Time to bitch about my history midterm..... Bah!

[LynzM]

First, let me say that I'm *very glad* that we get the questions in advance. She gives three essay questions, of which two will be on the exam, and we have to pick on to write. So, that means I can pick one to totally ignore and two to prepare for. That said, I don't really *want* to write about any of them... As someone whose schooling has focused mainly on engineering, math, and German, I find history to be a very challenging subject to organize in my brain.

Potential exam questions:

1.) The French Revolution offered opportunities for women in politics. Using Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman and Godineau's "Political Culture and Female Sociability in the French Revolution" discuss the participation of women in the French Revolution Era and discuss whether their participation had any lasting effect in the political landscape in France.

2.) Using Clark's "Struggle for Breeches," Weisner's Chap 6 "Labor Old and New," and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, discuss how the Industrial Revolution affected society and the reactions to the effects of industrialization.

3.) Using Clark's "Struggle for Breeches" and Weisner Chap 9 "Expansion and Public Opinion: Advocats of the 'New Imperialism,'" discuss the influence of 19th century middle-class liberalism on domestic conditions and foreign relations.

Ick. Ick and ick. I don't even know which one I'm not going to do, yet. Bleh! </pity party>

Which one would *you* pick to not prepare for?

[Zomby Woof]

1. BA in History 1992 here

:-)

These kinds of essays would keep me up all night with my typewriter (only Computer Science majors had PC's then) and a pot of coffee.

I would definitely do #2. Any chance to write about 'Frankenstein' should be welcome.

I lean toward #1, because the French Revolution AND womens' rights are important issues to me.


The bottom line is: What is near and dear to your heart? I can see you embracing the womens' rights subject, but leave the other two up to you. :hi: Good luck!

[LynzM]

2. Yeah, I've got the rest of today and tomorrow night to prep

The exam's not 'til Tuesday morning.

Part of what's tough for me is that I don't necessarily find the sources she picks to be the ones I would use (out of what we've read) to talk about these topics. But, not my choice, so I just have to go with it. I would like to do #1, but I don't find those two sources to be terribly supportive of both parts of that question; they seem to mostly address the first part.

In looking through the sources she's chosen, so far I'm leaning toward prepping #2 and #3... Frankenstein is good and the other sources are relevant to the question, and for #3, same thing, the sources are very supportive. I'm just not excited about it, you know? Actually, maybe not, since you majored in history ;)

:hi: Thanks for listening to me whine!

[Nikia]

5. Is it possible that you are supposed to go beyond the sources?

I took my first history class at the intermediate level and I was a biology major. Our big assignment was a long essay in which we considered an assigned question and were given three short readings which we were supposed to analyze in light of this question. We were supposed to use any of the readings from the class in our analysis. Among the comments I got on my graded paper was "You have an outstanding understanding of this topic, why are you hiding behind your historians?"
I don't know your professor though so I wouldn't want to give you bad advice.

[LynzM]

7. Not in this class

In fact on our first exam, I got marked down because I didn't give enough specific details drawn from the particular sources. She seems to want more evidence and less of what I would consider my own thoughts about the topic/thesis. Thanks for the thoughts, though. It's part of what I find frustrating/challenging about this class, the emphasis on using the sources as really the only essay material.

[Squeech]

6. Agreed

but not for your reasons; instead because these topics can be really relevant to (re)building the Democratic coalition. I'm reading What's the Matter with Kansas now (and having a hard time of it, not because it's difficult reading but because it's profoundly depressing), and one of its prominent themes is how the working class got co-opted into supporting the country club party through the red herring issues of abortion, gay marriage, etc. So a thorough understanding of both gender politics and whatever we can learn from the industrial revolution will be indispensable to reaching voters that should have been ours all along.

My opinion, and worth every penny you paid for it. How's everything otherwise? We missed you yesterday...

[LynzM]

8. Heya Squeech!

Sorry to have missed you yesterday, as well. Are there pics? I want to live vicariously through you :) Baby-sitting fell through and we decided not to do the long trip + preschooler + nap issue. Bummer. Things are ok otherwise - this exam is kinda stressing me out, and I just found out we're getting a bunch more work at work, but otherwise ok.

I find the parallels between the stuff written during the Industrial Revolution (and indeed, even earlier) and things going on today to be really fascinating. I'd much rather write a paper about that!

[Squeech]

9. Yup

Unhappycamper brought a camera and promises to post pics-- but not until after he gets back from his real work this weekend, protesting the war.

The whole gathering was him and me plus jmm and notmyprez. But we all agreed the food was good. I'm agitating now for another meetup on April Fools Day, probably at Will Pitt's local hangout Bukowski's.

The question that interests me right now (as a patchily educated layman) is what parallels between the industrial revolution and the post-industrial undermining of the working and/or middle classes are actually helpful or instructive. (Two different questions, maybe: what can we learn that solves our problems, and then what else can we say that's useful rhetoric?) To the extent that de-skilling work commodifies it, rendering it susceptible to outsourcing or WalMartization, we want to avoid it. Which seems to imply that what works for us is modern Luddism, which I've certainly been accused of at times, which seems to suggest that my ideas are neither helpful nor compatible with progress. :shrug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. Bottom line is that 2 would be the easiest

and if I am prepping for an exam, I choose "easy" :D

[LynzM]

11. I agree, NSMA

I'm hoping that's one of the two that she puts on the exam... if not, I'm leaning toward 3. I finished reviewing the sources for #1 and there's almost nothing to address the second half of the question, so I think that one's out.

"Easy" definitely weighs in, especially when school fits in between work and family!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. 3 would be my second choice

for the simple fact that there would be less reading to prepare and the concepts would be easier to recall from the material

[libnnc]

3. BA US History '05 here...

I took a ton of European History though. I'd do either 1 or 2. Probably 1 since I love women's history. Good luck! :hi:

[LynzM]

4. Thanks libnnc

:hi: I think women's history is interesting, as well, out of all of it. But if you look at my reply to ZW, part of the issue with that question is that I'm not terribly thrilled with the sources to use to address the question, so... kinda torn on that one. We'll see after I go through all three. Thanks for the luck, though!!

[Radical Activist]

12. Those questions sound so boring.

I minored in history and love it but just reading those questions makes me want to fall asleep.

I think #3 could be a lot of fun from a political standpoint. You could write about the socialists, progressives and unions and the positive impact they had. People are still fighting for many of the same issues today, so its topical.
In one of William Jennings Bryan's nomination acceptance speeches at a Democratic National Conventional he speaks about US imperialism and the war in the Philippines. If you threw in the words "Iraq" and "Oil" into the speech it could have easily been given today. There is a long tradition of resistance to war and imperialism in the US that most U.S. history classes never discuss. We're supposed to think all wars were popular and just.

[LynzM]

15. I wish I could...

Unfortunately, it seems that this professor is big, big, big on using the sources supplied to support our ideas about the topic, and not about pulling in other sources and such. Ah well... That's interesting about Bryan's speech and the Philippines... I'll have to check that one out sometime.

[Radical Activist]

17. That's really strange.

What kind of history professor wants to limit their students' sources of information? That's a recipe for giving a one-sided, biased view of history.

Anyway, I think the urban, middle class progressive movement of the 19th century is pretty fascinating. First, they ended slavery, then they went after child labor, women's suffrage, fighting corporate power and corruption, fought machine politics, and carried out a lot of other great reforms that still have relevance today. Fun stuff, imo.

[tridim]

13. You brought back all my bad college memories

I HATED essay exams. Speed writing is not a good measure of understanding the material IMO. Even worse, I know the prof and the TA's didn't really read the essays, they just skimmed them for content. A total waste of time if you ask me. I would have preferred a 30 minute oral exam to writing 3 essays in an hour.

Edit: I know they didn't read them because once I procrastinated a take-home English essay until the last minute. So I decided to smoke some pot and write it stream-of-consciousness in a single draft. The final product made no sense at all, yet I still received an A on it. There's no way they read a single word.

[LynzM]

16. Sorry, tridim!

Didn't mean to bring back all those bad memories! :hug:

LOL about your English essay... I'd love to read that, I bet it was hysterical!

[intrepid_wanderer]

21. Tridim

that's a trip!

thanks :-)


:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[GalleryGod]

18. Try #1. I could help...but then I'd hafta Flunk You! (sorry,bad joke)

Your man in the faculty lounge:donut:
wishing you the Best of Bluebooks!
GG

[LynzM]

19. LOL, thanks GG

Good wishes are always appreciated! :hi:

[intrepid_wanderer]

20. I predict you'll prepare for the first and the third.....

and that you'll get an A-


:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[LynzM]

22. LOL, 2/3 right

I'm going to prep #2 and #3. I got an 82.5 on the first exam. You know me, I have to do better on this one. 6 more minutes of DU playtime and then back to studying I go. x(

[Redstone]

23. And this will make you smarter, exactly how?

I'm sorry, but I can't see how knowing those answers will help you advance in ANY sort of career...except maybe that of College Professor Who Makes Up Extremely Obtuse Exam Questions.

Oops, I'm giving myself away; I bet that tells you I never went to college.

Redstone