THE WORLD SINCE 1492

Study Guide for Second Midterm Examination

I. Key Terms (to be answered in your workshop, either April 6 or April 7)

You will be asked to define and illustrate some number of “key terms” from the lectures. Your definitions and selected illustrations should recognize and explain their significance in the course (rather than other uses of the terms you may have encountered).

The “key terms” on the exam will be drawn from the first lecture through the lecture of Wednesday, April 6, but the emphasis will be on the key terms since the last mid-term up to those of the lecture of April 6.

Remember to locate any examples you discuss in both time and space. 

In regard to illustrating each term (as part of the defining and illustrating), keep in mind that for a term that is specific to a given place and time, such as daimyo, the definition and illustration are one and the same: they are an integral package. By contrast, for a term, such as class, that is used by historians and anthropologists across socio-temporal contexts, the definition and illustration are two distinct components. 

Finally keep in mind that there are definitions and explanations of some of the key terms on the course website. It will be useful to familiarize yourself with these definitions and explanations.

II. A Short Essay (take-home portion of the exam, due on Saturday 4/9 at noon)

One of the following prompts will be mailed to you on Wednesday April 6, soon after the lecture. Since you will not have a choice among these, I recommend preparing an outline of both options before you receive the one I have chosen, so you are prepared to answer either. Once the prompt is mailed out, you will not be able to review my lecture notes until my next office hours (after this is due). That’s why it is important to do outlines early, so you can identify lectures you might want to review for each option.

Please note: when I am grading your answers, you will be rewarded for making appropriate use of (a) key terms and (b) material from the weekly reading assignments and/or movies, if such material is relevant.

Option A

Explain the term “racialization,” as we have presented this term in the course. Summarize what you know about how “racialization” came about between 1500 and 1800. If you find that there are interesting gaps of either information or analysis in the material we have presented about “racialization,” identify – rather than ignore – these gaps, in your essay.

Option B

Summarize and explain Marx’s analysis of where profits come from in a capitalist mode of production. After doing so, include a paragraph with your response to this Marxist analysis, whether questions, comments, criticisms, or reasons you find it persuasive (whatever).