Finals have been graded and over the course of the week, I am leaving individual comments and thoughts with each student. Below are some general ideas that came out of my review of your work. Thanks for a great year and have a safe and fun summer!
1. The chats were generally not as strong as the chats we had in the classes leading up to the exam. I think part of this was nerves and part was the fact that this was an "exam", but it had a few non-traditional exam elements. We actually had more time for the chat during the exam than during class yet on the whole produced fewer good sources and what seemed like less truly engaged conversation. In the future, I need to think about how to get students to be as comfortable on this section as they were in class.
2. Agricultural Revolution. In general, responses to these questions were strong and everybody finished in the allotted time. In the first part, I was looking for an explanation of how agriculture led to cities; that seemed well understood. Most people had no problem identifying where the revolution happened, though I was looking for an explanation of what it was about that geography that allowed it to happen and some folks didn't give that explanation. On the question of a modern decline in agriculture, many folks hit upon the idea that famine, war, and general chaos could cause a breakdown in the very structures -- professions, cities, etc -- that the agricultural revolution allowed for in the first place.
3. In general, folks did very well on the comparison of Egyptian and Greek concepts of death. If you took notes during our discussions about the Ka and the Book of the Dead, you had a definite advantage.
4. Herodotus vs. Thucydides proved a little tricky, but most people got it. Basically, as we discussed during prep, Herodotus gathered all of the stories he could and therefore presented a varied and interesting, but occasionally not-entirely-based-in-fact history; Thucydides on the other hand is considered the father of scientific history and worked hard to only include sources he could vet. So, newspaper articles that centered on showing people's opinions and the stories they had to tell would fit into the former, while more analytic reporting would fit into the latter.
5. Rome. This one caused problems for a lot of people, and for that reason I only weighed it as half-value. Folks who did get more credit were those who looked for the big picture -- for example, finding a case of political corruption and comparing it to the stories of political corruption in Suetonius; or finding a story discussing American politics and comparing the structure of our political system to the political system in Rome. I don't think the time limit was a problem here, as all of you had completed 30 minute essays in class; I felt by giving you an extra 10 minutes you would have time to prepare. Next time, I am likely going to drop the essay format altogether and ask that people write straightforward formal outlines: thesis, three pieces of evidence, explanation/analysis, conclusion.
6. Third Crusade. Overall, people did express their understanding that an argument can be made that Richard may have been more the warmonger and Saladin more the reasonable one. That's a crucial understanding to what is a difficult history. Some folks were much more creative in how they did this. In general, I was not crazy about the Richard campaign wikis; perhaps you might have even worked better on these individually. I found most to be simply a picture and a generic slogan -- high quality meant using the primary sources available as the source of your slogans; perhaps that was too much to be expected in a partnership and under time constraints. On the Saladin op-ed, credit was given to those folks who reasoned according to the historical record and demonstrated that they understood the history; some folks did very well on the Saladin part.
7. The Black Death. In general, folks did very well here. I was looking for a clear explanation of where it came from, what it was, who is presented itself on the body, and how it affected people. This question was about looking at history through a micro rather than a macro lens.
8. Romanesque vs. Gothic. In general, I was very impressed. I was looking for clear examples of Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals and a clear understanding that you knew how each type of cathedral represented the theology of its time. Good stuff.
9. Renaissance Man. While some people wrote excellent pieces explaining what a Ren Man was and demonstrating through quotes and pictures why their vote was picked, in general people lost credit on this question. I know it was late in the exam and we'd been working hard for a long time, but most answers read as generic and unsupported claims. Remember: sources -- both primary texts and artworks -- matter. If you remember nothing else from this class, remember that in any argument you need to back up what you say with clear evidence.
10. Thank you for your consideration. I have learned a lot about teaching from being with you all this year and I look forward to seeing how things go for you at JC. Remember that you can always email or tweet me for advice in other classes; I will be leading the virtual Latin class on next years program and will be at JC for student meetings regularly.
Be sure to look over your exam and compare it to these notes. Most grades fit in the 80 to 95 range, which is good. The basic breakdown was 97 = A+, 95 = A, 90 = A-, 88 = B+, 85 = B, 80 = B-, 75 = C, 70 = Pass. As I said, I am spending this week leaving individual comments, so you should see those soon.
Best,
Wojo
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
West Civ Final 2011
Honors Western Civilization
R. Richard Wojewodzki
The John Carroll School
June 8, 2011
Exam Length: 2 hours and 15 minutes / 30 minute extension available
In the following exam, you are going to be asked to do the work of a historian. Please read the questions carefully as many of them have multiple parts. If you have any difficulty understand concepts or terms, look them up. In real life, historians have the power of the Internet at their fingertips; so too do you on this exam. Further, there will be sections of this exam that assess your ability to collaborate in real-time over the web. This is an essential part of the real work of the 21st century historian and it is something in which you are going to demonstrate fluency.
Lastly, remember that history is as personal as it is public. Think hard about these questions before answering. Don’t just Google yourself into a panic. Use the resources of the Internet History Sourcebook, the BBC History site, National Geographic, the Met Museum, Nova, PBS, Infotrac, Grolier, Biography.com, the Internet Archive, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and all of the resources we have used in class. Also remember to refer back to the Twitter lists we put together during review; they are full of good sources -- but beware the occasional not-so-good source: When using a source, ask yourself, “Would Your Teacher Use This Source?”
If you use a source, cite it by in-text citation and noting the source after your response with an APA citation in a mini-bibliography (even of there is only one source) -- this includes pics, maps, etc. Check here to review APA format: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Please post all of your answers onto your blog. For Google Maps, please embed them so that I can actually go into your map rather than just look at a screenshot. If you have any computer problems, let me know immediately and get on one of the Macs. Also, it is important to me that I see the breadth of your understanding as well as the depth of specific knowledge, so I will be keeping you to the timed format. I will offer up to a half-hour after the official exam time for anyone who wants to go back and edit or complete any sections from the exam to do so.
I trust you will all do your very best work and I looking forward to seeing the results.
1. What is History? Get together in groups of five. You will be having a five minute discussion on which way to understand history is best: Linear, Cyclic, Hegelian (thesis + antithesis = synthesis), or Vortex (history goes back and forth through high points and low points). Please create a public TodaysMeet room of your own for you discussion (you will need to come up with a name for your room). Please sign into the chat with your real name; I will be giving you credit based on: your contribution to the chat, the quality of sources you bring into the chat, the quality of your interaction asking and answering questions and dialogue within the chat, the historical and logical accuracy of your chatting, and the quality of your argument and evidence. When complete, post the link to the room on each of your blogs.
2. Agricultural Revolution. (appx 15 minutes) This is a three part question: 1) In a one paragraph brief constructed response, explain why the Agricultural Revolution was so important to the development of cities. 2) Create a Google Map showing where the Agricultural Revolution took place and tag the map with a label that explains why the geography of this place was so conducive to the production of stable agriculture. 3) Write a short (two to three paragraph) newspaper article describing a future where the agricultural system has collapsed; think about all of the things in society that would break down.
3. Egypt and Greece. (appx 10 minutes) In two or three paragraphs, compare and contrast the Egyptian and Greek views of the Afterlife. For Egypt, here is a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead: http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/ and here is an excellent article on Greece that I expect you to cite: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm
4. Herodotus vs. Thucydides. (appx 10 minutes) Please look through the following archive of articles about 9/11: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/sept_11_2001/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=September%2011&st=cse and find one article that seems to approach the topic in the style of Herodotus and one article that approaches the topic in the style of Thucydides. In a two paragraph response, explain specifically why you chose the articles you did and be specific in explaining where you see the style of Herodotus or Thucydides in them. You may discuss via chat with classmates; but no two responses should be the same. I will be coming around during this section to answer questions and help out.
5. Rome. (appx 40 minutes) Please write a five paragraph academic essay on the following: “Is it fair to say the United States is the modern day equivalent of the Roman Empire?” Here’s the catch: You must look through http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/ and find three stories happening today in the world to back up your argument. Things to think about: Republic vs. Empire, the Bad Emperors and the Good Emperors (if you use these, be VERY specific and cite specific events from the lives of the emperors as accounted in Suetonius [see: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/suetonius-index.html]), the “Decline and Fall” of the Roman Empire, etc. In your essay, be sure to mention at least three specific examples from Ancient Rome and three specific examples from the newspapers. Cite properly.
6. The Third Crusade. (appx 20 minutes) This is a two part question. 1) Work with a partner to create a wiki (make a public wiki at wikispaces.com) promoting Richard’s Crusade. The wiki should have the feel of a political campaign, so you should come up with slogans based on historical writings from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1k.html#The Third Crusade and you should include visual material such as historically accurate flags, images, etc. Make sure the wiki is public and then put a link to it on your blog. 2) Then each of you will individually write a two-paragraph op-ed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op-ed) from the point-of-view of the Saladin about why the Crusades are unjustified and your vision of how the Jerusalem problem should be handled.
7. The Black Death. (appx 10 minutes) Three part question. Major source -- The Decameron: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boccacio2.html 1) Explain how the Black Death started and what its spread meant for the people of Europe. 2) Imagine you are a Medieval physician. Describe exactly what the Black Death looks like, what it does to a victim, and what techniques you attempt as a physician to either stop it or relieve the sufferer from his or her pain. 3) In a paragraph or two, explain how you think people in contemporary America and people you know would respond if a plague on the scale of the Black Death were to occur.
8. Romanesque vs. Gothic (appx 5 minutes) Collect three images of Romanesque cathedrals and three images of Gothic cathedrals from Wikimedia Commons and, in a paragraph or two, explain how the architecture of each represent the differing theologies of the eras.
9. Renaissance. (appx 10 minutes) Who do you think best represents the ideal of the “Renaissance Man”: Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, or Shakespeare? In a two to three paragraph response, you will need to define what a “Renaissance Man” is and you will need to find at least three works of art or direct quotes from letters, poems, plays, etc. to support your claims.
10. Bringing it all Together (appx 5 minutes) Free response: Do you feel like you learned something this semester?
R. Richard Wojewodzki
The John Carroll School
June 8, 2011
Exam Length: 2 hours and 15 minutes / 30 minute extension available
In the following exam, you are going to be asked to do the work of a historian. Please read the questions carefully as many of them have multiple parts. If you have any difficulty understand concepts or terms, look them up. In real life, historians have the power of the Internet at their fingertips; so too do you on this exam. Further, there will be sections of this exam that assess your ability to collaborate in real-time over the web. This is an essential part of the real work of the 21st century historian and it is something in which you are going to demonstrate fluency.
Lastly, remember that history is as personal as it is public. Think hard about these questions before answering. Don’t just Google yourself into a panic. Use the resources of the Internet History Sourcebook, the BBC History site, National Geographic, the Met Museum, Nova, PBS, Infotrac, Grolier, Biography.com, the Internet Archive, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and all of the resources we have used in class. Also remember to refer back to the Twitter lists we put together during review; they are full of good sources -- but beware the occasional not-so-good source: When using a source, ask yourself, “Would Your Teacher Use This Source?”
If you use a source, cite it by in-text citation and noting the source after your response with an APA citation in a mini-bibliography (even of there is only one source) -- this includes pics, maps, etc. Check here to review APA format: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Please post all of your answers onto your blog. For Google Maps, please embed them so that I can actually go into your map rather than just look at a screenshot. If you have any computer problems, let me know immediately and get on one of the Macs. Also, it is important to me that I see the breadth of your understanding as well as the depth of specific knowledge, so I will be keeping you to the timed format. I will offer up to a half-hour after the official exam time for anyone who wants to go back and edit or complete any sections from the exam to do so.
I trust you will all do your very best work and I looking forward to seeing the results.
1. What is History? Get together in groups of five. You will be having a five minute discussion on which way to understand history is best: Linear, Cyclic, Hegelian (thesis + antithesis = synthesis), or Vortex (history goes back and forth through high points and low points). Please create a public TodaysMeet room of your own for you discussion (you will need to come up with a name for your room). Please sign into the chat with your real name; I will be giving you credit based on: your contribution to the chat, the quality of sources you bring into the chat, the quality of your interaction asking and answering questions and dialogue within the chat, the historical and logical accuracy of your chatting, and the quality of your argument and evidence. When complete, post the link to the room on each of your blogs.
2. Agricultural Revolution. (appx 15 minutes) This is a three part question: 1) In a one paragraph brief constructed response, explain why the Agricultural Revolution was so important to the development of cities. 2) Create a Google Map showing where the Agricultural Revolution took place and tag the map with a label that explains why the geography of this place was so conducive to the production of stable agriculture. 3) Write a short (two to three paragraph) newspaper article describing a future where the agricultural system has collapsed; think about all of the things in society that would break down.
3. Egypt and Greece. (appx 10 minutes) In two or three paragraphs, compare and contrast the Egyptian and Greek views of the Afterlife. For Egypt, here is a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead: http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/ and here is an excellent article on Greece that I expect you to cite: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm
4. Herodotus vs. Thucydides. (appx 10 minutes) Please look through the following archive of articles about 9/11: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/sept_11_2001/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=September%2011&st=cse and find one article that seems to approach the topic in the style of Herodotus and one article that approaches the topic in the style of Thucydides. In a two paragraph response, explain specifically why you chose the articles you did and be specific in explaining where you see the style of Herodotus or Thucydides in them. You may discuss via chat with classmates; but no two responses should be the same. I will be coming around during this section to answer questions and help out.
5. Rome. (appx 40 minutes) Please write a five paragraph academic essay on the following: “Is it fair to say the United States is the modern day equivalent of the Roman Empire?” Here’s the catch: You must look through http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/ and find three stories happening today in the world to back up your argument. Things to think about: Republic vs. Empire, the Bad Emperors and the Good Emperors (if you use these, be VERY specific and cite specific events from the lives of the emperors as accounted in Suetonius [see: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/suetonius-index.html]), the “Decline and Fall” of the Roman Empire, etc. In your essay, be sure to mention at least three specific examples from Ancient Rome and three specific examples from the newspapers. Cite properly.
6. The Third Crusade. (appx 20 minutes) This is a two part question. 1) Work with a partner to create a wiki (make a public wiki at wikispaces.com) promoting Richard’s Crusade. The wiki should have the feel of a political campaign, so you should come up with slogans based on historical writings from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1k.html#The Third Crusade and you should include visual material such as historically accurate flags, images, etc. Make sure the wiki is public and then put a link to it on your blog. 2) Then each of you will individually write a two-paragraph op-ed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op-ed) from the point-of-view of the Saladin about why the Crusades are unjustified and your vision of how the Jerusalem problem should be handled.
7. The Black Death. (appx 10 minutes) Three part question. Major source -- The Decameron: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boccacio2.html 1) Explain how the Black Death started and what its spread meant for the people of Europe. 2) Imagine you are a Medieval physician. Describe exactly what the Black Death looks like, what it does to a victim, and what techniques you attempt as a physician to either stop it or relieve the sufferer from his or her pain. 3) In a paragraph or two, explain how you think people in contemporary America and people you know would respond if a plague on the scale of the Black Death were to occur.
8. Romanesque vs. Gothic (appx 5 minutes) Collect three images of Romanesque cathedrals and three images of Gothic cathedrals from Wikimedia Commons and, in a paragraph or two, explain how the architecture of each represent the differing theologies of the eras.
9. Renaissance. (appx 10 minutes) Who do you think best represents the ideal of the “Renaissance Man”: Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, or Shakespeare? In a two to three paragraph response, you will need to define what a “Renaissance Man” is and you will need to find at least three works of art or direct quotes from letters, poems, plays, etc. to support your claims.
10. Bringing it all Together (appx 5 minutes) Free response: Do you feel like you learned something this semester?
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