Honors World Civilizations
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL AFRICA
In order to gain a fuller understanding of the cultures of Africa, you will be doing research and developing a presentation for the class on a specific civilization of ancient or medieval Africa. Each group needs to do background research, develop a project proposal outlining individual responsibilities and resources, and complete the project requirements listed below.
CULTURES
• Meroe, Kush; Axum, Ethiopia
• Mali
• Ghana
• Songhay
• East African cities/Swahili culture, and possibly Zimbabwe
RESEARCH TASK
Your group needs to cover all the topics below. Topics should be divided fairly among group members (e.g., each takes at least one of the major topics).
1. Economy & Physical Environment and Resources 6. Shelter
2. Government, including law and leadership 7. Food
3. Religion 8. Visual Arts
4. Key Historical Events & Individuals 9. Music
5. Family and Social Structures 10. Clothing
11. Folktales
PRESENTATION
Prepare a graphic display incorporating charts, maps, models, pictures, artifacts, graphs, timelines, and brief written materials designed to help your classmates to share your understanding of the culture you have studied. Obviously you will need to be somewhat selective in deciding on the most important cultural and historical information.
Each group display MUST be: VARIED & MEMORABLE & INFORMATIVE
MULTI-SENSORY
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL
INTERACTIVE
Create a GROUP SIGN indicating your culture.
Label EACH of your individual exhibits with your FULL NAME.
On Display Day each group will divide and half the group will “tour” while the other half serves as “guides” for your display for half the period and then you will shift roles for the second half of the period. Each “guide” should be prepared to answer questions about the display and culture, while each “tourist” should be recording information about other cultures.
STEPS
1. Preliminary Background Reading ______
2. Project Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography ______
3. Research Work Periods ______
4. Teach-in for Group ______
5. Display Day(s) ______
6. Annotated Bibliography ______
7. Group/Personal Evaluation ______
8. Reflective In-class Essay ______
PROJECT EVALUATION
Your group will receive a group grade for the overall quality of your display. Criteria include accuracy, level of detail, visual appeal, and selection of important cultural and historical elements.
The second component of your group grade will reflect how well you work together.
Your individual grade will be based on your specific contributions to the project, your use of class time, and your performance as a tourist and guide.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Each student should submit a typed annotated bibliography of sources used for research and visual information. You MUST use at least 5-7 sources beyond what we give you initially.
We would appreciate your help in evaluating the resources you used for this project. Be sure to note WHERE you found each source. We have been working to assemble adequate sources for African history and culture. Please make a special effort to point out anything that you think our library should acquire, or Internet sources that could be noted on our school home page.