Download File - AP World History (WHAP)

Assignments
A.P. World History
Unit 3: The Postclassical Era
1) Introduction
 Pages 120-115 (Reading Assignment #7)
1) What were the major events of the Postclassical Era?
2) What were the overarching developments (or basic characteristics) of the Postclassical Era?
3) How did the basic characteristics of the Postclassical Era effect leading world history themes?
2) The Rise of Islam
 Pages 126-138 (Reading Assign. #1); handout – The Qur’an, video – Crash Course in World History,
Episode #13
1) Vocabulary: Islam, Muslims, Muhammad, Quran, caliph,
2) What were the attractions of Islam?
3) What are the five pillars of Islam?
4) What motivated Arab conquests? What factors made these conquests possible? What areas were
conquered?
5) Why was there a split amongst Muslims beginning in 660 A.D.? What are the two groups called?
How do they differ?
3) The Islamic Caliphate or Arab Empire
 Pages 138-142 (Reading Assign. #2)
1) Vocabulary: dhimmis
2) What were Arab policies towards dhimmis?
3) How did Islam initially effect the position of Arab women? How and why did this change?
4) How did the Arab Empire change in the following areas during the early Abbasid era?
a) politics
b) religion
c) society and economics
5) What contributions were made by artists and scholars during the early Abbasid era?
 Handout – The Islamic World
6) According to Albert Hourani, what were the characteristics of the Islamic World?
4) The Decline and Fall of the Abbasid Empire

Pages 150-160 (Reading Assign. #3)
1) Summarize the factors which brought about the decline of the Abbasid empire.
2) How did the position of women change during the later part of the Abbasid era?
3) What, in general, was the economic situation in the Abbasid Empire during its later stages? Who
were its trading partners?
4) Summarize achievements made in the arts and sciences during the later part of the Abbasid era.
5) What effect did the Suffis have upon Islam?
5) The Spread of Islamic Civilization to South and Southeast Asia

Pages 160-170 (Reading Assign. # 4)
1) How do Islam and Hinduism differ from one another?
2) How did Islamic Civilization spread to south Asia? What effects did it have?
3) How was Islamic Civilization effected by Indian Civilization?
4) How did Islam spread to island southeast Asia? What effects did it have?
 Handout – Islam in India
5) How did Hinduism and Islam influence each other?
6) Northern and Western Subsaharan African Civilizations

Pages 172-184 (Reading Assign. #5), video – Crash Course in World History, Episode #16
1) Describe the animistic religion that characterized much of Africa.
2) What were the attractions of Islam in Africa?
3) What Christian kingdoms existed in north Africa during the postclassical era?
4) How did Islam spread across the Sahara? What effects did it have? (pp. 174-175 and 181-182)
5) What were the major Sudanic states? What elements did they have in common?

Handout – A Muslim’s view of the African Kingdom of Mali
6) Who was Ibn Battuta? How did the Kingdom of Mali differ from other places that he had visited?
7) Central and Eastern Subsaharan African Civilizations

Pages 184-192 (Reading Assign. # 6)
1) Characterize the cities of the Swahili coast.
2) Describe the impact of Islam on the Swahili coast.
3) A) Where were the Bantu peoples originally from? B) What kingdoms did they establish in Central
Africa?
4) Describe the Great Zimbabwe
8) Prepare for a quiz on all of the above. (Ch. 6-8)
9) The Byzantine Empire

Pages 194-203 (Reading Assign. # 8)
1) Describe the origins of the Byzantine Empire. How did it differ from the Roman Empire?
2) How did the rise of the Arabs effect the Byzantine Empire?
3) How was the political system of the Byzantine Empire similar to that of China?
4) Why did Christianity split in 1054? How did it split?
5) Describe the decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire. Why is this an important event in world history?
10) The Spread of Civilization to Northeastern Europe

Pages 203-208 (Reading Assign. # 9)
1) How did Christianity spread through the Balkans and southern Russia?
2) Describe the migration of the Slavs into Eastern Europe.
3) How did contact develop between Scandinavia and the Byzantine Empire?
4) Describe the emergence of Kievan Rus’. How was it influenced by the Byzantine Empire?
11) West European Civilization, 476 CE – 1000 CE

Pages 210-217 (Reading Assign. #10), handout – Mohammed and Charlemagne: The Beginnings of
Medieval Civilization, video – Crash Course in World History, Episode #14
1) How do developments in Western civilization during the Middle Ages reflect the larger themes of
postclassical world history?
2) What problems did western Europe face from about 550 to about 900?
3) According to Pirenne, why did the Middle Ages begin between 650 C.E. and 750 C.E. instead of during
the 5th century C.E. as earlier historians had argued?
4) Describe the manorial system.
5) Describe west European feudalism.
12) West European Civilization, 1000 CE - 1450 CE #1
 Pages 217-224 (Reading Assign. #11)
1) What developments strengthened Western society beginning in the 9 th century?
 Pages 222-223
2) What were the Crusades? Why were they important?
 handout – The Opening of the Crusades
3) Why did Pope Urban II call for a Crusade?
 Pages 150-152
4) What impact did the Crusades have upon western Europe?
 Pages 223-232
5) How were west European thinkers influenced by Arab thinkers?
6) How did Europe change economically in the late Middle Ages?
13) West European Civilization, 1000 CE – 1450 CE #2
 Pages 224-232 (Reading Assign. #12)
1) How did kings use feudalism to build their own power?
2) How was the power of west European monarchs limited?
 Pages 232-236, Describe the role of women in Europe during the late Middle Ages.
3) What were the causes of change in Western civilization after about 1300? How did it change?
 Handout – The Decameron: The Plague in Florence
4) What are the strengths and weaknesses of this source as evidence regarding the plague?
5) According to Boccaccio, what were the possible causes of the plague? How did it spread? How did
people react to it?
 Handout - A Psychological Perspective of the Black Death
6) How does the field of psychology help historians to understand the way people behaved during the
Black Death?
15) Quiz on Ch. 9 & 10
16) The Maya

Read the handout entitled The Maya: Writing and Warfare
1) Describe the following aspects of Maya civilization:
a) location
b) cultural achievements
c) technological innovations
d) political system
e) decline

Handout – Did Environmental Factors Cause the Collapse of Maya Civilization? (Pages 136-151)
2) According to Drew, what factors were primarily responsible for the collapse of Maya civilization? Why?
What does Sheets emphasize? Why? Who do you agree with? Explain
17) The Aztec Empire

Pages 234-244 (Reading Assign. #13), handout – Memoirs: The Aztecs
1) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the above memoirs as a source of evidence regarding the
Aztecs?
2) Describe the Aztec rise to power.
3) Describe the following aspects of the Aztec Empire (include change over time):
a) political system
b) religion
c) economic system
d) social system (including the role of women)
18) The Inca Empire
 Pages 244-254 (Reading Assign. #14), handout – The Chronicle of Peru: The Incas
1) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the above chronicle as a source of evidence regarding the
Incas?
2) Describe the Inca rise to power.
3) Describe the following aspects of the Inca Empire:
a) political system
b) religion
c) economic and social system
4) Describe the cultural achievements of the Incas.
5) Compare the Aztecs and the Incas.
*Quiz Ch. 11
19) The Rise of the Tang and Song Dynasties in China
 Pages 256-267 (Reading Assign. #15)
1) How were the core areas of China reunited in the 6th Century?
2) What political changes did the Tang dynasty make in China?
3) How did Buddhism grow in China after the fall of the Han Dynasty? How and why was it weakened
during the late Tang era?
4) How did China change politically and intellectually during the Song Dynasty?
5) What effect did northern nomads have on China during the Song Dynasty?
20) Chinese Civilization During the Tang and Song Dynasties
 Pages 267-276 (Reading Assign. #16)
1) What were the purposes of the Grand Canal? Why was it important?
2) Describe the changes in Chinese civilization which occurred in the following areas during the Tang
and Song era:
a) commerce
b) cities
c) the position of women
d) science and technology
e) art and literature
3) Describe the practice of footbinding.
21) Japan During the Postclassical Era
 Pages 278-290 (Reading Assign. #17)
1) How was Japan influenced by China during the Postclassical Era? What factors limited this influence?
2) Why did the power of the emperor decline from the 9th Century to the 12th Century? Describe the
feudal system that developed as a result.
3) Compare the Japanese feudal system to the West European feudal system.
22) China’s Influence and Its Limits: Korea and Vietnam
 Pages 290-300 (Reading Assign. #18)
1) How did China influence Korea? What were the limits of this influence?
2) How did China influence Vietnam? What were the limits of this influence?
23) Quiz on Ch. 12 & 13
24) The Mongol Impact Upon Europe and the Islamic World
 Pages 302-315 (Reading Assign. #19)
1. How, in general, did nomadic invasions effect civilization from the classical to the postclassical eras?
Why were they successful? Why did this change?
 handout – Were the Barbarians a Negative or Positive Factor in Ancient and Medieval History?
2. According to Guzman, why have most histories of the barbarians made them look bad? What positive
contributions does he say that they made? Do you agree or disagree?

Video – Crash Course in World History, Episode #17
1. Who was Chinggis Khan? Why is he important?
2. What were the strengths of the Mongol armies? How did they treat those who resisted them?
3. What areas did the Mongols conquer? What impact did they have on each of these areas?
25) The Mongol Impact Upon China
 Pages 315-322 (Reading Assign. #20)
 How did Mongol rule effect China in the following areas?
1) government
2) social structure
3) foreign cultural influences
4) social policies
26) The Changing World Balance
 Pages 324-332 (Reading Assign. #21)
1) What were the international effects of the decline of the Islamic caliphate?
2) How did the Ming dynasty in China encourage international trade? Why did they stop?
3) What factors made Western expansion possible?
4) Where did Polynesians migrate to during the Postclassical Era? What effects did they have on these
areas?

Handouts – Did China’s Worldview Cause the Abrupt End of Its Voyages of Exploration?
5) According to Kristof, why did China stop its maritime ventures? According to Swanson, why did they
stop? Who do you agree with? Explain.
27) Complete the periodization assignment for Unit 3. Details will be handed out in class.
28) Read 332-338 (Reading Assign. #22)
29) Prepare for an exam on all of Period 3.