AP European History
Summer Independent Study Assignment
Required Book to purchase for the Year (DO NOT READ YET!)
1. Candide--Voltaire
Our class webpage:
E-Mail Address:
http://west.knox.k12tn.net/ or http://members.tripod.com/lougallo9566
gallol@k12tn.net
Part I: Background Material
Your assignment for the summer is to use a history textbook, encyclopedia articles, and /or the World Wide
Web to learn about the Europeans prior to the Renaissance. You will be tested on this information the first
week of the school year.
1. Read The Rise of Europe from A History of the Modern World. (Packet)
2. Gather information on the topics listed below. These topics all pertain to the history of Europe prior to
the Renaissance. You should write a brief identification/description of each topic. Some topics will
require much more detailed explanations than others. All descriptions may be in bullet form.
Remember—What is it? Causes (Goals), Course (Actions), Consequences (Results). This is
OPTIONAL.
The Topics
Classical Virtues
Augustine of Hippo
Roman Organization
Enemies of Rome
Greek Christendom
The Muslim World
Vikings
Great Schism of
1054
Feudalism
The rise of towns
The rise of
commerce
English Parliament
Parliaments in
Europe
Gregory VII
Universities
Why Europe and not
China?
Babylonian Captivity
The Council of
Constance
Roman Law
The Arab World
Christianity
Latin Christendom
Magyars
Hanseatic League
Charlemagne’s
Empire
William the
Conqueror and
English development
Guilds
Holy Roman Empire
Christian reform
Papal Elections
Henry IV—Holy
Roman Emperor
Scholasticism
The Black Death
Lay Investiture
Innocent III
1215 Church Council
Thomas Aquinas
Peasant Rebellions
The Crusades
Hundred Years’ War
Asian Invasions
War of the Roses
Great Schism
John Wyclif and the
Lollards
Borgia Family
Jan Hus and the
Hussites
Julius II
The Conciliar
Movement
Leo X
Alexander II
Pax Romana
The Byzantine
World
Papal Authority
The Manor
Magna Carta
Combined European Studies—Summer Independent Study Assignment
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Part II: Summer Readings
Your summer reading/writing assignment is designed to enrich your knowledge of Modern
European History, enhance your interest, and increase your commitment to our Advanced
Placement Modern European History course. Learning, thinking, and commitment should help
you to enjoy and succeed in the class.
Required Summer Readings:
1. A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester
a. Complete reading guide
2. Germinal by Emily Zola (due either August 11, 2008 or January 6, 2009)
a. Complete Book Review
Written Assignments and Projects
Complete Reading Guide for A World Lit Only by Fire and Write a Book Reviews for
Germinal. At this level, students should no longer be writing book reports but should write book
reviews. A book review requires the student to interpret, critically analyze and evaluate the
contents of a book. Use the Book Review guidelines (attached) to help you write your review.
Observe formal writing guidelines. (Adapted from www.eurohist.com)
Combined European Studies—Summer Independent Study Assignment
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Reading Guide—A World Lit Only by Fire
(by William Manchester)
In a hand written document, provide detailed discussions (minimum—8 sentences) of the
following:
1. Using Manchester’s first chapter, what characteristics does Manchester attribute to the
medieval mind? How were these features manifested in ordinary life as well as among
the powerful and influential?
2. The German princes and people supported Luther’s reformation more for political and
economic reasons than for religious ones. Site sources from the book that support this
statement.
3. A split in the Catholic Church or a movement for reform was inevitable because of the
abuses and worldliness of those who were its leaders and spokesmen.
4. According to the prelate Alvaro Pelayo of Spain (1500s) “Wolves are in control of the
church and feed on [Christian] blood!” Explain this quotation for the time period 12001517 and assess its validity.
5. Using the cartoon on page 200 as a starting and reference point, discuss the actions taken
by the Catholic Church to institute reform and assess whether or not the Lutherans
(source of the cartoon) are justified in their feeling. (HINT—The three men in the
cartoon are Cardinals and the painting behind the alter is of the Pope—look at page 132)
6. Give specific thoughts, values, and actions of Magellan, which caused Manchester to
single him out as the exemplar of the Renaissance spirit. What is the contrast between
the Renaissance spirit (Magellan) and the medieval mind (Chapter 1)?
7. Explain whether you believe Magellan has a bias against Christianity. Use specific
examples from the book to support your assertion.
8-12.The last section of Chapter 1, The Medieval Mind, ends with a list of names (p. 27-28).
Pick five of these names and explain why Manchester implies that these names are
“dragons” lurking to destroy the medieval status quo.
Combined European Studies—Summer Independent Study Assignment
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Book Review
Part I—The Summary
A summary consists of a discussion of the major features, trends, themes, ideas, and characteristics. It
should be no more than 2 typed pages or 3 written pages.
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Use your own words. Combine ideas from the book into new sentences of your own. Avoid copying
the original language, and put quotes around any that you do borrow. Summarizing is a good way to
learn, to assimilate material, but the process doesn't work very well unless you translate the original
into your own language.
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Generally, it is best when summarizing to follow the organization of the original.
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Your aim should be to give a true but condensed picture of the book, including the way it is organized.
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Give a background review on the author. You may need to look him/her up in the library or on the
internet.
Part II—The Critique
A critique consists of your thoughts, responses, and reactions to what you have read. This is the heart of
your review. It should be no less than 3-4 typed pages and the following questions are examples of the
kind you should consider as you read your book and prepare the critique.
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What are the theme(s) of the book and how effectively and in what ways does the theme(s) of the book
or arguments of the author reflect what you already know? Explain your response.
What do you believe to be the author’s aims? How well has the author achieved his/her aims? Are
these aims supported or justified? Explain.
Does the author seem fair and accurate? Is there any distortion, exaggeration, or diminishing of
material? Is the overall interpretation biased, subjective, slanted, and/or objective? Does the author try
to look at both sides of the issue? Use evidence from the book to support your answer.
Is there enough information in the book? Explain.
What is your overall opinion of the book, and why? Is the book interesting or boring? Does the
material presented raise your curiosity about the subject? Did you feel satisfied, disappointed, or
puzzled by the book? How well is the book written? (Should you use quotes as examples, keep them
very short -- preferably no more than one sentence.) Explain all responses
Is there anything distinctive or noteworthy about the book? (Give examples where useful.)
Due Date for SUMMER ASSIGNMENT is Monday, August 11, 2008
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Your Background Material test will be either Aug. 12 and/or Aug. 13
Late work WILL NOT be accepted. If student is not at school, please make arrangements for the
summer assignment to be left in the front office with one of the office secretaries.
The summer assignment is your admission ticket to success in the class. Do not start the year with
a 0 and the possibility of being dropped from the course.
You MAY NOT be able to drop the course after August 1, 2008. You can only drop through
guidance and you may be dropped due to an incomplete summer assignment
Combined European Studies—Summer Independent Study Assignment
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