History
World History
Spring 2018
First Paper ( [] at the conclusion of the class). Papers cannot be submitted to TURN IT IN after. Do not submit each question at a time as the system will not allow you to upload the second answer. Please upload your paper with both essays as a single file. YOUR TA MAY PREFER TO HAVE THE PAPER ONLY IN THE TURN IT IN FORM WITH NO HARD COPY SUBMISSION. PLEASE CHECH WITH YOUR TA.
Please provide some chronological context. Exact dates are welcome but a sense of when things did happen is also welcome. Be thoughtful in your answers. Do not simply repeat the information or class lectures. Your ideas and interpretations — as long as the evidence can sustain your arguments – constitute the most important part of your paper. Remember that I am here to help and so are your TAs.
The entire exam should not exceed more than eight (8) type-written pages double spaced-12 font, with a one inch margin on both sides. It should not be less than six (6) pages in the same format. Footnotes or endnotes (either manual of Chicago style or MLA style) must be provided for direct quotes or paraphrasing of important factual material. If you do not know how to annotate your paper, ask me in class. NO LATE PAPERS ALLOWED.
- Please do select one question from this section (25 points, no more than two pages).
- A) How did we become human? Outline the process by which hominids became homo sapiens, including information about early migrations out of Africa by homo sapiens. Geertz’s “The Impact of the Concept of Culture” is important. Begin with references to early hominids.
- B) How did some homo sapiens move from hunting and gathering to agriculture? Discuss types of environments that favor agriculture, the reasons given for the beginning of farming, and the drawbacks of, or advantages to, farming. Think of readings for Week Two.
- C) Compare two of the four ancient great river societies Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India (including the Aryan invasion) in terms of the nature of political rule, ways to organize production and labor, social stratification, legal systems, religion and myth. Make references to the texts in the Course Reader/web site.
- Please answer one question from this section. PLEASE PLACE THESE WRITINGS IN SOME HISTORICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL CONTEXT. (25 points, no more than two pages). You may focus on a specific topic in each of these readings. For example, adopted children, condemnation of incest, in the Code of Hammurabi, sins against property in the Book of the Dead, love in the Chinese Book of Songs.
- A) What do the excerpts from the Code of Hammurabi and the Egyptian Book of the Dead tell you about each of respective civilization that created these texts? What are the values and social practices found in these texts?
- B) What do the texts from China, found in the readings for week four, tell you about what virtues were cherished in Chinese civilization? What do you make of the poetry in the Book of Songs? What does it tell you about Chinese aesthetic sensibilities, the mandate of Heaven, love, and other important social issues?
- C) How does Rousseau’s interest in the roots of inequality shape his own account of the formation of society? Are the factors (social, political, economic, culturally) that were important to Rousseau, important to us today, or are there some key differences?
III. PLEASE PLACE THIS TEXT IN SOME HISTORICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL CONTEXT (50 points. No more than 4 pages)
What values are articulated in the Epic of Gilgamesh? What historical evidence may be garnered from the text? What does the text tell you about Mesopotamian religion, the nature of kingly rulership (is Gilgamesh just or unjust?), economic, social, political relationships, and about the relation between sexuality and humanness? What is your understanding of such issues as mortality, immortality, fame, and remembrance?
Good Luck. Have fun. Do not postpone joy
