HISTORY 234: FINAL EXAM


Option I: Research paper
An 8-10+ page research paper. The paper should:

• Address one or more topics we've discussed in class
• Compare and analyze at least two New World slave societies
• Combine research in primary and secondary sources (over half of which must come from outside the course material)
• Address a clearly defined historical problem
• Have a clearly defined thesis question and thesis
• Conform to standards I've set forth in the Writing Guides regarding structure, argument, grammar, formatting, etc.
• Be prepared only in consultation with me

Option II: Film analysis
A 8-10+ page critical analysis of the film "Burn."
Guidelines:

• The organization must be clear. Make sure your paper doesn't wander, or float back and forth from point to point. Have an organizational strategy. Provide your readers a "road map" so they know how your paper is structured.
• Touch on as many points as possible. Try to explore the widest possible range of issues the film addresses. In essence, you are telling me what you've learned in this course.
• Critique the film. This doesn't mean "criticize it thoughtlessly and mercilessly." Nor does it mean "praise it uncritically." The key is analysis -- relate it to our course material. It is just as important to tell me what the film gets right (and why you think it's right) as to tell me what it gets wrong (and why).
• Acknowledge that the film makes an historical argument (perhaps several). Tell me what arguments the film might be taking on the issues we've examined. (Remember how we talked about how Quilombo and Genovese differed on the meaning of maroon societies?)
• Use specific evidence, from both the film and the course material. If you want to talk about a specific scene in the film, make sure you describe it adequately. Cite the material we've read scrupulously.
• You probably won't be able to do a good job in under eight pages.
• Conform to standards I've set forth in the Writing Guides regarding structure, argument, grammar, formatting, etc.