New Years and New Dawns

Ancient Civilizations celebrate their new year in a number of different ways and at various times of the year.  Research a minimum of three civilizations/cultures/religions and their celebrations of the new year.    

Create a poster of this information that is informative and includes pictures.   Make it look like a giant scrapbook page.   This is extra credit and it is due on January 9th when we return to school.

A little late extra credit

This is due upon your return to school on January 9th 2012. War horse came out on December 25th, go out and see it. Once you have seen it, go and online to find out how historians viewed the movie and write a one-page comparison of at least three different historical opinions. You must also add your own opinion in the paper as well. I will add another assignment when I have more time to do so. Enjoy.

Art as life

Extra Credit Opportunity due on Monday 12-12-11

Art was a very important part of the Renaissance, it also an important part of any culture.  Your task is to find art from the years 1200 C.E. to 1450 C.E.   You only need to find one piece of art from any location/culture from that time period and write a one-page critique that tells me how the art represents the culture, your opinion, and what does it say to you or how does it speak to you.  Analyze the art.

Turn a picture of your art with your paper on Monday.  You can also email it me also.

Here are some examples below:

Turkey Day Extra Credit

Hello one and all,

Be forewarned that some of the content in the films that I suggest or that you find on your own will contain strong scenes of violence and a rating that may not be suitable.  So, please, check with your parents first before viewing.

You will have two options since many of you have expressed a concern of doing a movie each time.

First Option:If you would like to do a movie, please find a film dealing with our last topics in class such as the Mesoamericans, Amerindians, Andean, or Subsaharan Africa.  Remember the time period that we are dealing with.  The film has to take place during that time period and no later.  Remember to write a one-page paper detailing the history in the film.  Do not summarize the movie for a paper.

Some Suggested Titles:
Apocalypto
The Other Conquest (La Otra Conquista)
Kino (1993)
1492

Films for Africa are harder to come by since this time period is not recreated often, if you find one, please pass the information on.

Second Option:  There are many documentaries out there dealing with our topics.  Find one and do a write up of the information that you find.  The Kalamazoo Public Library has a large selection of documentaries on DVD.    If all else fails, do a two page research paper on one of the Sub-Saharan kingdoms mentioned in your notes.

The Other Conquest Preview:
 

2012- The Whole Video

For those wanting to see the rest of the short clip I showed in class.

Facebook Study Group

For those who want to have more ways to learn and keep up.  Here is a facebook group started by the 5th period class.
Study Group for AP World History

MSA at WMU

The Muslim Student Association is holding a day of awareness this Thursday.  Extra Credit if you go and do a write up about your experience.

Reason 1,000 for Knowing W. Religions

There are many reasons for being knowledgeable about World Religions.  Here is one of them.  Take a look at the pic and tell me why you think Walmart may loose some business this holiday season.

Prezi Presentations for Medieval China

If you haven't seen a Prezi presentation yet, here is your chance.  These are two standouts from my class presentations on Medieval China.

http://prezi.com/6repycrh01dx/medieval-china/

http://prezi.com/e_df_j2f30cb/chinese-ap/

Copy the link in your browser and enjoy.

extra credit for 11/7

this weekend you are to view a film or movie dealing with the recent chapters that you have been reading. after watching the movie, write a one page paper about how it connects to the  history of china.  be forwarned that many films also contain some mysticism about the martial arts.  do not get stuck on what a person can and cannot do when they know martial arts.

suggested titles

Hero

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

House of Flying Daggers

or any other foreign about the topic

Here is a sample trailer of another film.

Topic of Study and Analysis

So, to keep with our current topics of study I am posting a short video from the Tiny Toons cartoon.

Does this keep the humanity of Arabs or does it keep with Hollywood's depictions of Arabs and Arabland?

Interesting to watch since it also has They Might Be Giants music also for Istanbul.

Enjoy and Analyze:

Medieval Extra Credit

This is Due on Monday October 31st. 
You are to watch, if you dare, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Please do check with your parents before you do to see if they approve. This is a film that celebrates, mocks, and inaccurately portrays the real events and legends of Medieval Europe. (spelled correctly for the one doubter among you)

Your sacred mission is to find 20 items within the film that are based on real history in Medieval Europe. List 20 specific items in the film and then describe in detail what they are making fun of in the film that is fact. Your extra credit will come from how well you can connect these specifics with something factual. Dare as you may to find 20 when I know there be more for the findin'!! If you have any questions about the film, save them until Monday. Also, this is a very silly film, be forewarned that I have told you this before you complain about it after you have seen it.

And last but not least Nee!

Extra Credit #1

For this upcoming weekend (10-21), find a film that portrays Arabs in a humanistic way that is not stereotypical or atypical of how Hollywood vilifies them. Watch the film and write a one page paper on how the film portrays the Arab people. The amount of extra credit you receive will depend on the film you pick as well as the effort you put into your paper. I suggest finding a foreign film that also has women as the main characters. Remember this is only a suggestion and not a requirement. I would like for you to do this on your own, so please do not send me questions this weekend about the quality of the film that you pick. Good luck and enjoy this clip from the documentary "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People"

Religion Family Tree

This moves quickly, take note of how the branches intertwine in many faiths.

Intro to Big History

Interesting way to look into and at History.  It is a big picture view. The second video is two historians discussing this idea.

Greece V. Persia V. India

A little Biased video that offers a good perspective on the Ancient Empires.  This video has also been viewed by many of you.  It is important for you to take in other perspectives when studying history and worldly cultures.

7 minutes of World History

Here is the History of the World in 7 minutes.  Most of you have already watched this.  If you have not seen it, please do so.  It offers a neat perspective of the history of the world.

Welcome to a new Resource

Hello one and all,

I have created this as a resource for those who wish to view video clips and sites that are beneficial to those AP World History.  I hope that you can find this useful.  I have included my twitter feed as well so you can keep up to date with any other information that I am posting such as when to bring your book or my expectations for your homework.

This blog also allows you to receive email updates simply by entering your email in the toolbar above.

Thanks for visiting.