Overview

During the fourteenth century, a number of crises faced the European population. The bubonic plague claimed the lives of around one-third of the people. A prolonged war between France and England affected developing nation-states throughout the continent. The one unifying force of Europe, the Roman Catholic Church, faced a number of issues that undermined its infallibility in the eyes of believers. New artistic and architectural techniques challenged the medieval mind. And European culture and society changed in reaction to all of these crises. All of these events helped set the stage for the development of the modern world.

How to succeed in AP Euro

There is no single path to success in this class. Everyone works and learns differently. But doing the following is a good place to start:
  • Complete the reading assignment each night
  • Take good (that means useful) notes during reading
  • Engage in class time to expand your understanding
  • Study for tests with other students
  • Use online resources to help you understand concepts

Important Files

AP European History Course Overview
File Size: 947 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Late Middle Ages Study Guide
File Size: 42 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Summer Assignment

1. Begin Developing Your Skills

Success in AP Euro depends on understanding what you will need to know. Use these links to get acquainted with how the course will run. And be sure to know your geography...

2. Prepare Your Resources

Be sure to sign up and bookmark the following websites:
  • YouTube: Subscribe to my channel!
  • ​Google Classroom: You should have received an invitation
  • MindTap: Create an account using the code you received
  • Facebook: Like this page for periodic updates

3. Learn about the Late Middle Ages

Have the following items completed prior to the first day of class in the fall:
  • Read Spielvogel chapter 11
  • Complete the Late Middle Ages Study Guide (look above)
  • Make flashcards for the terms on the study guide
  • Complete these questions on the chapter's primary sources
  • Take the quiz on Google Classroom

4. Watch and Take Notes on These Videos

Homework Assignments

Assignment 1: Getting Online

  • Log into MindTap account using packet provided
  • Create VitalSource account using packet provided
  • Finish any summer assignment components listed above that you haven't completed
  • MindTap: Setting the Scene: The Black Death

​Assignment 2: Using MindTap

  • MindTap: Power Politics in the Late Middle Ages
  • MindTap: Papal Decline in the Fourteenth Century
  • MindTap: Literature and Culture in the Fourteenth Century
  • MindTap: An Age of Adversity
  • You may use your textbook, study guide, videos, etc., to complete the MindTap activities

Assignment 3: AP Multiple Choice Practice

  • MindTap: Change, Crisis, and Resolution in the Later Middle Ages
  • Answer AP questions at end of chapter 11 (p. 331a-b) on a blank sheet of paper

Assignment 4: European Geography

  • Finish assignment from class if you need to
  • Review European geography (link above)

Paul Sargent Makes History