Welcome to Humanities
AP World History, AP Art History, and Honors World Literature
Congratulations! You are embarking on a new and exciting experience! You will complete
several different assignments to help prepare you for the rigor of the Humanities course and
provide you with an artistic and historical overview of the world.
Due Dates
The maps and definitions are due on the first day of class. Art analyses and the reading
assignment are due on the first Friday of class. No late assignments will be accepted.
Plagiarism
Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and disciplinary action. All
information from the book and internet must be rephrased in your own words. If you work with
other students to understand and discuss the readings, your work must be unique and in your
own words. This policy will apply for all assignments in this course.
Sample Completion Timeline – How not to get overwhelmed!?!
June: (Try to work only on the weekdays and relax on the weekends!)
Finish 5-10 Isms per day, depending on your vacation schedule.
Read at least one chapter per week and complete the corresponding portion of the chart.
Visit a museum and fill out the DAIJ Criticism sheets.
July: (Try to work only on the weekdays and relax on the weekends!)
Finish 1 Map per week, depending on your vacation schedule.
Read at least one chapter per week and complete the corresponding portion of the chart.
Type the one page DAIJ Synopsis for each piece of artwork.
Questions
If you have any questions about the Humanities assignments, you can e-mail:
Shannon.Herndon@cobbk12.org – AP World History assignments
(I will be in Italy from June 7 – 26; go ahead, be jealous!)
Mary.Mccullough@cobbk12.org – AP Art History assignments
** Keep in mind that you may not get an immediate response!**
AP World History Summer Assignment – Isms, Maps, and Summer Reading
Introduction to the AP World History Course Themes (You will use the themes for the summer reading activity.)
The purpose of AP World History is to study the history of the world through global movements, by looking at
the big picture and examining specific events based on themes. The major themes for the course are: S-P-I-C-E
Development and Transformation of Social Structures (SOCIAL)
 Gender Roles and Relations
 Family and Kinship
 Racial and Ethnic Constructions
 Social and Economic Classes
State building, Expansion, and Conflict (POLITICAL)
 Political Structures and Forms of Governance
 Empires
 Nations and Nationalism
 Revolts and Revolutions
 Regional, Trans-regional, Global Structures and Organizations
Interaction between Humans and the Environment (INTERACTION)
 Demography and Disease
 Migration
 Patterns of Settlement
 Technology
Development and Interaction of Cultures (CULTURE)
 Religions
 Belief systems, Philosophies, and Ideologies
 Science and Technology
 Arts and Architecture
Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems (ECONOMICS)
 Agricultural and Pastoral Production
 Trade and Commerce
 Labor Systems
 Industrialization
 Capitalism and Socialism
Historical Periodization
The AP World History course content is structured around the investigation of course themes and key concepts
in six chronological periods. The six historical periods provide a sequential framework for the course.
Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations (to 600 B.C.E.)
Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (600B.C.E. – 600 C.E.)
Period 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions (600 C.E. – 1450 C.E.)
Period 4: Global Interactions (1450 – 1750 C.E.)
Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration (1750 – 1900 C.E.)
Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (1900 – present)
B.C.E. stands for “Before the Common Era” which historically was referred to as B.C. “Before Christ”.
C.E. stands for “Common Era” which was referred to as A.D. “anno Domini - In the year of the Lord”.
In other words, B.C. is now B.C.E., and A.D. is now C.E.; CollegeBoard uses the new abbreviations on the exams.
Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ______________ Class: ______
ISMS Definitions: (All parts of the chart MUST be handwritten. You may use notebook paper.)
By defining the Isms, you will begin to build an academic vocabulary, which you will utilize throughout the
Humanities course. You may recognize many of the terms; however, do you truly understand the historical
significance of each Ism? First, you need to know what the suffix -ism means.
Define –ism: ______________________________________________________________________________
Ism
Root Word
Definition
Absolutism
Absolute- complete,
total, or unlimited
Animism
Anti-Semitism
Authoritarianism
Buddhism
Capitalism
Calvinism
Catholicism
Communism
Confucianism
Daoism/Taoism
Main Ideas/Beliefs
of the Ism
-Unlimited power for a leader
-Centralized government
-NO checks and balances
Example from
World History
King Louis XIV
France (1643-1715)
Sun King “I am the State”
Deism
Despotism
Ethnocentrism
Fascism
Feminism
Feudalism
Hellenism
Hinduism
Humanism
Imperialism
Industrialism
Isolationism
Judaism
Legalism
Liberalism
Lutheranism
Manorialism
Marxism
Mercantilism
Militarism
Monotheism
Nationalism
Nazism
Neoclassicism
Polytheism
Protestantism
Rationalism
Scholasticism
Secularism
Shi’ism
Shintoism
Social Darwinism
Socialism
Stoicism
Sufism
Sunnism
Totalitarianism
Zionism
Zoroastrianism
"Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an Ism, he
should believe in himself." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ______________ Class: ______
World Map Activity: (All parts of the map MUST be handwritten.)
Label the maps with the geographic features and color/highlight each group of features the shade indicated in
parentheses. Print to make sure your maps are easy to read. Use the provided maps to label the features listed
below; use the appropriate list A, B, or C with the corresponding map.
Map A: Bodies of Water
Straits & Canals (Purple)
Oceans and Seas (Blue)
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Southern Ocean
North Sea
Baltic Sea
English Channel
Norwegian Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Adriatic Sea
Aegean Sea
Black Sea
Caspian Sea
Great Lakes
Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
South China Sea
East China Sea
Yellow Sea
Sea of Japan
Caribbean Sea
Hudson Bay
Cape of Good Hope
Cape Horn
Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Mexico
Bosporus Strait
Strait of Magellan
Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Malacca
Dardanelles
Panama Canal
Suez Canal
Rivers (Green)
Nile
Amazon
Mississippi
Rio Grande
Indus
Ganges
Yangtze
Huang He
Tigris
Euphrates
Irrawaddy
Mekong
Danube
Rhine
Congo
Niger
Circle the four early river
valley civilizations.
Tigris-Euphrates
Nile
Huang He
Indus
Mountain Ranges (Orange)
Map B: Landforms
Peninsulas and landforms (stripes or dots)
Deserts (Yellow)
Alaska Range
Rocky Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
Andes Mountains
Alps
Atlas Mountains
Ural Mountains
Hindu Kush
Himalaya Mountains
Gobi
Kalahari
Sahara
Thar
Mojave
Arabian
Namib
Atacama
Syrian
Arabian Peninsula
Balkans
Crimean
Horn of Africa
Iberian Peninsula
Yucatan Peninsula
Rift Valley
Asian Steppe
Map C: AP World Regions
Go to the AP World History Course and Exam Description at
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-world-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf
Scroll down to page 22 of the AP World History Course and Exam Description. Use the “Closer Look” map to
draw and label the AP Regions on Map C. Make your own key and use a color for each region and striping to
indicate regions that overlap.
Map A: Bodies of Water
Map B: Landforms
Map C: AP World Regions
Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ______________ Class: ______
How Art Made the World: A Journey to the Origins of Human Creativity
By Nigel Spivey
Summer Reading: (All parts of the assignment MUST be handwritten.)
Read the novel How Art Made the World by Nigel Spivey. Spivey illustrates the importance of art as a record
of history. Find social, political, interaction, cultural, and economic examples while reading each of the
following chapters. Fill out the S-P-I-C-E chart with 1-2 examples from each chapter. A quote and the page
number must be provided along with the descriptions as evidence of your comprehension of the example and
the AP World History Course Themes. For a detailed description of the AP World History Course Themes, go
to https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-world-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf and
review the themes on pages 17 – 20.
Ch. 1 The Human Artist
AP World
Course Themes
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Social
Political
(Example)
Interaction
Technology:
Walking on 2 legs instead of 4 led to people creating new technologies with their
hands.
Technology can also be represented in paintings.
“The primary effect of bipedalism… include[s] the
making and carrying of tools and weapons” (Google
book, pg. 8).
Anatomical Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by
Rembrandt van Rijn (painting, 1632)
Cultural
Economic
Ch. 2 The Birth of the Imagination
AP World
Course Themes
Social
Political
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Interaction
Cultural
Economic
Ch. 3 More Human than Human
AP World
Course Themes
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Social
Political
Interaction
Cultural
Economic
Ch. 4 Once Upon a Time
AP World
Course Themes
Social
Political
Interaction
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Cultural
Economic
Ch. 5 Second Nature
AP World
Course Themes
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Social
Political
Interaction
Cultural
Economic
Ch. 6 Art and Power
AP World
Course Themes
Social
Political
Interaction
Cultural
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Economic
Ch. 7 Seeing the Invisible
AP World
Course Themes
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
Social
Political
Interaction
Cultural
Economic
Ch. 8 In the Face of Death
AP World
Course Themes
Social
Political
Interaction
Cultural
Economic
Chapter Example(s)
Quote (pg. #)
AP Art History Summer Assignment – Visit a Museum
In AP Art History, we will be developing your visual literacy skills. To begin learning how to look at art, you
are required to visit one of the many area art museums during the summer.
Here are some suggestions:
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The High Museum ($12/Closed on Mondays)
The Marietta Cobb Museum ($5 with student ID/Closed on Mondays)
Michael C. Carlos Museum
Any other visual art museum where drawings, paintings, print, sculptures are on display. (This cannot
be a planetarium, science museum, etc. It needs to be a museum dedicated solely to the visual arts.)
If you are exploring colleges this summer, be sure to inquire about their art museum.
This can be done out of state or abroad. If you are on vacation, check out the museums in the area.
Task:
a. Take a photograph of yourself at the museum to show that you attended. The photo must include
something about the museum like a sign in the background, painting, sculpture etc. The photo is be
handed in with the assignment on your first day.
b. As you walk through the galleries, select 3 works of art by any 3 artists that interest you. Explore each
piece by carefully observing. Try to gather as much information as possible by looking carefully.
c. There is a DAIJ Criticism sheet attached. Please print a few and take them with you to the museum.
Consider the following DAIJ Critique steps:
D=Description. The first step in art criticism is description. When we look at a work of art, our minds
naturally take notice of the general information that is present. For example, if we take The Mona Lisa, we
notice, “Hey, this is a painting of a woman.” When critiquing, start here with a simple description of what is
seen in the artwork.
A=Analysis. Analysis refers to how we see the elements and principles of art. In this step, our minds take in
the lines, values, and colors of the artwork. We also may take notice of the balance, proportion, rhythm, and
unity found within the work. In a critique, students should point out what is happening with these specific
elements and principles. Many times, the formal qualities of the artwork are what makes the art successful.
Students should understand how these qualities work and what makes them successful in artwork. They should
also be able to discern when these formal qualities are unsuccessful as well.
I=Interpretation. Often times, students will automatically skip to this step. We look for meaning in everything,
so this is natural. In this step, we explore the meaning of the artwork. What is the artist trying to communicate
to us? There are no wrong responses here.
J=Judgment. The last step in art criticism is judgment. Is this work of art successful? It is important if we are
teaching students, to guide them in this step. Remind students that the work of art may not be their favorite, but
it may still be successful. This way, we teach students to appreciate good art, even if we personally do not like
it.
Understanding the steps to art criticism and implementing them in a structured way in critique, will help you
create better artwork.

If the museum permits photos, take a picture of each painting. ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION.
For each of the 3 works of art, write a one page (double spaced, 12 pt. font) DAIJ critique/synopsis in
essay form.
Include the following:
 Full ID: title, artist, year, medium, size
 Picture (your photo, museum postcard, download from Internet): BE SURE TO ASK IF YOU
CAN TAKE PHOTOS. MUSEUMS ARE VERY STRICT ABOUT THIS RULE.
 Information that you gathered by observation for your DAIJ critique. (Do not copy and paste
from the Internet. I want your observations.)
 Your impressions about the work: what do you think it means? How does it make you feel? Is it a
successful painting? Do you like it?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions but your critique/synopsis should be a complete and
thoughtfully considered. Most of all, I want you to look around and enjoy the museum!
Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ______________ Class: ______
Description Name of the artist: _______________________________________________________________
Name of the artwork: _______________________________________________________________________
Date of the artwork: ____________________________
Type of artwork (example: oil painting, ceramic, lithograph): ________________________
Size of artwork (if given): _______________________
Physical Description (what do you see):
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Analysis (write at least two elements of art and two principles of design that you see and how they are being used) :
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Interpretation (based on history what do you think the artist is trying to say) :
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Judgment (do you like it or not and why):
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Elements: line, form, shape, texture, color, space, value
Principles: balance, emphasis, pattern, movement, rhythm, contrast, unity