World History at  Thousand Oaks High School
 

Units of Study
Classical Era to the Renaissance
The Reformation, Scientific Revolution,  the Enlightenment
The Age of Revolution & Colonialism
Industrialism & Urbanization
The Age of Imperialism
World War I 

Age of Anxiety

World War II

The Cold War & Modern West
The Modern World
Helpful Course Information
Course Outline
Tips for Essay Writing
Organizing Information
Class Grades
Back to Mr. Swanson's Page
Back to Thousand Oaks High School
e-mail Mr. Swanson
This yearlong course on the history of the world from the Middle Ages to the present is designed to familiarize you with the world in which you live.  Daily assignments, lecture outlines, free response questions and other helpful review activities can be found in the Unit Pages that will be linked on the left as we go through the year together.
 
Professor Halsall's Page at Fordham
Professor Halsall is a major web guru who puts tons of great information up on the web.  This site contains lecture outlines that may help you organize your information and primary sources that will assist you in your research.
Final Essay Topics:
  • How did the peace settlement at Versailles lead to a period of turmoil that culminated in WWII?
  • Ideologies/Methods: Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler
  • Japanese and German aggression turn WWII into a truly global conflict? combatants and non-combatants
  • How did issues left over between the Allies at the end of WWII spill over into the Cold War?  1945-1952
  • Discuss the course of the Cold War between 1955-1989. 
  • Describe the balance of power between the superpowers and the emerging nations during the last 30 years.  major challenges facing third world nations
Professor Rempel's Western Civ. Lectures
Professor Rempel has been kind enough to place the text of all of his lectures for this course on-line.  These are great for smoothing out rough spots and gaining additional insight.
HistoryNet
Their motto says it all - "This is where history lives on the web!"  A great site for research or just as a place to check out articles on topics of personal interest.
Tired of the conventional media blitz?  Try these sites for more straightforward news coverage:  The Christian Science Monitor and National Public Radio.  Interested in understanding the background behind current events in the Middle East?  Click here.
The Western Heritage Page at Prentice Hall
This is the web page designed by the publisher to support a book I once used to teach this course. There are lots of helpful items including interactive review tests for each chapter. 
The Mother of All Art History Links
A great jumping off place for art research, especially when you are trying to tie art into it's appropriate historical period.
Recent events have drawn attention to the constant need to help those in difficult situations.  Here are some of my favorite places to go and help: 
Hunger: The Hungersite , Bread for the World
Donate Blood: Red Cross
Disaster Relief: CARE