“Change is
inevitable - except
from a vending
machine.”
Robert C. Gallagher
CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OVER
TIME
The Continuity and Change Over Time (CCOT)
essay question tests the student’s ability to trace
a broad trend or development over a long period
of time
 The CCOT lends itself to a topical approach
 Topics may include cultural interchange, global
trade, the movement and migration of peoples,
the role of minorities in a given society, the
status of women, environmental issues, biological
developments, changes in technology, artistic and
cultural attitudes, and scientific innovations

GENERAL TIPS FOR WRITING A
CCOT
Students should take 40 minutes to complete the
CCOT essay
 Students should spend 5 of the 40 minutes
reading the question, reflecting on the question,
and organizing thoughts concerning the essay
 The CCOT will request that students analyze the
evolution of a trend or phenomenon over a long
period of time
 Students will be asked to focus on a particular
nation or geographical region and may be given a
choice regarding which nation or region must be
included in the essay

The requirements for the CCOT are more
straightforward than those for the DBQ.
However, students must concentrate on showing
what changed and how it changed as well as
what remained the same.
THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE
WRITING
What were things like at the beginning of the
assigned period?
 What changed?
 How and why did it change?
 What were things like at the end of the assigned
period?
 What differences did those changes make?
 What remained the same?

Definition: Change
To make different in some particular
~Merriam-Webster dictionary
Definition: Continuity
Uninterrupted connection, succession, or union
~Merriam-Webster dictionary
SO, WAIT A MINUTE


It’s not just about change but about what
remained the same
Don’t forget the continuity part of the Continuity
and Change Over Time Essay
Let’s Practice!
FROM THE 2006 WORLD HISTORY AP
EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE
ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD):
Analyze the cultural and political changes and
continuities in ONE of the following civilizations
during the last centuries of the classical era.
Chinese, 100 C.E. to 600 C.E.
Roman, 100 C.E. to 600 C.E.
Indian, 300 C.E. to 600 C.E.
READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY
Analyze cultural and political changes
 But also analyze continuities
 Choose ONE civilization
 Focus on last centuries of classical era

FACTS ABOUT CHINA (100 C.E. – 600
C.E.)
The Han Dynasty ruled China from 206 B.C.E. –
220 C.E. (Of course, this is only part of the time
period provided)
Han rulers:
-Created an efficiently governed empire
-Expanded hundreds of miles to the west, north,
and south
-Established a tributary system (exacting
payment from neighboring states) with areas
that were not taken over directly
-Established an effective administration, postal
service, and a tax-collecting system

Han rulers also built roads, defensive
fortifications (enlarging the Great Wall), and
canals to link the country’s major rivers
 During most of the Han dynasty, the economy
was strong
 The Chinese had a monopoly on silk production
 But by 200 C.E., the Han state was in decline
 Decreased agricultural production, governmental
corruption, and weak leadership contributed to
the decline
 Outside invaders, bandits, and rebels on the
frontiers also made it difficult for the Han to
protect their borders
 In 220 C.E., the Han dynasty collapsed

Over the next three and a half centuries, several
minor dynasties rose and fell, while China itself
was in a state of chaos and anarchy
 Not until 589 C.E. did a strong dynasty, the Sui
(589-618), reestablish order

FACTS ABOUT ROMANS (100 C.E. –
600 C.E.)
The Roman Empire remained in place for
approximately five centuries, from 31 B.C.E. to
Rome’s downfall in 476 C.E.
 The first emperor was Julius Caesar’s adopted
son, Octavian, who renamed himself Caesar
Augustus (30 B.C.E. – 14 C.E.) [But this is not
the time period for this essay!]
 So, while August restored order, revived Roman
strength and wealth, and enjoyed a long reign as
a respected ruler, emperors that followed were
more despotic [this is the time period!]

During the first two and a half centuries C.E.,
Rome’s economic and military might increased
 Its huge territory extended from Spain in the
west to Asia Minor in the east, from northern
Africa in the south to the British Isles in the
north
 From the early 200s C.E., onward, Rome found
itself in crisis
 During the 300s C.E., the eastern half of the
empire broke away, evolving into the Byzantine
Empire
 Overextension of military and political strength
made it difficult to govern what remained of the
western empire

The army gained a large degree of control over
the imperial government
 The economy experienced severe downturns
 Migrating waves of Asiatic and Germanic
barbarians attacked Roman lands from the east
and the north for more than four centuries
 By the 400s C.E., the heartland of the empire lay
open to barbarian invasion
 The city of Rome was sacked by Gothic tribes in
410 C.E.
 Another wave of Goths took over the city
completely in 476 C.E., the year when Rome and
the western empire are considered to have fallen

YES, THE HAN AND THE ROMAN
HAVE A LOT IN COMMON

And not just politically but culturally too
-The Han adopted Confucianism as the official
philosophy of the dynasty and while after the
initial collapse of the dynasty, Confucianism lost
some favor to Buddhism due to the ensuing
chaos, Confucianism remained quite influential
in the dynastic period in China.
-And although the Romans crucified Jesus,
subsequent emperors ensured that it became the
official religion of the empire in 380 C.E.
Christianity greatly influenced European
cultural realities for years to come.
Yes, the cultural heritage of the Han and the
Romans influenced their respective lands for
years to come.
The Han adopted Confucianism. The Romans
adopted Christianity and preserved the Hellenic
philosophy, literature, and scientific learning of
ancient Greece.
The Han built roads and increased trade. The
Romans built roads, aqueducts, and also
increased trade.
But while China was eventually reunited, Europe
remained politically fragmented after the fall of
Rome.
FACTS ABOUT INDIA (300 C.E. – 600
C.E.)
After the collapse of the Mauryan Empire in 184
B.C.E. due to attacks by outside enemies, India
reverted to a state of political disunity for the
next five hundred years
 Not until 320 C.E. (Yes! – the correct time period)
did another large empire rise up: the Gupta
Empire, which lasted until 550 C.E.
 The Gupta empire controlled most of northern
and central India
 The Gupta empire was smaller and less
centralized than the Mauryan, but it thrived
culturally and economically

Although the Gupta rulers were Hindu, they
practiced religious toleration
 Gupta India traded with China, Southeast Asia,
and even the eastern Mediterranean
 Gupta scholars created the decimal system used
today along with the concepts of pi and zero
 The Gupta empire is considered the Golden Age of
Hindu and Sanskrit culture (Sanskrit was the
ancient language of India)
 Like the Mauryans before them, the Gupta
emperors fell as a result of outside pressure,
especially from Hun attacks on the northwestern
frontier
 From then until after 1000 C.E., India remained
decentralized until Muslim invaders moved in and
shaped much of Indian politics after 1000 C.E.

BEFORE WRITING, LET’S REVIEW
THE SCORING GUIDE

Basic Core (For a possible total of 7 points)
-Acceptable Thesis (1 point)
-Deals with all parts of the question, though not
necessarily evenly or completely (2 points –
partial credit can be given)
-Backs up thesis with appropriate historical
evidence (2 points – partial credit can be given)
- Uses historical context to illustrate continuity
and change over time (1 point)
-Analyzes the process of change and continuity (1
point)
THE EXPANDED CORE FOR CCOT

A score of 7 must be earned before a student can
gain expanded-core points (Total of 2 points)
Examples of Expanded Core:
-Begins with an explicit, analytical, and
comprehensive thesis
-Deals with all aspects of the question
-Gives ample historical evidence to back up
thesis
-Creatively links topic to relevant ideas, trends,
and events
KEY INGREDIENTS
Thesis
 Addressing all parts of the question
 Historical evidence to support thesis
 Using historical context to illustrate continuity
and change over time
 Analyzing the process of continuity and change
 And for expanded core points: Analytical,
Comprehensive, Ample Evidence, Creative

SO, WHICH CIVILIZATION SHOULD
THE STUDENT PICK?
HOW MANY FACTS CAN BE
RECALLED?
Facts will provide the evidence needed to support
the thesis
 So, ultimately, the choice must be based on which
civilization is remembered in greatest detail
 Yes, any civilization could be used to answer the
question but the civilization that is remembered
most accurately is the civilization that will lead
to highest mark
 Points count
 Choose to win

FACTS MATTER
To write a Continuity and Change Over Time
essay, facts are critical
 Unlike the DBQ, the only information the
student has to answer the question is the
information the student has remembered
 And the best way to remember information is to
practice and interact with it regularly

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Do the continuities reach through the entire time
period?
What caused the changes? Where do those causes
fall on the timeline?
What are EXAMPLES of how things remain the
same or changed?
E. Napp
Continuities
100 CE----------------------------------------------------600CE
Changes
“People who write
about spring
training not being
necessary have
never tried to
throw a baseball.”
Sandy Koufax