AP WORLD HISTORY

THE FIVE THEMES

DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIAL STRUCTURES

Gender roles and relationsFamily and kinshipRacial and ethnic constructionsSocial and economic classes

*** This theme is about relations among human beings. All human societies develop ways of grouping their members, as well as norms that govern interaction between individuals and social groups.

Social Classes

Foot Binding in China

STATE BUILDING, EXPANSION, AND CONFLICT (Political)

Political structures and forms of governanceEmpiresNations and NationalismRevolts and RevolutionsRegional, transregional, and global structures and organizations

*** This theme encourages the comparative study of different state forms (city-states, kingdoms, empires, and nation-states)

City-States

Alexander the Great’s Empire

INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Demography and disease

Migration

Patterns of settlement

*** Focuses on how the environment shaped human societies, but also how human societies have affected the environment.

The Peopling of the Earth

The Black Death

Global Warming

DEVELOPMENT AND INTERACTION OF CULTURES

ReligionsBelief systems, philosophies, and ideologiesScience and technologyThe arts and architecture

***Relates to how the study of the dominant belief system (s) or religions, philosophical interests, and technical and artistic approaches can reveal how major groups in society view themselves and others, and how they respond to multiple challenges.

World Religions

Architecture

Technology

Art

CREATION, EXPANSION, AND INTERACTION OF ECONOMIC SYSYTEMS

Agricultural and pastoral productionTrade and commerceLabor systemsIndustrializationCapitalism and Socialism

*** This theme surveys the diverse patterns and systems that human societies have developed as they exploit their environments to produce, distribute, and consume desired goods and services across time and space.

Indian Ocean Trade

Communism

Atlantic Slave Trade

WHAT DOES THAT SPELL?

Social

Political

Interaction

Cultural

Economic