Global Issues (150points)
This portion of the exam covers the whole course and is designed to make you think about the larger issues this course is designed to address. The two essays you will write on this portion of the test will ask you to take what you have learned about pre-1500 world history and find meaningful connections and relevance to today. The essay questions are broad, but you will be required to pick items from the lists below to include in your essay.
1. Why is a knowledge of pre-1500 history essential for global citizenship today?
2. What are the implications of crosscultural interactions in history for the future of humanity?
To answer each essay question, you will be required to choose six items and connect them: two drawn from the issues list, two from the regions list, and two from the identifications list. You choose one item from each list and write an essay connecting your six items in answer to the question. You then do the same for the second essay question, choosing six different items.
The master lists of issues, regions, and identifications from which these six lists will be drawn are given below.
• The issues terms are from the SLC and from current events.
• The regions are generic geographic designations for which you will need to supply specific cultures and eras as examples for your essay. You will need to write on one from the East Hemisphere (Old World)and one from the West (New World)
• The third list of identification items found in the textbook
• You will again need to choose from the time periods as well. One essay will cover a time period from 1500BCE-600C.E. and the other from 600CE-1550CE
Issues List
1. homo sapiens sapiens
2. history
3. migration
4. crosscultural interactions
5. language
6. writing systems
7. culture
8. worldviews
9. philosophy
10. religion
11. government
12. empire
13. social classes
14. economy
15. agriculture
16. trade
17. urbanization
18. travel
19. conquest
20. the arts
21. the environment
22. indigenous rights and sovereignty
23. gender and family
24. poverty
25. terrorism
26. war
27. human rights
28. globalization
29. multiculturalism
30. East-West “clash of civilizations” Regions List
1. East Asia
2. South Asia
3. Southwest Asia
4. Southeast Asia
5. Central Asia
6. Indian Ocean basin
7. Oceania
8. North Africa
9. Sub-Sahara Africa
10. Arabia
11. Mediterranean
12. Eurasia
13. Western Europe
14. Eastern Europe
15. North and Central America
16. South America ID List
1. Be sure to use the Vocabulary Words that are bolded throughout each chapter we have discussed.