Quarter(s): 3,4

Day(s): Fri

Open Spots: 2

Why read about key military battles on maps or in books when you can learn about them hands-on, in three dimensions, using historical miniature gaming? In 3D History, pivotal engagements come alive for new and experienced students, as they navigate a table-top terrain, deploy hundreds of miniature soldiers, ships, and tanks... all while playing a military strategy game. Each student will have the opportunity to fight a battle from both sides, allowing them to test various strategies, try multiple scenarios, predict different outcomes, and rewrite history- an effective way to gain a deeper understanding of what actually happened and why! In 1914 the world was rocked by the Assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His death, and a tangled web of secret and public alliances would be the spark that dragged the whole world into a Great War. The Entente, the triple Alliance of France, Russia, and Great Britain would face off against the Central Powers of Imperial Germany and Austria Hungary, across "No Man's Land" the nightmare zone between the famous trenches of WWI, with all the world's industrialized militaries focused on them. This semester, students will study the early years of WWI, and how it settled into the stalemate on the Western Front with its infamous trench warfare, as well as the vast Eastern Front.

Quarter(s): 3,4

Day(s): Fri

Open Spots: 5

This class will explore the judicial processes of mainland Europe and their divergence from English Common Law. Like a traditional mock trial program, the class will hear cases, and students will defend themselves. Real historical cases will be studied, and trial parts assigned to the class, which will be debated from the perspective of Englishmen, from commoners to nobility, and Europeans in both criminal and church courts. The class will serve as the jury and, if necessary, select period-appropriate verdicts and explain how they arrived at their decisions, while striving for period accuracy. This semester will examine the Justice systems of Renaissance Europe up to Colonial Britain. Topics in this Series: Crime & Punishment in Medieval Times (Semester 1), Crime & Punishment in the Early Modern Era (Semester 2). Workload: Students should expect to spend 0-1 hours per week outside of class. Assignments: Period maps, photographs, and re-creations will be posted on a class Google Drive, and video links from YouTube will be e-mailed to parents and students for homework or supplemental investigation. Assessments: A mid-term and final exam may be given. Textbooks: None. Case documents are provided in class. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in History or Civics for purposes of a high school transcript.

Quarter(s): 3,4

Day(s): Fri

Open Spots: 4

From freedoms to federalism and enfranchisement to empowerment, students will engage with American Government from a unique, thoughtful perspective. This course is facilitated by college professor Dr. Albert Thompson, a historian of the state, culture, and conflict who was homeschooled through high school. He uses an engaging storytelling style to encourage high school students to use "historical data to advance solutions to contemporary problems." Second semester, the class will consider how the US Government works today and what aspects of the Founders' vision remains intact. Students will cover how the American Government System evolved into its present 21st century form, through an examination of the Jacksonian, Civil War, Progressive, New Deal, and Great Society eras. The class will learn about the conflicts that arose between the states and the federal government as federal power increased. They will explore the rivalries and disputes between elected leaders and bureaucrats as the Administrative State rose to power the 20th century. This semester covers the period in American Government from 1804-present with a focus on 1890 and beyond, including the evolution of the Constitution through the amendments, the shifting balance among the three branches, the impact of Supreme Court decisions, and the growth of Federalism. Topics in this Series: Setting Up the Great Republic (Semester 1) and How the Republic Works Today (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester. Prerequisites: None Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week on readings. Readings should be treated as pre-readings which students complete before class in order to engage in in-class discussion. Assignments: Reading assignments will be communicated weekly to students by email. This class will not have written assignments or projects. Assessments: The instructor will not give quizzes or provide assessments. Parents may give the textbook Review Questions and/or Critical Thinking Questions that are available for each unit for purposes of assessing their own student's understanding of major themes. The instructor will provide the answer keys. Textbook/Materials: The class will use American Government, , 3rd edition, a free, online open-source textbook from OpenStax. OpenStax is a nonprofit educational initiative based at Rice University. Contributing authors come from a variety of universities. Students may read the book online, download a Kindle version, download a pdf, or order an print copy from Amazon (ISBN-13: 978-1711493954 for $41.00).

Quarter(s): 1,2,3,4

Day(s): Fri

Open Spots: 13

This year-long course dives into change and continuity from 1200 CE-present in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. If you want to better understand Russia's interest in Ukraine or China's motives in Africa, how the world came to drive Japanese cars, Zimbabwe's 2020 land offer to white farmers abroad, or more about the roots of your own family's story and its ties to other places and times, this is the course for you.

Global connections were not born with jet travel nor Columbus. By the early 1200s, Persian historian Juvayni, reported that one might walk safely from Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe- thanks to Mongol army units stationed along the way. Silk Roads linked Moscow to Tibet. Vibrant Indian Ocean trade circulated goods, people, and animals from China to Indonesia to India, with links to East African coastal cities and the wider Muslim world, including Arab and Turkic peoples. In 200 more years, Muslim Admiral Zheng He would command China's legendary treasure fleet.

What of the Americas? Despite sporadic contacts, like Leif Ericson's disastrous family trip to Canada around 1000 CE, the Old World remained ignorant of lands from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. Yet precursors to Incan and Aztec empires built impressive urban city-states, while farther north, Cahokia's pyramids and Mesa Verde's cliffside apartments boomed, the Iroquois League united five great nations, and countless other groups thrived as hunter-gatherers, horticulturists, whalers, fishers, and farmers. At 1200 CE, when this course begins, two halves of the world had not yet collided.

Students will use tools and perspectives of historians to see this collision in wider context and learn what else built today's world. The class will analyze primary sources created at the time studied and secondary sources such as historian accounts. Students will learn to spot symbols, think critically about claims, and develop arguments based fairly on evidence. The group will interpret maps, letters, paintings, ceramics, propaganda posters, murals, sculptures, photographs, and speeches to understand context, causation, continuity, and change. Students will learn how to run, ruin, revolt from, and reform empires and nations. By the end of the course, students may not have memorized dozens of dates (unless they want to), but they will have a much clearer idea of who was where, when, and why- and how- that has affected us.

Note: This is a reading-heavy course suited for students who can commit to completing homework BEFORE each meeting. That prepares you for active discussion, role play, and activities in class. The course is not lecture-based, but instead is taught as a participatory seminar. Simply cannot learn the rich course material by simply attending. However, if you come with your readings completed, ready to ask questions and apply what you've learned, the world (history) is yours!

Levels This course is offered at three levels: On-Level, Honors, and Advanced Placement (AP). Each has a different workload, but all meet together. On-Level students use the same college-level textbook, but have fewer readings, less homework, and less rigorous assessments. Honors students have assignm2ents that engage higher-level analysis and historical thinking skills. AP students work at a university freshman level and have the potential to earn college credit or placement through the spring 2025 AP exam. Once the course begins, students may move down a level anytime, but the instructor will consider "bumping up" on a case-by-case basis only. Before August 1, students must email Compass to (1) choose On-Level, Honors, or Advanced Placement (AP); and (2) provide separate email addresses for student plus adult observer. This allows the instructor to send level-specific Canvas invitations in time for book purchases and completing homework due before your first meeting.

Schedule: There are two weekly meetings: (1) Friday 12:00 pm -12:55 pm in-person for all students and (2) Monday tentatively scheduled for 12:00 pm- 12:55 pm online (subject to an alternate time by consensus of AP-enrolled students). The latter is required for AP students, but recorded and open to all. For Honors and On-Level, this is a 28-week course that ends two weeks early due to AP exam timing. AP students have 31 weeks, as they begin two weeks before the regular Compass start date and have an additional session for a mock exam.

Workload: Honors and On-Level students should plan 4-5 hours per week outside meetings for reading and homework. AP students typically need 6 hours or more, depending on reading speed and experience. All levels use materials written at a freshman college level. Students must be highly skilled readers or have robust reading support at home.

Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments; upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests; track grades; message instructor and classmates; and attend virtual conferences. AP students start asynchronously two weeks early with homework due August 22 and 29. All sections will have brief assignments due September 5, the day before the first class meeting on September 6.

Assessments: Completed homework, projects, quizzes, and tests receive points and narrative feedback. Parents can calculate a letter grade using the student's points earned divided by points available, in weighted categories that include assignments, reading quizzes, tests, and participation and presentations. Parents may view all scoring and comments at any time through the Canvas site.

Textbooks: Students and observers will receive Canvas invitations by August 5 to access to syllabus and initial assignments once they have provided a student and observer email address. All students should purchase or rent: Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources, 3rd ed. 2016, by Strayer, Robert W. (ISBN 9781319022723). Look for an olive green cover with woodcut print of the first Japanese commercial railway in 1872. AP students will need two additional books: (1) A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, 2005 (any ISBN); and (2) Advanced Placement World History: Modern by Logan/Perfection Learning Logan, 2019 (ISBN 1531129161).

About AP: "AP" is a trademark of the College Board, which owns and designs the course outline and "audits" (i.e. approves) high school instructors who employ their expertise and creativity to deliver the college freshman-level content. The College Board's summary of the AP World History program can be read HERE, and the instructor AP Course Audit Approval form can be viewed HERE. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-world-history-modern-course-overview.pdf)

AP Fees: Due to the instructional time, an additional tuition fee of $200 is assessed for the Monday AP lecture session for students approved to take AP level. AP Students must register separately for the Monday lecture session. The fee is not refundable if the student decides midyear to switch to Honors or On-Level. The fee for the College Board's AP World History: Modern exam in May 2025 is not included. Each family is responsible for scheduling and paying for their student's AP exam.

AP Enrollment: Students who have taken a prior course with this instructor may discuss AP enrollment through conversation or e-mail with her. If new to this instructor, please email Compass to request a short questionnaire and written assignment prior to selecting AP level.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in World History for purposes of a high school transcript.