SPRING 2009 Midterm Exam Study Guide

Your exam will have two sections, and each section will count for half of the exam grade.  (100 points total:  Part A=50 points, Part B = 50 Points)

You must answer in your own words (look at what your syllabus says about plagiarism!)  You will NOT be allowed to use notes during the exam.  You will answer the question in a Blue Book that I will provide you.

The best way to study is to a) REVIEW your notes; b) write an OUTLINE of your main points; c) figure out what EXAMPLES to use for which main points; d) make sure that you can EXPLAIN how and why those examples demonstrate your main points.

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PART A (50 points)

Based upon the plays Oedipus Rex, Electra, and Medea, be ready to answer either of these questions (one of these will be on your exam).  Your essay must present specific examples from at least two plays and must explain how those examples prove the point that you are making in your answer.  Your answers should be 4-5 paragraphs long.

• What do these plays tell you about the importance of justice to Greeks and about Greek conceptions of law in the Classical Era?
• What do these plays tell you about how Greeks in the Classical Era understood fate, cause-and-effect, and free will?

PART B (50 points)

Be ready to answer the following questions based on the Noble text, class lectures, and class discussion.  I will ask you two (2) of these questions, and each of your answers will count for 25 points.  Your essays must provide specific examples as evidence and must explain how those examples prove the point you are making in your answer.  Your answers should be 2-3 paragraphs long.

• Where and when did humans first begin to settle in the large communities that we define as the first  "western civilizations" and what made this possible?
• Between the years 1000 BCE and 500 BCE, what developments shaped Hebrew religious practices and what was most distinctive about the Hebrew religion (Judaism) as it evolved in these centuries?
• In what ways did the Persian Wars (499-479 BCE) shape the relationship between Athens and the other Greek city states, and why did this lead to the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)?
• After the death of Alexander the Great, how were the successor states in his former empire ruled and what characterized the relationship between Greeks and the native peoples in these successor states?
• In what ways did Roman Republic's conquests over foreign territories aggravate existing problems and tensions in Roman society, and how did these tensions along with new political developments weaken the stability of the republic?
• In what ways was the imperial political system created by Augustus a dictatorship disguised as a republic?