Download AP World History Summer Reading Assignment BETA 2016

AP World History
Summer Reading Assignment
BETA 2016-2017
Dear Student,
I am delighted that you have chosen to commit to this rigorous course. You will be
working diligently in AP World History, perhaps more than ever before. You will study the
history of the human race and how humankind developed over time and will encompass the
study of philosophy, art, literature, and political history. This is an Advanced Placement (AP)
course and it will incorporate college level material and exams. You will be expected to take on
a course of this intensity while preparing yourself for the AP World History exam in May.
In order to prepare for the coming year, you are required to read Guns, Germs, and
Steel: The Fate of Human Societies by Jared Diamond. You can order the book at Barnes and
Noble or online at amazon.com or half.com or any other venue you choose. A book in new
condition costs approximately $12 and a used edition will be cheaper. Any edition is
acceptable. You can also order the audiobook if you like. If there is a reason you are unable to
purchase the book please email me by July and I will help you locate a copy. Also, many of the
public libraries have several copies.
On the next page you will find detailed instructions on the assignment. Be sure to follow
all directions. You will turn in the assignment in two formats: printed and electronically. The
printed copy is due the first A day or B day I have you, while the electronic version will be
uploaded to Blackboard to check for plagiarism. Do not lose your electronic file as you will
have to retype it. Expect questions over the book on your first exam, plus writing assignments
and discussions throughout the year.
Please email me with any questions: [email protected]
Thank you,
Cindy O’campo
Guns, Germs, and Steel Summer Reading Assignment
Due Dates: A typed, printed copy is due the first class I have you. You will upload an electronic copy to Blackboard the
first week of school. It is imperative that you do not lose your electronic file so save it in multiple places. Failure to
upload will result in a zero on your printed copy.
Plagiarism: All forms of plagiarism are not allowed including copying and pasting from the internet and presenting other
student’s work as your own. I use Turnitin, which is a tool that matches your work to the internet and other student’s
papers. Plagiarism is an automatic zero. The best way to prevent plagiarism is to write your summaries without looking
at the book or at the internet. This will also help you learn the information.
Chapters Required: Only read the prologue and chapters 1 through 14.
Prologue. Yali's question: The regionally differing courses of history
1. From Eden to Cajamarca. Up to the starting line: What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.?
2. A natural experiment of history: How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands
3. Collision at Cajamarca: Why the Inca emperor Atahualpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain
4. The rise and spread of food production. Farmer power: The roots of guns, germs, and steel
5. History's haves and have-nots: Geographic differences in the onset of food production
6. To farm or not to farm: Causes of the spread of food production
7. How to make an almond: The unconscious development of ancient crops
8. Apples or Indians: Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants?
9. Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle: Why were most big wild mammal species never
domesticated?
10. Spacious skies and tilted axes: Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents?
11. From food to guns, germs, and steel. Lethal gift of livestock: The evolution of germs
12. Blueprints and borrowed letters: The evolution of writing
13. Necessity's mother: The evolution of technology
14. From egalitarianism to kleptocracy: The evolution of government and religion
Instructions: After reading each required chapter of Guns, Germs, and Steel type an 8-10 sentence summary plus 1
question you have after reading or 1 question you would like to discuss in class. Please type the question right after each
summary. Be sure to use complete sentences and do not write using first person point of view. Since there are 14
chapters plus the prologue you will turn in 15 summaries and 15 questions. Use only 12 point Times New Roman font,
normal 1 inch margins, and double space. Create a cover sheet for your folder.
Cover sheet template:
Guns, Germs, and Steel:
The Fate of Human
Societies Summaries and
Questions
Full Name
ID #
Organization: In a plastic folder with brads first add the cover sheet, followed by the 15 summaries and questions. Do
not use sheet protectors or a binder. Add bold titles for each chapter and page numbers.
Grading: Each summary is worth 6 points and each question is worth 1 point, which is a maximum grade of a 105. This
grade will count as an exam grade so it is vital to complete it. Late assignments are an automatic 50.