AP World History
2014-2015 Summer Assignment
Mr. Stephenson
[email protected]
Welcome, students, to the history of everything that ever was!
This will be, I sincerely hope, the most interesting history course you have ever
taken. This is not a course about memorizing tables of minutia – not that some dates and
“hard” facts don’t have their place – but it is a course (probably your first) in what is now
called “Big History.” Big History is the study of history as movements, themes, and
trends. It attempts to look at global and regional systems and understand their interplay,
to determine why events in past have developed as they have, and what impact they have
on us today. Because of its very broad scope, Big History incorporates such diverse
academic disciplines as History, Biology, Physics, Anthropology, Archeology, Comparative
Theology, Philosophy, Art History, Architecture, Environmental Science and Geography,
Economics, and – and – well – you get the idea. We have a lot on our plates this year, but if
you are the sort of person who likes understanding the “Why’s” behind the “What
Happened’s” you will enjoy this course. Along the way, we will get you ready to take the AP
World History Exam in May. This involves teaching you good historical analysis and
detective skills, as well as helping you improve your abilities to argue via the analytic essay
form.
Our task is a daunting one: 200,000 years of history in slightly less than 8 months
(once you eliminate vacations, free days, and the like!) And, yes, this is a college-level
course. So, you need to know, up front, that you will have to do a lot of reading
homework in this class, because we can’t possibly cover everything in the limited class
meetings we have together. To really be effective, this course requires about 30
minutes to an hour of studying – mostly reading – each night during the school year. If
you are unwilling or unable to find the time and self-discipline to do this, you may want
to rethink taking the class. Because of all the different things this course integrates, I
think it is the most interesting course I have ever taught, and I hope that you find it just as
fascinating. But, I would not be fair if I didn’t tell you that it was going to require work and
time on both our parts.
I’ve designed a summer assignment to introduce you to the course and the ideas of
“Big History.” This summer program work is REQUIRED if you intend to stay in WHAP. If
any issues arise that prohibit you from completing the assignment on time, please make an
effort to contact me as soon as possible. I will be checking my email daily to look for your
responses!
AP World History (WHAP) Summer Assignments
1. Send me an email ([email protected]) acknowledging that you have read this
assignment completely and intend to complete it. While you are at it, tell me a little bit
about yourself. Why are you taking this class? What would you like to get out of it? What
are your interests outside of school? Whenever you send me an email, be sure to put
WHAP in as the first part of the subject so that my spam filter doesn’t dump your email
directly to the waste bin!
2. The World History Course Description from the College Board (who administers the
whole AP Program) is available online at:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/AP_WorldHistoryCED_Effective
_Fall_2011.pdf (You can download this or read it online, as you desire. But, you need to be
able to do the following.) Read the following sections, so you know what we are trying to do
and how we will plan to do it:
a. The Four Historical Thinking Skills (page 7)
b. Course Themes (page 17)
c. Geographical Coverage (page 21)
d. Historical Periodization. (page 23)
Note that, given blank versions of the maps on page 22 of this Course Description, you
should be able to fill in the correct names on day one of class. Additionally, you should be
able to state the Course Themes and Four Historical Thinking Skills and explain them from
memory on day one. Finally, you should be able on day one of class, after a short class Q&A
(Question and Answer) discussion, to explain what we mean by “Historical Periodization”
and explain why different historians use different period structures.
3. Get yourself a copy of This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity by David
Christian. You may buy it in paperback, or electronically (from Amazon or one of the other
eBook stores,) and use the Kindle Reader (or some other eReader) to read it, either on a
separate device or your tablet-if you can get the Kindle software to load. Otherwise, you
can just buy it new or used in paperback. Just be sure whatever you read it on will be
available to use in class at the beginning and throughout the year. Do be sure that your
reader has some method to allow you to mark up the text and make notes to yourself.
This is a short (just over 100 pages,) inexpensive (about $11) overview of the entire course
content, the history of the world since the “big bang.” You’ll need to read it, following along
with the instructions in the attached “packet” of information. That completed packet and a
reading test will be among your first grades in class in the fall. All of the questions and
terms can help you understand Christian’s book better.
One final thought: You will find that much of the work in this course is purely intellectual,
requiring you to read and think about ideas or events, to develop your understanding. The
fact that this “work” is not always written is no excuse to short-cut or skip doing it – so (for
your own success) GIVE IT THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES 
Well… that’s about it! Have a great summer, full of relaxation and intellectual challenge. Get
started on the work. Email me if you have any questions!
Mr. Stephenson: [email protected]
Book Cover:
Book Details:
(from Amazon.com)
Paperback: 120 pages
Pu
Gr
Publisher: Berkshire Publishing
Group 1st edition (June 21, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933782048
ISBN-13: 978-1933782041
Price: (as of 05/27/14) $12.95
(new)
 The book* will be
referenced in the class
throughout the school year.
1
*If for some reason you are having difficulty acquiring the text, please let
me know via email or stop by room F-26 at RHS (My room!).
This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity
By David Christian
Summer Reading assignment: Prequel (pp. xx-xxviii); pp. 1-92. You are responsible for acquiring this
book.
Reading Guide
This Fleeting World is your launch pad for a year of historical exploration; these questions and
suggestions will help to guide you. Feel free to meander through the book at your leisure, lingering on
the “thought experiments” or following a tangent of an idea or link that interests you within this guide.
The first thing you’ll notice about This Fleeting World is that it moves fast! But don’t worry; it’s not
meant to tell you everything you need to know about human history. Rather, this book provides broad
brushstrokes, noting the most significant ”threshold moments” that changed the way we have lived on
Earth.
We’ll have time to discuss this together in September. Until then, enjoy the journey!
Sincerely,
Mr. Stephenson
P.S. – Please email me no later than Monday June 15, 2014 (MY BIRTHDAY ) to let me know you
received this assignment.
Due date: August 25, 2012. Email all responses, completed projects, and concerns to:
[email protected]
*Point Value: This assignment is intended to provide you with a very brief, yet informative overview
of the scope and historical habits of mind that you will need for this course. This will be graded as a
test and will be continually referenced until the end of the year.
Respond to all questions by:
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typing in a Micorsoft Word document
Times New Roman, Calibri or Cambria font size 12
Be sure to put your name on it
Complete sentences are not necessary but sufficient details from the book are required. Most
answers will probably be 2-4 sentences or their equivalent. Bulleted information is acceptable.
There are essentially 3 parts to this project:
1. Comprehension questions for each of the 4 sections of the book.
2. Vocabulary for each of the 4 sections.
3. 2 Big Thought Activities
Prequel: Before the Beginning
Einstein said he could never understand it all:
Planets spinning through space,
The smile upon your face,
Welcome to the human race!
Isn’t it a lovely ride?
James Taylor, American songwriter
Comprehension Questions:
1. How did planets form, and what was Earth like in its first 500 million years of existence?
2. Christian describes life as “a new form of complexity” (xxiv). How did oxygen and photosynthesis
cause life to begin on Earth?
3. Eventually, multi-celled organisms emerged from water, to land, and eventually (about 7 million years
ago) into human ancestors. What were some stages in the development to our species, homo sapiens?
Terminology: Reviewing these can help if you’re stuck on vocabulary. Provide a brief explanation
including how it relates to world history. (Use Google, Wikipedia etc…)
Cosmology
The Big Bang
Quarks
Fusion
Interstellar space
DNA
Natural selection
Photosynthesis
Homo sapiens
“Lucy”
For Further Exploration:
American Museum of Natural History “Hall of Planet Earth”: http://www.amnh.org/rose/hope/?src=e_h
American Museum of Natural History “Hall of Human Origins”:
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/humanorigins/?src=e_h
Beginnings: The Era of Foragers (250,000-8,000 BCE)
Ceaselessly the river flows, and yet the water is never the same, while in the still pools the shifting foam
gathers and is gone, never staying for a moment. Even so is man and his habitation.
Kamo no Chomei, Japanese poet (1155-1216)
Comprehension Questions
4. What are some leading hypotheses (informed theories) about how our species emerged? How are
humans different?
5. What was the relationship among human foragers and the environment/nature, and how was it
different from our relationships to other humans today and to our environment?
Terminology: Reviewing these can help if you’re stuck on vocabulary. Provide a brief explanation
including how it relates to world history. (Use Google, Wikipedia etc…)
Paleolithic
Archeology
Animism
Creation myth
Indigenous
Kinship
Migration
Extinction
For further exploration:
Mark Twain’s 1903 essay, “Was the World Made for Man?” reprinted here:
http://smcgrat.blogspot.com/2007/12/mark-twains-was-world-made-for-man.html
UW’s Burke Museum archeology resources:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/collections/archaeology/index.php
View resources from the Archeological Institute of America, including articles from Archeology
magazine: http://www.archaeology.org/
On the World History for Us All site from San Diego State University, check out the short video “A
History of the World in Seven Minutes”: http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/
Acceleration: The Agrarian Era (8,000 BCE—1750 CE)
Arjuna saw all the universe
in its many ways and parts,
standing as one in the body
of the god of gods.
From the Bhagavad-Gita
Comprehension Questions:
6. Why can the Agrarian Era be considered a time of acceleration (speeding up)?
7. What changes to human life were caused by settled agricultural development?
8. Where did cities first emerge, and what was earliest urban life like?
9. What were some of the most influential faith systems that developed during this time?
Terminology: Reviewing these can help if you’re stuck on vocabulary. Provide a brief explanation
including how it relates to world history. (Use Google, Wikipedia etc…)
Agriculture
Overpopulation
Global climate change
Irrigation
Epidemics
Prehistory
Imperial state
Faith system
For Further Exploration:
World History Connected, a collection of articles and resources promoting global citizenship and world
history teaching: http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/index.html.
The British Museum contains a treasure trove of objects from around the world and every era:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has a fascinating art history timeline with overviews of
specific eras and images from the Met’s vast collection: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/.
Our World: The Modern Era (1750-present)
Dare to know!
Have the courage to use your own reason!
This is the motto of the Enlightenment.
Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (1724-1804)
Comprehension Questions:
10. What are the major features and trends of the Modern Era?
11. What were the main causes of humanity’s revolution from agrarian societies to modernity?
12. Why is the 20th century considered a century of crisis?
Terminology: Reviewing these can help if you’re stuck on vocabulary. Provide a brief explanation
including how it relates to world history. (Use Google, Wikipedia etc…)
Democratic government
Nationalism
Commercial society
The Enlightenment
Industrialization
Consumerism
Capitalism
Communism
For Further Exploration:
Gapminder, a site founded by Hans Rosling, allows you to examine global changes in the modern era
through a variety of interactive statistical tools. See its “Health and Wealth of Nations” in particular:
www.gapminder.org.
To hear the author David Christian explain what big history is, watch his TED talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/david_christian_big_history.html.
Periodization in World History
Comprehension Questions:
13. What is periodization?
14. What are some of the THEORETICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, EHTICAL, and TECHNICAL problems of
periodization in World History?
15. Why are the periodization labels ANCIENT, MEDIEVAL, and MODERN problematic?
Complete both “Big Thought” activities below:
BIG THOUGHT ACTIVITIES
Big thought activity #1
Understanding history depends on asking good questions. This is a skill and art that we
will develop further this year. A good question is one that asks how or why; not who or
what. Good questions almost always lead to more questions than answers. Don’t feel
that you need “correct” answers to any of these. I will not have “correct” answers to all
of them either!
Pose 4 questions about the history described in this book. What do you want to know
more about? What do you WONDER about? Please create 1 for each main section of
the book (Prequel, Beginnings, Acceleration, and Our World). Do your best to “answer”
your question in no more than 1 typed paragraph per question.
Big thought activity #2
The secret to “getting it” is often applying new information you receive to your own
world. The objective here is to have you think about the relevance to your own lives of
studying history from any era.
After you have finished each section of the book, visit at least one of the websites in the
“For Further Exploration” sections.
In one paragraph, identify the website and section of the book that connects to the
article/idea you explored and describe how the two are connected in your thinking.
Project Check Sheet – Did you:
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Obtain the book?
Read it?
Respond to the 15 comprehension questions?
Explain 2 terms from each section (8 terms total)?
Complete the 2 Big Thought activities?
Type all responses in Times New Roman, font size 12, doublespaced?
 Email your project to Mr. Stephenson by August 25, 2014?