Story of the Modern Age

Full-year course. Story of the Modern World concludes your student’s study of history examining world history from the time of the American Civil War in the mid-1600s up and through the fall of Apartheid in the late-1990s. This course challenges late stage logic age (7th and 8th grade) students sharpening their formal study of history through investigating the historical and intellectual causes of key world events that shape the present day. Early Modern World meets for an hour, once a week, with a focus on interactive discussions among students and with the instructor. 

Weekly written assignments have a three-fold focus on mastery of historical facts, discussion of key ideas in that week’s subject, and mastery of the tools of study, through outlines, timelines, and primary source reading, on a rotating basis. The weekly discussion board assignment allows the students to creatively engage historical discussion through debate, role-playing, and basic expressive arts to view historical situations from a personal perspective. Students also write seven short papers throughout the semester on a topic of their choice, with an emphasis on a clear and engaging presentation of historical narrative. Students also take an end-of-the-semester exam to introduce them to a structured, semester long-review. A final project caps off the class in the spring semester. The workload blends structure and an attention to details with a students’ growing study skills and personal curiosity, transitioning the student for rhetoric stage learning in high school by encouraging them to take ownership of their historical study skills and interests.

Please note: Story of Early Modern Times or Story of the Modern Age may be taken out of sequence. Both courses provide a challenging learning opportunity for late-stage logic-age students. If you take Story of the Modern Age before taking Story of Early Modern Times, we recommend reading or listening to Story of the World, Vol. 3: Early Modern Times before class starts.