WELCOME TO AP WORLD HISTORY

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1 WELCOME TO AP WORLD HISTORY This AP World History course provided each student an opportunity to journey through history as would as historian. It will guide students through the steps an historian would take in analyzing events and evidence. The journey includes acquiring factual knowledge and analytical skills regarding the evolution of global processes, encounters and interactions within time and place. The course emphasis on a balanced global coverage, interpretive issues, and historical evidence allows for a rich learning journey. The general outline of the AP World History course, in terms of content covered and skills developed, are shaped by the Six Themes and the Habit of Mind that are outlined in the Course Description provided by the College Board. The Themes provide journey milestones for study and analysis. The Habits of Mind foster critical thinking and encourage students to develop their own abilities and to truly be part of the learning process. We will use the following AP World History themes throughout the course to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time: The Six AP World History Themes 1. The relationship of change and continuity from 8,000 B.C.E. to the present. 2. Impact of interaction among and within major societies. 3. Impact of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment. 4. Systems of social structure and gender structure. 5. Cultural, religious, and intellectual developments. 6. Changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities, including the emergence of the nationstate.

2 AP World History Habits of Mind: 1. Construct and evaluate arguments: use evidence to make plausible arguments. 2. Use documents and other primary data: develop the skills to analyze points of view, context, and bias, and to understand and interpret information. 3. Develop the ability of assessing issues of change and continuity over time. 4. Understand different interpretations of times and events through analysis of context, point of view, and frame of reference. 5. See global patterns over time and space, while also acquiring the ability to connect local developments to global ones, and to move through levels of generalizations from the global to the particular. 6. Develop the ability to compare within and among societies, including the ability to compare societies reactions to global processes. 7. Develop the ability to assess claims of universal standards, yet, remain aware of human commonalities and differences; put culturally diverse ideas and values into historical context; not suspend judgment, but develop understanding. One goal for the course is to provide an engaging and rigorous curriculum that motivates students. The long-term objective is for students to demonstrate an understanding of how the big picture of world history assists us in understanding the complexities of today s global arena. AP World History is a college-level course taken in high school. It gives students the opportunity to challenge themselves and the possibility of earning college credit. The content of the course is determined by a committee of historians, college professors, and secondary teachers working in collaboration. The AP exam which is given in May each year, measures the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course.

3 Please Note: It is understood that all students electing to take this course will take the Advanced Placement Exam in World History. Ms. Daryl Fried

4 AP World History Summer Assignment Welcome to AP World History! I am looking forward to our time together next year. You have the choice to read one of two books, both by Tom Standage. The first is the History of the World in Six Glasses and the second is An Edible History of Humanity. The written assignments for both are below. The summer assignment is due August 1, 2012 either it to me or drop it by Concord High School and ask the secretary to put it in my mailbox. Have a great summer and happy reading! -Ms. Fried, AP World History World History AP Summer Assignment Choose ONE Book to Read Your summer assignment is based on either of the books, A History of the World in 6 Glasses Or An Edible History of Humanity, both by Tom Standage. These books are available in paperback at local bookstores such as Barnes and Noble (and if they don t have any copies on the shelf they can order a copy for you), and online at Amazon. You can also try used book sites such as the Advanced Book Exchange ( which has books at very low prices. While it might be preferable to have your own copy to underline or highlight, you may check your local library to find a copy. Do not leave it until the last week of the vacation to try to get a copy and do the assignment! AP World History will require you to use your time wisely as no class you have ever taken before has done. Get off on the right track by planning ahead with this assignment. For this assignment, you will need to read the book and do the following tasks. Your work MUST be typed, double-spaced in a standard font such as Times New Roman, font size no smaller than 12. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!! Any copying from online book reviews or other internet sites, or from fellow students will result in a zero for the assignment. This work must be in your own words! 6 Glasses is a book which takes an innovative approach to world history. The author examines the growth of world civilizations through the development of the beverages that people consumed throughout historical time periods. These are (in chronological order): beer, wine,spirits, coffee, tea and coca-cola. The use of this book as a summer reading assignment in no way represents any endorsement by the teachers of Concord High School of the use or misuse of any of these beverages, alcoholic, caffeinated or otherwise. The book merely offers an innovative and (hopefully) interesting perspective to initiate our year-long discussion of world history. Our purpose in reading the book is to get a sense of how civilizations and cultures develop and how various forces (political, technological, economic, social, religious, cultural, ecological) all affect even the most ordinary aspects of people s daily lives. When you are drinking a coke on a hot day this summer, it is not an accident. There are historical forces at work that have put that can of coke in your hand. This book explores those forces. History of the World in Six Glasses Your Assignment must be typed. Section I - Summaries:

5 For each of the six beverages, and for the epilogue, write a ½ page summary of the author s main points. Explain when, where, why and how that beverage became important and what effect it had on world history. Give specific examples of how the beverage affected history. Section II - Answer the following questions in a couple of sentences each: 1. How might beer have influenced the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural-based societies? 2. What opportunities associated with wine drinking did men have in ancient Greece that women did not? 3. Why was wine adopted as a ritual drink in Christianity, but Islam prohibited the use of alcohol? 4. Describe coffee s effect on the balance of power between various regions of the world. 5. Why was tea important to China s economy and its relationships with other countries? 6. How did tea change history in India? 7. How did coca-cola become the world s most recognized product? 8. How does coca-cola affect, and how is it affected by, people s views of the United States? Section III - Answer these questions in a paragraph each. 9. One criticism of this book is that the author focuses too much on Europe and not on other parts of the world. Do you agree or disagree with this criticism? Which parts of the world do not receive much attention in this book? 10. Do you think that Standage adequately addresses the dangers of alcohol in this book? Should he put more emphasis on the negative consequences of drinking the beverages he discusses? 11. What do you think of Standage s approach to history? Is this a useful way to think about history? What other approaches might one take? 12. Did you like this book? Why or why not? ******Alternate Book Choice Tom Standage s An Edible History of Humanity Your assignment must be typed. For those students who would rather read about food instead of beverages, Mr. Standage has a newly published book tracing the development of world civilizations based on the foods that impacted civilizations, trade, economics, etc. Below is the assignment to accompany that book. Section I Summaries:

6 For each of the six parts (Parts I thru VI) and for the epilogue, write a ½ page summary of the author s main points. Explain the when, where, how, and why certain foods changed human existence. Give specific examples of how food affected history. Section II Answer the following questions in a couple of sentences each: 1. Using maize as the example, describe the process in which man transformed wild grains into domesticated ones. 2. In what ways was farming the worst mistake in the history of the human race? 3. How does the development of monumental architecture, such as pyramids and temples, show evidence of social stratification in early civilizations and how does food fit into those systems of social order? 4. Why might Arabs have created myths about the locations and production of spices? 5. Explain what is meant when the book states that the pursuit of spices is the third way in which food remade the world 6. How did the Columbian Exchange alter the demographics of Eurasia? Africa? 7. Explain the pros and cons of ethanol. 8. What was Nicolas Appert s discovery? What were its long term effects on naval and military activities? 9. What is the explanation for why famine has never struck a nation with both a free press and a representative democracy? 10. Describe the Green Revolution. What are the plusses and minuses of it? 11. What is the connection between agricultural production and industrialization in developing areas? 12. What is the purpose of seed banks? Section III Answer these questions in a paragraph each. 13. This book is not organized like a textbook. What do you think of Standage s approach to history? Is this a useful way to think about history? What other approaches might one take? 14. One of the criticisms of Standage s book is that it fails to discuss more social history concerning food such as the development of restaurants, cooking and cooks, cookbooks, social food occasions, etc. Did you find this a weakness of this book? Would you have preferred to read about this aspect of food and history? Why or why not? 15. Do you like this book? Why or why not? Suggestion: Make a Time Management Plan

7 Before reading your book, write out a time management plan for your assignment. Set due dates for each chapter and each part of the assignment. About one-two chapters a week will get it done. This will help make sure that you get the assignment done in the most effective manner. Remember that reading and reflecting on one chapter at a time will help you digest the concepts of this book more easily. or drop assignment at Concord Due Wednesday, August 1, No late work is accepted!!