HISTORY
350 FINAL EXAM: QUESTIONS
AND INSTRUCTIONS
back to
syllabus
Group One--Post-Midterm Topics
1. ANSWER EITHER PART A OR PART B:
PART A: Suppose Albert and
Lucy Parsons had both lived long enough to do a study of the life and career of
Elizabeth Cady Stanton. How would they evaluate her? On what points would they
probably agree with her? On what points would they probably disagree?
OR
PART B: Suppose that late in
her life Elizabeth Cady Stanton had undertaken a study of Chicago labor
radicalism and the Haymarket episode. What would her judgment be? With what
aspects of the ideology, strategies, tactics and goals of the leading radicals
would she agree? With what aspects would she disagree?
2. "The views and activities of the Chicago radicals of the 1880s
reflected their predominantly foreign backgrounds and their focus on abstract
ideologies rather than the realities of life in late nineteenth century
America. They were idealists out of touch with the real, immediate concerns
of American workers, and this, more than the repression they faced, accounts
for their failure to achieve power."
Discuss and evaluate the statement
above. You may, of course, agree or disagree, in whole or in part, with the
statement.
3. Elizabeth Cady Stanton faced controversy with other advocates of social
reform at several points in her long career. For any two of the
following issues, describe the nature of the controversy and evaluate the
position she took both ethically and strategically.
a. Women's role in the antislavery
movement around 1840;
b. The dispute over the 14th and
15th amendments to the US Constitution;
c. Her critique of religion and her
editing of the Women's Bible.
4. "Radical movements in the nineteenth century, notably the women’s
rights movement and the radical labor movement in Chicago, can best be
understood as attempts to implement and expand upon the ideas and ideals of the
Declaration of Independence."
Discuss and evaluate the statement above with respect to the
nineteenth century women=s
movement and late nineteenth-century labor radicalism. You may, of course,
agree or disagree, in whole or in part, with the statement.
Group Two--Questions Covering the Whole Term
5. Which of the following individuals whom we have studied this term do you
admire most? Whom do you disapprove of most? Explain your answers.
a. Thomas Paine b.
Nat Turner c. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
d. Albert Parsons (You're welcome to include Lucy Parsons in your discussion if
you choose Albert for either part of the question.)
6. "The history of social protest and revolt from the American
Revolution to about 1900 clearly reveals that radical activists were generally
psychologically disturbed individuals who could not cope with the society they
lived in and sought emotional fulfillment more than effective political
action."
Discuss and evaluate the statement
above. You may, of course, agree or disagree, in whole or in part, with the
statement.
7. "The lesson of studying radicalism from the American Revolution to about
1900 is clear: significant and desirable
social change could not occur through violent means."
Discuss and evaluate the statement above. You may, of
course, agree or disagree, in whole or in part, with the statement.
Notes and Instructions
Take Home Option:
1. Answer three of the questions above. Two of your answers must be from Group
One and one from Group Two.
2. Type your exam, double spaced. Maximum length of the exam is ten double-spaced pages with normal margins and fonts. Your individual answers may of course vary in length as long as the total is ten pages or less. Number your pages.
3. Take-home exams may be brought to my office, 331 McKenzie; if I am not there, make sure your pages are securely fastened together and slide it under my door. (Do not bring your take-home to the History Department office.) Otherwise, you may bring your take-home to me at the start of the in-class final, 10:15 Wednesday, March 18. If you do not submit a take-home exam by that time, you must take the in-class exam. I will grant no extensions on the final without a valid, documented medical excuse.
4. If you need to submit your take-home final as an email attachment, contact me at least 24 hours in advance and explain your situation. I’ll let you know if an email submission is acceptable.
5. COLLABORATION: It is acceptable, in fact desirable, to study together and work out strategies for answering questions. What you write, however, must be your own. If you begin to wonder if you're collaborating too closely in formulating your answers, it's time to stop and move to preparing independent answers. If I see answers that duplicate or nearly duplicate each other, both will be judged unacceptable.
6. If you quote or paraphrase another's words or distinctive ideas on the take-home, you must cite your source on the take-home final. As with your papers, author's last name and page number in parentheses should be usually adequate. If you need to provide more information in order to let the reader know your source, provide that in a clear, consistent form.
In-Class Option:
1. The in-class final exam is scheduled for 10:15 Wednesday, March
18. It will be two hours long. Please bring exam booklets to
the test.
2. You will be required to answer three of the essay questions above. As with the take-home version, two of your answers must be from Group One and one from Group Two.
3. The in-class exam is a no-notes, closed book test.
History 350
Winter 2009