MBW Courses

I’ve updated the assignment schedule to move forward the readings we did not discuss before the exam.

2009-3hc Schedule-Updated

I’ve had a couple of questions about the exam, so I thought I would send a general email just to be clear about a few things.

1. The exam is going ahead as scheduled on Tuesday. Losing a class on Friday primarily affected our coverage of Chapter 16, which will not be on the exam.
2. The essay question will involve discussing changes, comparing different areas over the period covered for the course, under some general topic.
• For example, the importance of religion in various societies and times, how different empires build and wield power, the effect of trade on relation between societies, changes in gender roles.
• What you’ll be doing is discussing the general topic by giving examples from different times and places — what changed and why.
• To prepare for this, have a clear idea of the key religious, political, economic, and social changes in the regions we discussed, and have a strong sense of what happened and why.
3. I realize that this course covers a vast amount of material. But common sense and what we’ve emphasized in class will help you. Also think about connections between the most important subjects.
• Random examples: The Black Death connects with the end of the Mongols and later the rise of the Ming and other empires, and the rivalry of the European powers. That rivalry sparks European exploration and imperialism and ends the meso-American empires. The exploitation of mercantilism plus the rise of new science and Enlightenment culminates in the wave of Atlantic revolutions. The threat of foreign intrusion helped spark the unification of Japan.
• In other words, don’t think about all of what we’ve talked about as a bunch of unrelated facts. These events are all fluid, and they relate to each other. That is what I am interested in.
• Finally, don’t forget that economic power must come before political power. Many of the motivations and causes of events we discuss are economic.

Email me with any questions about the material.

Here is the midterm review sheet I handed out in class.

Midterm Review Sheet

Here is the midterm review sheet I handed out in class.

2009-3hc Midterm Review

Hi all,

In class on Friday I announced the following homework assignment, due in class on Tuesday.

1. Please read the following three documents in their entirety and write a short essay, at least one page, discussing their key similarities and differences in terms of ideas and principles, as well as intent (what the authors intended to accomplish). This will count as a quiz grade. My preference is for it to be typed.
   • Declaration of Independence
   • Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
   • Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen
2. In addition, please read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense for class discussion.

These four documents constitute the “To Be Posted” readings for Tuesday in the syllabus.