Notes – 8/16/13 HOW TO THINK LIKE AN HISTORIAN – AP World History What IS History? Notes – 8/16/13 HOW TO THINK LIKE AN HISTORIAN – AP World History

What IS History Take a few minutes to write down what you were doing in your 10th year (5th grade). Now, what kind of evidence would you need to validate this information (give at least five examples?

What IS History Now, take 5 minutes to write down what you did yesterday. Again, what kind of evidence could you show to validate this (give five examples)? What part does memory play?

Memory vs. Evidence Primary Sources Secondary Sources Best? Problems Context Interpretations Point(s) of View (later relate to DBQs)

Historical Thinking Skills There are four generic thinking skills that are important for historians: Crafting Historical arguments from Historical Evidence Constructing and evaluating arguments using evidence to make valid arguments Chronological Reasoning Assess continuity and change over time and over different regions. Seeing global patterns and processes over time and space while connecting local developments to global ones.

Historical Thinking Skills cont… 3. Comparison and Contextualization Comparing within and among societies, including comparing societies’ reactions to global processes Considering human commonalities and differences 4. Historical Interpretation and Synthesis Exploring claims of universal standards in relation to culturally diverse ideas Exploring the persistent relevance of world history to contemporary developments

1) Recalling the Facts History is what we, as individuals, as a nation, or an historian choose to remember about the past, or what to focus on, and it is open to interpretation. We can’t put every president on Mt. Rushmore We choose which people and events to memorialize History is the common experience that binds us together as people – in a nation, and the world. It is our heritage, what we pass onto our children, and grandchildren, on into the future…..

2) Interpretation History involves explaining people and events. You can read between the lines. In your own words – what is happening here? You can listen for false statements: What sounds out of place? What facts don’t fit? You can speculate: What made the American colonies want to be independent? You can be a poet, a songwriter, an artist or a journalist: And if so, what would you say, sing, draw or write about? You can illustrate: If you were to draw a political cartoon about the American Revolution, what would it look like? In this way, you can begin to be an HISTORIAN!!!!!!

3) Apply History involves applying lessons and information from the past to the present. History must be a dialogue between the past and the present. You can personalize: What experience have you had that would help others to understand an event, such as immigration? You can create a hypothetical situation : If you were not allowed to attend Lakewood just because of the color of your skin, how would you react? You can apply the rules of the past to current events: What would happen today if we applied the same rules that existed prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1965? (Think about the Rodney King incident….)

4) Analyze History involves figuring out complicated situations and their connections. You can break a world war down to its parts – which parts can you identify? Which battles or events are turning points? You can examine each part of a war, or event – how are they related or connected? You can create a timeline of events: What are the causes? What are the effects? You can list similarities and differences in wars, events, leaders, etc. Compare and Contrast all of them to get a greater understanding of history, and to ask questions that need answering.

5) Synthesize History involves making sense out of multiple facts. You can search for patterns, that you may have seen before. You can speculate. What choices were not chosen. Why? You can predict. The policy of appeasement – where was it headed? You can make generalizations. When a nation fails to live up to its promises, what may happen as a result? You can draw conclusions. Was dropping the atomic bomb justified and wise, or unjustified? Why? You can add up the facts. What new reality might you be able to draw today from the outcome of World War II?

6) Evaluate History involves making judgments about people and events. This isn’t prejudice. You can examine all the sides of an issue, such as Civil Rights. You can debate the pro’s and con’s of integrating schools. You can describe the strengths and weaknesses of a leaders policies. You can examine the advantages and disadvantages of a leaders strategies such as non-violence (Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.) You can judge, based on fact, whether a person, policy, or event measured up to a high standard. Such as, did MLK measure up to the standards of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Golden Rule?

AP World History Themes Historical events are unique, however there are certain themes that are repeated all over the world. In this course, we will focus on five reoccurring themes: Creation, expansion and interaction of economic systems Development and transformation of social structures Development and interaction of cultures State-building, expansion and conflicts Interaction between humans and environments

Creation, expansion and interaction of economic systems This is a powerful force throughout history – as human cultures have been concerned with how to use their scarce resources to satisfy their needs. Agricultural and pastoral production Trade and commerce Labor systems Industrialization Capitalism and socialism

Development and transformation of social structures Gender roles and relations Family kinship Racial and ethnic constructions Social and economic classes

Development and Interaction of Cultures Throughout history, humans around the world have developed and diffused their cultures by interacting on various levels: Religions Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies Science and technology The arts and literature

State Building, expansion and conflict Often, throughout history, great change has been achieved through force. Sometimes this is through overthrow of government, or through radical change in thoughts, or discoveries or technology. Political structures Empires Nations and nationalism Revolts and revolutions Regional, trans-regional, and global structures and organizations

Interaction between humans and environment History is often related to interaction with the environment. As you read, think about these questions/issues: Demography and disease? Migration (who, what, where, when, why)? Patterns of settlement? Technology (used, developed, diffused)? Note: ESCPE themes