Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Ms.

Candia; AP World History

Date: __________________

Summer 2011 Assignment

Overview: AP World History (APWH) is based on a multi-perspective global approach; students should have considerable analytical, research, and self-disciplinary skills. Students will be reading, discussing, and analyzing secondary and primary sources, as well as literary sources from the various cultures and time periods explored. The course is designed to encourage self-direction and self-discipline among the students. Socratic discussion, position papers, lectures, and studentled presentations will enhance the goals of the course to provide a rigorous and challenging curriculum. Course evaluations will consist of presentations, analytical essays, document-based questions (DBQs), position papers, and various historiographic assessments. By focusing on a student centered learning environment with independent ideas, constant writing and analytical exercises, students will refine their skills in preparation for the Advanced Placement World History Exam. Assignments: The expectations for APWH assignments may be much greater than you will have experienced in your previous class. Your answers to all assignments should be more analytical than descriptive, and should never be copied directly from the book! All major assignments for APWH must be typed, Times New Roman font, and double spaced. Your answers should tie in not only specific ideas but also the larger picture. Remember, in AP World History we are looking for themes and generalities, so your answers should reflect this type of thinking. If you have any questions or are unsure as to whether or not you are on the right track, please stop by to see me in the Humanities Office, room 2032, or e-mail me at ally.candia@gmail.com. Assignment One: Historical Fiction Analysis 1. Pick ONE of the following historical fiction novels and read it to completion 2. Summarize the book: One to two complete pages 3. Provide a short evaluation of the book. Did you like or dislike the book? Why? Should be one complete page. 4. Research your given region during the time period the book it set in. What is going on in that region/country? Should be two complete pages. Topics to consider: a. Political systems b. Economy c. Social issues d. Religion e. Ethnic issues Book Options - The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kewi Armah - Tree of the Red Stars by Tessa Bridal - Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya - Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagasarian - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai - Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks - Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh - Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata - The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa - The End Play by Indira Mahindra - Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar by Emily Reute - A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beath Please read through summaries of the books online and then see which book you would like to read. All books can be found on Amazon.com, Borders, or Barnes and Noble. Books should also be available via your local library.

Assignment Two: Guns, Germs and Steel

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, is a history book of big ideas; large-scale questions and themes form the authors perspective. Since the concept of AP World History is to focus on the big ideas, concepts, themes, and trends of history, this book is an entry into our course of studies. Guns, Germs, and Steel is available at all book stores and most libraries. You will read the entire book, from introduction to conclusion, and answer the questions below. Follow these directions: 1. Retype the question above your answer. 2. Answers should be 7-10 sentences at least unless indicated otherwise. Answers should prove to the reader that you thought about the question, answered it fully, and showed effort. 3. Font size 12, Times New Roman, double-spaced. 4. This is an individual assignment: any copying will result in zeros for all involved. 5. No partial assignments are accepted.

You might have questions about the book as you are working through it this summer. First, try to help yourself (look up words you dont know, Google terms or ideas, ask your parents for help). Second, make sure that your question isnt already covered in the directions. If you still need help then e-mail me at this address: ally.candia@gmail.com Preface The author suggests that the roots of western Eurasian dominance in the modern world lie in what? Why has he chosen to write this book in this style and manner? Prologue According to the author, why did human development proceed at different rates on different continents? What is his personal view on civilized and progressive societies versus hunter-gatherers societies? Chapter 1: Up to the Starting Line What was the Great Leap Forward? Describe the life of a Cro-Magnon person. What impact did the arrival of humans have on big animals? Provide an example. Which continent had a head start in 11,000 BCE (Before Common Era = BC). Why? Chapter 2: A Natural Experiment of History Explain the difference between the Moriori and the Maori. Who conquered whom and why? What lessons can be learned by the pattern of dispersion of the Polynesians? Chapter 3: Collision at Cajamarca (VIC-very important chapter) Write a paragraph explaining your views on the event of November 16, 1532. What strikes (pun!) you the most about this event? Why did Pizarro succeed? Chapter 4: Farmer Power Write a paragraph explaining the chart. Do you agree with the authors conclusions? What advantages are gained by being the first to domesticate animals? Chapter 8: Apples or Indians (VIC-see chapter 3 for what it means) Why was the Fertile Crescent predisposed to have such a potent head start in so many areas of development: writing, cities, and empires? What reasons does the author give for cannibalism in New Guinea? Chapter 9: Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, and the Anna Karenina Principle Identify and define the Ancient Fourteen. What is domestication? Which animals most helped Eurasians? Chapter 10: Spacious Skies and Tilted Axis Why did people who lived on an east-west axis become the worlds conquerors? What was it about the Americas and Africa that put these two continents at a developmental disadvantage? Chapter 11: Lethal Gift of Livestock (VIC) In what way can the gift of livestock be lethal? What was the role of disease in the exploration of Hernando de Soto? Chapter 12: Blueprints and Borrowed Letters Why is writing an agent of conquest according to the author? Why did some people NOT develop writing? Chapter 13: Necessitys Mother (VIC) Provide the 14 (?more less?) explanations of resistance to technological changes and advancements. Chapter 15: Yalis People Why did Aboriginal Australians NOT develop metal tools, writing, and complex political societies? What protected New Guineans from losing to invading Europeans who sought out lands to conquer and settle? Chapter 16: How China Became Chinese (VIC) Why was China able to dominate East Asia? Chapter 17: Speed Boat to Polynesia CUT Chapter 18: Hemispheres Colliding (VIC) At the time of Columbus, what advantages did the Eurasians enjoy? Which was most important? Chapter 19: How Africa Became Black Why does the author think that Madagascar, the island not the movie, is the single most astonishing fact of human geography? Where did agriculture first arise in Africa? Epilogue How did Diamond answer Yalis question? Why did politically united China lose its technological advantage to the formerly backward and politically fragmented Europe? (VIQ = very important question for AP WH!) Free Form Question! Time for you to admire or vent.what did you think about the book?