Writing an Essay for each with a thesis answering the question.

Themajor task of "doing" history involves reading a variety of materials, forming opinions about that material, then writing or otherwise presenting this information within a well-constructed analytical framework. For this exam you will "do" history by drawing on relevant course materials as evidence to support your arguments.

For each question, you should write a coherent, well-argued essay, in which you state clearly a thesis that answers the question posed; present arguments explaining and supporting your thesis; and discuss specific historical evidence that supports your arguments. Be as specific as possible in answering the question and in supporting your thesis. The thesis you choose to argue will not be the only possible answer to the question, nor need you address all possible answers. Instead, choose the answer that you find most convincing and select evidence that supports that view. Evidence drawn from primary sources (texts written, or objects created, in the time period of the events you are discussing) will be particularly convincing.

Please keep the use of quotes to a minimum-put things in your own words (I want your ideas and conclusions, not the authors'). What I am looking for is your ability to synthesize and analyze a variety of sources to develop and support an argument. Don't worry if you're not sure you're doing it "right", critical thinking and analysis take practice, and that's why you're taking classes.

Each essay should be typed double-spaced with 1 inch margins and 12 font (no "cute" fonts), and be structured properly. There is no minimum or maximum length for each essay, just make sure you answer the questions thoroughly.

Part 1:

Over the course of about 1800 years the foundations for Western Civilization were lain in the Mediterranean basin, the "cultural hearth" of the West, from about 1200 BCE to about 500 CE: that is, from about the time of the events memorialized as the Trojan War and the Exodus to the end of antiquity and the end of the Western Roman Empire. · Explain the contributions of the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans to the evolution of Western Civilization, how the cultural values of each affected the others, and the legacy of each to Western Civilization. · Helpful hint: There is more to the Hebrews than monotheism

Part 2: Everyone answer this question: How and why did Christianity transition from a minor Jewish sect into a world religion? What did Christianity mean for the Roman Empire and the soon to emerge Europe? · Please keep in mind that we are considering Christianity from a historical perspective.

Part 3: Select and answer ONE of the following:

1. Describe the geographic framework in which early Western civilizations emerged and developed. What role did geography and climate play in shaping the course of Western civilization from its origins to about 500 CE?

o Helpful hint: the timeframe in question stretches to 500 CE, the end of the Western Roman Empire and to the beginnings of Europe.

You don't necessarily need to discuss each culture individually; rather you should focus on common geographical and environmental elements that affected the emergence of Western Civilization, both positively and negatively. What I'm not looking for is "In Mesopotamia the environment....... In Egypt the environment........ In Greece the environment....."

What I am looking for is discussion of the importance of geography and climate to the success of civilizations with specific examples from various cultures.

2. What led to the administrative and military collapse of the Western Roman Empire? To what extent did Rome fall in 476 CE?

3. Were someone to say to you that he doubted that Jesus ever lived, how would you, as a budding historian, respond? To what extent were the actions and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth revolutionary?

a. Please keep in mind, we are speaking of the historical Jesus.