Download AP World History Assignments

Dear Students and Parents,
Welcome to AP World History 2016-17!
This is an exciting and enlightening journey that we hope will prepare our tenth graders to be thoughtful and
engaged global citizens. Here are answers to some of the (surely many!) questions you have in anticipation of next
year. Please note: there are required summer assignments at the end of this letter.
Philosophy of AP World History
According to the College Board, “The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding
of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This
understanding is achieved through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills.”
Note that APWH stresses both “selective factual knowledge” and “appropriate analytical skills.” Why not just one
or the other? Factual knowledge alone would create a course that is little more than rote memorization of facts,
without necessarily any real understanding or interpretation of those facts. Given that an AP course should be the
same difficulty as a college-level course, AP students are required to demonstrate college-level thinking skills,
which is how the “appropriate analytical skills” fits in. Only when you combine the “selective factual knowledge”
and the “appropriate analytical skills” do you have the necessary ingredients for an AP course. So, history is part
fact and part interpretation. Memorizing facts is relatively easy. Learning to interpret facts is much more difficult.
The Development Committee calls these thinking skills “Historical Thinking Skills” and includes skills such as,
crafting historical arguments, chronological reasoning, comparison and contrast, historical interpretation and
synthesis.
Themes, or “What does world history study?”
The Historical Thinking Skills answer the question of “How should world history be studied?” The next question is,
“What should world history study?” AP World History categorizes historical knowledge by Themes. Rather than try
to create a list of all historical facts, APWH defines Themes that help you see the patterns referred to by the
Historical Thinking Skills. Each of these themes is equally important, that is, they will be tested equally on the
exam. The themes include: Human interaction with the environment, the development and interaction of
cultures, state building, economic systems and interactions, and the development of social structures.
Periodization, the “When”
Learning and remembering the hundreds of names, places, and events in world history can seem a daunting task.
One way to help make the task easier is to organize all historical content into different chronological eras, called
“periods.” The process of organizing is thus called “periodization.” AP World History divides history into five
different periods, with each period being equally emphasized in the APWH course.
Obviously, we will have a lot to do next school year! In addition to the factual knowledge and the
analytical thinking skills required of this course, we will also need to prepare to write essays and short
answer questions.
As a result, we decided that this year’s summer assignment will be to read part of Chapter 1 (most of
Chapter 1 material is too early for the range of years on the AP World History test) and to read and
complete some activities pertaining to all of Chapters 2 and 3. These topics consist of 5% of the AP
World History exam that you will be taking on May 11th, 2017 at 7:30 AM. By getting a jump start, we
will have more time together in class to delve into the vast array of AP World History. Before you leave
for the school year, you will need to go to the East Media Center to check out our AP textbook, Ways of
the World by Robert W. Strayer. Also, please make sure you leave our meetings with 5 things:
1. This letter
2. Chapter 1 Overview
3. Chapter 2 Notes
4. Chapter 3 Notes
5. Reflection of Chapters 2 and 3
All assignments will be collected on the first day of school. You can also expect a quiz on the first day of
school on the material you read this summer. The rigor of this quiz will be on par with the rigor you can
expect all year. One piece of advice we hear continually from students who have been successful both
in class and on the exam is to READ THE BOOK! There is no better advice we can offer you. Skimming,
searching and other attempts to “fake it” just never seem to replace the value of deep reading each and
every topic. Please consider the note packets to be helps rather than hindrances in your reading. We
spent a great deal of time creating them in order to help you process the most important information in
each chapter. Every section is broken down by main topic and summary question. The best way to
ensure you understood what you just read is to attempt to answer each section’s question without
looking back at the text. Also, don’t simply copy the textbook into your packets. By putting the
definitions and summaries into your own words, you are operating at a higher learning level than mere
copying. You’re also more likely to remember what you read and wrote that way!
One Last Comment: Though this course is designed to help prepare you for success in world history
class and of course on the national AP Exam, we think the most valuable aspect of this course is that you
will learn a lot about the history of the world, thus enabling you to become a better, more educated
global citizen capable of making intelligent and thoughtful decisions.
We look forward to a great year!
Ms. Heino and Mr. Ripken
Name_____________________
Chapter 1 –First Peoples: Populating the Planet, to 10,000 BCE
(Pages 12-24 only)
1.
What was the timeframe and sequence of human migration across the planet?
2. In what ways did a gathering and hunting economy shape social aspects of Paleolithic
societies? What does Paleolithic mean?
3.
In what ways did humans adapt to and interact with their environment?
4.
Why did some Paleolithic peoples abandon earlier, more nomadic ways and begin to live a
more settled life?
CHAPTER 2:
First Farmers: The Revolutions of Agriculture,
10,000 b.c.e.–3000 b.c.e.
(Hints: Use Bullet points to explain key concepts under each header. If you feel like you can explain the
importance of the section in your own words, you are doing well.)
Why does Dr. Strayer start with the story of Monowi, Nebraska? The beginnings of what epic process
represent the central part of this chapter?
The Agricultural Revolution in World History
Neolithic
Transformation of human life
Relationship with other living things
Relationship with the environment
Domestication
Intensification
Comparing Agricultural Beginnings
Separate and Independent
Locations
Timespan
Common Patterns
Last Ice Age
Migration
Extinction
Climate Change
“Broad spectrum diet”
Gender roles
Permanent villages
Experimentation and innovation
Pressures and incentives
Technology
Domesticable plants
Domesticable animals
What accounts for the emergence of agriculture after countless millennia of human life without it?
Variations
Fertile Crescent:
Climate
Characteristics
Crops and animals
Fragility
Africa:
Vegetation
Animals and crops
Why less productive agriculture?
The Americas:
Separate domestication
Large mammals/compare to Eastern Hemisphere
Cereal grains/compare to Eastern Hemisphere
Teosinte
North/South orientation
East/west axis of Eurasia
In what different ways did the Agricultural Revolution take shape in various parts of the world?
The Globalization of Agriculture
Diffusion
Slow colonization/migration
Triumph and Resistance
Language
Indo-European
Bantu
Austronesian
Prolonged process
Exceptions
Reasons for remaining hunter/gatherers
Progress?
In what ways did agriculture spread? Where and why was it sometimes resisted?
The Culture of Agriculture
Increased population
Larger communities
Deterioration in health
Famine/other catastrophes
Constraints
Banpo
Technological innovation
Metallurgy
“Secondary Products Revolution”
Impact on the environment
What was revolutionary about the Agricultural Revolution?
Social Variation in the Age of Agriculture
Pastoral Societies
Regions difficult for farming/specific locations
Animal husbandry/types of animals
Mobility
Central Asia/clans/tribes
Deserts
Grasslands south of the Sahara
The Americas
Relationship with farmers
Cain and Abel
Peaceful exchange
Agricultural Village Societies
Equality and freedom
Catalhuyuk/size/location
Social/gender equality
Kinship groups/lineages
Government/politics
Some inequalities/warfare
“Stateless societies”/characteristics
Chiefdoms
Inherited positions
Obedience
Mesopotamia/Tigris-Euphrates river valley
Pacific islands
Roles of the chief
Tribute
North America
Elite and commoner
How did chiefdoms differ from stateless agricultural village societies?
Reflections: The Legacies of Agriculture
What are some positives and negatives of the agricultural revolution? In your opinion, which are
stronger…the positives or the negatives? Why?
Replicate the maps on pages 54, 58-59, and 60
First Civilizations:
Cities, States and Unequal Societies
Chapter 3
Something New: The Emergence of Civilization How has the urge to “escape civilization” long been a
central feature of modern life? What does the term civilization represent when used by historians?
Replicate the map on pages 88-89. Include civilizations and cities, esp. Giza, Ur, Babylon, Ninevah,
Anyang, Mohenjo-Daro, and Harappa
Something New: The Emergence of Civilizations
Global Phenomenon/six major locations
Expansion
Introducing the First Civilizations: (List location, timeframe, primary characteristics for each of the 6)
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Norte Chico
Indus Valley
China
Olmec
Smaller civilizations
The Question of Origins
Arguments
Agricultural Revolution
Chiefdoms
“Something Else” (examples)
Unconscious undertaking
Different kind of human society/similarities among the early civilizations
What accounts for the initial breakthroughs to civilization?
An Urban Revolution
Uruk/ziggurat
Epic of Gilgamesh
Mohenjo Daro and Harappa
Teotihuacan
Common Features
What was the role of cities in the early civilizations?
The Erosion of Equality
Specialization of work
Hierarchies of Class
Inequality
Hierarchy/Upper Classes
Code of Hammurabi
Free commoners
Slaves
Variations in slavery (How was ancient slavery different from slavery in U.S. History?)
In what ways was social inequality expressed in early civilizations?
Hierarchies of Gender
Horticultural societies
Respect, equality, figurines
Patriarchy
Animal-drawn plows/large herds
Growing population
“Specialists”
Culture vs Nature
Warfare
In what ways have historians tried to explain the origins of patriarchy?
Patriarchy in Practice
Written laws
Female Sexuality/Divorce/Rape
Respectable/non-respectable women
Goddesses/gods
Differences in patriarchal societies
How did Egyptian and Mesopotamian patriarchy differ?
The Rise of the State
Kings
A recent invention
Coercion and Consent
Need for organization
Upper classes
Taxes/Force
Kingship and the gods
Roles of religion
Writing and Accounting
Power of writing
Quipu
Literacy
Accounting
A “Wild card”
Use the snapshot on page 101 to complete this information…
Location
Sumer
Egypt
Andes
Type and Example
Initial Use
Comment
Indus River
Valley
China
Olmec
The Grandeur of Kings
Lavish lifestyles
Human sacrifice
Monumental architecture
Mesoamerican hallmarks
What were the sources of state authority in the First Civilizations?
Comparing Mesopotamia and Egypt
Common features
Environment and Culture
Characteristics of the Nile
Characteristics of the Tigris and Euphrates
Other Environmental differences
Differences in literature
Different outlooks on the world
Sumer and the environment
Egyptian continuity
Cities and States
Mesopotamian city-states
Akkadians/Babylonians/Assyrians
Egyptian political longevity
Egyptian pharaoh
In what ways did Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations differ from one another?
Cities and States
Evidence of interaction
Long-distance trade
The Hebrews/Yahweh
The Phoenicians
Nubia
Minoan Civilization
Pastoral peoples/chariot technology
Bronze metallurgy
Egyptian Empire/International political system
In what ways were Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations shaped by their interactions with near and
distant neighbors?
Reflections: “Civilizations”: What’s in a Word? Why are there reservations about using the term,
“civilization?” What do you think, were these civilizations really civilized? Is this an example of progress
in world history?
Reflection Assignment
Imagine you are a hunter-gatherer. You have been presented with the following options for your future:
1. Remain a hunter-gatherer
2. Choose to join one of the 6 Civilizations presented in Chapter 3
Use this sheet to organize your thoughts…
Remain a hunter-gatherer
Benefits
Drawbacks
Mesopotamian Civilization
Benefits
Drawbacks
Egyptian Civilization
Benefits
Drawbacks
Indus Valley Civilization
Benefits
Drawbacks
Shang Dynasty China
Benefits
Drawbacks
Olmec Civilization
Benefits
Drawbacks
Norte Chico Civilization
Benefits
Drawbacks
Now that you’ve weighed the pros and cons of all four options, please complete a written reflection of
your decision. Be sure to acknowledge what you are gaining with the choice you have made, but also
what you might be losing. Also, acknowledge at least one aspect of each of the other options, and the
most crucial aspect of each that led you make your lifestyle choice. Please attach your paper to this
sheet. Due on the first day of school.