AP World History Summer Assignments 2014
Welcome to AP World History for the school year 2014-2015! Over the course of the school year we will explore 10,000
years of human history, learn valuable skills and take the AP Exam. This is an exciting class that will allow us to look at the big
picture of history, trace cultures over time, and examine human interactions. All summer work will be due the first day of school,
2014.
Summer Assignments: All of which can be downloaded from the class wikispace (see back for contact info)
1) Reading and working on the first three chapters of the textbook.
2) Reading “The Walking Drum” by Louis L’Amour
3) Some basic geography work on maps.
XC) Watching and writing about ONE historical movie.
1) Starting the course reading/work in the textbook
You will be able to go in to the library and check out the AP World textbook: Traditions and Encounters. This must happen
BEFORE school is out. The goal is to get a head start on the reading required in the course. At the class wikispace, on the
Summer 2014 page, you will be able to download instructions for the first three chapters.
2) “The Walking Drum”
This summer assignment is meant to help, in an entertaining way, to reintroduce you to aspects of the Middle Ages, so that you
will be able to make meaningful observations about how they compare and contrast with what came before and what came after.
Book info: go HERE for the basics. You should be able to find this book in any local bookstore, although with several of you
looking for it you might have to ask a clerk to order it for you. Also, it is available online. Here's a site that has used copies for a
buck plus shipping. (The links will work when reading this assignment online)
There are two components of this assignment:
A) First, there will be online discussion questions for you to answer. You should attempt to respond to at least four of
the discussion questions that I will be posting at the wiki. This aspect of the assignment will be extra credit.
B) You will take a quiz on this book the first day of class. This is not extra credit – it’s required.
2) Geography work
The study of history is geography dependent, so the sooner you familiarize yourself with the world’s general organization, the
more you will get out of the reading and discussion. This is an easy and general beginning to our study of geography this year.
The geography assignment is posted on the Summer 2014 page of the class wikispace. The directions are on the printout.
3) Historical Films
During the course of the school year, our class time is so valuable, that we will not be able to watch a complete film. Thus this
assignment is a chance to do that and have a relatively painless introduction to some of our coursework. Each student must
watch one movie, from the posted list and complete a film analysis for the movie. The films are listed in the general time periods
we will be using to divide up the course. Choose one from the time period you think interests you the most. If you have friends
who are also planning to take the course, you can all watch the same movie, but you have to turn in separate written components.
Watch the movie together and have a discussion of it so you understand it better! I have indicated which are available on Netflix,
but you can check rentals and the public library as well.
***Please note the Rating of each film. Some of these movies are rated “R”. Parental permission is needed to view “R” rated
movies if you are under the age of 17. You may easily complete this assignment without choosing any “R” rated movies.
Film Analysis Requirements:
For each film, number and answer the following questions.
1. Name of Film & Year of Release
2. Describe the plot of this film—minimum of one paragraph
3. Describe the point of view in this film and if there is any evidence of bias—minimum of one paragraph
4. Assess the validity of this film for purposes of studying World History (i.e. how historically accurate is it?
appropriateness? knowledge conveyed? entertaining? etc.)—minimum of two paragraphs
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AP World History Movie List
Film Format:
Title of Film (Year of Film-pay attention to this!) Approximate Length in minutes Film Rating***
Brief summary of film.
Netflix = The versions that are available on Netflix.com if your family has a subscription.
The Emperor and the Assassin (Jing Ke ci qin wang)
(1998) 160 min R
In pre-unified China, the King of Qin sends his
concubine to a rival kingdom to produce an assassin
for a political plot, but as the king's cruelty mounts she
finds her loyalty faltering.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
8000 BCE—600 CE
The 300 Spartans (1962) 110 min Unrated
Essentially true story of how Spartan king Leonidas led
an extremely small army of Greek Soldiers (300 of
them his personal body guards from Sparta) to hold off
an invading Persian army now thought to have
numbered 250,000.
Netflix = DVD
Apocalypto (2006) 140 min R
As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, the rulers
insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and
offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man
captured for sacrifice, flees to avoid his fate.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
Spartacus (1960) 190 min PG-13
The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the
decadent Roman empire.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
Cleopatra (1963) approx. 200 min Unrated
Historical epic. The triumphs and tragedy of the
Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. Starring Elizabeth Taylor.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
The Ten Commandments (1956) 220 min G
The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage
as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of
his people.
Netflix = DVD
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
(1966) approx. 100 min Unrated
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his
young smitten master to earn his freedom.
Netflix = DVD
600 CE—1450 CE
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) 160
min R
A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid
France of its oppressors.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) 110 min G
Film version of the musical stage play, presenting the
last few weeks of Christ's life, told in an anachronistic
manner.
Netflix = DVD
Constantine and the Cross (1961) 120 min Unrated
Somewhat fictionalized dramatic account of Late
Roman Emperor Constantine, his rise to power, and
his establishment of religious tolerance among Roman
subjects. Constantine's adoption of Christianity allowed
this small persecuted religion to sweep throughout
Europe as the empire's power waned.
Ben Hur (1959) 215 min Unrated
When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery
by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes
back for revenge.
Simon of the Desert (1965) 45 min Unrated
The ascetic religious Simón believes he is a sinner and
decides to self-inflict a sacrifice, living like a hermit on
the top of a pedestal in the middle of the desert to be
closer to God and resist the temptations of the world.
His followers are peasants and travelers that believe
that Simón is a saint capable of performing miracles
and they crowd to hear his speeches. However, Satan
tries to tempt him with the pleasures of the world.
Netflix = DVD
The Message (Mohammad, Messenger of God) 1977
200 min PG
Handsomely-mounted historical epic concerns the birth
of the Islamic faith and the story of the prophet
Mohammed -- who, in accordance with the tenants of
Islam, is never seen or heard (as this is offensive to
certain islamic schools of thought).
Netflix = DVD
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El Cid (1961) 190 min Unrated
Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz
("El Cid" to his followers), who, without compromising
his strict sense of honour, still succeeds in taking the
initiative and driving the Moors from Spain.
Netflix = DVD
The biographical story of Michelangelo's troubles while
painting the Sistine Chapel at the urging of Pope Julius
II.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
Black Robe (1991) 100 min R
In the 17th century a Jesuit priest and a young
companion are escorted through the wilderness of
Quebec by Algonquin Indians to find a distant mission
in the dead of winter. The Jesuit experiences a spiritual
journey while his young companion falls in love with
the Algonquin chief's beautiful daughter underneath
the imposing and magnificent mountains. Dread and
death follows them upriver.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
Becket (1964) 150 min PG-13
An English king comes to terms with his affection for
his close friend and confidant, who finds his true honor
by observing God's divine will rather than the king's.
Netflix = DVD, Blu-ray & Streaming
The Lion in Winter (1968) 135 min PG
1183 AD: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit
the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. They and
his wife variously plot to force him.
*Be sure you are not getting the 2003 version!
Netflix = DVD
The Last Valley (1991) 125 min PG
People in a small German village in the last valley to
remain untouched by the devastating Thirty Years' War
try to exist in peace with a group of soldiers occupying
the valley.
A Man for All Seasons (1966) 120 min Unrated
The story of Thomas More, who stood up to King
Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic
Church to obtain a divorce and remarriage.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
Fire Over England (1937) 90 min Unrated
In 1588, relations between Spain and England are at
the breaking point. British sea raiders regularly capture
Spanish merchantmen bringing gold from the New
World with the support of Queen Elizabeth I. After a
plot to depose her is discovered, she enlists Michael
Ingolby, whose father was killed by the Inquisition, to
go undercover and infiltrate the court of Philip of Spain.
Elizabeth (Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen) (1998) 125
min R
A film of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of
England and her difficult task of learning what is
necessary to be a monarch.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
Vatel (2000) 105 min PG-13
In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless
prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a
chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission
as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the
king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of
honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his
longing for stature: no task is too menial or
dishonorable for him to give Vatel.
Netflix = DVD
Ivanhoe (1952) 110 min Unrated
Returning from the Crusades in the Holy Land, Ivanhoe
learns that King Richard the Lionheart is imprisoned in
Austria. Once in England, his pleas to pay the ransom
fall on deaf ears as Prince John and cronies enjoy their
current situation far too much. Joining forces with
Robin of Locksley, Ivanhoe takes steps to raise the
money all the while trying to re-establish his
relationship with his father who disowned him years
previously
Netflix = DVD
Cromwell (1970) 140 min G
Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver
Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World.
But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn
into the tangled web of religion and politics that will
result in the English Civil War.
Netflix = DVD
1450—1750
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) 140 min PG
Based on a late 19th century play about a long-nosed
early 17th-century Frenchman. Embarrassed by his
large nose, a romantic poet/soldier romances his
cousin by proxy.
Netflix = DVD
1750—1900
The Madness of King George (1994) 100 min PG-13
A meditation on power and the metaphor of the body of
state, based on the real episode of dementia
experienced by George III [now suspected a victim of
porphyria, a blood disorder]. As he loses his senses,
he becomes both more alive and more politically
marginalized; neither effect desirable to his lieutenants,
who jimmy the rules to avoid a challenge to regal
The Mission (1986) 125 min PG
18th century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote
South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under
the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.
Netflix = DVD
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) 140 min Unrated
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authority, raising the question of who is really in
charge.
Netflix = DVD
defeat, the Zulus are first humiliated at Roark's Drift
and then crushed at the Battle of Ulundi.
Netflix = DVD
Danton (1982) 140 min PG
Action opens in November of 1793, with Danton
returning to Paris from his country retreat upon
learning that the Committee for Public Safety, under
Robespierre's incitement, has begun a series of
massive executions, The Terror. Confident in the
peoples' support, Danton clashes with his former ally,
but calculating Robespierre soon rounds up Danton
and his followers, tries them before a revolutionary
tribunal and dipatches them to the guillotine.
Netflix = DVD
Breaker Morant (1979) 110 min PG
Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for
executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention
from war crimes committed by their superior officers.
Netflix = Blu-ray & Streaming
1900—Present
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 215 min PG
Epic rumination on a flamboyant and controversial
British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during
wartime service.
Netflix = DVD
The Molly Maguires (1970) 125 min PG
Life is rough in the coal mines of 1876 Pennsylvania. A
secret group of Irish emigrant miners, known as the
Molly Maguires, fights against the cruelty of the mining
company with sabotage and murder. A detective, also
an Irish emigrant, is hired to infiltrate the group and
report on its members. But on which side do his
sympathies lie?
Netflix = DVD
Out of Africa (1985) 160 min PG
In 20th century colonial Kenya, a Danish
baroness/plantation owner has a passionate but
ultimately doomed love affair with a free-sprited biggame hunter.
Netflix = DVD
Citizen Kane (1941) 120 min PG
Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news
reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final
utterance. An account of Golden Age capitalism.
Netflix = DVD
Black and White in Color (1976) 90 min PG
French colonists in Africa, several months behind in
the news, find themselves at war with their German
neighbors. Deciding that they must do their proper duty
and fight the Germans, they promptly conscript the
local native population. Issuing them boots and rifles,
the French attempt to make "proper" soldiers out of the
Africans. A young, idealistic French geographer seems
to be the only rational person in the town, and he takes
over control of the "war" after several bungles on the
part of the others.
Netflix = DVD
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) 140 min PG-13
A chronicle of events that led to the British involvement
in the Crimean War against Russia and which led to
the siege of Sevastopol and the fierce Battle of
Balaclava on October 25, 1854 which climaxed with
the heroic, but near-disastrous cavalry charge made by
the British Light Brigade against a Russian artillery
battery in a small valley which resulted in the neardestruction of the brigade due to error of judgment and
rash planning on part by the inept British commanders.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) 215 min
PG
The people of a small village in Victorian India stake
their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless
British rulers.
The Leopard (1963) 185 min PG
The Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable
integrity, tries to preserve his family and class amid the
tumultuous social upheavals of 1860's Sicily.
Netflix = DVD, Blu-ray, & Streaming
Paths of Glory (1957) 90 min TV-14
When soldiers in WW1 refuse to continue with an
impossible attack, their superiors decide to make an
example of them.
Netflix = DVD
Les Misérables (1998) 135 min PG-13
Jean Valjean, a Frenchman imprisoned for stealing
bread, must flee a police officer named Javert. The
pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean
finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in
France. Starring Liam Neeson.
Netflix = DVD
Reds (1981) 195 min PG
A radical American journalist becomes involved with
the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring
its spirit and idealism to the United States.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
Zulu Dawn (1979) 115 min PG
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of
Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership. Despite the
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) 185 min PG
Czar Nicholas II, the inept monarch of Russia,
insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown
and exiled to Siberia with his family.
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Netflix = DVD
South African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee
the country after attempting to investigate the death in
custody of his friend the black activist Steve Biko.
Netflix = DVD
Dr. Zhivago (1965) 200 min PG-13
Life of a Russian doctor/poet who, although married,
falls for a political activist's wife and experiences
hardships during the Bolshevik Revolution.
Netflix = DVD, Blu-ray & Streaming
The Blue Kite (1993) 140 min Unrated
The Revolution in China from the view of a child living
in Beijing.
Netflix = DVD
Bataan (1943) 115 min Unrated
Japan has just invaded the Phillipines and the US
Army attempts a desperate defence. Thirteen men are
chosen to blow up a bridge on the Bataan peninsula
and keep the Japanese from rebuilding it.
October Sky (1999) 110 min PG
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son
who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up
rocketry against his father's wishes.
Netflix = DVD
The Longest Day (1962) 180 min G
The events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both
the Allied and German points of view.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
The Killing Fields (1984) 140 min R
A photographer is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant
Pol Pot's bloody "Year Zero" cleansing campaign,
which claimed the lives of two million "undesirable"
civilians.
Netflix = DVD
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) 190 min Unrated
In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries
four Nazi judges for war crimes.
Netflix = DVD
Jakob the Liar (1999) 120 min PG-13
During World War II in Nazi occupied Poland, poor
Jewish café owner Jakob ('Robin Williams' )
accidentally overhears a forbidden radio news bulletin
signaling Soviet military successes against German
forces. To fight the incredible depression and suicide
throughout the ghetto, Jakob tells fictitious news
bulletins about Allied advances against the Nazis.
These lies keep hope and humor alive among the
ghetto inhabitants. The Germans learn of the mythical
radio, however, and begin a search for the resistance
hero who dares operate it.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
And the Band Played On (1993) 140 min PG-13
The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and
the political infighting of the scientific community
hampering the early fight with it.
Netflix = DVD
The Conflict (Catholics) (1973) 80 min Unrated
Martin Sheen stars in this religious drama that pits the
protectors of tradition against the emissaries of
change. Sheen, on a mission from the Vatican to help
administer reforms within the Roman Catholic Church,
is dispatched to a secluded monastery in Ireland where
he meets an Abbot that does not share his views on
how to lead his flock.
Netflix = DVD
The Battle of Algiers (La Battaglia di Algeri) (1965) 125
min Unrated
A film commissioned by the Algerian government that
shows the Algerian revolution from both sides. The
French foreign legion has left Vietnam in defeat and
has something to prove. The Algerians are seeking
independence. The two clash. The torture used by the
French is contrasted with the Algerian's use of bombs
in soda shops. A look at war as a nasty thing that
harms and sullies everyone who participates in it.
Netflix = DVD & Streaming
Gallipoli (1981) 110 min PG
Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war
when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in
Turkey during World War I.
Netflix = DVD
The Last Emperor (1987) 220 min PG-13
A story about the last of the Qing emperors and the
change of China from a monarchy to Communism from
the emperor’s point of view.
Netflix = DVD, Blu-ray & Streaming
Gandhi (1982) 190 min PG
Biography of Mahatma Gandhi, the lawyer who
became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against
the British through his philosophy of non-violent
protest.
Netflix = DVD & Blu-ray
To Live (Huo zhe) (1994) 135 min 125 min Unrated
Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in China
as their personal fortunes move from wealthy
landownership to peasantry. Addicted to gambling,
Fugui loses everything. In the years that follow he is
pressed into both the nationalist and communist
armies, while Jiazhen is forced into menial work. They
Cry Freedom (1987) 160 min PG
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raise a family and survive, managing "to live" from the
40's to the 70's in this epic, but personal, story of life
through an amazing period.
Netflix = DVD
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