AP WORLD HISTORY ● SUMMER 2017

Please complete the following assignments before we return to school in September:

1 – Watch the National Geographic documentary Guns, Germs, and Steel (2005), based on the book by Jared M. Diamond. There are three episodes: “Out of Eden,” “Conquest,” and “Into the Tropics.” Copies of this DVD can be found at local libraries (recommended), or the three episodes can be viewed on YouTube.  Take notes. Your notes must identify his thesis and the most important supporting examples. Write down your reflections and any questions you may have.  Read the three book reviews provided and take notes. Your notes must identify the main critical points made by each reviewer. Write down your reflections and any questions you may have.  Write your own 1-2 page (1-inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced) summary of the documentary.  Both sets of notes will be checked, and your documentary summary will be collected and graded. Your notes and summaries will serve as the starting point for our class discussion.  Be prepared to write an in-class essay responding to the points raised in the documentary and the book reviews. You will be permitted to use your notes when writing this essay, which will be given during the second week of class in September.

2 – Use an atlas (we recommend the maps on the National Geographic website; go to http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/mapping/interactive-map/?ar_a=4 for all sorts of valuable geographical information) and the accompanying maps to familiarize yourself with world geography. Locate the following world geographical features and regions on the maps provided. Make sure you know the correct location of all items listed below, because there will be a map quiz during the first full week of class in September.

World Regions Major Rivers Arabian Sea Mountain Ranges (big picture) Amazon Baltic Sea Alps Africa Amur Black Sea Andes Americas Congo Caribbean Sea Appalachians Asia Danube Caspian Sea Caucasus Europe Euphrates Dead Sea Himalayas Oceania Ganges Mediterranean Sea Rockies Indus North Sea World Regions Mekong Red Sea Misc. (closer look) Mississippi Sea of Japan Cape of Good Hope East Africa Niger South China Sea Cape Horn Central Africa Nile Yellow Sea Panama Canal North Africa Rhine Gulf of Aden Suez Canal Southern Africa Tigris Gulf of Guinea West Africa Volga Gulf of Mexico Caribbean Yangtze Persian Gulf Latin America Yellow Bay of Bengal Mesoamerica Bering Strait Mexico Bodies of Water Strait of Hormuz Middle East Arctic Ocean Strait of Gibraltar Central Asia Atlantic Ocean Strait of Malacca East Asia Indian Ocean South Asia Pacific Ocean Southeast Asia Southern Ocean