AP Euro Course Description

ADVANCED PLACEMENT EUROPEAN HISTORY

Course and Examination Description

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The Course

The goals for the Advanced Placement course in European History are for students to understand the basic narrative of the events and movements in European history. Students should know the basic chronology of the major events and trends from approximately 1450 to the present and develop (a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European history, (b) an ability to analyze historical evidence, and (c) an ability to analyze and express historical understanding in writing.

Themes in Modern European History

The themes outlined below indicate some of the important areas that might be treated in an AP course in European History. The ideas suggested do not have to be treated explicitly as topics or covered inclusively, nor should they preclude development of other themes. In addition, questions on the examination will often call for students to interrelate categories or to trace developments in a particular category through several chronological periods.*

* Students should understand the designations for centuries; e.g., the seventeenth century is the 1600's, not the 1700's.

1. Intellectual and Cultural History

Changes in religious thought and institutions
Secularization of learning and culture
Scientific and technological developments and their consequences
Major trends in literature and the arts
Intellectual and cultural developments and their relationship to social values and political events
Developments in social, economic, and political thought
Developments in literacy, education, and communication
The diffusion of new intellectual concepts among different social groups
Changes in elite and popular culture, such as the development of new attitudes toward religion, the family, work, and ritual
Impact of global expansion on European culture

2. Political and Diplomatic History

The rise and functioning of the modern state in its various forms
Relations between Europe and other parts of the world: colonialism, imperialism, decolonization, and global interdependence
The evolution of political elites and the development of political parties and ideologies
The extension and limitation of rights and liberties (personal, civic, economic, and political); majority and minority political persecutions
The growth and changing forms of nationalism
Forms of political protest, reform, and revolution
Relationship between domestic and foreign policies
Efforts to restrain conflict: treaties, balance-of-power diplomacy, and international organizations
War and civil conflict: origins, developments, technology, and their consequences

3. Social and Economic History

The role of urbanization in transforming cultural values and social relationships
The shift in social structures from hierarchical orders to modern social classes: the changing distribution of wealth and poverty
The influence of sanitation and health care practices on society; food supply, diet, famine, disease, and their impact
The development of commercial practices and their economic and social impact
Changing definitions and attitudes toward mainstream groups and groups characterized as "the other"
The origins, development, and consequences of industrialization
Changes in the demographic structure of Europe, their causes and consequences
Gender roles and their influence on work, social structure, family structure, and interest group formation
Private and state roles in economic activity
Development of racial and ethnic group identities

Examination Format

The AP European History Exam is three hours and five minutes in length. (This does not include time for filling out forms prior to the test or the break given students between the two sections of the test.) It consists of a 55-minute multiple-choice section (Section I) and a 130-minute free-response section (Section II).

Section I: Multiple Choice

The multiple choice section consists of 80 questions and is designed to measure the student's knowledge of European history from the High Renaissance to the present. Approximately one-half of the questions deal with period from 1450 to the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era, and one-half from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era to the present. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the questions focus on cultural and intellectual themes, 30 to 40 percent on political-diplomatic themes, and 30 to 40 percent on social-economic themes. Of course, many questions draw on a knowledge of more then one period or theme.

Section II: Free-Response

Section II begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading period followed by Part A, in which students are required to answer a document-based essay question, a DBQ, in 45 minutes, and Part B, in students are asked to answer two thematic questions in 70 minutes. Students choose one essay from each of two groups of three essays. The thematic questions are grouped to ensure that students consider a range of historical periods and approaches.

Within the free-response section, the DBQ essay will be weighted 45 percent and the two thematic essays together the other 55 percent. For a total score, the free-response and multiple-choice sections will be weighted equally.

Preparing for the DBQ and the Essay Questions.

Since 1998, the Document-Based Question documents are fewer in number (10-12) and lengthened to allow for more interpretation. Also, more extensive information on each document's author and source appears above the document to encourage students to make interpretative use of this information. The DBQ may or may not deal with change-over-time, depending on the focus of the particular question.

Core-Scoring Guide for AP European History Document-Based Question
Generic Core-Scoring Guide for the AP European History DBQ

Students should recognize the need for careful time management when they write the essays for this examination. Students should spend no more than 45 minutes writing the DBQ and then move on to Part B, where they need to allocate 35 minutes for planning and writing each of the thematic essays. Times will be announced, but students are advised to bring a watch to pace themselves properly.

Examination Grades and Reporting.

AP examination grades are reported to candidates, their schools, and their designated colleges in July. The colleges use these grades as evidence of the students' abilities and achievements when they make their decisions regarding whether or not to grant credit and/or advanced placement.

The multiple-choice section is scored
The free-response section is scored
The composite score is calculated
The composite score is converted to an AP grade

AP grades range from 5 to 1, 5 being best:

5 - Extremely well qualified

4 - Well qualified

3 - Qualified

2 - Possibly qualified

1 - No recommendation

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