This is a two-year course of study focused on examining various topics of 20th Century History. The first units explore the Move to Global War, where students analyze sources to examine various factors that led to the start of WW2 in both Asia and in Europe. The next unit, Authoritarian States, studies authoritarian leaders including Mao Zedong and early 20th Century China. The rise and consolidation of power by Mao is analytically compared with the rise and consolidation of power by Fidel Castro in Cuba. This unit overlaps with our next on Cold War focusing on the Cuban Missile Crisis in depth. The second year will cover the HL topics of Latin American Political Developments 1945-1981, Civil Rights, and the Cold War in the Americas. For the Political Developments topic, students analyze Peron’s Argentina and the rise of other populist and military dictatorships in Latin America. The Civil Rights unit will involve a trip to the Civil Rights Museum here in Memphis and incorporates African American, Afro-Latino, and Native American movements. The Cold War in the Americas unit adds a focus on Canada and Chile. Finally, students will write an Internal Assessment research paper over a topic of interest that involves conducting their own research and answering their own research question.