Final Exam Study Guide

Part I: Material since the Midterm (100 points)

This half of the test has two parts, like the midterm: one essay (70 points) and three (out of a choice of five) identification and signigicance (30 points). Please use the midterm study guide for hints on how to prepare for this portion of the final exam.

The material covered includes items and topics from lectures given Oct. 21-Dec. 9 and T&E chapters 13-22, but material from earlier in the semester can be used as background and support.

Essay Topics

1. spread of religions
2. cross-cultural influences (-izations)
3. warriors and warfare
4. state-building and empires
5. cultural values in the arts
6. travellers (see * in Id list below)

Identification Items

1. *Benjamin of Tudela
2. The Alexiad of Anna Comnena
3. iconoclasm
4. The Quran
5. The Farewell Sermon of Muhammad
6. The Fiscal Rescript of Umar II
7. Dar-al-Islam
8. Du Fu, "A Song of War Chariots"
9. *Suleiman, on Businees Practices in Tang China
10. Silla Dynasty
11. Vietnam
12. An Lushan rebellion
13. Heian era
14. Kamakura Shogunate
15. samurai
16. *Cosmas Indicopleustes, on Trade in Southeast Asia
17. Bhagavata Purana, on Devotion to Vishnu
18. Shiva
19. Maharajadiraja
20. Angkor
21. Bede, on Conversion of England
22. Gregory of Tours, on the Conversion of Clovis
23. Einhard, from the Life of Charlemagne
24. Capitulary de Villis (life on an early medieval manor)
25. *Marco Polo
26. Sundiata
27. *Ibn Battuta
28. *Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, on Trade between Europe and China
29. Thomas of Celano, on St. Francis of Assisi
30. Bernardino de Sahagun, Florentine Codex
31. *Mo'ikeha's Migration
32. *John of Montecorvino, on his Mission to China

Part II: Global Issues (100 points)

This portion of the final exam covers the whole course and is designed to make you think about the larger issues this General Education course is designed to address. The two 50-point essays you will write on this portion of the test will ask you to take what you have learned about pre-1500 world history and find meaningful connections and relevance to today. The essay questions are broad, but you will be required to pick items from the lists below to include in your essay.

Two essay questions will appear on the test and you must answer both in two separate essays:

1. Why is a knowledge of pre-1500 history essential for global citizenship today?
2. What are the implications of crosscultural interactions in history for the future of humanity?

To answer each essay question, you will be required to choose six items and connect them. The exam will present you with six columns: two drawn from the issues list, two from the regions list, and two from the identifications list. You choose one item from each list and write an essay connecting your six items in answer to the question. You then do the same for the second essay question, choosing six different items.

The master lists of issues, regions, and identifications from which these six lists will be drawn are given below.

• The issues terms are from the syllabus and from current events. Of the 30 items, 20 will show up on the test in two lists of 10 (hint: one list will be oriented to course themes, one to current events issues).
• The regions are generic geographic designations for which you will need to supply specific cultures and eras as examples for your essay. The two lists will divide the world such that you cannot focus on only one hemisphere.
• The third list of identification items is simply a combination of the midterm and post-midterm identification lists. Of the 61 items, 40 will show up on the test in two lists of 20 (hint: one list will be pre-midterm, one post-midterm).

How to Study:

• Define terms in the issues list.
• Specify cultures, peoples, eras in regions list.
• Review items in identification lists, drawing lines to relevant issues and regions to which they relate.
• Practice choosing six items and outlining an essay for each question.
• A sample of the format for this portion of the test can be viewed here.

How to Write the Essays:

• Use the guidelines in the midterm study guide. The same grading criteria apply: clear thesis, organized arguments, evidence to support those arguments (e.g., reference to people, places, events, and ideas, including your six items).
• This essay is NOT a personal opinion piece, but an opportunity for you to demonstrate critical thinking skills in the form of historical analysis.
• Before you write, outline or map out your essay, choosing your six items carefully to match the thesis you develop.

Return to syllabus

kjolly@hawaii.edu 12/15/03