AP WORLD THEMES

• Political organization
• What functions do governments perform?
• Who holds power in society (power structure)?
• How is power passed down?
• Where does power reside (centralized or decentralized)?
• Social structure and gender structure
• Gender
• What roles do men play in society?
• What roles do women play in society?
• Age
• What roles to children and the elderly play in society?
• Education
• Social class
• Disease
• etc.
• Economic structure of society
• How do people earn a living?
• What role does trade play in society?
• How does labor get done in society? Who does it and how do they get paid?
• What role does government play in the economy?
• How does society judge or value various economic activities?
• Cultural and intellectual developments and interactions
• What is the role and impact of religion and philosophy?
• What is the role and impact of art?
• What is the role and impact of science (scientific knowledge)?
• Cultural values, ceremonies, and celebrations?
• Impact of technology
• Political = weaponry for military
• Economic = tools for agriculture, manufacturing, trade, banking
• Social = how does technology impact gender roles and migration?
• Impact of cross-culturalinteraction among major societies
• What are the 3 vehicles of diffusion (spread)?
• trade
• war/empire
• human migration
• How does interaction lead to syncretism (blending)?
• Change-Over-Time
• How has something changed over time (change)?
• How has something remained the same over time (continuity)?
• Compare and Contrast
• What are the similarities between societies?
• What are the differences between societies?