Summer Reading Assignment:
In preparation for your upcoming Honors course in World History you will be required to read portions of the following books.
Michener, James The Source
Archaeologists discover a site
in Northern Israel that produces 15
levels that relate to the development
of civilization as well as the development of religious conflict
in the area.
Plutarch's Lives "Theseus"
The myth of the Minotaur is exemplifies hero and his journey as
outlined by Dr. Joseph Campbell. The Labrynth, the Monster, Ariadne,
and Theseus are give us important insights into the mind of early
Greece.
"Solon"
As one of the creators of democracy in Athens Solon stands as
one of the "great men" of history. He is instrumental
in laying the foundation for our own government and, as such,
will be discussed at length in class.
While there are other books currently available that deal with topics pertinent to our course The Source has been selected for you based on its breadth of information relating to the development of three of the five major religions of the world and the conflict in the Middle East. It also gives a view of the Seleucid empire, the Rise of Rome, the Crusades, the Rise of Christendom, and the Rise of Islam. You are asked to read a portion of this book and take notes in order to be better prepared for your World History class. There will be a written assignment during the first week of class in September on the first chapter. Please do not put the reading off until the last minute as the book is very long and we are looking for thoughtful answers on the book when you return in September.
Read pages 1-111 ONLY. If you choose to read the entire book it will give you a better background for the Honors World History course. However, for this assignment it is not necessary. In other words read the chapter entitled The Tell and The Bee Eater for the first day of school in September. We will cover other portions of the book as the school year progresses.
After a short review of early civilizations we will be jumping into the history of Greece. We will be reading Plutarch's Lives for the first two units of the school year. Greece and Rome form the foundations of our own civilization. Plutarch gives us insight to these two great civilizations through biographies of their great men. NOTE: You do NOT have to purchase Plutarch's Lives as it is found on the internet. Go online to the following address: http://classics.mit.edu/browse/browse-Plutarch.html To aquaint you with two of the early Greeks read the following biographies by Plutarch before the first day of class: "Theseus" and "Solon." Make sure you take notes on these two excellent figures in history to help you remember the important parts of their story.
It is also highly recommended that you follow current events this summer via television news, and periodical literature such as "Time," "Newsweek," or "The Economist" or "The Anchorage Daily News," etc., or watch your favorite news broadcast.
The Source is available by special order at the major bookstores in this area (Borders, Waldenbooks, Barnes and Noble, etc.) University and Public Libraries may also have them. You may share copies of the books, although it is suggested you have your own.
Note: If you have trouble finding the address for Plutarch
you may want to search the internet for the text. Make sure you
have the complete text. Or, you may want to visit my Web
Page, which will also have addresses for Plutarch under cool links.
My Web Page address is: http://www.alaska.net/~prospero.