Email: harrison220@juno.com.

Email me at the above address to request an application form, which will include a more detailed class description.

Class fees: Tuition $595, books around $100.

Texts Required: Main text is World Civilizations, The Global Experience by Peter Stearns, 4th edition. Three other books are required, and are described in the application form. Optional texts will also be recommended.

Technical Requirements: Computer in peak working condition, with anti-virus program. Reliable Internet access with separate email addresses for student and parent. Latest version of free Adobe Acrobat Reader, easily downloaded from the Internet. Microsoft Word preferred, but not required. Reliable and accessible printer.

Registration Deadline: July 15, 2007. Early registration is recommended, as students will be required to read the first five chapters of the textbook during the summer, as well as do Internet research. AP World History is jokingly known as "the class that begins in early summer"! Class size is limited. I may accept students after the deadline, depending on the student's qualifications and on whether there is still room in the class.

Who should apply: Homeschooled students in grades 11-12, who are avid and mature readers, have advanced writing skills and a strong passion for history. Students should NOT apply unless they are extremely self-motivated, hard-working, and have both the time and the willingness to spend about 12 hours a week on the class. The student will be expected to actively participate in the class through regular discussion on the website. The student’s academic performance must be above average, as substantiated by standardized tests scores, such as SAT I, PSAT, other AP scores, college course already completed, etc.. I will consider advanced 10th graders for this course, but all things being equal, priority will be given to juniors and seniors. Depending on the student's qualifications, I may recommend taking AP European History instead.

This class is very intense and fast paced. Students and their parents must understand that the reading and writing commitment is significant. Students will also be expected to use outside sources as well as their textbooks: videos, novels, biographies, and Internet research. They will be submitting two or three essays a month, as well as taking weekly multiple-choice tests. The class website is highly interactive (rating: 3) with a message board, links to history sites, quizzes, etc.

Class Meeting Time: Students do not "meet" at a scheduled time, but all homework is due via an online checklist by Friday evening. The instructor updates the website syllabus and sends out weekly class updates via email on Friday for the following week.

Class description: A study of world history from about 6000 BC to the early 21st century, focusing on: evolution of major civilizations in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America; contacts between these societies through either warfare or commerce; and comparison of their political, cultural and economic characteristics. The class will thoroughly prepare students for the College Board examination in World History given in May. All students electing this class must take the Advanced Placement Exam in World History.

The class lasts 35 weeks (not counting a three-week Christmas break) and begins Monday August 25, 2008. There will be assigned reading over the Christmas break. There is no spring break. Thanksgiving and Easter weeks will have minimal assignments. There will be a midterm exam in December and a final exam at the end of April. We will have finished the textbook by the end of March, and spend April reviewing.

General Objectives of the Class:

• to study world history by using a mixed chronological and thematic approach.
• to understand the influence of geography upon history.
• to see cause-and-effect relationships over time and across civilizations.
• to understand similarities and differences between and among world civilizations.
• to recognize major turning points in world history.
• to understand the difference between primary and secondary sources.
• to analyze and interpret primary and secondary historical sources
• to develop skills in written and verbal historical analysis
• to encourage interest and understanding of global lifestyles, views and cultures.

Instructor qualifications: This will be my seventh year teaching this class on-line. My teaching experience encompasses: homeschooling my four children for 24 years, running the Homeschoolers Geography Club from 1995 to 2001, creating and maintaining a Geography enrichment website for homeschoolers, teaching French at a homeschooling co-op, and teaching AP European History online for the past six years. My background is extremely international. My father was Portuguese, my mother from Argentina, and I was born in France. I was educated in several different schools in Europe and in Asia, and graduated from the College of Translators and Interpreters in Lisbon, Portugal. I speak four languages fluently. I lived several years in Indonesia, Pakistan, the Middle East, and South America, and am familiar with the history, geography and politics of those regions. However, I believe that my greatest asset for teaching this particular class is my life-long passionate interest in history and geography. I have an extensive home library of fiction and non-fiction titles relating to these subjects, and greatly enjoy teaching AP World History.

My approach to the class: This is not a "Christian" class. All good textbooks dealing in any kind of depth with the enormous and complex subject of World History are secular. All of them have material which students and/or their parents might find potentially offensive, particularly from a religious or political standpoint. I will not dwell on those particular topics while teaching the class. That is, I will not ask students to write essays on these or other subjects that might be deemed inappropriate, nor will my exams contain questions on these topics. I will not require my students to watch R-rated movies or read 'racy' novels. I approach the class from a relatively conservative point-of-view, but I do not seek to enforce my own opinions. Students should feel free to express theirs, while always respect others' religious or political views, even if those views don't agree with theirs. I monitor the class website and reserve the right to caution any student whose postings are likely to offend anybody. I believe that careful reading and study of historical texts with an unbiased mind can help us better understand the world we live in and God's plan for it.