SPRING 2020 MIDTERM II STUDY GUIDE
REVISED FOR ONLINE EXAM
For the online exam (see the D2L pages for
this class), you will write
essay responses to four (4) of the questions below. I would like
250-400 words per question, 4-6
pages total for the exam.
There
will be no ID portion to this exam, but I include below the
"usual" ID's. You'll find them useful in deciding what you
might talk about in connection with each essay.
On
in-class exams, it’s OK for you to spit back at me what I’ve
spit at you. The
take-home asks for something a bit
different. Here, I
want a stronger sense
of *your* reaction to the material.
Please do not
put all your information into one long paragraph! Good topic
sentences are essential to individualizing your
response and earning a good grade on this exam.
A.
The Greeks made more
important contributions to subsequent civilization than any
other ancient
people. Particularly important, the Greeks taught the
world new ways to
dream. Comment.
There
were four lectures on this material--we covered a lot of
ground! Your job here is to pick out
the information that best helps you address the prompt.
There are many
different ways of approaching this materials, and you should be
able to individualize your response fairly easily.
You do not have to address
the "Greek dream" material, but you can if you like.
Perhaps
the easiest (though not necessarily the best) way to address
this material is
to give me good paragraphs on Greek contributions to the visual
arts, sports,
history, political science, math, science, poetry and theater.
Talking about
the play you read for class (Sophocles' Antigone might
be a good way of
illustrating the influence of the Greeks on subsequent
civilization. Sparta and
Athens might be good to talk about in terms of the "new ways to
dream" tag, with Sparta as an example of what a totally
disciplined life
can accomplish and Athens as an example of the Greek dream of
freedom.
B. Philosophy is probably the most important contribution
of the Greeks
to subsequent civilization. Comment.
Note
that, as on other
questions, you are free to bring in material you've learned
about Greek
philosophers in classes other than this one. if you have
taken Dr.
Blanchard's philosophy class, feel free to talk about what you
learned about
Greek philosophy in that class as well. Dr. Sills also talks
about aspects of
Aristotelian philosophy in her classes, and you can include some
of what you've
learned from her too. Perhaps the easiest (though not
necessarily the
best) way of approaching this material is to give me a paragraph
or two on each
of the philosophers mentioned above, in each case showing why
their work does
or does not show the importance of Greek philosophy.
Talking about the
dialogue you read for class (The Apology) might be a good
way to talk
about the importance of both Socrates and Plato.
You
can "individualize" this essay be comparing/contrasting the
importance of Greek philosophy to another area of Greek
achievement. A history major, for instance, might find
comparing the importance of Greek contributions to philosophy
with Greek contributions to history, while an art major might
enjoy comparing the importance of Greek contributions to art
with Greek contributions to philosophy, and a theater major
might like comparing the importance of Aeschylus, Sophocles,
Euripidies and/or Aristophanes and Menander to the contributions
of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle..
C.
The growth of Rome from a
small city-state into a great empire during the Republican
period is somewhat
surprising. Even more surprising is Rome's continued
success during the
period of the Roman Revolution. Comment.
Note
that this essay asks
you to address both the period in which Rome, little by
little, extends
its dominance of the Mediterranean world (509-133 BC) and
the period of
the Roman Revolution (133-31 BC), a period in which, though Rome
faces
extraordinary problems, it manages to survive and even
grow. This essay
includes the material from several lectures. It is *very*
important that
you do some thinking. What best shows the surprising
nature of Rome's
rise? What best shows why Roman success was no
accident? What
is surprising about Rome's success during the Roman
Revolution? In what
ways is Roman success not so surprising? For each of the
two periods
covered in this essay, you can choose a different thesis.
If you feel the
evidence overwhelmingly supports the idea that Roman success is
not so
surprising, you can focus on Roman strengths. If you find
that it is
surprising, you can focus on the obstacles Rome faces.
D.
Augustus' success in
rebuilding Rome is somewhat surprising. Even more
surprising is Rome's
continued success during the period of his Julio-Claudian
successors. Comment.
This
is normally the easiest
material to prepare. Just knowing the basic stories
of the emperors listed
in group four below and being able to evaluate each. To
what extent is Roman
success under that emperor surprising? To what extent is
it not so
surprising? You might have some difficulty personalizing
your response. Looking at a source other than my lecture
notes might help here.
E.
One of the greatest
surprises in history is the eclipse of Roman paganism and the
triumph of
Christianity. Comment.
Once again, you'll have to do some thinking about
what evidence
best supports whatever answer you give. In what ways do
you think it
surprising that Paganism (the old Roman religion)
disappears? It what
ways is it not so surprising that the Roman people were willing
to consider
changing their religious beliefs? In what ways is it
surprising that
Christianity survived, let alone became the dominant religion of
Rome?
What did Christianity have to offer that makes it perhaps not so
surprising
that Christianity replaced paganism? Talking about the
gospel selections
you read for class (and your impressions of Jesus himself) might
be the easiest way to individualize this essay. In what
ways is it surprising people followed (and still follow)
Jesus? In what ways is it not surprising.
POTENTIAL
ID'S WHEN THIS IS AN
IN-CLASS EXAM: SPARTA,
ATHENS, (PERSIAN WAR),
(PELOPONNESIAN WAR), ALEXANDER THE GREAT, (ACROPOLIS),
GREEK ARCHITECTURE,
GREEK SCULPTURE, OLYMPIC GAMES, HOMER, (SAPPHO),
HERODOTUS, (THUCYDIDES),
EUCLID, (ARCHIMEDES), SOPHOCLES, ANTIGONE, (EURIPIDES),
(TROJAN WOMEN) THALES, (DEMOCRITUS), (HERACLITUS),
(PARMENDIDES), SOCRATES, PLATO, ARISTOTLE, DIOGENES,
STOICISM, EPICUREANISM
VIRTUS, (FASCES), STRUGGLE OF ORDERS, PUNIC WARS, (DELENDA
EST CARTHAGO),
GRACCHI BROTHERS, MARIUS, SULLA, (CATILINE), (CICERO),
(1ST TRIUMVIRATE),
JULIUS CAESAR
AUGUSTUS, TIBERIUS, CALIGULA, CLAUDIUS, NERO
PAGANISM, ZEUS, PLINY, (DIOCLETIAN), GALERIUS,
CONSTANTINE, GOSPEL,
SERMON ON THE MOUNT, PRODIGAL SON, (GOSPEL OF JOHN),
(PETER), AGAPE