What does HAPP-E stand for? (AP World Edition)

HAPP-E helps you remember how to earn the sourcing and the evidence beyond the document point.  The first four letters refer to the four options for sourcing a document in AP World History.  The final letter reminds you to include evidence not found in the documents in your response.

Here is what each letter stands for:

H: Historical Situation

A: Audience

P: Purpose

P: Point of View

E: Evidence (beyond the documents)

Read on to learn more about the specifics of each theme.  ​

The sourcing point is earned by analyzing the source of a document.  A source is a person, place, or thing that provides something useful.  To earn this point, we consider the origin of a document.  This is different from the evidence.  Evidence is when we use the author's words to support a point.  Sourcing is when we use the author's characteristics, intentions, or circumstances to draw conclusions.  Sourcing also occurs when we think about who the author was writing to.

Sourcing is different from analyzing evidence.  We look for evidence in the document itself.  When sourcing, we often use information outside of the document itself.  Each question on the AP World History will have a short blurb of information labeled "source."  We can find important information about who created a document and when it was created.  You won't always find the necessary information in the source.  Sometimes we have to infer information about the source based on information in the document.  For practice and take-home exams, you may wish to research the authors.

There are additional subtleties to earning the sourcing point.  For now, let's take a look at each of the four options for sourcing in AP World History.  You must use one of these options when sourcing for your example to count towards earning the point. 

Historical situation refers to events or developments that influence the creation of a particular document.  It is the sourcing option that is most similar to contextualization.  Both skills ask you to think about the circumstances surrounding an event.  When contextualizing, you're thinking about the circumstances surrounding the topic of your essay.  When considering the historical situation, you're thinking about the circumstances surrounding the creation of a specific document.

Let's use Luther's 95 Theses as an example.  Luther was upset because the Catholic Church issued indulgences to people who paid money to the church.  These indulgences were believed to reduce the amount of time a person would have to spend atoning for their sins in purgatory.  These practices motivated Luther to write the 95 Theses. ​

Audience is who was suppose to read or see the original document.  In other words, who was suppose to get the message contained in the document?  Audience can refer to a single person or a group of people.  We often name an audience by using words that explain what they have in common.  For example, a document's audience might be intended for abolitionists, government workers, or lower-class women.

Identifying an audience can be tricky because documents are often read by outside groups.  These outside groups receive the message, but it wasn't originally intended for them.  You (and me!) are rarely the audience for historical documents.  We are just eavesdropping on someone else's conversation.  When in doubt, go back to first principles.  We want to identify who the writer was thinking about when they created the documents.

Sometimes writers identify their audience directly, and sometimes they don't.  Some documents are intended for multiple audiences.

Let's look at the 95 Theses again.  Scholars debate whether Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of his local church.  If he did, then he certainly would have expected the leaders of the church to read them.  He may have also expected that literate people from the community would be interested in his work.  We do know that Luther mailed his theses to a local leader in the Catholic Church and wanted that person to read his work.  ​

Purpose describes why a document was created.  When I'm stuck on purpose, I use the PIE method to determine the source.  Each letter in this acronym stands for a reason why humans create sources.

P: Persuade. 

These documents exist to convince others.  The author typically wants someone else's beliefs, opinion, or behavior to change.  Sometimes documents are written to persuade governments to change their policies.

I: Inform. 

These documents exist to convey information to others.  However, this category can be deceptive.  It's likely that a document is intended to persuade if it only gives information that supports one side of an issue.

E: Entertain. 

These documents are intended to be humorous or fun for the reader or viewer.

This method will get you started.  Whenever possible, it is best to give information about the specific purpose.  If you know that the author is trying to persuade, it's helpful to explain what they want people to do.  This sets you up for a stronger analysis section.

Creators often have multiple reasons for creating a document.  A political cartoon may be intended to entertain and persuade.  A government report may have a section that is reporting on the history of an issue and a later section describing potential changes.

The 95 Theses were persuasive.  Luther wanted to convince people that many of the Catholic Church's practices were wrong.  He hoped that his work would help church leaders make better decisions. ​

Finally, we have point of view.  Point of view describes the characteristics, beliefs, or experiences of the person (or group) who created the document.  This is very similar to audience, where we described the characteristics of the people receiving the message.  Here, we think about the creator instead.

The 95 Theses were written by Martin Luther.  There are several characteristics that may have influenced his work.  For example, he was part of the Catholic Church and studied theology as a living.  His theses reflect this because they suggest ways for the Catholic Church to improve itself (in his view).  They are not written to condemn Church leaders or suggest people convert to a different religion. ​

The final letter in the HAPP-E acronym is the only letter that doesn't relate to source analysis.  Instead, "Evidence" is intended to remind you to think of facts, developments, and ideas that you can use to earn the outside evidence point.  Outside evidence is specific information that relates to the prompt, but isn't found in any of the seven documents.