HIST 2493 FALL
2006
FINAL EXAM
INSTRUCTIONS
Posted November 29, 2006
OVERVIEW
The final exam covers Unit 13-16. Like the earlier exams, this one includes a
take-home component and a proctored test.
However, you get to make a major decision about the kind of exam you
take.
OPTION A. Write one take-home essay on an assigned
topic, and take a proctored test that includes identifications and
multiple-choice questions, and may include other items such as brief writing
assignments and identifying the sources of quotations. If you do well on multiple-choice questions
and do not particularly like to write essays, this may be the better option for
you. The exam is worth 150 points. The point breakdown will be: 45 points for the
take-home essay and 110 points for the proctored test (60 for the
identifications and any other writing questions, and 45 for the multiple-choice
questions). These instructions include
two groups of take-home essay topics.
Students who select option A may select their topic from either group.
OPTION B. Write two take-home essays on assigned topics,
and take a proctored test that includes identifications and multiple-choice
questions and may include other items such as brief writing assignments and identifying
the sources of quotations. However, you
will not do the multiple-choice section, only the written section(s) of the
test. If you do not like multiple-choice
questions and prefer to write about the course materials, this option may be
better for you. The exam is worth 150 points.
The point breakdown will be: 45 points for the first essay, 45 points
for the second essay, and 60 points for the proctored test. These instructions
include two groups of take-home essay topics.
Students who select option B must select a topic from each group.
You should decide quickly which option you prefer, so you
can spend your study time wisely, but it is not necessary to tell the professor
which one you prefer. If you submit one
essay, I will assume you have chosen option A.
If I get two essays, I will assume you selected Option B.
Essay Deadline and Extra Credit Option
All essays must be submitted as Word or text documents
(.doc, .rtf or .txt) no later than 8 A.M. on Wednesday December 13. Each essay must be sent as an e-mail
attachment. The subject line must say TV
History Final Essay and must include your full name. E-mail them to the
professor at dtait@rsu.edu.
You may earn ten points of extra credit for one essay by
submitting it no later than 10:00 A.M. on Friday December 8.
Take-Home
Topics
There are two
groups of topics. If you select exam
option A, you will write just one essay, and you may pick from either
group. This part of the exam will be
worth 45 points. If you select exam
option B, you will write two essays. Each
essay will be worth 45 points. You must
choose one topic from the first group and one from the second group.
Essays should be in the range of three to six pages,
typed in a 12-point font and double-spaced. All essays must be professionally
presented (i.e., written in clear, accurate Standard English). Make careful use
of relevant course materials. You are welcome to use additional sources of
ideas and information, provided you have time enough to use them. If you
do this, provide a works-consulted page with complete bibliographic
information. The essays must be entirely your own work. Do not copy, or merely paraphrase, from any
source or combination of sources.
FIRST GROUP OF TAKE-HOME TOPICS
A. Did they get what
they deserved?
Richard Nixon resigned from the
Presidency in 1974. Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of
Representatives, but was not convicted by the Senate. Compare the Nixon
and Clinton scandals and ask whether these men got what they deserved.
Make use of all relevant
course materials.
Carefully describe each
scandal. Show how it came to light and how Congress and the general public
responded to it.
How was the crisis
resolved? Evaluate the outcome in each case. Was justice done?
Did either man, or both, get off too lightly? Was either man, or both,
mistreated by unscrupulous enemies? Be sure to say what you think and explain
why you think so.
When I read your essay I
will ask these questions:
B. The Religious
Faith of Martin Luther King, Jr.
How did black churches and the
religious faith of Martin Luther King, Jr., inform and empower his leadership
in the
Clearly identify the roles
that churches played in this struggle.
Identify and describe
religious ideas and experiences that were important for King in this period. If you like, you may comment on his religious ideas
and experience, and/or on his leadership in this situation. Be sure to
say why you think as you do.
When I ready your paper I
will ask myself:
In Major Problems we find documents from the National Organization of
Women (pages 353-355), the magazine National Review (pages 444-445) and
Baptist minister Jerry Falwell (page 445).
How do these documents view female roles, marriage, and family? Are the
views of NOW in complete contradiction to the other documents, or is there at
least potentially some common ground? What do you think of the views
presented? Consult other course materials that may illuminate these
documents and the controversies associated with them.
When I ready your
paper I will ask myself:
SECOND GROUP OF TAKE-HOME TOPICS
D. Did Reagan wreck or rescue the
economy?
President Ronald Reagan’s economic policies were
controversial at the time and continue to be debated. Read carefully the
essays by Martin Anderson and Benjamin Friedman (Major Problems pages
452-464). Did Reagan’s policies strengthen
the
When I read your essay I
will ask myself:
E. Who won the
Cold War?
The Cold War came to an end in a series of events in
the late 1980s and early 1990s. Who, if anybody, won the Cold War?
Your essay should define the nature of the Cold War,
identify the major participants, and indicate the approximate beginning and
ending dates of the conflict. It should
pay close attention to developments in the 1980s such as changes within the
Soviet Union; relations between the Soviet Union and other powers, especially
the
Key material for this topic is available in Units 13, 15,
and 16. Some useful background was
provided in earlier units in lectures on the Cold War, particularly in Unit 11.
When I ready your paper I
will ask myself:
F. Is
Some Americans,
among them both activists and academics, contend that disagreements between
Americans over cultural issues are so severe that they threaten the unity of
the country. They point to clashes over
such issues as prayer in schools, abortion, and homosexual relationships, and
claim that election results show that the country is increasingly polarized. Are they right: are
Americans engaged in a culture war?
Your essay should explain what is meant by the term
“culture war,” describe the opposing positions, and identify some of the key
areas of controversy. It should address the claim that election results reflect
a growing polarization rooted in cultural disagreements. Much of the material for this topic will be
in lectures. You should also be able to
find relevant information elsewhere in Units 13-16.
When I ready your paper I
will ask myself:
PROCTORED EXAM
The proctored test will be available at the
IDENTIFICATIONS
Identifications: Unit 14
Booker T. Washington
W. E. B. DuBois
Plessy v
“Separate but equal”
De Jure segregation
De Facto segregation
Brown v Board of Education
Americans With Disabilities
Act
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Malcolm X
Identifications: Nixon
Era
Nixon Shocks
“Structure of Peace”
(lectures)
“Peace with honor”
Great Silent Majority (lectures)
Watergate Scandal
Stagflation
Détente
Vietnamization
Henry Kissinger
Pentagon Papers
War Powers Act
Family Assistance Plan
(lectures)
Identifications: Unit 15
and 16
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Election of 1976
Misery Index (lectures)
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Election of 1980
Reagan Coalition
Supply-side economics
John Rawls (lectures)
Robert Nozick (lectures)
Evil Empire
Jerry Falwell
Mikhail Gorbachev
Glasnost
Perestroika
George H. W. Bush
Gulf War of 1991
Bill Clinton
Monica Lewinsky
Kosovo
Election of 2000
George W. Bush
Taliban
Axis of Evil
Saddam Hussein
Tony Blair
Right-to-life movement
Cultural warfare (lectures)
Clash of civilizations
(lectures)
“Easy issues” (lectures)
Red states and blue states (lectures)
Brief writing assignments
Briefly describe and
compare/contrast the key ideas advanced by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B.
Dubois around 1900. (Unit 14. See Extra Credit Worksheet #2)
Briefly describe the
classification of states as red states and blue states. What are the key issues involved in the
classification? Does this way of viewing
the states distort or enhance our understanding of American politics
today? Please explain why you think as
you do. (lectures)
Quotations
“I am not a crook.”
“Peace is at hand”
“I will never lie to you.”
“I have a dream”
“The era of big government
is over.”
“Are you better off than you
were four years ago?”
“It’s the economy, stupid.”