Note: For homeschooling high schoolers, this is two years of studying - Western Civilization (World History) 1 for freshmen and Western Civilization (World History) 2 for sophomores. World history covers some topics that will not necessarily appear on the CLEP exams. Use the exam outlines to help you focus your studies.

CLEP Western Civilization I - Exam Description and Sample Questions
CLEP Western Civilization II - Exam Description and Sample Questions



PRIMARY SOURCES:

The Western Tradition - 52 half hour video lectures.
History of Western Civilization - Follow the reading lectures. (You will not be participating in the forum discussion with students registered for this class at Boise State. This means that you can start any time.)
PASS World History, Part 1, and World History, Part 2. (Both files contain teacher's guides and student workbooks in each.)


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Western Civilization I Study Guide - designed specifically for CLEP testing preparation.
Western Civilization II Study Guide - designed specifically for CLEP testing preparation.
Interactive maps - to help you “put it all together.”
Western Civilizations 1, Lecture Notes - college-level lectures notes.
Western Civilizations 2, Lecture Notes - college-level lecture notes.
Online Flashcards: ancient civilizations
Online Flashcards: medieval and early modern times
Online Flashcards: the modern era
A Comprehensive Outline of World History - see the links in the left-hand column
Macrohistory and World Report


STUDY QUESTIONS AND EXAM:

Study Questions, Western Civilization 1 - an outline of study questions/topics - (Includes a film study guide that can be skipped.)
Study Questions, Western Civilization 2 - answers are not provided, but questions can be used to help focus on study topics

World History 1 & 2 End-of-Course exams - As world history exams, these cover a bit broader material than only western civilization, but much of it crosses over. If you want to use the End-of-Course exams for grading purposes, it is recommended that you use the PASS textbooks as a primary source of study.



Outline Guide of Study Topics

The following is a breakdown of the topics covered by the CLEP tests for Western Civilization 1 & 2. Keep this outline handy during your studies and make notes for each portion of the exam, for reviewing later.

Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648

(8-10%) Ancient Near East

Political evolution

Religion, culture, and technical developments in and near the Fertile Crescent

(15-17%) Ancient Greece and Hellenistic Civilization

Political evolution to Periclean Athens

Periclean Athens through the Peloponnesian Wars

Culture, religion, and thought of Ancient Greece

The Hellenistic political structure

The culture, religion, and thought of Hellenistic Greece

(15-17%) Ancient Rome

Political evolution of the Republic and of the Empire (economic and geographical context)

Roman thought and culture

Early Christianity

The Germanic invasions

The late empire

(23-27%) Medieval History

Byzantium and Islam

Early medieval politics and culture through Charlemagne

Feudal and manorial institutions

The medieval Church

Medieval thought and culture

Rise of the towns and changing economic forms

Feudal monarchies

The late medieval church

(13-17%) Renaissance and Reformation

The Renaissance in Italy

The Renaissance outside Italy

The New Monarchies

Protestantism and Catholicism reformed and reorganized

(10-15%) Early Modern Europe, 1560-1648

The opening of the Atlantic

The Commercial Revolution

Dynastic and religious conflicts

Thought and culture

Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present

(7-9%) Absolutism and Constitutionalism, 1648-1715

The Dutch Republic

The English Revolution

France under Louis XIV

Formation of Austria and Prussia

The "westernization" of Russia

(4-6%) Competition for empire and economic expansion

Global economy of the eighteenth century

Europe after Utrecht, 1713-1740

Demographic change in the eighteenth century

(5-7%) The scientific view of the world

Major figures of the scientific revolution

New knowledge of man and society

Political theory

(7-9%) Period of Enlightenment

Enlightenment thought

Enlightened despotism

Partition of Poland

(10-13%) Revolution and Napoleonic Europe

The Revolution in France

The Revolution and Europe

The French Empire

Congress of Vienna

(7-9%) The Industrial Revolution

Agricultural and industrial revolution

Causes of revolution

Economic and social impact on working and middle class

British reform movement

(6-8%) Political and cultural developments, 1815-1848

Conservatism

Liberalism

Nationalism

Socialism

The Revolutions of 1830 and 1848

(8-10%) Politics and diplomacy in the Age of Nationalism, 1850-1914

The unification of Italy and Germany

Austria-Hungary

Russia

France

Socialism and labor unions

European diplomacy, 1871-1900

(7-9%) Economy, culture, and imperialism, 1850-1914

Demography

World economy of the nineteenth century

Technological developments

Science, philosophy, and the arts

Imperialism in Africa and Asia

(10-12%) The First World War and the Russian Revolution

The causes of the First World War

The economic and social impact of the war

The peace settlements

The Revolution of 1917 and its effects

(7-9%) Europe between the wars

The Great Depression

International politics, 1919 -1939

Stalin's five-year plans and purges

Italy and Germany between the wars

Interwar cultural developments

(8-10%) The Second World War and contemporary Europe

The causes and course of the Second World War

Postwar Europe

Science, philosophy, the arts, and religion

Social and political developments

Recommended Course of Study:

Start with watching The Western Tradition lectures. You can find a course outline here that may help you with your note taking for your study journal. Read the lectures from the History of Western Civilization website, and download the PASS textbooks to read and complete. Explore the links provided on the Study Guide CLEP prep pages. (These pages are older and some of the links there are no longer working, but there is still plenty of good information you can use in building your study journals.) Choose from some or all of the additional resources to round out your studies. The study questions are mostly essay format that may be used for grading purposes. Finish the courses with the World History exams, if needed.




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