Study Questions
August 22 Introductions
 August 24 Equiano, Introduction and chapters 1-2 (p. 3-36)
Who was Olaudah Equiano?
What kind of source is the Narrative?
What was his purpose in writing the book?
Who was his audience for this book?
Why do Africans kidnap other Africans and sell them into slavery?
Why are the slaves treated the way they are on the slave ship?
What questions do you have about what you have read?
August 29 Equiano, chapters 3-5 (p. 37-81)
Were there different types of slavery in different parts of the world?
What is the essence of slavery?
Why was Europe involved in the slave trade?
What was Equiano's argument against slavery and the slave trade?
What was Equiano's attitude towards European culture?
What was Equiano's attitude towards Christianity?
What attractions were there for Equiano in European culture and Christianity?
August 31 Equiano, chapters 6-9 (p. 82-133)
What were the parts of Equiano's conversion to Christianity? Why do you think Equiano converted to Evangelical Christianity?
What are the conditions under which Equiano bought a slave? Does this change your opinion of Equiano? How could someone who writes as he does about slavery buy slaves himself?
What was Equiano's opinion of Native Americans in South America?
September 5 Equiano, chapters 10-12 (p. 134-184).
What was Equiano's thesis, his main point in the book?
Why did we read Equiano's Narrative for this class?
What do we learn about the eighteenth century from this book?
More questions forthcoming...
September 7 Equiano paper due; Kagan, chapter 20
Who was Napoleon?
What are the features of the Napoleonic Code?
How did Napoleon affect the rest of Europe?
What caused Napoleon's downfall?
What was the Romantic movement?
September 12 Kagan, chapter 21
What is Nationalism?
What is Liberalism?
What is Conservatism?
What political changes occured in South America? Why?
How did the major European powers (Britian, France, and Russia) dea with the political unrest of 1830?
September 14 Kagan, chapter 22
What changes did industrialization make in society?
How did the industrial revolution affect women?
What changes in law inforcement occured during this period?
What is socialism?
What factors led to the revolutions of 1848?
September 19 Kagan, chapter 24 p. 824-833
What was the status of European women in the second half of the 19th century?
How did women's status in the labor market change?
How did class affect a woman's position?
What are some of the features of the feminist movement at this time?
 September 21 Bronte, Introduction and chapters 1-10 (p. v-xxv, 1-84)
Who was Charlotte Brontë?
What kind of a source is Jane Eyre?
How is this book different from the other sources we've read?
Why are we reading a novel in a history class?
What should we keep in mind as we read fiction for historical content?
What was Jane most angered by during her time with the Reeds?
What does Jane learn from Helen Burns?
September 26 Bronte, chapters 11-20 (p. 85-206)
What were parts of a woman's education during this period--what did Jane learn and teach?
How were governesses viewed by the middle class elite?
What social classes are depicted in this section? How do they relate to each other?
What questions do you have about what you have read?
September 28 Bronte, chapters 21-27 (p.207-306)
Describe the different life courses taken by Eliza and Georgiana. What might Bronte be saying about women in her description of them?
What does Jane want from her relationship with Mr. Rochester? What doesn't she want?
Why won't Jane marry Mr. Rochester?
What do we learn about the place of women in the nineteenth century from this section?
October 3 Bronte, chapters 28-38 (p. 307-433)
How are Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers similar? How are they different? What might Bronte be saying about men in her description of them?
Why won't Jane marry St. John Rivers?
What was Bronte's purpose in writing Jane Eyre? Who was her audience for the book?
Why did we read Jane Eyre for this class? What do we learn about the early nineteenth century from this book?
October 5 Bronte paper due; Marx and Engels, Introductory Material and I (p.vii-xxii, 1-32)
Who were Karl Marx and Frederick Engels?
What kind of a source is the Manifesto?
What was their purpose in writing the Manifesto? Who was their audience for the book?
Compare and contrast the answers to these questions with your answers for Equiano and Bronte. What are their similarities? What are their differences?
According to Marx and Engels, what drives history? What determines what groups are struggling against what other groups?
For Marx and Engels, who were the bourgeoisie? Who were the proletariat?
October 10 Tuesday, October 10, Midterm Exam (1:30 W10 PBB); Readings To Be Announced (TBA)
Make a list of possible items for identification: First, think of people, places, things, and events which were covered in lecture and discussion. Second, write down two sentences for each: 1) who, what, when, where; 2) why the item was important.
Think about the broad themes covered in lectures and discussion. Write a possible essay question about one of those themes and answer it.
 October 12 Marx and Engels, rest of book (p. 32-58)
According to Marx and Engels, how will history move from capitalism to Communism?
Why was there a revolution coming?
What are the features of true communism?
What is the central thesis of the Manifesto?
How do Marx and Engels support their thesis?
What do you think about their argument? What parts of their argument seem correct today? What parts seem incorrect?
Why did we read the Manifesto for this class? What do we learn about the mid-nineteenth century from this book?
How has the Manifesto influenced subsequent history?
October 17 Marx Quiz; Kagan, chapter 25
October 19 Kagan, chapter 26
 October 24 Achebe, chapters 1-7 (p. 1-62)
Who was Chinua Achebe?
What kind of a source is Things Fall Apart?
What was his purpose in writing Things Fall Apart?
Who was his audience for the book?
Compare and contrast the answers to these questions with your answers for previous sources. What are similarities? What are differences?
What kind of person is Okonkwo? What things are important to him?
October 26 Achebe, chapters 8-13 (p. 63-128)
What things are valued in Ibo culture?
How is right and wrong defined in the culture?
Describe the main features of Ibo marriage.
How does Ibo culture view twins?
What is an ogbanje?
What questions do you have about what you have read?
October 31 Achebe, chapters 14-25 (p. 129-209)
How do the English missionaries get a foothold in Nigeria? What in Christianity appeals to Nigerians who become Christians?
What are the differences between Father Brown and Father Smith?
What are the differences between the Ibo's idea of justice and the British Idea of justice?
Why does Okonkwo kill himself?
What is Okonkwo's view of his culture? What is Obierika's? What is Nwoye's? Which do you think is Achebe's point of view?
What is the central thesis of the work?
Why did we read Things Fall Apart for this class? What do we learn about imperialism from this book?
November 2 Achebe paper due; Kagan, chapter 27
What was War Communism?
How did the leaders deal with dissent?
What was the New Economic Policy?
What were the differences between Stalin and Trotsky?
What was the Third International? Why was it formed?
What was fascism? How did the fascists gain power in Italy? What were their tactics? Who did they appeal to? How did the fascists compare to the communists?
What was the Weimar Republic? What were its strengths and weaknesses? Why did it fail? Was it inevitable?
November 7 Kagan, chapter 28
November 9 Kagan, chapter 29
 November 14 Orwell, part I (p. 1-87)
Who was George Orwell?
What kind of a source is 1984?
What was his purpose in writing 1984? Who was his audience for the book?
Compare and contrast the answers to these questions with your answers for previous sources.
What is thoughtcrime?
What is the role of the family in Oceania? How are children trained? What is marriage like? Why does the government treat the family this way?
What is the role of mass media in Oceania? List the major forms of propaganda given to the people.
What is newspeak? What is the purpose of newspeak?
What is the class structure of Oceania?
November 16 Orwell, part II (p. 88-185)
What kinds of resistance to the Party are possible? In what ways does Winston rebel? In what ways does Julia rebel?
Why do you think Orwell includes a love story in the book?
What is the importance of Winston and Julia not betraying each other?
Why does Orwell include so much of Goldstein's book?
What is the purpose of warfare in Oceania?
What is the purpose of everything that the Party does?
Discussion 26 - November 18 & 19 - Triumph of the Will
What is the director appealing to in the film? How is the Nazi Party depicted?
What are some of the groups represented in the film?
How did the movie make you feel, knowing what we do about what the Nazis eventually did?
November 21 Review (no assignment)
November 23 Thanksgiving
November 28 Orwell Quiz; Orwell, part III and Afterword (p. 186-267)
What is in Room 101?
What had happened to Julia after her arrest?
Why is Winston excited at the end of the book?
Why does the party convert people before it kills them?
What does it take to "brainwash" Winston?
What is Orwell's warning in this book? About whom was Orwell thinking when he wrote this book? To whom do you think it applies in 1999?
Why did we read 1984 for this class? What do we learn about the fears of 1948 from 1984?
November 30 Kagan, chapter 30
Questions forthcoming
December 5 Kagan, chapter 31
Questions forthcoming
December 7 Review
Review your study notes from the mid-term exam.
Make a list of possible items for identification from the second half of the course. First, think of people, places, things, and events which were covered in lecture and discussion. Second, write down two sentences for each: 1) who, what, when, where; 2) why the item was important.
Think about the broad themes covered in lectures and discussion from the second half of the course. Write a possible essay question about one of those themes and answer it.
Think about the broad themes of the entire course. Write a possible comprehensive essay question and answer it. |
