Show you can synthesize diverse information in support of an original assertion

Your final exam must be completed in an essay format. Please do not use sources beyond the textbook, class notes/lectures, and primary sources assigned on the syllabus. You must work on your own and neither collaborate nor write with any other student. For this exam, I’m asking that you write a 1000-word essay in response to the following:

The Oxford English Dictionary defines modernity as “An intellectual tendency or social perspective characterized by departure from or repudiation of traditional ideas, doctrines, and cultural values in favour of contemporary or radical values and beliefs.”[1] Historians look at the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution as the “Dual Revolution,” the moment the modern came into existence and when tradition began to be challenged in many ways.  New notions of government, liberty, nationhood, cities, empire, social class, economics, and war took center stage in public and political discussions.  In your exam, please answer the following: Describe how the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the creation of the modern nation state led to significant ideological, political and social developments in the Modern West. You should consider the roles of different groups and people, such as social activists, urban planners, political scientists, politicians, imperialists, etc.  In answering this question consider the reactions represented by different ideologies: Romanticism, Socialism, Nationalism, Liberalism, etc. Make sure you make clear to which aspects of modernity different writers are reacting.

Primary sources you must consider, discuss and use direct evidence from in your essay exam:

Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Secondary Sources you must consider and use as background in your exam:

B. A. Pavlac’s Supremacies and Diversities

Class lectures

Your exams will be graded according to the following criteria:

Introduction and Thesis-10%

“Roadmap” Must tell me what you’re discussing in the essay. Hook your reader into the topic with a strong first sentence. Provide some essential background to the exam. Single statement laying out the argument of the essay. Should be obvious to reader.

Primary Source Evidence-30% must include direct, relevant quotes from Marx’s Communist Manifesto, and Shelley’s Frankenstein. Beyond quoting these texts, you must also explain the significance of the evidence you use from these texts and HOW the evidence supports the point you’re making.

Secondary Source Evidence-10%

Must include and use secondary sources (textbook, lectures, reputable website, database information)

Citations-10%

Correct and consistent citations of ALL materials used

Conclusion-10%

Tells the reader what you’ve argued and how you’ve proven your point. Nicely summarizes the exam, and leaves your reader with a good sense of your topic and the feeling that you’ve proven your point.

Accuracy, Organization & Style -30%

Information is correct. Command of course information and readings should be evident. Proofread. Formal.

Your essay should have an introduction that helps your reader (me) identify your response to the essay prompt. Think of the introduction as a roadmap—it will tell me exactly what you plan to talk about in your exam. Make sure you have a main thesis statement—one sentence that describes what your essay will argue about how people reacted to and experienced modernity in the nineteenth century. Did they react well? Badly? In different ways? Make that clear in your thesis.

Each part of your answer should follow in supporting paragraphs. Each of these must have an easily identifiable topic sentence that describes how the paragraph supports your main point. Each paragraph should also provide evidence. Evidence must be drawn from the primary sources listed above. For this exam you must provide primary source evidence in the form of paraphrasing AND direct quotations from Frankenstein, and Communist Manifesto. Supporting, or secondary, evidence must come from your textbook and lectures, (and from library resources if you need them). That is how you’ll fill in the chronology and background information.

Every time you use a piece of evidence, either in the form of paraphrasing, summary, or direct quotation, you need to provide me with a citation—a reference that indicates where you got the information, who wrote that information, etc. A guide to proper citations for history papers is available on Moodle. You must use this guide as your write your exam. If you do not cite your sources properly, you will receive no credit for that portion of the exam.

Finally, your essay should have a conclusion. The point of a conclusion is to summarize your main argument. It reminds the reader of what your main point was and how you demonstrated the correctness or viability of your argument. Just as the introduction tells a reader where you’ll be going in the exam, the conclusion should tell the reader where they’ve just been. It can feel repetitive, but it is important for you as a writer to reflect on what you’ve just accomplished, and it is important for the reader to have a nice wrap-up of your argument.

Your essay will also be evaluated on accuracy and organization and style. This means that I’m looking for proofreading. Are all of your statements true? Do you display understanding and command of the information in the texts? Do all of your paragraphs have topic sentences? Do they all provide evidence to your reader? Are all your words spelled correctly? Is the essay written in a formal manner? Did you avoid informalities? Is the essay grammatically correct? Is the punctuation right? Part of convincing your reader to take you seriously means taking time with spelling, grammar, and style.

Remember, the point of an essay exam is to do the following:

 Show you understand concepts that provide the basis for the course

 Show you can use those concepts to interpret specific materials

 Show you can make connections, see relationships, draw comparisons and contrasts

 Show you can synthesize diverse information in support of an original assertion

 Show you can justify your own evaluations based on appropriate criteria

 Show you can procure relevant secondary evidence to support your claims

 Show you can argue your own opinions with convincing evidence

 Show you can think critically and analytically about a subject

Your grade on the exam overall will be based on your ability to accomplish the points listed above.

You will submit your exam through Moodle. To do this easily and properly, you must save your exam, which you’ll produce in a word processing program, as a (.doc) or a (.docx) file compatible with Microsoft Word.