Next Wednesday we’ll have the in-class midterm examination. This week’s blog entry will give you details on what the exam will cover and how to prepare for it. Please do take advantage of the commenting section on this blog post to ask questions about the midterm.
The format of the exam will be in three parts: (1) some multiple choice questions over things like perspectives on globalization and terminology from Controversies in Globalization; (2) some short-answer identification questions about important people, places and things in the readings; and (3) a short essay question that links the theories in Controversies in Globalization to specific events in the Arab Uprisings.
To best prepare for part one, review the chart of perspectives on globalization in CIG p. lvii-lviii and look over the introductions to the chapters for explanations of important terminology. Then review the chapters we’ve studied up to this week: “Poverty,” “Democratization,” “Trade Liberalization,” and “Trade and Equality.”
For part two, study our readings from Battle for the Arab Spring and two articles I have posted on the blog: “The Secret Rally That Sparked an Uprising” on 10/8 and “Whither the Egyptian Economy” on 10/3. So as not to feel overwhelmed by the volume of material to remember, spend time looking at your classmates Google Maps (and your own) and think about what appears with the highest frequency. I will use your Google Maps to determine what to test you on in this section of the midterm.
The short essay question in part 3 will give you a choice of one of three options to write a three- or four-paragraph essay. The questions will ask you to explain one of the controversial topics in CIG and then apply it to a specific example from the Middle East. The better you can explain the theories and disagreements between them and then use specific details (facts of people, places, events, etc.), the better your essay will be.
