1. How will we study
AP World History?

2. History is the lie commonly agreed upon.
Voltaire

3. How do we know the “truth”?

4. History is the study of the human past
History is the study of the human past. Based on careful analysis of surviving texts (primary and secondary documents) and artifacts (objects made by humans), the historian attempts to reconstruct past events and processes which have created the current world.
Historiography
It is the principles, theory, and history of historical writing.

5. But every historian views the world through a cultural lens.
Historians, through careful analysis, attempt to reconstruct the past.
But every historian views the world through a cultural lens.

6. The philosopher, Immanuel Kant ( ), stated that individuals could never see things objectively as “things-in-themselves” because individuals always understood the world through a culturally formed point of view.

7. What is culture and how does it relate to the study of
AP World History?
Culture ( working definition):
It is a particular society at a particular time
and place AND all the knowledge and values
shared by that society.
Culture is learned.
It is the framework through which individuals
view their world.

8. By studying civilizations and societies, particularly paying attention to cases where societies have come into contact with others, world historians focus on the world as a whole and how diverse societies fit into that whole.

9. World Historians try to move beyond the narrow
confines of one perspective.

10. Vocabulary Word #1
OMNISCIENT -Omniscient point of view means that the story is told from an all-seeing God-like, omnipotent viewpoint.
E. Napp

11. Questions to consider:
Therefore, an element of historical writing is interpretative.
Questions to consider:
Whose perspective is voiced?
Whose perspective is ignored?
What sources are chosen?
What elements are emphasized
(political, social, economic)?

12. This brings me to point of view…
Who remembers the story of the “Three Little Pigs?”

13. Well, let’s consider another POV…
...here we go!

14. Can the study of World History help individuals view the world from a less culture-centric point of view? Perhaps it can!

15. Let’s consider some current events…
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
STATE
LOCAL/COMMUNITY

16. Even so…
How are we, as a class, going to approach the daunting and challenging task of studying 12,000 years of human history?

17. I mean… how does a learner remain calm and
balanced in the midst of so much content?

18. We can do this!!!
We will divide the history of the world through a process known as PERIODIZATION!

19. What is periodization? Definition: Periodization
This is a way to subdivide the continuous flow of
world history into categories of time and common
themes.
Periodization allows students of world history to
create a framework for understanding the past as
well as the flow and sequence of events.

20. AP World History

21. Overlapping Shifts
Overlapping shifts across societies must occur for a new period of world history to be identified
The world map must change significantly
(Cultural, political, or economic boundaries; migrations)
New kinds of contacts must be established among civilizational areas
(New trade patterns, outreach of religions)

22. A note about historical dating:
World historians use BCE and CE as opposed
to BC and AD.
BC (Before Christ) and AD (anno Domini or
“in the year of the Lord”) are Christian
terms.
BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common
Era) are terms that remind students of
the global context and many diverse cultures
of the World History curriculum.

23. Problems can occur…
All systems of periodization are more or less arbitrary.
Labels assigned to time periods are continually challenged and redefined.

24. Our study of history is also divided thematically!
And another thing…
Our study of history is also divided thematically!

25. Politics: state-building, expansion, and conflict
Themes of History
Politics: state-building, expansion, and conflict
Political structures and forms of governance
Empires
Nations and nationalism
Revolts and revolutions
Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations

26. Interaction between humans and the environment
Themes of History
Interaction between humans and the environment
Demography and disease
Migration
Patterns of settlement
Technology

27. Themes of History Development and interaction of cultures Religions
Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
Science and technology
The arts and architecture

28. Themes of History
Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems
Agricultural and pastoral production
Trade and commerce
Labor systems
Industrialization

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

30. But never forget… The Underlying Principles of World History
History is interconnected.
Current events have historical roots.
To understand the present, the past MUST be examined.

31. Let our journey begin!