution; the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Paper 2: 20th Century World History Topics
  • Topic 1 Causes, practices and effects of war.
  • Topic 2 Democratic states-challenges and responses.
  • Topic 3 Origins and development of authoritarian and single party states.
  • Topic 4 Nationalist and independence movements in Africa, Asia and post-1945 Central and Eastern European states.
  • Topic 5 The Cold War
Internal Assessment
The IB Internal Assessment will count for 20% of your IB Exam score. It will be graded by the instructor and externally moderated by IB. The work will graded on a student's historical explanation and understanding, analysis and evaluation of sources and evidence, adherence to the word limit, and the use of references and bibliography. The History Internal Assessment will be assigned during the student's senior year.
 
The Internal Assessment will be an in-depth study of a historical subject chosen from the IB 20th Century World History Topics. The student should choose a topic he or she is interested in, curious to learning about, and able to research. The topic must be approved by the instructor.
 
The maximum word limit for a written work is 2000 words. This does not include supplementary information such as a content page, references, bibliography, and appendices.
 
Timeline For Internal Assessment
  1. Assigned: First day of senior year
  2. Preliminary topic: Early September
  3. Research question draft #1 (worksheet): Mid September.
  4. Finalized research question w/ 2 sources brought to class due: Mid September.
  5. Plan of Investigation w/half of sources due: Early October.
  6. ALL sources brought to class: Early November.
  7. 1st draft (Turnitin.com): Mid November.
  8. 2nd draft: Late November, after Thanksgiving holiday.
  9. Final draft due: Early January, after Winter Break.