AP World History Summer Assignment2018-2019 School Year

“Why do we have to do a summer assignment?” This is a commonly asked question within educational circles and groups of local high school students. The reason is NOT because we are trying to take away from your summer and burden you with a heavy workload. You must complete a summer assignment for two reasons… First, it keeps your mind active and thinking about history when you are away from school. We want you ready to go when you return on August 2. Second, AP World History covers 10,000 years of human history. That’s a lot of information to pack into the 8 months we will have together before you take the AP Exam on May 16, 2019. And believe or not, the first 6 chapters of our textbook will account for only 5% of the material on the AP Exam! So, we want to move through that material quickly at the start of school and get to the heart of the course.

The summer assignment is broken down into five tasks. That’s about one task every two weeks during the summer. Plan ahead and budget your time. You will need to submit the summer assignment on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, August 2, 2018. No late assignments will be accepted, unless a student registers after that date.

Unless otherwise noted, your summer assignment tasks should be handwritten and submitted in a binder or presentation folder. At our meeting before the summer break, I will show you some examples of acceptable folders. You might have questions during the summer. If you do, please email me at my school account (lgahr@tanq.org). I will be checking this account regularly, though it might still take a couple days for you to get a response. This entire summer assignment will also be available for download from my school webpage, should you accidentally misplace your copy.

Finally, let me say WELCOME TO AP WORLD HISTORY! You should be proud of yourself for choosing the more challenging path. You will be asked to work hard, but you will also gain wonderful experience that will serve you well in future endeavors. Competitive universities look at your transcripts to see if you have challenged yourself and opted for the most rigorous course load available at your high school. Have a great summer. Rest up, relax, manage your time, and be ready to hit the ground running in August. Remember, I will be right there with you. We’ll work hard together!

TASK 1: Why Study History?

Read “Why Study History?” by Peter Stearns. This article discusses why the study of history is essential to our society, and also how it can benefit you as a person making your way into your adult life. It may be accessed at:

http://www.fcps.edu/FairfaxHS/pdfs/summer2013/APWH_2013_2of3.pdf

If, for any reason, you are unable to access the link, you may simply perform a Google search for the article. Type in “Why Study History by Peter Stearns”, and multiple formats will appear. Be sure to choose one that includes the whole article, and not a review of the article by a third party.

Before you read any scholarly article with questions to follow, start by reading the questions FIRST! It’s always helpful to know what you should be looking for as you read. So, here are the questions…

1. What arguments does Mr. Stearns make to support the idea that it is beneficial for a society when its members study history? Please site specific evidence from the text.

2. In what ways does Mr. Stearns show the study of history to be beneficial to the individual, both on a personal level and in whichever career path he or she may choose? Please site specific evidence from the text.

Now, go ahead and read the article. Read slowly. Make sure you understand each paragraph before moving on to the next.

After you finish reading, answer the two questions above on a piece of notebook paper labeled “Task 1”. This will be the first entry in your Summer Assignment binder or folder.

TASK 2: Maps

You will be labeling and shading four maps. For maps 1 through 3, the information may be obtained in any atlas or on the internet. For map 4, you will need to use page 33 of the AP World History Course and Exam Description, which may be accessed at:

http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-world-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf

Familiarity with these locations and regions will be key to an underlying understanding of each unit as we begin. Be sure to WRITE NEATLY and COLOR NEATLY. I will not spend time trying to decipher crazy handwriting or labels scrawled all over the papers.

Map #1 = World Continents and OceansMap #2 = Western HemisphereMap #3 = Eastern HemisphereMap #4 = AP World History Regions (a closer look)

Please note that you will be tested on this material soon after school starts in the fall. Spend time with your maps this summer. Familiarize yourself with them. It will help you when you try to learn about different cultures, and how they interacted with each other throughout history.

When you finish all four maps, take them out of this packet and put them into your Summer Assignment binder or folder right behind Task 1.

Map #1: World Continents and Oceans

Label:

AfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustraliaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America

Arctic OceanAtlantic OceanIndian OceanPacific OceanSouthern Ocean

Color each continent a different color. Take care where you break Europe and Asia and Africa, because while these continents do “blend” into each other, there are clear borders between them, as decided upon by geographers and cartographers. We will discuss the concept of Eurasia and Afroeurasia at the start of school. For now, let’s blindly accept the notion of 7 continents on our planet!

Map #2: Western Hemisphere (Americas)

Label water bodies:

Caribbean SeaGulf of MexicoAtlantic OceanPacific OceanBering Strait

Draw and label rivers:

Amazon RiverMississippi RiverRio Grande River

Draw ∧∧∧∧∧∧∧ and label mountain ranges:

Andes MountainsSierra Madre MountainsAppalachian MountainsRocky Mountains

Label landforms:

Yucatan Peninsula

Map #3: Eastern Hemisphere

Label water bodies:

Adriatic SeaAegean SeaArabian SeaAtlantic OceanBaltic SeaBering StraitBlack SeaCaspian SeaEast China SeaIndian OceanMediterranean SeaNorth SeaPacific OceanPersian GulfRed SeaSea of JapanSouth China Sea

Draw ∧∧∧∧∧∧∧ and label mountain ranges:

AlpsAtlas MountainsHimalayasHindu KushUral Mountains

Draw and label rivers:

Congo RiverEuphrates RiverGanges RiverHuang He River (Yellow River)Indus RiverNiger RiverNile RiverRhine RiverTigris RiverYangtze River

Shade yellow and label deserts:

Arabian DesertGobi DesertKalahari DesertSahara Desert

Map #4: AP World History Regions (a closer look)

Shade and label regions (use striping or another pattern to indicate overlaps):

North AfricaWest AfricaEast AfricaCentral AfricaSouthern AfricaMiddle EastEast AsiaCentral Asia

South AsiaSoutheast AsiaLatin AmericaCaribbeanNorth AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeOceania

TASK 3: The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race

The Neolithic Revolution is also called the Agricultural Revolution. It is considered one of the pivotal 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 have often noted the fundamental and positive significance of the change from hunting and gathering to farming. However, some do not agree. In AP World History, you will develop your ability to question mainstream interpretations of history. Read “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race,” by Jared Diamond. Mr. Diamond is one historian who disagrees with the positive view many have about the Neolithic Revolution. He argues that not only was the shift to agriculture NOT a positive change, but that it led to many of society’s troubles that exist in the world even today.

Jared Diamond’s article may be accessed at:

http://www.ditext.com/diamond/mistake.html

But, once again…if the link does not work, you can always perform a Google search to find the article in any number of online locations.

After reading the article, write a response addressing the following prompt. This is an opportunity for me to see your writing skills, so be sure to form your thoughts well on paper. Use good conventions. Please keep your response to 250 words or less, and remember to handwrite!

Prompt: (Did you remember to read the prompt before reading the article? Good job!) What is Jared Diamond’s thesis in this article? Which evils of modern society does Mr. Diamond cite as evidence that the Neolithic Revolution was a negative event in the history of mankind? Please site specific evidence from the text.

TASK 4: World History Vocabulary

The following is a list of terms that will be used over and over throughout the course. They apply to many different cultures throughout history. It is important that you become familiar with their meanings, and that you learn to use them in your speaking and writing. Traditions and Encounters is a college-level text, so it does not have separate vocabulary sections the way some high school textbooks might. You will understand our reading and our class discussions much more easily if you are comfortable in the use of some academic terms used by historians as they study different cultures. For each term on this list, please use a dictionary or the internet to find a definition THAT BEST RELATES TO THE STUDY OF WORLD HISTORY. For instance, the term, “commercial,” has many definitions. Clearly, when studying world history, we don’t usually talk about commercials as paid advertisements on TV. A better definition for our purposes would be one that relates the term to commerce and business in various societies. Remember, as with the rest of this summer assignment, your definitions should be handwritten on notebook paper.

1. Absolutism2. Agrarian3. Aristocracy4. Bias5. Bureaucracy6. Capitalism7. Cash crop8. Chiefdom9. City-state10. Civilization11. Commercial12. Communism13. Coup d’etat14. Demography15. Economic16. Empire17. Epidemic18. Globalization19. Hegemony20. Infrastructure21. Kingdom

22. Merchant23. Monotheism24. Nation25. Neolithic26. Nobility27. Nomad28. Paleolithic29. Pandemic30. Papacy31. Pastoral32. Patriarchal33. Periodization34. Political35. Polytheism36. Prehistoric37. Rural38. Secular39. Serf40. Social41. Steppe42. Urban

TASK 5: Freeman-pedia for Period One

As previously mentioned, the AP World History course technically begins around 8000 BCE and covers the whole world up until today. That is a TON of material. Fortunately for us, the first several thousand years only account for a tiny fraction of the AP Exam in May. So, you are going to cover that period at home this summer. Then, we will be able to jump right in to Period Two at 600 BCE in August.

Freeman-pedia.com is a wonderful resource that we will be using throughout the year. It is constantly updated by an AP World History teacher from Virginia. You will need access to the internet, so plan ahead and do not wait until the last minute. If you don’t have internet access at home, or if you are going on a vacation to a remote island this summer, try to find some time when you can hit the local library and use the computers there.

The Freeman-pedia packet is attached here. You will need to detach the pages of this Task Five, restaple them, and include them in your folder/binder when you turn it in on August 2.

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________

AP World HistoryTask Five of Summer Assignment: Freeman-pedia Foundations Unit

Open the freeman-pedia website. You may do this by typing in the web address or by clicking the link on my webpage at tanq.org.

http://www.freeman-pedia.com/foundations-to-600-bce/

You will work through this webpage and answer the questions below. You will analyze maps, click links, and watch videos. And by doing all of this, you will develop a decent understanding of the life and times of people who lived prior to 600 BCE.

1. Look at the first map under the Geography heading.

a. Make a general statement supported by this map, regarding the locations where pastoral societies developed in the world.

b. Make a general statement supported by this map, regarding the correlation between the development of agriculture and the creation of the first foundational societies.

c. How do you think we know there was trans-regional trade between the Indus River Valley (Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa) and Mesopotamia?

2. Now look at the Time Grid. The word “contemporaries,” means people who exist at the same time as each other. Which civilizations would be considered contemporaries of the Shang Dynasty in China?

3. Key Concept 1.1:

a. Click on the words “gradually migrated from their origin…”. Read through the article that pops up. Also watch the animation that uses maps to show human migration over time. Then, please summarize briefly the main idea of the “Out of Africa” theory of evolution.

4. Key Concept 1.2:

a. Read the italicized explanation of Key Concept 1.2. In what ways did the human development of agriculture dramatically impact the environment?

b. In that same paragraph, reread the last sentence regarding the role of pastoralist communities. Restate this sentence in your own words.

c. Watch the Crash Course World History video on the Agricultural Revolution, and answer the following questions:

According to John Green, why did people settle near the shore?

What were some advantages of agriculture?

What were some disadvantages of agriculture?

Do you agree with John Green’s statement that the greatest evolutionary advantage and animal can have is being useful to humans? Why or why not?

What point is John Green making with his statement that the definition of “savage” tends to be “not me”?

d. How would surplus food supplies lead to specialization of labor and the development of distinct social classes?

5. Key Concept 1.3:

a. What were some social, political, and economic characteristics that the earliest civilizations had in common with one another?

b. Watch the Crash Course World History video on Mesopotamia, and answer the following questions:

What does the word “Mesopotamia” mean?

Describe the connection between the natural environment and the way Mesopotamians viewed the personalities of their gods.

Describe the power holders in Mesopotamia? Who had the most power at first, and why? Then, how did that change?

As with most early writing systems, Mesopotamian cuneiform was first used for what purpose?

For what creation is the Mesopotamian king, Hammurabi, most remembered?

In studying the first empire, that of the Assyrians, we see that empires are difficult to unify…why?

c. Watch the Crash Course World History video on Egypt, and answer the following questions:

In contrast to the decidedly pessimistic view of religion and afterlife in Mesopotamia, describe the natural environment of the Nile Valley and its impact on Egyptian beliefs.

In the study of history, how does the presence of monumental architecture (like pyramids) relate to our assumptions regarding the social/political control in a society ?

Who was Hatshepsut, and what does the video tell you about her?

Who was Akhenaten, and what does the video tell you about him?

d. Continuing on from the videos, how did access to natural resources play a role in state expansion?

e. Monumental architecture in Egypt took the form of pyramids and statues and temples. What do we call the most famous examples of monumental architecture in Mesopotamia?

f. Read about the Code of Hammurabi. (click on the link) How did social status relate to punishments under this code of law?

g. What is depicted in most of the Lascaux Cave Paintings, and what can historians surmise about this time and place based on the art?

h. Who built the Ziggurat of Ur, and for what purpose?

i. What were oracle bones, and what was their purpose?