Western Europe after Rome

Based on your understanding of the reading, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Comparison: Compare (and contrast) the Carolingians and Vikings to the Roman Empire.
• Notable achievements in technology and trade
• Compare (and contrast) Eastern and Western European life.
• Note ways in which the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches differ.

South Asia (Muslim Indian Kingdoms)

Based on your understanding of the reading, take bulleted points on the following:

• How Islam spread to India, and how it affected its political structure.
• How the Southern Hindu kingdoms ruled (note any substantial difference from Muslim northern rule).
• The significance of the environment towards agriculture and population growth.
• Notable destinations (and motives) for trans-oceanic trade.
• Religious continuity and change in post-classical India.

Feudal Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

Based on your understanding of the reading (the video will be complete soon), take bulleted notes on the following:

• Compare/contrast the political structure of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam to China.
• China's influence over Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
• The role of women in Japan.
• Describe Japanese feudalism (e.g. shogun, samurai, etc.).  If you are familiar with European feudalism, compare/contrast.

Post Classical China Part II

Based on your understanding of the reading and the video, take bulleted notes on the following:

Economic, cultural and scientific accomplishments of the Tang and Song Dynasty.
The significance of Buddhism in the Tang and Song Dynasty.
The status of women during the Tang and Song dynasty.

Post Classical China Part I

Based on your understanding of the reading and the video, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Why the Sui Dynasty was so short.
• How Tang rulers governed their empire efficiently.
• Similarities and/or differences between the Tang Dynasty and the Qin/Han Dynasties.
• Why/how the Tang Dynasty fell.

Post-Classical Africa Part II

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• The role of women in Sub-Saharan African society.  Compare/contrast to at least ONE society we've already studied.
• The impact of global trade on African slavery.
• Examples of/reasons for religious diversity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Post Classical Africa Part I

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• How the Sub-Saharan African population gradually increased during the Bantu migration.
• How Bantu-speaking people organized themselves socially and politically.
• How Islam spread to Africa.
• Compare and contrast Ghana and Mali politically and economically.
• How Zimbabwe and the Swahili city-states gained their wealth.

The Islamic World Part II: Economy and Culture

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• The role of technology and trade
• Muslim influence on Spanish culture
• The role of Arab scholars in preserving knowledge
• How Islam spreads beyond the Arab world
• The class structure in the early Muslim world
• The role of women in the Muslim world
• The origins of Sufism

The Early Islamic World Part I: Roots and Beliefs

Based on your understanding of the reading and videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Why Mecca was significant, even before Islam was founded.
• How the leaders of Mecca responded to Muhammad’s teachings.
• The five pillars of Islam, as stated in the Qu'ran.
• The causes and consequences of the Shia/Sunni split
• Compare/contrast the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates
• Internal and external struggles in the early Islamic World

The Byzantine Empire

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Continuity and change between the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (economic, political, social)
• Relationships between the Byzantine Empire and surrounding societies
• Role of religion in the Byzantine Empire

Classical American Civilizations

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take notes with the following question in mind:

• The other societies we studied in period 2 eventually became major empires. Are the classical American empires the exception?  (If you are struggling with this, remember the Conrad-Demarest model for empires) Consider the following as you take notes:
• Trading networks
• Religion
• Political structure

Classical India

Based on your understanding of the reading and the video, take bulleted notes on the following:

• How Chandragupta unified India and created an empire.
• How Asoka incorporated Buddhism into the Mauryan empire.
• Why India was not usually politically unified in its ancient past.

China Part II: Han Dynasty

Based on your understanding of the reading and the video, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Similarities and/or differences between Qin and early Han government
• The role of Confucianism in Han politics and culture.
• How the Han Dynasty interacted with surrounding societies.
• Why the Han dynasty is considered a "golden age" in terms of culture and technology.
• Reasons for Han decline

China Part I: Qin Dynasty

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take bulleted points on the following:

Evaluate Shi Huangdi's effectiveness as a ruler.  Is it justifiable to rule cruelly if it is efficient?

The Macedonians, Alexander, and the Hellenistic World

Based on your understanding of the reading and the videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• How do Alexander's conquests spread Hellenistic culture throughout Eurasia?
• Describe the cause, course, and consequences of the Greek conflicts with Persia.
• What do the Peloponnesian Wars tell us about Greek unity (think about the difference between political and cultural unity)?

The Greeks

Based on your understanding of the reading and videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• How does the imperial administration (government) of the Greeks compare to that of the Persians?
• Was ancient Greece more unified politically or culturally?  Provide examples.
• How does the status of Greek women relate to that of women from societies we have previously studied?

The Persians

Based on your reading and the videos, take bulleted notes on the following.  While you can provide some general ideas, be sure that your notes focus specifically on Persia.

• Is conquest the only method toward building an empire?
• What administrative methods did the Persians use to govern such a large and culturally diverse empire?
• How do the gender roles in Persia resemble (or differ from) the empires we have already studied?

Imperial Trajectories

Based on the reading, bullet point examples the authors give that constitute definitions of an empire.

Then list possible problems that arise when large regions are consolidated into an empire (cultural, religious, etc.).

Jainism and Buddhism

Upon completion of the reading (and re-watching of the video if necessary), take bulleted notes on the following.  Along with Jainism and Buddhism, use your previous knowledge on Chinese philosophy and Hinduism to develop your answers.  

• What are the personal, social, and political functions of religion?
• In what ways are the origins and tenets of the various Classical philosophies similar and different?

Hinduism and the Caste System

Based on the reading and video, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Why did Hinduism rise when it did? Who was most attracted to Hinudism?
• What are the ancient roots of the caste system?
• What is the connection between the caste system and Hinduism?

Chinese Philosophy

Based on your understanding of the text, take bulleted notes on the following questions:

• What are the characteristics and core teachings of Confucianism?
• What are the characteristics and core teachings of Daoism?
• How does Legalism differ from Confucianism and Daoism and how was it a response to the problems from the Zhou Dynasty?
• Why didn’t Legalism last as long as Confucianism and Daoism?

Introduction to Period 2: Classical Societies

Based on the reading and your understanding of the video, take bulleted notes on the following questions:

• How did religions help strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties within societies?

• How did religions promote a sense of unity?

Comparing "Civilizations" with Nomadic Pastoral Societies

Based on ALL reading assignments, take bulleted notes on the following questions.  Some will require your own thought and will not be explicitly stated in the reading.

• What were nomadic pastoral societies?  
• What was their relationship with “civilized societies”?
• How did pastoral societies resemble or differ from early agricultural societies?
• Where did pastoralism persist even after the Neolithic Revolution?

Jigsaw Reading

For you assigned civilization(s), take bulleted notes on the following questions in your notebook:

• Why were some early states able to expand and conquer neighboring states?
• What methods did rulers use to unify their populations?
• Which social strata encouraged the development of art in ancient civilizations?
• What forms of writing developed in ancient civilizations?
• What pre-600 BCE religions strongly influenced later eras?
• How did social and gender identities develop pre-600 BCE?

What is a Civilization?

Questions for Consideration

• What were the pros and cons of being “civilized”?
• Where did the Neolithic Revolution first transform human populations?
• What labor adjustments did humans make in order to facilitate the Neolithic Revolution?
• What were the social effects of the increased food supply caused by increase of agriculture?
• What technological innovations are associated with the growth of agriculture?
• What is a “state?” Who ruled the early states, and which segments of society usually supported the ruler?

The Neolithic Revolution

Terms to Identify:

• Neolithic
• Slash-and-burn agriculture
• Catal Huyuk

Questions (bullet in notebook):

• What was the Neolithic Revolution and what were its effects?
• How did pastoral societies resemble or differ from early agricultural societies?
• How did the Neolithic Revolution affect human societies economically & socially?
• Why did the Neolithic Revolution start (at all)?
• What various crops & animals were developed or domesticated during the Neolithic Revolution?

The Peopling of the Earth

Terms to Identify:

• Homonids (Hominidae)
• Homo Erectus
• Homo Sapiens
• Paleolithic
• Neanderthal
• Venus figurines
• Cave paintings

Questions - Please take bullet-pointed notes on these questions and either email them to me or show them to me in your notebook.

• What were the characteristics of Paleolithic society?  
• What role did technology play in the peopling of the Earth?
• What evidence is used to create the “peopling of the Earth” theory?  What are some of the problems with this evidence?