AP World History Summer Reading Assignment

BETA 2016-2017

Dear Student, I am delighted that you have chosen to commit to this rigorous course. You will be working diligently in AP World History, perhaps more than ever before. You will study the history of the human race and how humankind developed over time and will encompass the study of philosophy, art, literature, and political history. This is an Advanced Placement (AP) course and it will incorporate college level material and exams. You will be expected to take on a course of this intensity while preparing yourself for the AP World History exam in May. In order to prepare for the coming year, you are required to read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies by Jared Diamond. You can order the book at Barnes and Noble or online at amazon.com or half.com or any other venue you choose. A book in new condition costs approximately $12 and a used edition will be cheaper. Any edition is acceptable. You can also order the audiobook if you like. If there is a reason you are unable to purchase the book please email me by July and I will help you locate a copy. Also, many of the public libraries have several copies. On the next page you will find detailed instructions on the assignment. Be sure to follow all directions. You will turn in the assignment in two formats: printed and electronically. The printed copy is due the first A day or B day I have you, while the electronic version will be uploaded to Blackboard to check for plagiarism. Do not lose your electronic file as you will have to retype it. Expect questions over the book on your first exam, plus writing assignments and discussions throughout the year. Please email me with any questions: cindy.ocampo@stisd.net Thank you, Cindy O’campo

Guns, Germs, and Steel Summer Reading Assignment

Due Dates: A typed, printed copy is due the first class I have you. You will upload an electronic copy to Blackboard the first week of school. It is imperative that you do not lose your electronic file so save it in multiple places. Failure to upload will result in a zero on your printed copy. Plagiarism: All forms of plagiarism are not allowed including copying and pasting from the internet and presenting other student’s work as your own. I use Turnitin, which is a tool that matches your work to the internet and other student’s papers. Plagiarism is an automatic zero. The best way to prevent plagiarism is to write your summaries without looking at the book or at the internet. This will also help you learn the information. Chapters Required: Only read the prologue and chapters 1 through 14. Prologue. Yali's question: The regionally differing courses of history

1. From Eden to Cajamarca. Up to the starting line: What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.? 2. A natural experiment of history: How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands 3. Collision at Cajamarca: Why the Inca emperor Atahualpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain 4. The rise and spread of food production. Farmer power: The roots of guns, germs, and steel 5. History's haves and have-nots: Geographic differences in the onset of food production 6. To farm or not to farm: Causes of the spread of food production 7. How to make an almond: The unconscious development of ancient crops 8. Apples or Indians: Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants? 9. Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle: Why were most big wild mammal species never

domesticated? 10. Spacious skies and tilted axes: Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents? 11. From food to guns, germs, and steel. Lethal gift of livestock: The evolution of germs 12. Blueprints and borrowed letters: The evolution of writing 13. Necessity's mother: The evolution of technology 14. From egalitarianism to kleptocracy: The evolution of government and religion

Instructions: After reading each required chapter of Guns, Germs, and Steel type an 8-10 sentence summary plus 1 question you have after reading or 1 question you would like to discuss in class. Please type the question right after each summary. Be sure to use complete sentences and do not write using first person point of view. Since there are 14 chapters plus the prologue you will turn in 15 summaries and 15 questions. Use only 12 point Times New Roman font, normal 1 inch margins, and double space. Create a cover sheet for your folder. Cover sheet template:

Organization: In a plastic folder with brads first add the cover sheet, followed by the 15 summaries and questions. Do not use sheet protectors or a binder. Add bold titles for each chapter and page numbers. Grading: Each summary is worth 6 points and each question is worth 1 point, which is a maximum grade of a 105. This grade will count as an exam grade so it is vital to complete it. Late assignments are an automatic 50.

Guns, Germs, and Steel:

The Fate of Human Societies Summaries and

Questions

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