History

The exam will consist of two essay questions, which you will answer with four- to five-paragraph responses. Your essay will ask you to provide a factually-grounded analytical consideration of a historical issue. You should draw on the relevant course materials when you are composing your answer; be sure to address each part of the question. In other words, you'll want to provide basic factual material and explain how that factual material supports your contention.

Question #1

It is has been argued that religion has had one of the most profound effects on world history. Examine one of the religions that we have explored in our first four weeks. What do you find to have been the most profound effects of this faith? Be sure to focus on how the religion potentially affected political systems, the economy, and culture.

Question #2

Explore the progress of one area covered in our first four weeks. Select a specific region, i.e. China or Greece rather than trying to assess a large and broad region such as eastern Europe or Africa. What were the chief characteristics of the civilization that you selected? How did the civilization change/evolve over time? What accounted for these changes?