Sample Exam Questions Exam I
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Anthropology: Understanding Global Cultures
Midsemester Exam I
25 May 2013
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Answer FOUR (only 4) of the following ten (10) questions. Keep in mind that there is more than one approach you can take in answering these questions. Follow these guidelines: |
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Organize your answer before you begin |
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Where appropriate, be sure to state: |
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- What or who something is
- Where it occurred or is located
- Why it is important
- When it occurred
- How it happened or how it works
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State YOUR position or approach clearly |
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Cite specific examples or references to support your statements |
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Mention problem areas or other relevant materials which you would like to consider further in a more thorough statement. That is, when you're finished with your answer, what major questions are still left unanswered? |
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Summarize your argument or discussion |
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Where appropriate use materials from more than one region of the world |
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Remember that your responses should have a beginning, a middle, and an end |
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Do not discuss any topic or country at length in more than one question |
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For the questions so indicated, do not write on any country for which you were one of the presenters |
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NOTE: On the exam there will be ten (10) questions, including the optional take-home exam question. That is to say, on the exam itself there will be a total of 10 questions, and the optional question is one of the ten. If you choose to do the optional question, then you will need to choose three of the remaining questions that are on the exam itself. More than ten qeustions are included below for illustration purposes.
NOTE: Essentially you may make up ONE question total. You may either do that as a take-home and bring it to class with you, or you may do that in class the day of the exam. If you elect to do the optional take-home exam and bring it with you to class, then you must choose three (3) additional of the remaining questions presented on the actual exam, as they are presented on the exam.
If you have submitted an Extra Credit report or paper, your optional question must be on a topic other than that of your Extra Credit project(s).
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1.
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Current Affairs:
In the newspaper this week there was an article on X. The following quote summarizes the authors' position:
[quote will be inserted here].
How would you interpret X from the point of view of what you learned in your Understanding Global Cultures class so far this semester?
This kind of a question will look something like...
One of the BBC South Asia News headlines for Sunday, 15 October 2006, read “ Japan's old, young enough to work: In Japan, an increasing number of older people are deciding that they do not want to leave their jobs at retirement age ” (full story attached). From what you read in Chapter 3 of Understanding Global Cultures , “The Japanese Garden,” and from what you learned about Japan from the presentation in class, how would you explain this apparent reluctance of Japanese seniors to leave their jobs?
Or like this...
Yesterday, Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 17:46 GMT , BBC News  reported a leading news item from France: “Woman has first face transplant: Surgeons in France have carried out the first face transplant, it has been reported.” From what you know from your readings on France, and from the class presentation on France, what do you suppose this was all about < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4484728.stm >?
Or like this...
In the last few days a major story in Minnesota dealt with the discovery of polio among the Amish in Clarissa, MN (three of these news reports were e-mailed to you):
More polio cases likely for Amish, health officials say
BY MARTIGA LOHN / ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. PAUL -- More polio cases will probably turn up in a conservative, closed Amish community in central Minnesota, state health officials said Thursday.
Friday, October 14, 2005 (DuluthSuperior.com)
Amish urged to immunize
BY PATRICK CONDON / ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLARISSA, Minn. -- The residents of a small Amish community where government doctors have diagnosed four cases of the polio virus seem bewildered by an unwelcome rush of attention from the outside world.
Monday, October 17, 2005 (DuluthSuperior.com)
This week a major story coming out of Central Europe and other parts of the world is the discovery and spread of avian flu [“the dreaded H5N1 virus”], and many European governments and the European Union (EU) are taking strong action to prevent the spread of “bird flu”:
Europe on bird flu alert
European nations step up efforts to protect against bird flu, as a strain risky to humans is found in Turkey and Romania. 15/10/2005
Bird flu - the global impact
The BBC News website charts the number of deaths around the world from avian flu H5N1.
15/10/2005
Bird flu pandemic 'will hit UK'
A bird flu pandemic will hit Britain, killing about 50,000 - but not necessarily this year, says the chief medical officer.
16/10/2005
“Bird Flu” has become a major problem in two of the countries we have studied so far, Turkey, and Poland, and it is predicted that it will become a problem for all of Europe and maybe even all of the World.
From what you know so far about understanding global cultures, argue for or against the proposition that the government should intervene in a culture to prevent the spread of a contagious serious disease (such as polio or the “bird flu”). [“Government” here can include entities like the State of Minnesota, the European Union (EU), the nation . . .]
Or this kind of a question may look something like the following example, and the item(s) from the news will be attached to the exam, or handed out separately at the beginning of the exam.
In this example the news items were in the Duluth News-Tribune the morning of the exam, Thursday, 30 November, 2006. Often the items are taken from the news on the weekend before the exam...
Current Affairs:
As you sit there taking this exam two of the most visible and influential leaders in the world, separately, are essentially in the Middle East on diplomatic missions – President George W. Bush, who was supposed to meet yesterday with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, and His Pope Benedict XVI.
Both items made today's Duluth News-Tribune :
Canceled meeting underscores Iraq's volatility (p. A3)
IRAQ: The White House says talks with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will continue despite turmoil in Baghdad.
Thursday, November, 30, 2006
A full copy of this article from today's Duluth News-Tribun e is attached .
Pope's comments may set tone for trip (p. A3)
Benedict XVI is trying to strengthen connections with Orthodox Christian leaders while anger among Muslims still simmers.
Thursday, November, 30, 2006
An on-line version of Brian Murphy's article is attached .
Questions:
(a) Compare and contrast the importance of President Bush and Pope Benedict XV as world leaders
(b) Compare and contrast specifically their current diplomatic missions this week
Include in your discussion your prediction of what the likely outcome of each of these diplomatic missions will be.
(c) Briefly, do you think someone screwed up the scheduling by having both of these world leaders there at the same time, or , do think it was planned on purpose that they be there at the same time? Why?
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2.
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There will likely be four or five questions taken from the GCforum, with the actual questions on the exam taken from the current entries on the GCforum. These examples are from past semesters:
In Understanding Global Cultures , Gannon talks about the different types of cultures. For this section, we learned about nations from three of these types, “Equality Matching Cultures,” “Market Pricing Cultures,” and “Cleft National Cultures.” How do these different cultural types shape the nation's culture itself and what makes an "Equality matching culture" different from a "Market pricing culture," or a "Market pricing culture" different from a "Cleft national culture"?
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From the GC forum, with the actual questions on the exam taken from the current entries on the GCforum. These examples are from past semesters:
In our textbook Distant Mirrors there are two chapters that have to do with a French perspective on American culture, Ch. 10 "America and I" by Herve Varenne [French Anthropologist and Professor of Education], and Ch.16 "First Impressions: Diary of a French Anthropologist in New York City" by Francoise Dussart [French Anthropologist] . In what ways similar and different do these two French Anthropologists see America?
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From the GC forum, with the actual questions on the exam taken from the current entries on the GCforum. These examples are from past semesters:
Using information from the video on Israel, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews , "Into the Future, 1880-1990s," and the Israel chapter in the textbook, Understanding Global Cultures , “The Israeli Kibbutzim and Moshavim,” discuss the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in Israel today.
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From the GC forum, with the actual questions on the exam taken from the current entries on the GCforum. These examples are from past semesters:
Choose one of the chapters in the Understanding Global Cultures textbook that we have covered since Exam I (a list of the countries is on p. 1 of this exam) and decide on a new cultural metaphor for that country. Explain why you choose that new cultural metaphor.
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Some assignments appear in pairs; for e.g., "Read Read UGC Ch. 2 and DM Ch. 9." This assigns Ch. 9 from Distant Mirrors: America as a Foreign Culture which was written by an author from Thailand with Ch. 2 from Understanding Global Cultures on "The Thai Kingdom."
You will be given a pair, or asked to pick a pair, that is, a pair where an author in Distant Mirrors is from a country featured in Understanding Global Cultures. Compare and contrast the article from Distant Mirrors with the chapter in Understanding Global Cultures.
This kind of a question will look something like...
The assignments for Thailand, Japan, Poland and Korea appear in pairs; for e.g., one assignment says you should "Read Read UGC Ch. 8 and DM Ch. 5." This assigns Ch. 5 from Distant Mirrors: America as a Foreign Culture , which was written by an author from Poland, with Ch. 8 from Understanding Global Cultures on "The Polish Village Church."
Compare and contrast the article by the Polish author (Janusz L. Mucha) from Distant Mirrors with the chapter in Understanding Global Cultures on Poland.
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Compare and contrast a chapter from Understanding Global Cultures with the class presentation on the country. Do not select a country for which you were one of the presenters.
This kind of a question will look something like...
Compare and contrast the chapter from Understanding Global Cultures on “Bedouin Jewelry and Saudi Arabia” with the class presentation on Saudi Arabia.
Do not select this question if you were one of the presenters on Saudi Arabia.
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| 4.B. |
In Chapter 1 of Understanding Global Cultures, "Understanding Cultural Metaphors," Martin J. Gannon talks about X. Pick two cultures other than the ones you presented on in class and describe how X pertains to them. |
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In Understanding Global Cultures Martin J. Gannon talks a lot about what he calls "Four Generic Types of Cultures: "Authority Ranking Cultures," "Equality Matching Cultures," "Market Pricing Cultures," and "Cleft National Culture."
For the first part of the semester we have discussed "Authority Ranking Cultures." Pick two "Authority Ranking Cultures" and compare and contrast them in terms of Gannon's discussion. |
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Comparison-Contrast, XY and You:
Discuss X of the Y people (or culture) as discussed in Understanding Global Cultures. As part of your answer include some discussion on how you are (a) like, and, (b) unlike the Y people with regard to X. Do not select a country for which you were one of the presenter. This kind of a question will look something like...
Comparison-Contrast, Malaysians and You:
Discuss the Malaysian practice of Balik Kampung . As part of your answer include some discussion on how you are (a) like, and, (b) unlike the Malaysian people with regard to what you will be doing in the three weeks after you finish with the final exam.
Comparison-Contrast, Turkish Coffeehouses and You:
Discuss the coffeehouse of the Turkish people as discussed in Understanding Global Cultures . As part of your answer include some discussion on how you are (a) like, and, (b) unlike the Turkish people with regard to where you go to drink recreational beverages.
Comparison-Contrast, Irish, their Conversation, and You:
Discuss the "conversation metaphor" of the Irish as presented in Understanding Global Cultures. As part of your answer include some discussion on how you are
a. like, and,
b. unlike the Irish with regard to conversation.
Comparison-Contrast, The British, their Traditional House, and You:
Discuss "The Traditional British House" of the British people. As part of your answer include some discussion on how you are (a) like, and, (b) unlike the British with regard to the type of house you live in B and how you live in it.
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It has been said that X can be understood in terms of Y. Discuss X and Y and indicate what you think the relevance of these might be to modern-day Global studies. Do not select any country for which you were one of the presenter.
This kind of a question will look something like...
It has been said that Israel can best be understood in terms of its thousand-year search for a homeland. Discuss the role the Kibbutzim as it is "intertwined with [Israel's] history and values" in the development of the modern Jewish state.
Do not select this question if you were a presenter on Israel.
Or it might look something like...
It has been said that contemporary nations must be understood in terms of their past homeland experiences with foreign peoples / nations.
a. Discuss the role of invasion / conquest / occupation by foreigners, and, if appropriate, subsequent colonialization / colonialism in the history of one of the nations considered so far in class.
Discuss the relevance of historical considerations of colonizalization in modern-day global studies.
Do not select any country for which you were one of the presenters.
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Martin J. Gannon uses the word / term "X." Discuss the concept of "X" as Gannon uses it in Understanding Global Cultures. Be sure to include examples in your discussion.
This kind of a question will look something like...
Gannon, in Understanding Global Cultures, discusses Bedouin "Female Ownership" (Ch. 5) and the "Male Domain" of the Turkish coffeehouse (Ch. 6) Compare and contrast the exclusivity of these two cultural domains.
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In class, during the first part of the semester, we spent a lot of time discussing X. Why did we spend so much time on that? Do not select any country for which you were one of the presenter.
This kind of a question mght take several forms, one of which would be something like...
Thailand is 95% Buddhist, India is 81% Hindu, Saudi Arabia is almost 100% Muslim, Turkey is 99.8% Muslim, Brazil is 80% "nominal" Roman Catholic, and Poland is 95% Roman Catholic.
Japan is 50% Buddhist, and Korea is 49% Christian, 47% Buddhist, and 3%, Confucianist (Confucius was the 5th-6th century Chinese philosopher and teacher now known for his little sayings of wisdom; "Confucius says. . . . ").
In other words, all countries studied so far are strongly dominated by a single religion, except for Japan and South Korea (where only half of the country belong to one religion).
Discuss how the presence of a dominant religion affects the social structure of countries.
Or it might look like this...
One of the main global stories so far this semester has been the formal discussions about whether or not Turkey should be admitted to the European Union (EU) have begun. This is an issue which has divided EU Europe for years.
(A) From your point of view, what are the pros and cons of Turkey joining the EU?
(B) Why do you think the question of Turkey joining the EU is " an increasingly divisive issue” in the European EU countries?
Or it might look like this...
In class, during the first two-thirds of the semester, we spent a lot of time discussing various profiles of various countries (historical profile, economic profile, demographic profile, political profile, etc.). (A) Why did we spend so much time on that? (B) Discuss what alternative class presentation approach(es) might be preferable.
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DeVita's book is called Distant Mirrors: America as a Foreign Culture. Assume you were a native of one of the countries on which you made a class presentation. From that perspective, what kind of a cultural metaphor would you develop on America? |
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DeVita and Armstrong, in Distant Mirrors, present Francoise Dussart’s essay, “X of Y.” Discuss what you think Dussart’s “X” of Y.
This kind of a question will look something like...
DeVita and Armstrong, in Distant Mirrors , present Francoise Dussart's essay, "First Impressions: Diary of a French Anthropologist in New York City." Discuss what you think Dussart's "first impressions" of your home town might be.
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[This question applies only if you are in a Learning Community] Relate the study of any one nation so far considered in your Understanding Global Cultures class with what you are studying in your other Learning Community classes. Do not select a country for which you were one of the presenter.
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optional take-home question
NOTE: Essentially you may make up ONE question total. You may either do that as a take-home and bring it to class with you, or you may do that in class the day of the exam. If you elect to do the optional take-home exam and bring it with you to class, then you must choose three (3) additional of the remaining questions presented on the actual exam, as they are presented on the exam.
If you do not like these questions, make up and answer a question of your own choice relating to a topic having to do with understanding global cultures which you have not considered in your other answers. Do not select a topic that was part of any of your or your groups' in-class presentations. (If you think these questions are fantastic but simply prefer to make up one of your own, go ahead.)
Answers should contain specific information supporting your position. Both your question and your answer will be evaluated.
If you elect to make up and answer a question, you may prepare your question and answer in advance and bring them with you to the exam. If you prepare your question and answer in advance you only need to answer three (3) other question in class.
Do not write on any country for which you were one of the presenters. |
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OTHER EXAMPLES |
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A Qustion About a Specific Country:
This kind of a question will look something like...
Ireland:
In Ch. 12 of Understanding Global Cultures , "Irish Conversations," Gannon discusses "Prayer as Conversation," and, in fact, claims that “prayer or a conversation with God is one of the most important parts of an Irish life.” From what you know, based on your readings and listenings and viewings in this class, what do you suppose God has to say about Ireland and the Irish?
For purposes of this question, should you choose to answer it, and should you personally not believe in God, you must practice what is commonly known as “a willing suspension of disbelief.” Wikipedia has this to say about “suspension of disbelief”:
The term 'Suspension of disbelief' was originally coined by the romanticist Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his Biographia Literaria (1817):
" (...) it was agreed, that my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural , or at least romantic, yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith. "
It is not uncommon to cite the full phrase "willing suspension of disbelief", but the arguably redundant "willing" is more often omitted, at least on the Web.
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A Question Pertaining to Methods:
This kind of a question will look something like...
Methods:
Anthropologists often use scaling as an analytical tool in studying Global Cultures. Discuss the various kinds of scaling techniques, using two or more specific examples to explain each type.
Methods:
In the first week of class it was mentioned that demography (the study population and population structures) is important to understanding global cultures. As was also mentioned during the first week of class, many European countries are having problems, or expect to have problems, relating to their low birth rates. In October 2004, Minnesota Public Radio carried a brief story about demographic problems in Poland , viz., that the Polish people were not having enough children to maintain their society. According to the MPR story, Poland is offering a cash bonus to couples if they have children, and a free room . . . for a wedding reception . . . for young people wanting to get married.
The [CIA] World Factbook website lists Poland ' s total fertility rate at "1.38 children born / woman (2004 est.)" and a population growth rate at "0.02% (2004 est.)." As was mentioned during the first week of class, a country needs a fertility rate of about 2.2 in order to maintain itself economically (because some older adults are no longer in the work force and these adults also tend to be living longer. . . ). The [CIA] World Factbook website also indicates that Poland is "Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing)." Also, 99.8% of people age fifteen and over can read and write.
From what you have learned so far in class, how would you interpret all of this information?
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Comparison-Contrast of Two Specified Countries:
This kind of a question will look something like...
Comparison-Contrast, Nigeria / Israel:
Ch. 19 of Understanding Global Cultures discussed "The Nigerian Marketplace" ; Ch. 20 discussed "The Israeli Kibbutzim and Moshavim."
Compare and contrast major contemporary world events in terms of what you have learned from these videos, these chapters, and the class presentations on these countries.
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Comparison-Contrast of Two Specified Countries:
This kind of a question will look something like...
Comparison-Contrast, Germany / Italy:
In this segment of the course Gannon, in Understanding Global Cultures , used two musical metaphors: "The German Symphony" (Ch. 10) and "The Italian Opera" (Ch. 21). Compare and contrast Germany and Italy in terms of their musical metaphors.
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