02 October 2009: Project Alert! As some quick minded students noted, there seemed to be a bit of inequality built into the Middle Ages Project as it was explained on Friday. Mr. J agreed and being the kind and benevolent instructor that he is, has agreed to change the makeup of the "Creative" part of the Middle Ages Project based on feedback from students in the class. New directions and a new rubric may be found on the "Middle Ages Project" link on the left. We will go over the changes in class on Monday.

Hope this helps!
And now for the standard boilerplate.

Hi folks! Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Wissahickon High School. I am sure this will be an exciting year. You may notice that your schedule calls the course "Historical Inquiry," yet the class webpage is titled "Western Civilization." Rest assured they are one and the same. Although the name of the course was changed this year, the curriculum remains the same, so "Historical Inquiry" is in fact a class about the origins and development of western civilization.

During the course of the next few months we will learn about the geography of Europe, the fall of the Roman Empire and how it lead to the Middle Ages. We will learn about how Europe emerged from the Middle Ages, during the time we now call the Renaissance. We will experience the first Age of Exploration, when Europeans first began exploring the Americas and how those explorations impacted the development of North and South America. We will learn about the time when absolute monarchs ruled many European countries - often to the detriment of their people. We will see how people some of these countries rose up against their monarchs and changed the world forever.

In the second semester we will learn about Napoleon, emperor of France. We will take a look at the Industrial Revolution and how it led to the Age of Imperialism, when European empires spread around the entire planet. We will see how European rivalries for empires led to the first great conflict of the 20th century - World War I. Finally, we will see how that conflict led directly to World War II, and the Cold War that came about at its end.

It is a great deal to cover, but do not worry. Many have come before you - and if they can do it, so can you! The key to doing well in High School is to make sure you are keeping up with the assignments, doing your homework, reading the materials and reviewing a bit each night.

Keep your head in the game and remember:
1) Pay attention to detail
2) Follow all directions
3) Do your homework


And now for the standard boilerplate.

Welcome to Mr. J's Western Civ. Class Webpage. On the left, you will find links to classwork / homework, notes, handouts, examples of student work, pictures and whatever else we decide to put on here. The Assignment calendar has all of your the class assignments for the next couple of weeks as well as links to handouts and other useful items. Go ahead, surf around and check it out. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

OK, with that out of the way, lets make sure you put your tray tables up, bring your seats to the upright position and let us begin this journey through history and enjoy a facinating study of Western Civilization!

Thanks,
Mr. J