Change and Continuity Over Time

What is the CCOT? Some consider this to be the hardest of the three APWH essay questions. It asks you to analyze what has changed and/or remained the same during a certain time period (often one era, sometimes more than one), in a certain region(s) while focusing on a particular theme(s): 1. Interaction Between Humans and the Environment (Demography, Disease, Patterns of Settlement, Location, Technology impact on environment, Human impact on environment) 2. Development and Interaction of Culture (Religions, Belief Systems, Philosophies, Ideologies, Science/Tech, Arts, Architecture, Writing, Literature, Education) 3. State Building, Expansion, and Conflict (Political structure, Forms of govt, Empires, Nations/Nationalism, Revolts/revolutions, structures/organizations) 4. Creation, Expansion and Interaction of Economic Systems (Agricultural/pastoral production, Trade/Commerce, Labor systems, Industrialization, Capitalism, Socialism) 5. Development and Transformation of Social Structures (Gender roles/relations, Family/kinship, Racial/Ethnic construction, Social/Economic Classes) Consider events in history. Is there a pattern in these events? Patterns are not simply a set path for events to take, but rather a process involved. Take puberty, which is a pattern set for most people, but how children traverse through that period of their lives occurs in different manners depending on the child. In a CCOT essay you need to identify the global patterns (or big picture) for a theme during a specific time period, but also use the local events (small picture) as evidence to support your claim as to what the pattern is. To do this well it is important to be familiar with periodization (the key dividing points among and within eras), and global context (the Big Picture: the situation in the world at these points in time). For a CCOT, you are required to consider the history of certain themes how have those areas changed or remained the same throughout time? Has there been a smooth progression? [Rarely the case] Have there been any interruptions or reversals/roll backs? [For instance, the process of globalization after WWI, it was held back in the US, and Europe to a certain extent, and then it emerges again after WWII.] What has remained the same despite these changes? [This is harder to do and most often refers to obvious and often unremarkable events] After identifying the patterns, you need to determine why these changes or continuities have occurred? Some compare the analysis of Continuity and Change over Time to the describing a river trip, that is you need to discuss a beginning, some mid-way points and an end point to the trip. Therefore the need is to describe conditions at these points while ideally including the global context as well as local information at these points in time. However, this approach is problematic in certain situations and best used only in desperation.

It works better to consider CCOT analysis akin to describing ripples or waves of water, which produces a more complete approach. Depending on the theme, the process described can involve tidal waves, the regular ebbing and flowing of waves, the impact from a large rock or meteor in the ocean, or ripples from the throw of a pebble in a pond. You can consider events at the beginning, middle and end of the time period, as in the river trip approach, but you also are forced to consider: What started the ripples or waves? [Events from outside the region or inside] What are the sizes of the waves? [What is the significance of the changes?] Do the waves/ripples flow in any set pattern that would help analyze the changes/continuities? o Are they cyclical? [e.g. a regular cyclical pattern of drought or environmental change?] o Does the same kind/size of rock [event] produce the same results? [Or is there something different about the specific event that makes its impact greater?] o Do the waves/ripples affect other waves/ripples in the same time period? In this process you are forced to address causation what caused the initial change? Did anything accelerate it, what and why? Did anything change the direction it was taking, what and why? Was it delayed, by what and why? How to CCOT 1. Recognize Topic: Correctly recognize the general topic/theme. If they wish you to discuss labor systems make sure you discuss free and unfree labor, not just slavery. Consider all that could be included under that topic category. 2. Identify Region/Societies: Accurately identify the region they are asking you to use. You will receive no credit if you think Spain is in Eastern Europe or Thailand is in South Asia. Then think of what places are included in the region(s) you chose (though not all questions will give you a choice). When given a choice as to which region(s) to discuss, make sure that for your choice you can marshal enough examples from various places within the region, NOT just one country/society. 3. Determine Significance of Dates: Determine the significance given of the dates, both the start date and the end date. Be sure to consider events all the way until the end date and all the way from the beginning date but not beyond either. 4. Identify Changes: Compare periods of time, namely conditions at the beginning of the given time period, with those at the end and determine what is different (changes). As with any comparison, the description of just one of those (i.e. the situation at the end of the given time period) is not enough, you need to identify from what it changed to have done a complete comparison. Make sure you give concrete examples of how they changed. 5. Identify Continuities: Establish what remained the same during the time period or the continuities (so the similarities of the comparison), not just what changed (the differences). Again, give concrete examples of how they remained the same. 6. Identify Key Steps in Process: Consider the process that took place during this time. That is were there any major developments that are relevant that occurred between the beginning date (the baseline) and the end date (the end point)? Sometimes, when the time period specified in the question is between eras, the era dates are good mid-way point(s) to consider. More often than not though, the time

period specified is within one era and finding a relevant mid-point(s) of events that would have had an impact on the topic is a bit harder.