WPHS Mr. Erickson
Welcome to the overwhelming but
extremely rewarding course of AP world
history.
Before we set out on our journey it is important to arm ourselves
with the necessary tools.
The following themes will be the guiding force of the course. As part of your summer
assignment you will familiarize yourself with these themes and apply them to the reading
assignment that will be explained later.
S.P.I.C.E. Themes
Social: Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Political: State-Building, Expansion and Conflict
Interaction: Interaction between Humans and the Environment
Culture: Development and Interaction of Cultures
Economic: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Questions to consider for each theme:
Social
How does the group relate to one another?
How do people communicate?
What do people do together?
How is the group organized (hierarchies)?
What are the family and gender relations (patriarchal/matrilineal)?
Are there ethnic and/or racial divisions?
Are there social & economic classes, inequalities?
Political
Who is in charge?
How much power do they have?
How is power transferred?
Is there a bureaucracy?
Who chooses the leader/s?
What is the structure (e.g. theocracy, absolutism, democracy, communism)?
Are there revolts and revolutions? If so, what were the cause and the effect?
Are there significant wars, treaties, courts or laws?
Did the political boundaries change over time?
Did political power shift over time?
Interaction between Humans and the Environment
In what geographic region is this located?
What geographic landscape makes up the region?
How are the people/events affected by the geography?
How do the people interact with their environment?
How does the environment define the culture/civilization?
What are the patterns of settlement (urban/rural)?
How do demography, movement and migration affect the spread of disease?
Culture
What is the meaning of life?
What is the religion (belief system) & what are the basic beliefs?
Are there leaders or documents which define religion?
What are the philosophies & ideologies?
What groups are given the chance to learn?
How do people learn & where does the knowledge come from?
What are the developments in math & science?
What innovations, technologies, & inventions develop?
How do they express themselves through art, music, writing, literature?
Economic
How do people earn their food?
Is the economy based on agriculture, pastoralism, commerce, small trades or professions, or
industry like manufacturing and technology?
Where’s the money?
What is the economic system (e.g. capitalism, socialism, communism)?
What are the valued and traded commodities (e.g. silk, sugar, spices, cotton, consumer goods)?
What are the patterns of trade and commerce between various societies (e.g. Silk Road, TransSaharan, Indian Ocean, Triangle Trade, NAFTA)?
What is the labor system (e.g. slavery, coerced, semi-coerced, wage labor)?
That is a lot of questions and there are many more that can be asked. The guidance of these themes
and questions will accompany you on your summer assignment and throughout the course. It would be
a good idea to keep a copy of them handy during class.
Summer Assignment:
This summer’s assignment will be a collection of readings from three books and a movie or
documentary with no obvious connection but that they all reinforce the course themes.
Keeping the course themes readily available, decide which of the themes is best supported by
the readings and audio-visual assignment. It would be difficult to answer all the questions
about all the themes on the assigned readings and audio-visual segment. Find 2 or 3 questions
focused on one theme to write a paragraph on each reading and the movie. You must use
evidence from the readings and audio-visual segment in your responses.
The Readings: The readings can accessed here:
http://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/schools/williampenn/academics/summer-reading-list/
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About The World, Chapter 7
“India and Pakistan”
A Little History Of Philosophy, Chapter 1 “The Man Who Asked Questions: Socrates and
Plato”
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Chapter 1”The Blood Clot”
Audio-Visual:
Invictus, starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman. (You will need to rent the movie if
you choose this option.)
Or
ESPN’s 30 for 30 “The 16th Man” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEmJThqHDLY (This
documentary can be accessed on YouTube.) Both Invictus and “The 16th Man” are on the same
topic. It would be beneficial and entertaining to watch both but only one is required.
Clarification:
You will write four paragraphs total. Each paragraph will answer questions from the theme you
choose to support the reading or audio-visual assignment. The readings and audio-visuals
could support more than one theme but I want you to focus on one for each.
Specifics:
Responses will be typed
12 font
Double spaced
Paragraph should be no less than 8 sentences!
If you use additional sources to support your paragraphs be sure to cite them.
Due:
You must turn in a printed copy (no electronic submissions) on the first day of our class
meeting.
Worth:
The assignment is worth 25 assessment points. To put that into perspective, a typical quiz is
worth 18 points. You will lose 5 points for everyday the assignment is late. Those are not
points that you can afford to lose.
Contact me if you have questions: [email protected]