The exam is due on Tuesday, April 30 at 11:55 pm. No late papers will be accepted.
Please submit Part A and Part B separately on Moodle.
This is an open book exam. This puts an extra burden on you. It is absolutely crucial that you write in your own words. Do not lift anything from the web or from anywhere else without citing it properly. This is very important. I do not want to sound threatening – but I really want to avoid a most unpleasant situation later, so I am going to forewarn you: if you use someone else’s words without citing the source it is plagiarism, and I will file an Academic Misconduct report. Please see the NCSU statement on Academic Integrity.
You may form a group to study, but everyone must write the exam on their own.
Moodle will put the papers through the TurnItIn software. You should be familiar with this by now: if you submit early you will have the opportunity to withdraw your paper and resubmit if it finds similarities with other sources (on the web or in its library of digitized works) or grammatical errors.
PART A: The Essay (50 points).
This semester we have studied US history from the 1890s through the early 2000s. In my lectures I have stressed two themes of these 110 years: (1) the rise of the United States to become the sole global superpower and (2) the struggle to increase the civil rights of all citizens.
Please think deeply about these two themes. Review the lectures and the assigned readings. Think about how and why the United States increased its global power from 1890-2010. Think about how and why Blacks, women, and the LGBQ+ community sought – and succeeded (at least in part) — to expand their civil rights in the same time period.
This is the basic question I want you to answer: How are these two themes interrelated? Why did they occur over the same time period?
This is not an easy question. It requires you to THINK and ANALYZE the facts we have learned about US history.
In your essay I will be looking for, and your grade will be based on:
Well informed and creative analysis of the intersections of the fight for civil rights at home and power abroad. You should point out both when fight for civil rights at home and power abroad converged and when they diverged.
A clear thesis that is indicated by your title.
Evidence that you have considered the entire century-plus that we have studied. Do not focus on just a few decades. That is, don’t discuss only the post-World War Two period; don’t stop your analysis with the end of the Cold War; etc. Look at the whole sweep of the history we have studied. While you do not have to organize your essay chronologically, I think it would be the simplest way to proceed. It would allow you to point out change over time.
Facts. While this essay requires you to think analytically and creatively, you must base your analysis on facts.
Write a solid introduction and end with a good conclusion.
Proper footnoting
Format:
Times New Roman, 12 pt; 1.15 line spacing
3 pages, or more
Proper footnoting. If you still have questions about footnoting, please watch the video again.
Name your document “Your last name, Your first name – Exam essay”
