AP World History-Summer Assignment
Ms. Blanc
The purpose of the course is to study the history of the world through global movements by looking at the
big picture and examining specific case studies that apply. The major units of the course are grouped
chronologically: 8,000 BCE-600 BCE, 600 BCE-600CE, 600CE-1450, 1450-1750, 1750-1900 and 1900
to present.
The major themes for the course will be:
1. Interaction between humans and the environment
• Demography and disease
• Migration
• Patterns of settlement
• Technology
2. Development and interaction of cultures
• Religions
• Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
• Science and technology
• The arts and architecture
3. State-building, expansion, and conflict
• Political structures and forms of governance
• Empires
• Nations and nationalism
• Revolts and revolutions
• Regional, trans-regional, and global structures and organizations
4. Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems
• Agricultural and pastoral production
• Trade and commerce
• Labor systems
• Industrialization
• Capitalism and socialism
5. Development and transformation of social structures
• Gender roles and relations
• Family and kinship
• Racial and ethnic constructions
• Social and economic classes
You will purchase the book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. You will be able to purchase the
book at Amazon.com or other major booksellers.
Time Management Plan:
Take your time reading the book. Do not wait until the end of the summer. I suggest reading one chapter
at a time and then complete the summary. You should be spending about four hours a week on the
assignment, reading and completing the summary for one to two chapters per week. Sit with you parents
and set due dates for each chapter and each part of the assignment. Have your parents sign the bottom
of the assignment. This will be handed in with the rest of the assignment on the first day of school.
Part One: Pre Reading Assignment (To be completed by _____ )
Before reading the book answer the following questions.
1. What is your definition of world history?
2. What interests you about studying history? What does not?
3. Look at the major themes for the course. Explain how historical evidence you learned in ninth
grade or from your own study addresses these themes. Be as specific as you can. You may list
the different examples. The purpose is to show how much you already know about world history.
Come up with at least two examples for each theme.
4. For each time period of the course, list 5 examples for each time period.
a. 8000 BCE to 600 BCE
b. 600 BCE-600 CE
c. 600-1450 CE
d. 1450-1750 CE
Part Two: Reading Assignment
You MUST read the following chapters in the book:
Prologue Yali’s Question (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 1: Up to the Starting Line (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 2: A Natural Experiments of History (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 4: Farmer Power (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 9: Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, and the Anna Karenina Principle
(To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 10: Spacious Skies and Titled Axes (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 11: Lethal Gift of Livestock (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 12: Blueprints and Borrowed Letters (To be completed by _____ )
Chapter 13: Necessity’s Mother (To be completed by _____ )
Chose one chapter to read from 15 through 19 (To be completed by _____ )
Epilogue: The Future of Human History as a Science (To be completed by _____ )
For each assigned chapter, including prologue and epilogue, summarize AND explain the big ideas. One
half to one page typed, double spaced is sufficient. Make sure that you are not copying from the book but
that the words are your own. DO NOT write any more than one page.
 Focus on the big ideas and don’t get bogged down in the science. After the reading the chapter,
put the book down and write about what the major themes are. You do not need to include all the
little details of the chapter.
Then, express the big idea for SIX of the chapters with a visual image. (Choose any six) You could draw
a picture or create a collage with cutouts from magazines and computer printouts.
The images should be on a white piece of 8½ by 11 in. paper. Make sure that the pictures are in color
with no pen or pencil.
Part Three: Post-reading Assignment (To be completed by _____ )
After reading the book, answer the following questions.
1. What question is Jared Diamond trying to answer?
2. What is his thesis?
3. Is he successful in supporting his thesis? Why or why not? Are particular chapters stronger than
others? Are any chapters particularly problematic?
4. Do you agree with his theory? Why or why not?
5. What would Jared Diamond’s definition of world history?
6. How has Diamond’s book affected your thinking about world history?
7. Is Guns, Germs and Steel the best title for this book? What title would you give this book?
Explain your answer.
8. Would you recommend this book? To whom? Why or why not?
9. Share any other reactions, thoughts, or questions you have.
Due Date
 The time management plan and journal is due the first day of school and will be your first graded
assignment for the quarter.
 If you want to earn 10 points extra credit on your assignment, hand it in by August 17th. (To earn
the extra credit, the assignment must be emailed to me and uploaded to turnitin)
 You must also upload all of your summaries as one file to turnitin.com
 To set up a turnitin account:
 Go to turnitin.com, click on create account in top right hand corner
 Click on Student
 Class id #: 10066813 Class enrollment password: world
 Enter your personal information and click on create profile (if you already have a turnitin
account from a previous class, log in and click on join class)
If you have any questions or want me to look over any of your work, feel free to e-mail me at
cblanc@sewanhaka.k12.ny.us Have a great summer!
___________________________________
Parent or Guardian
___________________________________
Student
100-90
Pre and Post
Reading Written
Reflections
Comprehension Thoroughly
completes all pre
20%
and post-reading
questions.
89-80
79-70
69 and below
Adequately
completes all pre
and post-reading
questions.
Somewhat
completes all pre
and post-reading
questions.
Little effort up into
completing pre and
post-reading
questions.
Demonstrates an
advanced and
sophisticated
understanding of
the author’s thesis
and supporting
information.
Demonstrates a
thorough
understanding of
the author’s thesis
and supporting
information.
Demonstrates an
understanding of
the author’s thesis
and supporting
information, but
shows some
weakness in
expressing this
understanding.
Does not
demonstrate clear
understanding of
the author’s thesis
and supporting
information.
Reflection
20%
Reflections are
thorough,
insightful and
interesting. Adds
new ideas,
questions and/or
personal
comments.
Reflections are
ample. May be
thorough,
insightful and
interesting, but
uneven. Adds
some new ideas,
questions and/or
personal
comments.
Reflections are
Reflections do not
sufficient. Not as demonstrate care
thorough,
or thought.
insightful and
interesting. Adds
few new ideas,
questions and/or
personal
comments.
Big Idea
Summaries and
illustrations
60%
Summary
thoroughly and
clearly expresses
in-depth
understanding of
all of the chapter’s
main ideas in both
visual and written
form.
Summary
adequately
expresses in-depth
understanding of
most of the
chapters’ main
ideas in both
visual and written
form.
Summary
sufficiently
expresses
understanding of
some of the
chapters’ main
ideas in both
visual and written
form.
Summary does not
express an indepth
understanding of
most of the
chapters’ main
ideas in both visual
and written form.