Bedford
, Freeman & Worth’s A History of Western Society Since 1300, for the AP Course (McKay), 12th Edition, is a comprehensive product that supports instruction in Advanced Placement (AP) European History courses. Content is available in print and digital formats. Instruction emphasizes social and cultural history and the experiences of ordinary people. Learning List has reviewed the product’s print resources.
Core content is organized in four periods that match the College Board’s approach to periodization (e.g., Period 3: c. 1815 to c. 1914). Each period opens with a short overview of the period, discussions of key concepts addressed by instruction (e.g., “Nationalism and Revolutions in a Changing Europe”), and a set of “Understanding AP Themes” questions to guide students’ reading (e.g., “Why did European countries create or expand empires overseas in the nineteenth century?”). The questions reference the relevant thematic learning objectives in the College Board’s course framework.
Periods 2 through 4 contain a “Life” chapter (e.g., “Life in the Emerging Urban Society: 1840-1914”) that explores everyday life and the experiences of ordinary people living during the period. Life chapters include a “The Past Living Now” essay that explores connections between contemporary life and historical developments and events (e.g., the development of modern sewage systems).
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