History: Thomas Woodrow

General instructions:

1. Please write all portions of the exam in a single document.
2. Please clearly identify which questions you are answering.
3. You are allowed and encouraged to consult your course readings, lecture notes, and lecture slides as you prepare your answers.
4. You may not work on the exam with anyone else.
5. You should not use any materials apart from those provided/assigned in the course to complete your exam.
6. Whenever possible, try to avoid duplicating the examples or evidence that you use to answer different questions.
7. Essays must draw from readings and lecture materials in order to be eligible for an “A” grade.

Part I: Short Essay I (25 points, 1 question):

Choose one of the following questions and answer it in approximately 350-500 words. You should try to be as specific as possible in your analysis/argument.

Essays that receive “A” scores will have a clear thesis statement, draw upon specific examples and analyze evidence from both the course readings and our lectures, have proper citations and have excellent technical execution.

1. Excluding Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which 20^th Century presidency was the most influential for American society? Provide at least two specific reasons for your answer.
2. Excluding the 1960s, which decade of the 20^th Century was the most transformative for American society? Provide at least three specific reasons for your decision.

Part II: Short Essay II (25 points, 1 question):

Choose one of the following questions and answer it in approximately 350-500 words. You should try to be as specific as possible in your analysis/argument.

Essays that receive “A” scores will have a clear thesis statement, draw upon specific examples and analyze evidence from both the course readings and our lectures, have proper citations and have excellent technical execution.

1. How has technological innovation reshaped American society after the Civil War? Choose two or three specific examples of technological changes (at least one of which came before 1945 and one that came after 1945) and be sure to explain the impact of that particular shift on American society/culture. [You do not need to make an argument about the entire period from 1865-2000. Instead, you should focus on specific moments of transformation].
2. Considering the period from 1880-1980 describe one example of a protest movement and how it changed American society. Be sure to provide a specific answer/examples of what changed. Why did this movement succeed?

Part III: Comprehensive Essay (50 points, 1 question):

Choose one of the following questions and answer it in approximately 2-4 pages (600-900 words) drawing widely from the themes, issues, events, and individuals that we have discussed throughout the course. You should include at least five specific examples, with at least two from the late-19^th Century (1865-1899). Be sure to answer/address all parts of the question.

Essays that receive “A” scores will have a clear thesis statement, draw upon specific examples and analyze evidence from both the course readings and our lectures, have proper citations and have excellent technical execution.

1. Describe the evolving role of the federal government in American life since the end of the Civil War. What factors have driven either the expansion or contraction of federal power/intervention in various aspects of American life across different eras?
2. Discuss the evolution of the United States’ relationship with the world since the Civil War. Consider both American foreign affairs and immigration. How did attitudes and policies change over time and how did America’s interaction with the world shape American identity? What prompted these changes?

Please take the time to read closely the material on the two following pages. I guarantee it will help your performance on the paper and make the process of writing and citing go more smoothly.

Some Expectations/Tips for Formal Academic Writing:

1. 1.      Your paper must have a well-defined thesis statement. Our goal is not simply to summarize the details of historical events but to craft an informed assessment of their significance. We want to hear your voice and your thoughts as a writer. One of the keys to developing strong thesis statements will be sufficiently narrowing the scope of your argument. Avoid overly general statements and provide a sense of how you will justify your central claim.
2. 2.      Consult your TAs for advice about constructing an effective argument and use of evidence, but they will not be permitted to comment upon complete drafts in advance of your final submission for grading. 
3. 3.      Emphasize clarity in your writing. While you should strive for sophisticated prose, the most important element of the process is the ability to convey your information and message to the reader with precision and concision.  
4. 4.      Start with clear and direct topic sentences for each paragraph to make your transitions and arguments strong. 
5. 5.      Avoid the passive voice. (i.e. “Johnson was fired by the meatpacking plant manager” is passive. Try instead, “The meatpacking plant manager fired Johnson.”)
6. 6.      Do not use the first person when writing. Instead of saying “I believe …” or “I argue/contend/really hope it is true that …” just state your point.
7. 7.      Vary your sentence structure. If every sentence is starting the same way or looking the same length, make some adjustments to avoid a repetitive style.
8. 8.      Explain any and all quotations that you include in your text. You should never let a quote speak for itself without providing context or analysis, no matter how devastatingly brilliant it may appear to be.
9. 9.      Do not use contractions (i.e. didn’t, couldn’t, it’s) or slang.
10. 10.   Do not use block quotes. Any quotation longer than three typewritten lines should be paraphrased or broken down between sentences instead.
11. 11.   Use the past tense when writing about events from the past.
12. 12.   Be sure to include page numbers on submitted work (you do not need to repaginate for each essay).
13. 13.   Proofread your essays thoroughly. Technical soundness will benefit your grade and in general is an important part of executing work that your reader will take seriously.
14. 14.   Before submitting, read a draft of your essays out loud. It helps to catch omissions, awkward transitions, and unclear phrasing that your reader might encounter.
15. 15.   Feel free to attend office hours and ask questions early and often.

Some Thoughts and Tips on Plagiarism and Citations:

            I take the issue of academic integrity very seriously and the consequences for plagiarism will be severe, whether it is intentional or not. At a minimum, any submitted work that plagiarizes material will receive a zero score. It is therefore important that you take the necessary steps to ensure that your use of sources is appropriate. If you have questions or concerns, voice them to your T.A. or to me in advance of the due date.

We will be using Turnitin, a plagiarism prevention system. The ease of using the Internet has made it very easy for students to “cut and paste” material into papers that they are writing without proper citation. We will submit papers that you write in this class to Turnitin, a service that identifies “matched text,” and we will interpret the results of the originality reports. In this class, you will also be given the opportunity to submit your own papers to Turnitin to check that all sources you have used are properly acknowledged and cited. Note that all submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.

            For this assignment it will not be necessary to compile a bibliography or works cited section. This means, however, that you will need to provide complete citation information in your footnotes. Please use footnotes and not endnotes or in-text citations. Footnotes should be 10 point font and single spaced.

Things to remember about proper use of sources for this class:

1. 1.      Any time you are using direct quotes or paraphrasing ideas that are not your own, you should offer a citation to signal the source to your reader.
2. 2.      Direct quotes should always be marked by quotation marks.
3. 3.      Course books (including the electronic versions) may be cited as follows:

• Michael McGerr et al., Of the People: A History of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019), page number(s) or primary source number.

• Primary source author, “Primary source title,” page number.

1. 4.      Subsequent citations of the same material can truncate the information following standard declension rules.

      Format:            McGerr, Of the People, page number or primary source number.

                              Primary source author last name, “Abbreviated primary source title,” page number.

1. 5.      If citing lectures, use the following format:

                              Jeffrey Gonda, HST 102: America Since 1865, “Lecture Title,” Lecture Date.    

1. 6.      Footnotes go at the end of sentences, not in the middle.
2. 7.      Punctuation goes inside of quotation marks while footnotes go outside. Example: “Citations are important.”[1]