Global Histories and Societies Prompt Examples

Exam Question

Historical interpretation of the Iranian Islamic Revolution:

1. 1. Write a short essay that answers the following questions.
      • Very briefly, limiting yourself to what we’ve read, what was the revolution? (Approximately 2-4 sentences)
      • What are some different ways to think about the different kinds of causes of the revolution? (Approximately 3-4 sentences)
      • Based on your reading of Haeri, in particular, what are some specific ways that the revolution had “downstream” effects, some of which were intended and some of which may have been unintended? (Approximately 3-4 sentences)

Integrative Essay (25% of course grade)

Why do Japanese efforts to achieve environmental sustainability matter? As you answer this prompt, I intend for you to integrate what you learn from the assigned readings with what you learn from our site visits, guest speakers, your field notes (and those from other teams), and our class discussions. Focus on one or two of the specific issue areas encountered in the course (e.g., natural resources, food and agriculture, energy), but situate them in the larger context. In order to fully answer the prompt, you should explain:

1. the current status of relevant environmental indicators in Japan,
2. the historical causes of that status, and
3. the consequences for people inside and outside of Japan.

As you make your argument: Identify points of consensus and areas for debate. Be specific about who has/has had agency to affect environmental sustainability, and how agency varies over time and place. Embrace the complexity you encounter in this course, noting unexpected connections and inconsistencies, large-scale processes and contingent factors, firm constraints and fluid possibilities.

Complete reflective journal entries and field notes assignments give you space and time to gather ideas for this essay. You should not need to do any additional research or reading as you write. Rather, youʼll use this paper to reflect on and synthesize your learning over the entire class.

Exam #1
Fall, 2025

Part 2: Essay (10 points)

In essay form, respond to the prompt below. Essays should have a thesis and welldeveloped argument with supporting evidence. A one-sentence thesis statement (in lieu of a lengthier introductory paragraph) is perfectly acceptable. Complete answers should integrate material from the textbook, lecture, and historical documents.

Which of the major “schools” of interpretation of the American Revolution is most convincing to you and why? Defend your answer using specific examples derived from readings and lecture. Your answer should also address what you see as the main deficiency in one or more of the other “schools” of interpretation.

D. Short Essay. Answer the following prompt by writing a short essay. Provide details and support your claims with evidence and examples. Organizational structure is also a plus. (35 points)

1. Did race and racism exist in the ancient world? According to Golash-Boza (2023), Greek and Roman contacts with other peoples “did not lead to a racial worldview” and “ancient peoples did not divide the world into distinct races based on their physical and cultural traits.” But scholarly views on this question have changed over time. Taking into account the work of Snowden, Isaac, and McCoskey, identify and compare the different ways that the historical record has been interpreted by scholars when it comes to the existence of race and racism in the ancient world. Why have some thought that race and racism didn’t exist? Why do some believe that we can find traces of “protoracism” in the ancient world? At this point in the semester, which view seems most probable to you and why?

Midterm

Objective:

Synthesize the information we have learned in class to address questions related to the Global Histories and Societies Intended Learning Outcomes.

Section 1: Critical Examination of Causes and Consequences (4 points total)

Answer 2 of the following 4 questions. Provide at least 2 citations per response/question. (200 words per response; 2 points per question)

Your response should focus on critically examining the causes and consequences of historical developments.

1. What was significant about The Restauration and how did it impact the first waves of Norwegian immigration to America between 1825 and 1840?
2. What were three motivating factors for Norwegians to immigrate to the United States between 1825 to 1860?
3. What was significant about the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux and the Treaty of Mendota? Discuss their importance to the Dakota as well as Norwegian immigrants.
4. Explain why some Norwegian immigrants chose to live in rural spaces while others chose to live in cities. How did period, class, and occupation play a role in their choice?

Section 2: Investigating the Changing Nature of Historical Interpretation (5 points total)

Answer 1 of the following 2 questions. Provide at least 2 citations in your response. (300 words total)

This response should focus on investigating the continually changing nature of historical interpretation.

1. Traditional Norwegian-American history often tells a story of immigration and assimilation. Investigate the continually changing nature of historical interpretation by proposing one distinct analytical framework that could fundamentally enhance or complicate this traditional narrative. Some examples include settler-colonial history, critical race studies, borderlands history, gender history, labor history/class analysis, history of emotions, memory history, transnationalism, and global history.
   
   For the framework, explain what core historical assumption is challenged and how its application would change a historian’s interpretation of a central theme in the 19th- century Norwegian-American experience. Some examples include land ownership, labor relations, assimilation, military service, politics, etc.
   
   
2. The interpretation of the Scandinavian-American experience during the Civil War era has changed significantly between older historical narratives and more recent scholarship. Investigate the continually changing nature of historical interpretation by comparing the narrative emphasis of Odd S. Lovoll’s The Promise of America with that of Anders Bo Rasmussen’s Civil War Settlers.
   
   Based on these two different approaches, explain to your best ability how and why the historical interpretation of Scandinavian-American assimilation, anti-slavery sentiment, Republican support, and/or participation in the Civil War has been re-evaluated by historians over time.

Section 3: Analysis of Evidence within Context (6 points total)

Analyze 1 of the 4 immigrant letters. Provide at least 4 citations in your analysis. (400 words total)

Your analysis should focus on analyzing evidence within its broader historical and cultural contexts. You are not expected to analyze every aspect of the letter.

For the letter you choose, you should consider addressing:

1. Context: Discuss the writer’s specific situation (e.g., location, year of writing, reported class/occupation, etc.) and how this might shape the evidence they present.
2. Claims: Choose two or three specific claims or pieces of evidence from the letter (e.g., land prices, wages, legal conditions, travel descriptions, etc.) and analyze how these details reflect the broader historical and cultural context of America and/or immigration to America in that period.
3. Audience/Purpose: Discuss the cultural context of the audience in Norway. How do the writer’s specific details and tone reflect an understanding of reasons their intended audience might be considering immigration?

Prompt: Pick a quote from one of the following works we read, where the author’s view seems informed by the historical and cultural context of writing. Introduce the quote and explain to your reader where it fits in the larger theory and why it is important to the view. Then analyze how the view in the quote relates to its historical and cultural context, discussing whether the claims are limited to that context or may have more general application.

Choose one:

1. Aristotle’s Politics
2. Aristotle’s Ethics
3. Marx’s “Communist Manifesto”
4. DuBois’ “Strivings of the Negro People”
5. de Beauvoir’s Second Sex

Your discussion should be 300-400 words long.

First World War, Its Aftermath, and Red Summer In-Class Activity