AP World History: Summer Assignment (2011-2012)

Mr.Babichenko (Rm.207)

(Contact Information: )

Hello students! Welcome to 2011-2012 AP World History class. If you like history, this class will be very interesting and fun for you. I hope you are as excited about this course as I am. You will discover a lot of fascinating stories, ideas, and individuals. In addition, you will develop or further advance your analytical as well as writing skills. Just like any other AP class, this course will also be very challenging and require from each of you hard work and concentration on a consistent basis. Speaking of challenges, let’s start with your summer assignment for the course.

Why should you do the AP World History Summer Assignment?

  1. The assignment introduces you to the content of the course. More specifically, the book you will need to read is a summary or an overview of the content.
  1. The assignment previews skills you will need to succeed in the class. They include: primary source analysis, understanding “big picture” history, and ability to evaluate and assess changes and continuities between and within societies.
  1. The assignment will count as part of your grade for the first quarter in the class.

DUE DATE:

  • The entire summer assignment is due on the first day of the 2011-2012 school year: SEPTEMBER6th, 2011.
  • It is my policy to extend the deadline for this project only to those students who did not register for the class during the previous school year. The deadline for new students is October 21st, 2011.
  • You are strongly encouraged to attend AP Summer Bridge program held at Wakefield(August 22rd– August 26th). You are also encouraged to bring your summer assignments and ask for my feedback during that week.

AP WORLD HISTORY Summer Assignment: OVERVIEW

PART A: Read a book titled “This Fleeting World” by David Christian

PART B: Provide short answers to the questions related to the book by following

specific requirements. (see explanation on the next page)

PART C: Read and answer questions related to the primary sources packet (see

explanation and link on page 5)

Part A: Read “This Fleeting World” by David Christian

Book Cover: / Book Details:
(from Amazon.com)
[1] / Paperback: 120 pages
Pu Publisher: Berkshire Publishing Gr Group 1st edition (June 21, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933782048
ISBN-13: 978-1933782041
Price: (as of 05/21/11) $12.95
(new)
  • The book will be referenced in the class throughout the school year.

Part B: Provide Short Answers to the

“Big Picture History” Questions.

  • Your answers must satisfy the following requirements:

-Each answer should be about one to two paragraphs long.

-Start each answer with a sentence or two that express your main idea(s). Think in terms of patterns or themes.

-The idea(s) must be clear, logical, and argumentative (can be supported by evidence from the book).

-Provide specific evidence (examples) from the book that will support ideas expressed at the beginning of your short answer. Whether it is a direct quote from the book or a reference (paraphrase), indicate the page in parenthesis. You must have at least one example from each ERA identified in the book (see This Fleeting World, PREQUEL, XXVII)

-Your answers should be done in complete sentences with no or minimal grammar and sentence structure mistakes. Your answers should be typed.

“Big Picture History” Questions.

(Choose any THREE from the questions below)

  1. How did development of and interaction between various societies impact trade, exchange of ideas, and distribution of resources throughout the history of humanity?
  1. What trends/characteristics of humanitychanged over time and which ones remained the same? (think of human ability to communicate, organize, create, destroy, etc.)
  1. What factors influenced the development and spread of technologies through time?
  1. What factors influenced changes in demography (population growth/decline) through time?
  1. Analyze human impact on environment through time. Provide specific examples.
  1. Analyze changes and continuities (i.e. consistencies)in the way human societies are structured (think social classes).
  1. What elements of human culture, in your opinion, caused the most profound changes within and between societies throughout history?

(There are many complex definitions of “culture” and “human culture” that

you might want to explore before answering this question).

  1. Provide at least three ideas/theories that caused the most influential changes in the world. (for this question, you can provide at least one important idea per era.)
  1. How did political organization and functions of states change over time? (think of systems of government, expectations of ruled and rulers, responsibilities and loyalty of citizens, etc.)

Sample Response: (you may not do this question for your response).

Question:Analyze changes and continuities in gender relations throughout history.

Sample Response:

Throughout the entire history of humanity, males and females specialized in, or were expected to perform, gender-specific tasks.Relationship between males and females were most likely based on equality during the foraging era of human history. Later, with the emergence of organized societies, males became the dominant gender. In the modern era, female are still generally lagging behind in opportunities and rights in comparison to males though,nowadays,many societies are striving for more equitable gender relations. During the foraging era, females were most likely in charge of child rearing and food gathering. Though the tasks that each gender performed were different, gathering was a more reliable source of food compared to hunting. So, specialization in tasks did not result in gender hierarchy dominated by males (p.11). However, this gender hierarchy did emerge during the agrarian era. Possible explanations include: growing importance of large number of children to agricultural communities, increased specialization of tasks outside of household in more complex societies, as well as male domination in “organization of violence” (p.40). In general, the modern era witnessedimprovements in opportunities for women in professional and political spheres. More control over reproduction as well as opening of new jobs for women as a result of urbanization and commercialization allowed females to defy their traditional role as child bearers (p.64). However, these changes are not uniform throughout the world. “Worldwide in 1990 about eighty women were in secondary education … for every hundred men, and only about sixty women were in paid employment for every hundred men“(p.86). So, true gender equality is still a goal and not an achievement.

Does this response satisfy the requirements mentioned on the previous page?

YES! Because:

  • Main ideas were expressed in the beginning of the answer (see underlined sentences above).
  • The main ideas are clear, logical and can be supported by evidence from the book.
  • More specific evidence was provided from each ERA.
  • Information and quotes were cited in the answer (page #s in parentheses).
  • The answer is typed and satisfies grammar and sentence structure requirements.

Part C: Interpreting and Analyzing Primary Sources

  • Access the handout for Part C by either

-Going to (click on my last name Mr.Babichenkounder Social Studies; click on Summer Assignment link on the right side of the page); OR

-Stopping by the main office. Hard copies of the assignment will be available with secretaries there; OR

-Attending AP World History informational meeting for incoming freshmen or stopping by my room (#207) if you are currently a Wakefield student any time before the end of this school year.

  • Read the directions and explanations carefully before proceeding to the primary sources and questions.
  • Answer all of the questions in the handout to the best of your ability.

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AP World History Summer Assignment: Grading Rubric

Categories and Criteria: / Possible Points: / Points Earned:
  1. Parts A and B (the book and answers)
  2. There are three short answer responses to the book related questions.
  • Responses follow the required format:
- Main ideas are clear, logical,
argumentative, and at the beginning of
each response
- Main ideas supported by specific evidence
from each era of history from the book
- Quotes/paraphrased information from the
book are cited properly in your responses
- Short answers are typed and do not
contain an excessive number of grammar
or sentence structure mistakes / 10
30
(10)
(10)
(5)
(5)
  1. Part C (Primary Sources)
  • All questions are answered to the best of your ability
- All research questions are
defined/explained comprehensively
- All critical thinking questions are
answered
- Answers to the critical thinking questions
are thoughtful and accurate
- Answers are provided in complete
sentences / 40
(6)
(20)
(10)
(4)
  1. Details, Details, Details (Overall impression)
  • The entire assignment is submitted on time
  • The directions to each part of the assignment were followed consistently
/ 10
10
TOTAL: / 100 / ______

Grade: _____

1

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