Dear AP European History Student,
May 2016
I am so glad that you have been recommended and have chosen to take AP
European History. I look forward to getting to know you over the course of the coming
school year. I hope to have a lot to offer you in AP European and know that you will be
able to teach me quite a bit, too.
AP Euro is a challenging, but rewarding, class and in order to be successful,
learning for this course has to start over the summer. At our up-coming meeting, I will
explain in more detail the summer assignments. In the meantime, here is a brief
overview to capture your interest. In order to introduce you to the scope of APEH, you
will work through Strickland’s The Annotated Mona Lisa. Through the transitioning of
art over time, you will walk through European history from the Renaissance to the
beginning of the Cold War. This summer you will also read Machiavelli’s The Prince.
The Prince is one of the most important political treatises ever written. It lays the
groundwork for modern politics as they are often practiced today and is a text that we
will refer to constantly over the course of the year. Finally, I will be asking you to read
and respond to chapter 10 (Renaissance and Discovery) in your textbook, The Western
Heritage over the summer, in order to make the transition into AP European easier for
you.
After our meeting, please read through the materials for the summer assignment
carefully. All assignments are to be completed and turned in on the first day of class in
August.
Enjoy your summer and the reading!! I look forward to working with you in
August and throughout the coming school year. If you have any questions about these
assignments or the class in general, you may contact me at [email protected]. I will
also post these assignments to our class portal.
Historically yours,
Frau (Mrs.) Kendall
"The function of the historian is neither to love the past nor to emancipate himself from
the past, but to master and understand it as the key to the understanding of the present."
E. H. Carr
Advanced Placement European History, 2016-2017
Expectations
It is expected that STUDENTS who enroll in Advanced Placement European History:
1) are responsible for European political, economic, social, intellectual and artistic history beginning in
1450 and ending in the present, therefore:
a) Students must be diligent textbook readers with high-level reading comprehension
skills, they cannot rely on the instructor to teach them everything, as there is not enough time in
the school year to possibly go over every detail.
b) Students must be committed to reading and re-reading materials in order to fully comprehend
how history changes over time. This is not a class that you can cram for.
c) Students must have above average writing skills, as the ability to express your ideas in
writing is crucial to this class and the AP Exam. Be prepared to write standard five-paragraph
essays regularly (every other week or more often).
d) In addition to the textbook and primary documents, students must also be prepared to read
six additional texts representing various important periods in European history. (See list
below)
e) Students should enjoy history as they will be spending a lot of time preparing and learning
for class and the AP exam.
Readings:
1)
Textbook: Western Heritage, AP Edition. Kagan. Pearson, 2010, 11th Edition. ISBN 9780133114751
AP Achiever. Chris Feiler. McGraw Hill. ISBN-13: 978-0073256726
2) Summer Reading:
1) Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. ISBN-13: 978-0140449150
2) Strickland, Ph.D., Carol. The Annotated Mona Lisa: a crash course in art history from Prehistoric to
Post-Modern. ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6872-9
3) Additional Reading Materials:
a. More, Thomas. Utopia. (Yale University Press, 2nd Edition) ISBN-13: 978-0-300-18610-9
b. Voltaire. Candide. ISBN-13: 978-0-486-26689-3
c. Goethe, Wolfgang von. The Sorrows of Young Werther. (Signet Classic) ISBN-13: 978-0-45152962-6
d. Ibsen, Hendrik. The Doll’s House. ISBN-13: 978-1-580-49598-1
e. Camus, Albert. The Stranger. ISBN-13: 978-0-679-72020-1
Learning & Assessment
1. Daily homework consists of reading the textbook, listening to on-line lecture and taking notes. For every unit
students will complete Learning Objective Questions that will serve as a study guide for the semester and AP
exams.
2. Assessments will be given in the form of any or all of the following: stimulus-based multiple choice
questions, stimulus-based short answer questions, document based essays, standard essays.
APEH – Learning Objectives
Ch. 2 – Renaissance, New Monarchies, and beginning of the Age of Exploration, 1450-1650
Below are the key concepts that we will be focusing on in chapter 2. You are responsible for answering
the lettered questions listed below each of the bolded concepts. The information for many of these
questions is peppered throughout the reading, so it is important that you familiarize yourself with the questions
before you start reading. Since this is your first time doing this type of exercise for me, I have given you some
tips on where to look for information. Notice that your textbook is not your only source of information – feel
free to consult The Annotated Mona Lisa and the AP Achiever review book.
Key Concept 1.1 The worldview of European intellectuals shifted from one based on ecclesiastical and
classical authority to one based primarily on inquiry and observation of the natural world.
1) A revival of classical texts led to new methods of scholarship and new values in both society and religion.
a) In what ways did Italian Renaissance humanists promote a revival in classical literature and create new philological /
linguistic approaches to ancient texts? (see section on Humanism)
b) How did Renaissance humanists further the values of secularism and individualism? (see section on Humanism and Pico
della Mirandola’s “Oration on the Dignity of Man”, pg. 70)
c) How did the Humanist revival of Greek and Roman texts challenge the institutional power of universities and the Roman
Catholic Church? ( see section on Humanism and the Northern Renaissance – esp. Humanism and Reform)
d) How did men like Niccolo Machiavelli and Baldasare Castiglione help bring about a revival of civic humanism in the Italian
city-states and create secular models for individual and political behavior?
2) The invention of the printing press promoted the dissemination of new ideas.
a) In what concrete ways did the development of the printing press impact European society, politics, economics, religion, and
education? (Create a graphic organizer (chart, venn diagram, etc), if it is helpful)
3) The visual arts incorporated the new ideas of the Renaissance and were used to promote personal, political, and religious
goals.
a) Why were princes and popes the primary patrons of the arts during the Renaissance?
b) How does Renaissance art (both Italian and Northern) represent the new Humanist concepts of individualism and
secularism? (remember The Annotated Mona Lisa is one of your “textbooks” for this class, always refer to it as well as your
textbook.)
c) In what ways are Italian Renaissance and Northern Renaissance art different? Think about style as well as subject matter.
Key Concept 1.2 The struggle for sovereignty within and among states resulted in varying degrees of
political centralization.
1) The concept of the sovereign state and secular systems of law played a central role in the creation of new political
institutions.
a) How did rulers such as Ferdinand and Isabella (Spain) and Henry VII (England) begin to lay the foundations for a centralized
modern state? Focus on areas such as tax collection, military force, legal reform, and the right to determine the religion of
their subjects.
b) Describe the extent to which some merchants and financiers (banking families) increased both their political and social
power. (see the Medicis in Florence and the section on Voyages of Discovery)
Key Concept 1.4 Europeans explored and settled overseas territories, encountering and interacting with
indigenous populations.
1) European nations were driven by commercial and religious motives to explore overseas territories and establish colonies.
a) Describe the economic motives that served as an impetus for both governments and individuals in the Age of Exploration.
b) In what ways did the Spanish government begin to more tightly control the overseas economic system?
c) Describe the role of Christian evangelization in the Age of Exploration?
2) Advances in navigation, cartography, and military technology allowed European to establish overseas colonies and empire.
a) Make a list of navigational, cartographic, and military technologies that aided Europeans in their abilities to travel as well as
conquer foreign lands and explain their importance.
3) Europeans established overseas empires and trade networks through coercion and negotiation.
a) Trace the geographic development of the Portuguese commercial network. (use map below)
b) Trace the geographic development of the Spanish commercial network. (use map below)
4) Europe’s colonial expansion led to a global exchange of goods, flora, fauna, cultural practices, and diseases, resulting in the
destruction of some indigenous civilizations, a shift toward European dominance, and the expansion of the slave trade.
a)
Explain how the opening up of Atlantic overseas trade helped to bring about a shift in the center of economics from the
Mediterranean to the Atlantic states.
b) What is the Columbian Exchange and how did it both positively and negatively affect indigenous and European societies?
(see Ch. 10, as well as pp. 303-305)
Key Concept 1.5 – Use information presented in your textbook and ALSO from the attached text
Renaissance Social Change European society and the experiences of everyday life were increasingly shaped by
commercial and agricultural capitalism, notwithstanding the persistence of medieval social and economic
structures.
2) Economic change produced new social patterns, while traditions of hierarchy and status persisted.
a) In what ways did the growth of commerce in Renaissance Italy help to create a new economic elite in society? How did this
new economic elite interact with the ruling class? How did they interact with the poorer classes?
b) Compare and contrast the new educational ideas and ideals for upper class men and women as proposed in Renaissance
Italy. (Create a graphic organizer, if it is helpful)
c) How did modern inventions like the clock and the printing press help to bring about social change?
d) Compare and contrast traditionally accepted modes of work for men and women in the Renaissance. Remember that men
and women from different classes were held to different sets of standards and expectations. (Create a graphic organizer, if
it is helpful)
Use this map to trace the geographic development of European commercial networks overseas. Use the key below. Keep this map for future map
work.
Key:
Portugal – brown
Spain – green
Netherlands - orange
England – blue
France - red
The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern by Carol
Strickland, Ph.D. ISBN 13: 978-0-74-7-6872-9
Read all of the information below concerning the book to have a clearer purpose for
reading. Keep this paper and your sketch book near you as you read, and work on this assignment as you read. Trying to read the
entire book first and then do this assignment will end in much frustration. Do not try to do this assignment all at one time. Give
yourself a good four to five weeks to read and complete the assignment.
 This assignment is designed to evaluate your ability to teach yourself. This skill is indeed imperative in any AP/college course
because – given the strict time constraints – we will not be able to cover all the material in class and you will therefore be
responsible to digest significant portions of it by yourself, using your textbook.
 In The Annotated Mona Lisa, the sections listed below in the box touch on all the major art figures of each period, while
continuing to explain the cultural / historical context out of which the art evolved. A timeline at the beginning of each section
ties all of this information together, noting the historical events that shaped the art world and the world at large. Be sure to
READ and refer back to these timelines as you work through the text to help you envision a more complete “picture” of each art
movement.
 You should use the structure of the book to help you navigate the material. Make sure you understand the historical and
cultural context of each art period and the overall trajectory art has taken over the centuries. For instance, think about the
different trends chronologically:
o Why did Baroque come after Renaissance but before Impressionism? Why are classical themes introduced again in
Neo-Classicism?
o How did the techniques and the subjects change over time, and why?
o What was the role of art in the different periods and how did the position/role/job of the artist in society change over
time?
o You should also know the main representatives of each period and their basic techniques/approaches to art. You
should also trace artistic influence; who relied on whose ideas; who added to or modified whose method, etc.
 Do not let yourself be overwhelmed by the details. As you work through the book focus on the assignment themes.
 Focus on European art – the American art sections give you a fuller picture of the development of art over time BUT we will not
be concerned with them within the context of European History.
Assignment:
You will need:
a. The Annotated Mona Lisa b. a sketch book
c. access to the Internet and a
printer
In your sketch book, include the following things for each movement listed at the
right:
Art Movements:
Renaissance, pp. 32-45
a) identify the movement’s approx. time period and create an abbreviated timeline of
Baroque, pp. 46-64
Neo-classicism, pp. 68the most important historical (not just artistic) events that coincide with it.
75
b) identify the movement’s defining characteristics.
Romanticism, pp. 76-82
Realism, pp. 83-95
c) write a short description of the role of the artist in society during this movement.
Impressionism, pp. 96d) list several (no more than five) major EUROPEAN artists, include their birth and death
111
Post-Impressionism dates, country, and the title(s) of their most important works.
Symbolism, pp.112-127
e) choose one image, sculpture, building for each artist listed in d. that you think best
Modernism, pp. 128-157
expresses the movement, print them out and include them in your sketch book. Be
sure to label them with the artist’s name, the title, and the date of the work.
f) write a concise paragraph explaining why you chose each image in e. to represent the period.
g) explain the movement’s relationship to other artistic movements (previous & future).
Grading: Each art movement, 14 pts. (= 115pts.); overall quality of information, 25pts.; overall presentation of
sketchbook, 10pts.
Total points: 150
Comprehension Questions for The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Copy these questions into your sketchbook and answer them fully and completely. This assignment must be
turned in on the first day of school. Please remember that this assignment is not optional. (Grading: each
question is worth 10 pts.; Total Points = 100)
1. Read the attached article on Machiavelli and The Letter from Niccolo Machiavelli to the Magnificent Lorenzo
de Medici (the prologue to The Prince) then answer the following question: For what reasons (identify at least
three) did Machiavelli write The Prince?
2. Describe the different types of armies outlined in The Prince and the purpose they serve within the state
according to Machiavelli. Which type of army does Machiavelli prefer and why? (See especially chapters 1214)
See especially chapters 17-19 for the next two questions:
3. Describe the nature of love and fear in the relationship between a prince and his people. Why does
Machiavelli say that it is best for a prince "to be both loved and feared?" Is it possible for a prince to be both?
Explain.
4. What is Machiavelli’s view of human nature (human beings in their natural state without the influence of
society or a ruler)? How does this help to explain his beliefs about the way in which a prince should rule?
5. In Chapter 20, list and explain the three pieces of advice Machiavelli gives a prince?
6. According to Machiavelli in Chapter 21, what must a prince do to be esteemed? In what way(s) are these
ideas “modern” (Modern = not previously developed, discussed or recognized in antiquity or the early Middle
Ages)? (Yes, you must reflect back on what you learned last year to answer this question.)
7. Name three (3) recurring themes in The Prince. Describe the importance of each within the context of The
Prince.
8. Compile a list of ten (10) important characteristics of a Machiavellian ruler. Explain why of each of these
traits, according to Machiavelli, is important if one wants to become an effective ruler.
9. See chap 26 and the Machiavelli info in Kagan (textbook) and then answer these two questions:
a. According to Machiavelli and Renaissance humanism, what is virtù. How does this notion of virtù in
a prince positively impact the “state”?
b. What does Machiavelli think about Italian unification and republicanism?
10a. As you perceive it, what advantages might a citizen encounter living under a Machiavellian ruler?
Describe what a best-case-scenario Machiavellian state might be like. b. As you perceive it, what disadvantages
might a citizen encounter living under a Machiavellian ruler? Describe what a worst-case-scenario
Machiavellian state might be like.
Whoever wants to be happy, let him be so:
about tomorrow there's no knowing.
—Lorenzo The Magnificent