AP World History Summer Assignment
2015
Read the book A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage. You can get the book
at the library, any major bookstore or by shopping online. It is available in paperback. You must
read the whole book. The Epilogue is part of the book, you should read it. Your entire
assignment must be handwritten. It MAY NOT be typed. If it cannot be read, it cannot be
graded.
A History of the World in 6 GlassesPart I: Identifying Big Ideas & Major Changes
The concept of AP World History is to focus on the big ideas, concepts, themes, and trends of history. Instead of focusing
on minor events and occurrences, we will focus on the big ideas that have shaped World History and our world today. To
get your mind thinking in this direction, as you read A History of the World in 6 Glasses, you need to be writing notes
on the Big Ideas, for each drink that is focused on (each drink has 2 chapters).
We will have a quiz the second week of school regarding the book, it is important that you read the entire text and take
comprehensive & meaningful notes so that you can review what you’ve read before the quiz. This does not mean that
you need to write a page of notes for every page in the book, notes cease to be helpful when they include every factoid
you come across.
Part 2: Themes of AP World History
The AP World History course is designed around major themes that consistently come up in history.
After summarizing the main ideas of each drink you must find at least three examples of that fit different themes for each
big summary. By the end of your assignment you should have at least 18 different examples of the AP Themes.
THEMES OF AP WORLD HISTORY
1. Interaction between humans and the environment
a. Demography and disease
b. Patterns of settlement
c. Technology
2. Development and interaction of cultures
a. Religions
b. Belief systems philosophies and ideologies
c. Science and technology
d. Art and architecture
3. State-building, expansion and conflict
a. Political structures and forms of governance
b. Empires
c. Nations and nationalism
d. Revolts and revolutions
e. Regional, trans-regional and global structures and organizations
4. Creation, expansion and interaction of
economic systems
a. Agricultural and pastoral
production
b. Trade and commerce
c. Labor Systems
d. Industrialization
e. Capitalism and socialism
5. Development and transformation of
social structures
a. Gender roles and relations
b. Family and kinship
c. Racial and ethnic constructions
d. Social and economic classes
Part 3: Mapping Assignment
You are going to create two dense/detailed maps, so be neat and tidy. Create a legend and include any symbols for
cities on the map. Use two maps — World Map for Chapters 5 and 6; Eurasia for all other chapters. MAPS CAN BE
DOWNLOADED ON TEACHER PAGES OF CVHS WEBSITE.
1.
a.
b.
2.
a.
Chapters 1-4: Eurasia
Use yellow to shade the entire area that was touched by the use of beer & wine according to these chapters
Label any geographical reference for these chapters in RED INK. Cities, regions (Fertile Crescent), rivers,
mountains, deserts, plateaus, seas, oceans. If it is a region you are identifying, use red diagonal lines to
denote the region.
Chapters 5-6: World
Use a pale green to shade the entire area touched by distilled spirits according to these chapters.
b.
Label any geographical reference for these chapters in GREEN INK. Cities, regions, rivers, mountains,
deserts, plateaus, seas, oceans. If it is a region you are identifying, use red diagonal lines to denote the
region.
c. Notate overlapping cities, cities that were important during the previous period, on the back of your map.
3. Chapters 7-8: Eurasia
a. Use a pale blue to shade the entire area touched by coffee according to these areas.
b. Label any geographical reference for these chapters in BLUE INK. Cities, regions, rivers, mountains,
deserts, plateaus, seas, oceans. If it is a region you are identifying, use red diagonal lines to denote the
region.
c. Notate overlapping cities, cities that were important during the previous period, on the back of your map.
4. Chapters 9-10: Eurasia
a. Use a light brown to shade the entire area touched by tea according to these areas.
b. Label any geographical reference for these chapters in BLACK INK. Cities, regions, rivers, mountains,
deserts, plateaus, seas, oceans. If it is a region you are identifying, use red diagonal lines to denote the
region.
c. Notate overlapping cities, cities that were important during the previous period, on the back of your map.
Part 4: Discussion Questions
In addition to chapter summaries and themes, you must be prepared to answer the following discussion questions.
Remember these questions are designed to stimulate discussion which means one sentence or one word answers will not
be accepted. If you choose to write out your answers in preparation for discussion (highly recommended) please note that
you do not need to include these responses with the other parts.
We will have a discussion utilizing these questions sometime in the second week of school!
1. How might beer have influenced the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural based societies?
2. What opportunities associated with wine drinking did men have in ancient Greece that women did not?
3. Why was wine adopted as a ritual drink in Christianity, but Islam prohibited the use of alcohol?
4. Read the following quote from the book. Do you agree? Why or why not? Support your argument with specific
examples. It is not enough to say “yes, I agree’ or “no, I do not.”
“Distilled drinks, alongside firearms and infectious diseases, helped to reshape the modern world by helping the
inhabitants of the Old World to establish themselves as rulers of the New World.” Pg. 129
5. Describe coffee’s effect on the balance of power between various regions of the world.
6. Why was tea important to China’s economy and its relationship with other countries?
7. How did tea change history in India?
8. How did coco-cola become the world’s most recognized product? How does Coca-Cola affect, and how is it affected
by, people’s views of the United States?
9. Of the six that the author discusses, which beverage do you think has played the most significant role in history?
Defend your choice. What beverages have been left out of this book that might have had an effect on society?
10. What do you think is the beverage for the next era in history? (Do you agree with the author’s choice in the epilogue?)
Defend your choice.
Plagiarism
Make sure that your work is exclusively your own. Any evidence of plagiarism on this assignment or any other
assignment in the course will result in a grade of ZERO and disciplinary action for academic dishonesty.
Due Date
This project in its entirety is due on the first Friday of School, for every day it is turned in early you will get a
bonus point (i.e. Monday = +4 pts., Tuesday = +3 pts., etc.). Please staple all parts together when you hand them in.
This project will be graded and will count toward your first 9 weeks grade.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the project or the course you can email us at kdavis12@houstonisd.org AND
jschulz1@houstonisd.org. Please be sure to use both email addresses in the contact line, that way whichever of us is
available can respond first.
Have a great summer and we are looking forward to seeing you in class in August!
Ms. Davis-Owen & Ms. Schulz