AP WORLD HISTORY
2015-2016
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Your child is enrolled in AP World History for the upcoming school year, 2015-2016. Following this, you
will find the required texts for the class as well as required summer assignments. I have also included the books
I recommend, but please understand that you do NOT have to purchase these. They are just suggestions for extra
help. Please encourage your child to get started early. The summer reading assignment is due on the first day of
class. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS FOR THIS. I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK IN AP WORLD
HISTORY. Please pay attention to the specific criteria for the assignments.
Sincerely,
Carrie E. Lawrence
AP World History
East Forsyth High School
celawrence@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
AP WORLD HISTORY TEXTS FOR 2015
World History by William J. Duiker and Jackson J. Spielvogel, 5th edition (I will issue this the first day of
class but some of you may choose to purchase this so the student may write in it, take notes, highlight, etc.)
Cracking the AP World History Exam: Student Study Guide. Princeton Review.
YOUR SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS:
1. You must create an online account at http://www.turnitin.com. Once you create your account, you
will join the class. The class ID is: 10042113 The password for the course is lawrence. The name
of the class is AP World History fall 2015. Make sure you become familiar with this site, as you will
submit many assignments throughout the year on this website.
2. You must create an online account at http://www.schoology.com. Once you create your account,
you will join the AP World History Course using the code: 9PVCQ-GXC4P
3. Read the book The History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. Below is a short summary
of the book from Publishers Review.
Standage starts with a bold hypothesis—that each epoch, from the Stone Age to the present, has had its
signature beverage—and takes readers on an extraordinary trip through world history. The Economist's
technology editor has the ability to connect the smallest detail to the big picture and a knack for
summarizing vast concepts in a few sentences. He explains how, when humans shifted from hunting and
gathering to farming, they saved surplus grain, which sometimes fermented into beer. The Greeks took
grapes and made wine, later borrowed by the Romans and the Christians. Arabic scientists experimented
with distillation and produced spirits, the ideal drink for long voyages of exploration. Coffee also spread
quickly from Arabia to Europe, becoming the "intellectual counterpoint to the geographical expansion of
the Age of Exploration." European coffee-houses, which functioned as "the Internet of the Age of
Reason," facilitated scientific, financial and industrial cross-fertilization. In the British industrial
revolution that followed, tea "was the lubricant that kept the factories running smoothly." Finally, the
rise of American capitalism is mirrored in the history of Coca-Cola, which started as a more or less
handmade medicinal drink but morphed into a mass-produced global commodity over the course of the
20th century. In and around these grand ideas, Standage tucks some wonderful tidbits—on the
antibacterial qualities of tea, Mecca's coffee trials in 1511, Visigoth penalties for destroying vineyards—
ending with a delightful appendix suggesting ways readers can sample ancient beverages.
4. After you read, complete the following assignment and submit it to TURNITIN.COM. The
assignment name is “A History of the world in 6 glasses.”
1. How might beer have influenced the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural based
societies?
2. What opportunities did wine offer men in Ancient Greece that it did not offer women?
3. Why is wine not adopted as a ritual drink in Islam, but is in Christianity?
4. Explain the following quote.
“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 the
rulers of the world”
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? You must support your answer with SPECIFIC
examples from the book.
5. Describe coffee’s effect on the worldwide balance of power.
6. How did tea change India? Explain your answer.
7. What is the economic importance of tea in China? How did it help/hurt China’s relationship
with other countries?
8. How did Coca-Cola affect the history of the world? Explain your answer.
9. Of the six drinks presented by Tom Standage, which do you think has played the most
significant role in the world? Explain your answer.
10. What do you think is the next beverage in “history”? Defend your choice.
11. What is your opinion of this book? Do you think it was well-researched? Did the author
convince you of anything? Did the author change your opinion of a particular event or time
period? How did your view of the book change from the beginning to the end?
Important things to think about and do as you complete these questions
 DO NOT USE THE WORD “I”—NO PERSONAL TENSE AT ALL. NO I, WE, US, ME,
OUR, etc.
 If the person grading this assignment had no idea about the book, could they understand your
answers?
 Is the language you use academic and formal as opposed to the way you would write a letter or
email?
 Use the word BECAUSE frequently. You will need to always explain your ideas and using the
word BECAUSE is significant in AP World History writing.
 I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK IN AP WORLD HISTORY. You know the due date, so
there should be no printer issues, computer problems, etc. Plan accordingly.
5. YOU WILL HAVE A MAP TEST ON DAY 1. You are responsible for the countries, regions, and
geographical characteristics listed below. I would print off a blank map from any online website
and use it to study.
REGIONS: Middle East (near east), West Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa, Latin America, South
America, North America, Europe, Eastern Europe, South Asia, SE Asia, Oceania, North Africa.
ALL 7 CONTINENTS
WATER: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic Oceans, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North
Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Red Sea, Iberian Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula, Malay Peninsula, Sea
of Japan, South China Sea, East China Sea, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Persian Gulf
MOUNTAINS: Andes, Appalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Atlas Mountains, Alps, Caucus
Mountains, Ural Mountains, Zagros Mountains
DESERTS: Kalahari, Sahara, Gobi
COUNTRIES (aside from the placement of the country, be able to name the capital of EACH of the
following nations as well as the region in which each is located): Mexico, Panama, Cuba, Peru,
Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Russia,
Turkey, Egypt, Mali, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Israel, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan,
Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam
*NOTE: I will only choose 25-30, but you must be prepared for all!
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Questions after reading
You will submit the answers to the questions below to www.turnitin.com. You MUST create an account. Once
you do so, please enter the following class ID: 8082522. The password for the course is apworld.
12. How might beer have influenced the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural based
societies?
13. What opportunities did wine offer men in Ancient Greece that it did not offer women?
14. Why is wine not adopted as a ritual drink in Islam, but is in Christianity?
15. Explain the following quote.
“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 the rulers of the
world”
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? You must support your answer with SPECIFIC examples
from the book.
16. Describe coffee’s effect on the worldwide balance of power.
17. How did tea change India? Explain your answer.
18. What is the economic importance of tea in China? How did it help/hurt China’s relationship with other
countries?
19. How did Coca-Cola affect the history of the world? Explain your answer.
20. Of the six drinks presented by Tom Standage, which do you think has played the most significant role in
the world? Explain your answer.
21. What do you think is the next beverage in “history”? Defend your choice.
22. What is your opinion of this book? Do you think it was well-researched? Did the author convince you
of anything? Did the author change your opinion of a particular event or time period? How did your
view of the book change from the beginning to the end?
Important things to think about and do as you complete these questions




DO NOT USE THE WORD “I”—NO PERSONAL TENSE AT ALL. NO I, WE, US, ME, OUR, etc.
If the person grading this assignment had no idea about the book, could they understand your answers?
Is the language you use academic and formal as opposed to the way you would write a letter or email?
Use the word BECAUSE frequently. You will need to always explain your ideas and using the word
BECAUSE is significant in AP World History writing.
 I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK IN AP WORLD HISTORY. You know the due date, so there
should be no printer issues, computer problems, etc. Plan accordingly.
SUMMARY OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE DAY 1 OF CLASS
*Purchase Summer reading book and write the Summer Book Evaluation Assignment
*Purchase the Reilly book
*Study the world map and be ready to take a quiz on day 1.