Discussion Directions You will need to participate in one discussion this week.

Discussion Directions
You will need to participate in one discussion this week. Select the button below to access the thread. When posting, keep the following in mind:
Your task for this week’s discussion is to watch the video and read the required resources. You must then respond to ONE of the questions. This is called your INITIAL POST. Select the button to post your Initial Post. Your Initial Post is due by the fourth day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET. Your Initial Post is worth 30 points and should be 250 words in length, which is equal to about 1 page of double-spaced writing in Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman 12 point font in a Word document.
You must then read your classmates’ Initial Posts. After you have read their Initial Posts, you must respond to TWO of your classmates by the last day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET. These are called your PEER RESPONSES. Each Peer Response is worth 10 points and should be 100 words in length, which is equal to about 0.4 page of double-spaced writing in Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman 12 point font in a Word document.
To recap, each weekly discussion is worth 50 points (30 for your initial post and 10 each for your peer responses). Please make sure to follow the rubric in the syllabus. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to say so. You have three ways to do this: 1) Post a question in this week’s discussion; 2) Post a question in the Ask the Professor module; or 3) Directly email your instructor.
Respond to one question below by the fourth day of the academic week at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. Respond to two student posts by the last day of the academic week at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. Read the discussion guidelines for further details.
Discuss the methodological challenges of studying Ancient and Medieval African history. How are commonly used terms potentially problematic in studying Africa?
What characteristics were shared by the Western Sudanic states? How did their location impact their economic development, religion, and scholastic contributions?
How did the ruling classes of Great Zimbabwe generate wealth and demonstrate their status?
Describe the urban style of Swahili city-states in East Africa. In what ways are oral traditions, such as the one about Kilwa Kisiwani, important to Swahili identity?
Compare and contrast the Aztec and Inca civilizations. In what ways were they similar? How were they different?
How does the article on rice farming overcome some of the methodological problems of studying African history? Cite examples from the reading to support your answer
READING:
African History to 1500Africa
The Americas
Landscapes of Technology Transfer: Rice Cultivation and African Continuities