PART I: Physical Geography, Global Regions, & Early ...

Mr. Balfe's AP World History Summer Assignment - 2010

Congratulations on deciding to accept the challenge of studying AP World History. No, you do not need to read a book for me! The primary purpose of this three-part summer assignment is to help you build a bit of a foundation upon which to stand when we begin our studies together in the fall. I say "we" because nobody truly knows world history ?- it is too vast. I will be learning right along with you. The key to this course is learning the skills for grappling with a giant subject. The three parts of your summer assignment are internet-based and they work best if you do them in order. This work may be easily picked up, chipped away at, and put away for awhile ... just remember to keep chipping. Typed parts of assignments must be double spaced and in a font no larger than 12. Your completed assignment should be brought to class on the second day of school in a report folder with a cover page that identifies you. I look forward to meeting and working with you next year.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL HAVE A QUIZ BASED ON THE SUMMER ASSIGNMENT MATERIAL DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL IN AUGUST! (SORRY)

If you have any questions, contact me at the following e-mail address: John_W_Balfe@

A Short Note About Plagiarism: Plagiarism, the act of taking credit for the academic work of someone else, is unacceptable. Whenever you are asked to write in this course--whether it be a glossary entry, a chart, or a full essay -- it must be in your own words. We will use to verify the authenticity of your written work (including your summer work). It is a neat service.

PART I: Physical Geography, Global Regions, & Early Civilizations

DOWNLOAD: Summer Assignment Maps

Familiarity with the world and its physical features is an important part of AP World History. While you will not be specifically tested on physical features when you take the AP exam, many questions will assume that you have some familiarity with the earth and its topography. Additionally, there will be numerous references to these features during class and in course readings. You need to have a good handle on basic physical geography, regional delineations, and the general locations of major river valley/classical civilizations on the first day of school. So, yes, you will need to conduct some research to complete these maps, and it may require a trip to the library. Mental Mapping is the ability to visualize broad landscapes in your mind. This is the first step to understanding the movement of not only people and materials, but world changing ideas as well. You begin developing mental mapping skills in this part of the summer work.

Suggested reference websites for the physical geography maps:

MSN Encarta Global Map

HRW World Atlas (this one gets a little addictive)

1. Complete the Physical Features Maps

--Label each feature according to this color code: ?Blue--Oceans, seas, rivers ?Purple--Bays, gulfs, straits ?Red--Mountains ?Yellow--Deserts ?Orange--All other land features

2. Complete the Major Civilizations Maps

?Label & color code each major civilization on the appropriate map. NOTE: SOME CIVILIZATIONS WILL OVERLAP!

3. Complete the Global Regions Map--You may color code it as you wish. Make sure that you can name and locate the modern countries listed for each region.

* You will notice a reference on the "Global Regions" map to an "SOL World Geography" course. Don't worry this is not a pre-requisite course. I have borrowed these maps from an excellent AP World History teacher named Mr. Brown. I am using his link to download these maps.

Part II. Glossary of Terms

As you complete your summer assignment, you will doubtlessly come across terms that are new and unfamiliar. In order to help build your vocabulary, you will compile a glossary of terms. While you may consult a dictionary, please do not copy the definition. Always put the definitions in your own words, and make sure that they are in complete sentences. The glossary must be typed because we will run it through when we meet in August.

Example: Animism

?Animism is the belief in the spiritual qualities of animate and inanimate objects in nature. For example, some animist religions think that elements of the environment, such as trees, rocks, or rivers have a spirit. Animistic religions tend to be polytheistic and often venerate (worship) important nature spirits. They are considered by archeologists and historians to be the first formal religions in human history. Animistic religions can be found today in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the South American interior, and Australia/Oceania.

List of Terms

? Agriculture ? Animism ? Civilization ? Cultural Diffusion ? Domestication ? History ? Ideograms (writing) ? Independent Innovation ? Matriarchal ? Metallurgy ? Migration

? Monarchy ? Monotheism ? Pastoral(ism) ? Patriarchal ? Polytheism ? Religion ? Slavery ? Syncretism ? Social History ? Social Stratification ? Theocracy

Part III: Human Pre-History

While the AP World History curriculum technically begins in the Neolithic Era (c.8000 BCE-3500 BCE), it is important to have a bit of knowledge about Upper Paleolithic Era (c.40,000 BCE to c.10,000 BCE; also known as the "Stone Age") patterns before the rise of sedentary agriculture. For thousands of years leading up to the Neolithic Era human beings relied on a hunter-gatherer form of existence--a way of life that still exists today in parts of South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.

While hunting and gathering may seem like a crude existence, it has worked remarkably well and actually enjoyed some advantages over early sedentary farming life. The survival skill set that early humans developed during the Paleolithic Era allowed human beings to spread throughout the globe at a surprising pace. By 12,000 BCE human beings could be found on six of the world's seven continents.

The purpose of this section is to introduce you the movement of humans during the Paleolithic, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle they employed to survive, and the slow transition toward sedentary agriculture during the Neolithic. You need to read a recent article from National Geographic, "The Greatest Journey". Resources 2 and 3 are exploratory, meaning you may navigate around the world and through time to get a sense of change. Please note that the question is designed to make you think critically about what you have read and combine multiple sources to arrive at a single, well written answer. In other words, you cannot simply hunt down a passage or two to find an answer--you have to work for it! This sort of thinking will define your AP experience in the coming year. Your answer will likely be at least a page in length if it is to adequately address the entire question. This will be the first piece of writing I see from you. Put some thought into it.

Readings & Exploratories -- read #1 first and use 2 and 3 to expand your knowledge:

1. "The Greatest Journey", National Geographic, March 2006

2. An excellent map that accompanies the article can be found online at

3. Explore the Atlas of the Human Journey interactive map developed by National Geographic at - I still find this site dumbfounding because of how simple it looks, but how limitless the material is that you may navigate. Play with the various tabs to see the different tools.

Question for Resources 1-3 (should require about 1 page typed to answer). This is a hard question with no well defined correct answer. Do your best.

? Explain how human technological and social development fostered the rapid movement of people throughout the globe during the latter phases of the Paleolithic Era (c.60,000 BCE to 12,000 BCE). Be sure to include how these developments allowed early huntergatherers to cope with various environmental pressures and challenges as they moved from continent to continent.

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