Download Buford High School – AP World History – Summer Assignment 2017

BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
MEMORANDUM
To:
AP World History Students for 2017-2018
From:
Mr. Gilbert
Re:
Summer Assignments / Contact Information
Date:
April 21st, 2017
Attached please find your Summer Assignments for 2017. AP World is a unique High School class that has the expectations
similar to that of a College course. Therefore, this summer assignment is designed to expose you to that mindset and prepare
for success in this class. There are several parts to this assignment that should be completed before the first day of school
August 3rd, 2017. All parts of the assignment should be assembled in a binder and handwritten. The resources for this
assignment will be found the class website http://bufordsummerapworld.weebly.com/ and should be printed off and included
in your assignment notebook.
I.
The first assignment involves becoming familiar with the Historical Thinking Skills that are the basis of every
question given in AP World. From the College Board AP Handbook.
II.
The second assignment students will research the 5 themes of AP World History and research examples of how these
will be seen in the course as well as where they can been seen in your life.
III.
Students will label a blank world map with the AP World regions and the states associated with them, as well as
major bodies of water and rivers.
IV.
V.
Students will obtain a working knowledge of common and significant History Jargon terms
Students will read 2 of the four articles pertaining to ‘Why Study History’ and complete the corresponding writing
exercise.
VI.
Students will read the article ‘The Worst Mistake in Human History’ and complete the corresponding writing
exercise.
The following pages contain assignment details and instructions.
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BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
I.
Historical Thinking Skills
‘Historical thinking skills are central to the study and practice of history. Teachers should help
students develop and apply the described historical thinking skills on a regular basis over the span of
the course.’ (From College Board AP World Course Description)
Read over the chart ‘Historical Thinking Skills’ located on the Summer Assignment website. Using the
descriptions on page 1 and the skills students should be proficient in on page 2 follow the instructions below.
Complete the following assignments and include them in your summer assignment notebook.
Content and Sourcing: This skill involves the ability to describe, analyze, evaluate, and construct
diverse interpretations of the past, and to be aware of how particular circumstances and contexts in
which individual historians work and write also shape their interpretations of past events. Historical
interpretation requires analyzing evidence, reasoning, contexts, and points of view found in both primary
and secondary sources.
Content and Sourcing(Primary)
Read the below excerpt from a primary source:
. “And we cannot reckon how great the damage [caused by Portuguese merchants] is, since the mentioned merchants are
taking every day out natives, sons of the land and the sons of our noblemen and vassals and our relatives . . . our country is
being completely depopulated . . . That is why we beg of Your Highness to help and assist us in this matter, commanding
your factors that they should not [practice slaving] because it is our will that in these Kingdoms there should not be any trade
of slaves nor outlet for them.”
King Alphonso I
King of Kongo, in a letter to the kings of Portugal, 1526.
• Historical Context:
o When was this said?
o Who said it?
o During what time period is this taking place?
o Where is this taking place?
• Analysis/Audience:
o What is being said in this document?
o Whom is this directed to?
• Purpose
o What could be the reason this interaction is occurring?
• Point of View
o Why is the speaker saying what he is saying?
o What is his reasoning?
Content and Sourcing (Secondary)
Read the below excerpt from a secondary source:
Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. (B. Bury, ed.) London. Methuen, 1898, IV, 161-63; VII,
308.
The story of its ruin is simple and obvious; and instead of inquiring why the Roman empire was destroyed, we should rather
be surprised that it had subsisted so long . . .The victorious legions, who, in distant wars, acquired the vices of strangers and
mercenaries, first oppressed the freedom of the republic . . .The emperors, anxious for their personal safety and the public
peace, were reduced to the base expedient of corrupting the discipline which rendered them formidable to the enemy; . . . the
vigor of the military government was relaxed and finally dissolved by the partial institutions of Constantine [who divided the
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BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
empire into an eastern and a western section]; and the Roman world was overwhelmed by a deluge of barbarians
As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear without surprise or scandal that the introduction,
or at least the abuse, of Christianity, had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman empire. The clergy successfully
preached the doctrines of patience and pusillanimity [faint-heartedness]; the active virtues of society were discouraged; and
the last remains of military spirit were buried in the cloister; a large portion of public and private wealth was consecrated to
the demands of charity and devotion; and the soldiers’ pay was lavished on the useless multitudes of both sexes who could
only plead the merits of abstinence and chastity [monks and nuns] . . . the Church, and even the State, were distracted by
religious factions, whose conflicts were sometimes bloody and always implacable [unforgiving]; . . . the Roman world was
oppressed by a new species of tyranny; and the persecuted sects became the secret enemies of their country. . . .The sacred
indolence [laziness] of the monks was devoutly embraced by a servile and effeminate age . . . the decline of the Roman
empire was hastened by the conversion of Constantine to Christianity.
•
•
•
•
Historical Context
o When was this said?
o Who said it?
o During what time period is the subject matter taking place?
o When is this being written?
Analysis/Audience:
o What is being said in this document?
o Whom is this directed to?
Purpose
o What could be the reason this interaction is occurring?
Point of View
o What is Gibbons argument?
o Why do you think he might be saying this?
Periodization
Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, analyze, and evaluate different ways that
historians divide history into discrete and definable periods.
Historians construct and debate different, sometimes competing models of periodization; the choice
of specific turning points or starting and ending dates might accord a higher value to one narrative,
region,
or group than to another.
•
•
•
Define the term ‘Periodization’
Define the term ‘turning point’ as it pertains to historical eras and context
Using the College Board AP World Course Outline (on Summer Webpage):
o list the six time periods that AP World has been divided into
o Briefly research these and find what each of these ‘eras’ could be referred to as.
o How does this fit into the term ‘periodization’?
o Also, what is the significance of the years that serve as the start and end to each era.
Causation
This skill involves the ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate the relationships among multiple
historical causes and effects, distinguishing between those that are long term and proximate, and among
coincidence, causation, and correlation.
•
Research one of the following current events and describe:
o The long term causes
o The short term causes
o Immediate effects
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BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
•
o Long term effects (if possible)
Use ONE of the following events to research
o BREXIT
o Arab Spring
o 9/11
Contextualization
This skill involves the ability to connect historical events and processes to specific circumstances of
time and place and to broader regional, national, or global processes.
• Research ONE of the following:
o the photograph ‘Tank Man’ taken in Tianamen Square, Beijing, China in 1989.
o The first lunar landing on July 20, 1969
• Provide the context of this iconic photo/event based on the following criteria:
o What was the immediate context that surrounded the events depicted in the photograph
o What was the larger context/surrounding event that the event occurred in?
o What was the impact this event had on the context in which it too place?
o How does this compare to other events like this in history?
Synthesis
This skill involves the ability to develop meaningful and persuasive new understandings of the past by
applying all of the other historical thinking skills, by drawing appropriately on ideas and methods from
different fields of inquiry or disciplines, and by creatively fusing disparate, relevant, and sometimes
contradictory evidence from primary sources and secondary works. Additionally, synthesis may involve
applying insights about the past to other historical contexts or circumstances, including the present.
• Research and Connect ONE of the following events to another event that it would be similar to.
o ‘This event is like…. ‘-and connect/compare it to that event from another time
o ‘This event reminds me of….’
• Neolithic Revolution
• Globalization of the 20th Century
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BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
II.
.
AP World History Themes
AP World History has a large amount of content to cover, so it is necessary to base the course
around recurring themes. These are used to create comparisons and context. In the course
outline, College Board states, “These themes focus on major historical issues and
developments, helping students connect the historical content they study to broad trends
and processes that have emerged over centuries. ”
.
These themes are:
•
Interaction Between Humans and the Environment (ENV) •
Development and Interaction of Cultures (CUL) •
State Building, Expansion, and Conflict (SB) aka Political
•
Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems (ECON) •
Development and Transformation of Social Structures (SOC) For each theme, College Board has created overarching questions for the each theme that fits in each
time period (see assignment on periodization). Research and answer each of the following five
questions with ONE specific example and from ONE specific time period. These are very general so
you must be specific in your answers. Include your answer in your Summer Assignment Notebook.
•
Interaction Between Humans and the Environment (ENV) o How have people used diverse tools and technologies to adapt to and affect
the environment over time? •
Development and Interaction of Cultures (CUL) o How have religions, belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies affected
the development of societies over time? •
State Building, Expansion, and Conflict (SB) aka Political
o How have different forms of governance been constructed and maintained
over time? •
Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems (ECON) o How have different labor systems developed and changed over time? •
Development and Transformation of Social Structures (SOC) o How have political, economic, cultural, and demographic changes affected
social structures over time? http://bufordsummerapworld.weebly.com/
BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
III.
AP Map
This exercise will be completed by using the world map that is attached to the Summer Assignment
Webpage. College board uses world regions in all aspects of the AP World Course. Students need to
become proficient at connecting the countries in each region with the context of historical eras and
events. Print the map off and label the following significant locations, and include them in the summer
assignment notebook. This will be assessed the first day of school.
1)For each of the below, label the map and on the back list two major modern countries that are in that
region
• East Asia
• Western Africa
• South Asia
• Northern Africa
• Southeast Asia
• Eastern Europe
• Central Asia
• Western Europe
• Southwest Asia
• Latin America
• East Africa
• North America
• Central Africa
• Australia and Oceania
• Southern Africa
2)Label each of the following bodies of water
• Indian Ocean
• Atlantic Ocean
• Pacific Ocean
• Red Sea
•
•
•
Mediterranean Sea
Black Sea
Baltic Sea
IV. AP World History Jargon
AP World history, being taught at a college level, has an advanced vocabulary that is used during the
coverage of the content, as well as on the exam. Research the below terms, define them and use them in
the proper context. This should be included in your completed summer assignment notebook, as well as
assessed the first day of school.
• Arable
• Democracy
• Mercantilism
• Autocratic
• Demography
• Nation-state
• Balance of Trade
• Diffusion
• Neolithic
• Bureaucracy
• Entrepót
• Paleolithic
• Civilization
• Eurocentric
• Pastoral
• Classical
• Feudalism
• Patriarchy
• Colony
• Guild
• Southernization
• Conservative
• Hegemony
• Syncretism
• Constitution
• Ideology
• Sovereignty
• Consumerism
• Imperialism
• Utopian
• Deity
• Liberal
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BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
V. AP World History Assignment #2: Why Study History
The need for history in education gets lost often times in fact that it seems irrelevant in our present
world. Below is a collection of essays written about the reasons for teaching World History. You will
read TWO of the four of these essays about this subject and answer the following questions. Reading
this will have a twofold purpose. One, is of course centered around the title of the article, why study
history. The second, is beginning to analyze the source of the document and the reasons behind why it
was written. Access this these documents on the AP World History Assignment page. Include your
writing in your summer assignment notebook.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Bentley, Jerry – Why Study History
McNeill, William – Why Study History
Schlabach, Gerald – A Sense of History
University of North Carolina – Why Study History
Your assignment:
1. Read two of the essays. You may choose whichever.
2. Take notes and be ready to engage in a class discussion on the following material:
a. What is the author’s view of history? What evidence is used?
b. What are the differences and similarities between the two authors?
c. What should be the purpose of history?
d. Do you believe history has relevancy in your life?
VI. AP World History Assignment #3: Jared Diamond and the Neolithic Revolution
AP World History goes well beyond facts and memorization. It is centered around ‘thinking like a
historian’. A major part of that is analyzing sources, at the same time taking into account the historical
content that is being covered. The Neolithic Revolution is considered one of the seminal events in the
history of the human species. In a period of several thousand years, humans went from a largely
migratory species to an increasingly sedentary and agricultural society.
Historians record the facts of these events and analyze their importance. In this analysis, often times
historians will develop a thesis that portrays the event in either a positive light or negative one.
The article ‘The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race’ is such an example. Dr. Jared
Diamond is a Paleontology Scientist that has analyzed the Neolithic Revolution through his own
perspective. Read the article attached to the AP World Summer Assignment page and answer the
following questions. Include your answers in your summer assignment notebook.
(See Next Page for Assignment)
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BufordHighSchool–APWorldHistory–SummerAssignment2017
Your task is as follows.
1. Read Jared Diamond’s The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race
2. In the Discussions section of the course website, there is an opportunity to answer two of the
following question (question #1 being mandatory):
Question #1: What are Jared Diamond’s two most persuasive statements? Why?
Question #2: Many critics of Jared Diamond argue that he has had plenty of opportunity to join a
hunter-gatherer society and he has refused to. Should it influence our opinion of his argument if
he is not willing to live with the consequences of it?
Question #3: What should human beings and human societies want from their existence?
Student responses should be between 125-150 words each and can be either directed at the question of
the discussion or at other student responses.
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