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wonderful thing about history is that there are so many sources from which
teachers (and pupils) can cull information: primary/secondary document
readers and textbooks, ancillary materials, and internet sites. A resource
that can be appealing for both teachers and students is The Global
Experience: Readings in World History, Vol. 1. The book is divided
into periods and themes that closely align with AP World History Themes
and Habits of Mind. However, the readings included are suitable for advanced/honors
as well as general education (non-AP) students. In fact, most of the questions
at the end of each reading fall into two of three AP essay categories:
compare/contrast and continuity/change over time. However, the level of
questions is inconsistent. Some of the questions challenge students to
evaluate ancient ideas, terms, rulers or governments and compare them
to the same terms or governments today and account for the differences.
Other questions simply ask why. These types of questions are useful for
general education, or can be reworked to make them more challenging, which
makes Readings a great asset to teachers of different levels.
The
sections of the book are divided in much the same fashion as many other
readers. Part 1 is concerned with Early Civilizations and includes the
usual-Creation stories and laws. However, the law section has a reading
on Hittite laws, not usually found in readers. While most readers have
a section on ancient writing, Readings centers this section on
West Asia and describes it as the "Scribal Profession," placing importance
on this newly created job and the effect that it had on society. The final
section in Part 1 is Military Strategy and Tactics: Assyria and China,
containing an interesting choice of readings including Sun Tzu's The
Art of War, as well as Assyrian War Tactics.
The
next section on Classical Civilizations is fairly typical of readers as
well, and it follows the traditional civilizations: Hindu, Buddhist, the
Golden Age of China, and Classical Greece and Rome. The Greece and Rome
readings are devoted to government and law, and along with China, include
science. These sections align themselves beautifully with AP Themes and
allow students to see simultaneous developments among societies. Part
III centers on religion, specifically Christianity to Islam, and again,
the readings are fairly typical readings found in other readers.
It
is in Part IV—Medieval Europe, Africa and The East—that Readings
becomes atypical. The second section on Feudalism and Chivalry West and
East includes The Nibelingenlied, which tells the story of an Amazonian
woman (Brunhilde) whose hand is promised in marriage to any man who attempted
to defeat her in sports. This story is from Iceland and the Netherlands
and was passed on by the Germans, and concerns a topic not frequently
covered in other readers. There is also a section on the Black Death which
gives both Muslim and Christian views.
The
final section—A World in Change—has a reading by Greek historian
Kritovoulos on Mehmed the Conqueror, as well as a reading titled "The
Impaler": The Real Dracula or How the Enemy of the Ottomans Became a Legend,
describing the historical Vlad Dracul and the folktales that were
created about the fictional Dracula. Neither of these is found in many
of the other readers. The reading in the sections on the Renaissance and
Reformation, as well as the Age of Exploration and Expansion are typical,
and include sections on Erasmus, Martin Luther, Machiavelli and Zheng
He. The final two sections focus on Spain and Portugal, as well as Asia
and America.
In
sum, The Global Experience: Volume One, Readings in World History to
1550, is a comprehensive reader which covers periods aligned with
AP Themes. Additionally, the reading can be used in general education
and honors level classes. |
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