Enduring Issues in History: Social Studies Patterns & Connections AP Prep SP

There are 18 enduring issues and recurring concepts in history. Each lesson, we will dive deeper into a single issue. Knowledge of these concepts provides an excellent foundation and enrichment for any high school history class, but especially Regents Global History, World History, Honors World History and AP World History and even AP European History.

The major topics of world history are covered as we go through the concepts. For example, The Silk Road was a conduit for cultural diffusion, led to conflict, was a trade route, spread disease.  That alone was a reference to four of the concepts!  There is plenty of time for questions and answers and once I get to know the unique interests of my students, I try to tailor the course and the examples to my students.

The concepts and their essential questions are: 

1.	Belief Systems - How have religions and belief systems affected society?

2.	Geography’s Impact/Environment - How do geography and people affect one another?

3.	Conflict - When, if ever, should people go to war? What causes conflict?

4.	Cultural Diffusion - How does cultural diffusion occur? And what are the results?

5.	Trade - What have been the intended and unintended effects of trade?

6.	Science & Technology - What are the benefits and costs of scientific and technological advances? 

7.	Political Systems/Power - How do political systems rise, develop, and decline? 

8.	Impact of the Individual - How have individuals changed the world? 

9.	Economic Systems - How should resources and wealth be distributed? 

10.	Revolution - Why do political revolutions occur? What are their outcomes?

11.	Nationalism - How can nationalism be a unifying and a divisive force?

12.	Migration - Under what circumstances do people migrate? 

13.	Empire/Imperialism - How does a state gain or lose power over others? 

14.	Dictatorship - How do dictators rise and fall from power? Why do people sometimes support dictators? 

15.	Genocide - Why do people sometimes commit the crime of genocide? 

16.	Cooperation/Globalization - With whom should we cooperate and why? 

17.	Democracy - Under what conditions is democracy most likely to succeed? 

18.	Human Rights - How are human rights won or lost?

Each lesson will vary in content as well as method of delivery. Some lessons, students might watch a video clip and look for examples. Others might involve reading an historical or current article to further their depth of knowledge and understanding of the topic. Additional activities are virtual field trips, virtual discussions, and document-based inquiries.

The weekly assessment component might be answering questions about a video, probing deeper into the essential question of the week, choosing a side to debate an issue, creating a virtual poster or presentation of a topic. Additionally, students will be encouraged to contribute examples from their own study of history. They will often be given choices in how they will show what they have learned. There will also be a word document made available where students can take notes on, list examples and illustrate the concepts so they will have a resource they can use long after the course is over.