07 Jul western history
Final Exam – Instructions
Theexam should be two structured essays that possessthe usual apparatus of an academic paper: an introduction with a thesis;supporting paragraphs that draw from the texts, whether primary or secondary,to support and develop the thesis; and a conclusion.
Instructions:
Youare to write two essays of at least 700words each (1400words in total). At the end of each essay you should write down the word count.You are welcome to go over the minimum word count if you think that youranswers will be improved by more material. I do not grade you based on the wordcount, but keep in mind that if your essay is shorter than 700 words, you mostlikely will not have enough material or detail to answer the questionssufficiently, and by that resulting in a lower grade.
Youshould use short quotations and references from the lectures, texts andreadings to illustrate specific points or arguments you are making.
Keepin mind that the strongest essays will include material from multiple sessions.The topics/questions are designed to be expansive and they require you toaddress events over a wide time frame.
Eachessay MUST be properly documented with parentheticalcitations, which include the name of the author and the page number there isno need for a works cited page, as the texts are all common. For the Textbook,(Hunt, page number) is sufficient. For the Sources book (Lualdi, pagenumber). If you want to cite the lectures, simply reference the nameof the lecture (first slide of each lecture).
Onlyin the case you use outside sources do you need to have a works cited page butI strongly discourage you from using general webpages like Wikipedia. If you douse online sources you need to offer a link to them in your works cited page.As this is an exam, any instance of plagiarism or use of outside sources thatare not cited will be reported to an Academic Integrity Officer. Any exam that has no citations will receive 0points.
I am testing you on havingwatched/listened to the lectures and read the assigned readings from both thetextbook and the Sources book.
Ifyou use materials, books, and other items that are not easily accessible to theinstructor, please keep a copy of them as I WILL ask you to provide them to meto verify the accuracy of your citations. If you can not provide them to mewithin a week of it being requested, you will receive 0 points for the exam.
Please keep in mind that the strongest historical essays pay closeattention to the chronology of events. An essay that movesback and forth in time period is generally a disorganized essay, so I wouldsuggest you try your best to keep your events and examples in chronologicalorder.
Questions: Choose TWO.
Option 1
After the Viking, Magyar, andMuslim invasions, many parts of Europe saw the creation of new systems ofhierarchy and dependency, both in rural areas (often referred to as the feudalsystem) as well as in towns/cities. What were some of the reasons for theemergence of both the feudal system and the commercial system of guilds inmedieval towns and villages? How did those systems contribute to generalstability in the early medieval period, at least compared to the volatility ofthe preceding centuries?
For this topic, you dont needto strictly compare/contrast the two systems. I am simply looking to see thatyou can discuss the general organization of medieval society both on thevillage and the city/town level.
Option 2
During the 12th and13th centuries, the Church faced opposition both from withinand outside, as the period saw the emergence of numerous heretical movementsand popes battled kings for temporal dominion in Europe. What were some ofthose criticisms about and how did the Church react to them? Do you think thatthe Church emerged from those criticisms weakened or strengthened? Please offerspecific examples to support your argument your argument/s.
For this essay, be sure toinclude both calls for reform within the church as well asthe outside struggle with the rulers of Europe. As alwayswith historical essays, keeping things as close to chronological order aspossible is a good idea.
Option 3
Is it important to understand theworks of Greek and Roman thinkers in order to understand the intellectualachievements of the Late Middle Ages, The Renaissance or the Early Modernperiod in European history? Are some works more important than others? Wouldthese later achievements have been possible without knowledge of the Greeks orthe Romans?
For this topic, be sure toinclude examples from each of the three periods listed in the question.
Option 4
European society changeddrastically from the 14th and through the 16th centuries. What were the centralchanges or ideas that contributed to the generally rapid social changes of theperiod? What were some of the main contributing factors to the rapid populationincrease of the period and what factors contributed to a general rise inprosperity among the middle classes but also some of the peasantpopulations?
Please keep in mind that forthis question I want you to look at society in general, meaning that Idon’t want you to focus on kings, popes, or people in power.
Option 5
How important is it to considerthe history of Northern Africa, the Middle East, or even the world as a wholewhen thinking about the history of Europe from the Middle Ages to the EarlyModern Period? Is it possible to teach or discuss European history withouttaking into account developments in the rest of the world? Offer at least threeexamples of why not, or if you feel the opposite, why is it possible?
For this question, please tryto offer examples that span the period from the Late Middle Ages to the EarlyModern period.
Due Date and SubmittingYour Exam:
The exam is “due” on Canvas by midnight onThursday, July 8th, but remember that there are no penalties forsubmitting an exam late.
Please submit your take home examas a .docx or pdf to the Assignment here on Canvas. The system doesn’t acceptevery file type. The system does not accept Pages documents for example. If youare using Google Docs to write your exam, please save it as a single file(including both essays) as a pdf document (Print to PDF).
Best of luck!
