World History Honors covers a more in-depth study and greater sophistication in study of world history with emphasis on Western civilization from the end of the period known as the Dark Ages through the Modern Ages. Western civilization is generally referred to as the civilization which began in the ancient Near East and then developed primarily in Europe, Northern Africa, and the westernmost edges of Asia. The cultural and political legacy of this civilization is vast and has become predominant in much of the world. The objective is to understand how this civilization changed over the last millennia and emerged as a dominant force in world history. Students concentrate on several major topics: the dawn of modern scientific thought; the intellectual changes wrought by the Enlightenment; the rise of the major states in the 1700s; the French Revolution and its impact; the Industrial Revolution; the evolution of Nationalism and Socialism; the European overseas empires; the destruction of European predominance in the era of the World Wars; the Cold War, the US/USSR rivalry, and their impact on the West; and finally, the world in which the students currently live. Prerequisite: grade of B+ or higher in prior social science Honors class; teacher recommendation Full summer session; 1 credit