AP World History: Extra Credit – MP1
NAME: ________________________
Importance of Individuals
Due: ____by 7:21 AM, Thursday 11/6 (submitted electronically via email or TurnItIn)___
I find extra credit opportunities to be a chance to engage in activities or information that we
don’t typically get to do. In my opinion this means that extra credit should require work,
learning new material, and connecting this new information to our course.
Situation:
All too often the individuals who make decisions and affect history are lost in the study of world
history. Instead, it seems that societies are following some global fatalistic course that all groups
are destined to pursue. HISTORY IS ABOUT PEOPLE. That is why I like DBQ’s; they put us
in touch with the people and their lives. At times one person’s decision may affect the history of
the world. This assignment asks you to find these people.
Purpose:
Demonstrate the connection between a single person’s experiences and global trends seen in
World History.
Task:
In an essay, explain a person (not highlighted in the textbook) living during the classical or
postclassical period, a story about an incident in their life, and how they reflect/are an example of
times in which they live.
Procedure:
 Brainstorm themes and trends that represent the classical period and postclassical period.
A theme is not a one word noun, but rather a summary statement that cuts across region
and time.
 Brainstorm the types of people who would best show these trends: Political leaders?
Religious philosophers? Political theorists? Peasant revolt leader? Female artist?
 Perform preliminary research to gather names of people who fit your goal.
 Perform secondary research about a few possible candidates to assess the information
available.
 Begin researching the person that you feel best exemplifies the overarching theme that
you think is most important in the classical or postclassical period. (It can be virtually
any person – be creative. However, since Europe plays largely a secondary role in
defining the world prior to 1450, I do not want 50 Roman senators or Christian church
officials. Special deference will be paid to students to chose difficult topics)
 Prepare MLA Works Cited page & citations. NP standards for plagiarism apply.
 Once you know the individual you are going to focus on, represent this person with a
story about an incident in their life. (For example – Ben Franklin and the kite which
represents his curiosity)
 Once you have a story, represent the time period by explaining how your individual is an
example of the broader theme you selected as important.

Submit essay to TurnItIn.com before due date.
o www.turnitin.com
o Class ID = 4394361, Class Name = NPenn-WHAP, Password = whap
Notice the portion of this assignment that is submitted is not daunting in workload. However, the
research and thought processes you will do in order to complete written portion is. Do not short
change these foundational steps. It will affect the quality of your work and eventual grade.
3 pts
Displays analytical & original thought beyond simplistic answers
Displays a thorough understanding of the entire source material
Answers the question completely, thoroughly, & accurately
Supports conclusions with many specific examples & details
2 pts
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Displays some analysis & making connections although may be simplistic
Displays an understanding of the source material
Answers the question completely & accurately
Supports conclusions typically with examples & details
Any omissions or factual errors are rare & minor
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Displays little analysis or original thought – relying heavily on source material
Displays a limited understanding of source material
Answer addresses the question but not fully
Conclusions are based on generalities & a limited number of examples
Any omissions or factual errors are common or significant
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Displays little understanding of source material, lacks focus on the purpose & task,
and/or has plagiarized information
0 pts
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1 pt
Rubric:
Additionally, you must cite your sources. There are two ways in which your essay will cite its
sources. The first way to cite sources appears in the written text of your essay and is placed within
parentheses, “( ).” This form of citing another author’s idea is known as in-text parenthetical
citation. You must cite every piece of information you have borrowed from another author
whether quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing. Without an in-text citation for every
piece of borrowed information, your essay is plagiarized. Generally speaking, the parenthetical
citation should use the first piece of information listed for a source in your bibliography (author’s last
name if the source has an author, first three words of the title if the source has no author).
Examples:
1 AUTHOR
2 AUTHORS
3 or more AUTHORS
NO AUTHOR
Most people prefer their own culture because it is familiar and
comfortable. Our customs feel so natural to us that we think they
are the way things are supposed to be (Smith 108). People in other
cultures feel the same about their customs. “Globally, most people
have a tendency toward ethnocentrism, judging other cultures by the
standards of their own culture” (Holt and Ali 5). One form of
ethnocentrism is racism (Wilks, et al 20). Racism most often
results when groups of people compete for food, land, money, and
social power (“History of Racism” 345).
The second way to cite sources appears on a separate page at the end of your essay. In contrast to
a bibliography which lists sources consulted for research, a Works Cited page has a very literal name
because it lists only the works that are cited in the paper.
To make a works cited page, use only the working bibliography entries that you actually used to write
your essay. To determine this, go back to the beginning of your essay and keep track of all the different
sources you used (they appear in in-text citations). For every source with an in-text citation in your
essay, there must be a complete entry in your works cited page, or your essay is plagiarized.
Start the works cited page on a new page at the end of your essay.
 Center the title, Works Cited, one inch from the top of the page and do not underline.
Double space between the title and the first entry.
 Alphabetize entries by the author's last name or, if the author is unknown, by the first
word in the title other than A, An, or The.
 Begin the entry flush with the left margin. If the entry runs more than one line, indent all
subsequent lines five spaces from the left margin.
 Double space the entire list, both between and within entries.
 Include as much of the following information as is available to complete your works cited
entries. If some information was not provided by the source, omit it.
Examples: (in alphabetical order)
Works Cited
PERIODICAL
Bender, William H. "How Much Food Will We Need in the
Twenty-First Century?" Environment Mar. 1997: 6-11.
BOOK with 3 or more
AUTHORS
Daconta, Michael, et al. Java 1.2 and JavaScript for C and C++
Programmers. New York: Wiley, 1998.
BOOK with 1 AUTHOR
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton:
Princeton UP, 1957.
WEBSITE
Harden, Mark. “Picasso the Legend.” The Artchive. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/picasso_postww2.html>.
BOOK with 2
AUTHORS
Landre, Rick, and Dee Porter. Gangs: A Handbook for
Community Awareness. New York: Facts on File, 1997.