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Evaluation:

[map assignment] [midterm exam] [class participation] [research paper] [final exam]

Map assignment

10%

DUE in discussion section the week of FEB 4-7. In order to understand the history of the former Soviet Union, you need to familiarize yourself with the geography of the region. This assignment is designed to kill two birds with one stone—get you into the library and orient you to Soviet geography. This assignment has two parts: (1) you must locate a contemporary political map (one that shows 15 former Soviet republics and their current capital cities). It should not be more than 10 years old. You can go to the library and find a current atlas, or find a map online. For example, the University of Texas has an extensive, publicly accessible online map collection. In the Main Library, there are no doubt atlases in the reference department. If at a total loss, consult a reference librarian at the Reference Desk of the Main Library; (2) DRAW or TRACE the map on a blank piece of paper. Your map must include:

· the names of the 15 republics

· their current capitals

· 3 major rivers: the Don, the Volga, and the Amur

· 2 mountain ranges: the Caucasus and the Urals

· in Russia, you must indicate three major cities in addition to Moscow. One must be St. Petersburg, and at least one must be east of the Ural Mountains.

Somewhere on your map you need to provide a citation for your source. Include either full bibliographic information or the full URL.

No, this is not an art class, but you will be rewarded for taking this assignment seriously and meeting it with enthusiasm. You may not, under any circumstances, merely print off a map and color it in. You MUST draw it freehand or trace it. Give thought to how the map you are using as your source uses color or shading to distinguish between different republics. Think about how capital cities are indicated differently than major cities. Tight spots, like the Caucasus, can be labeled using a key, or a box that “blows up” the image. Take you cues from the map you use as a model in terms of how to best render the maps in a way that is clear and useful.

If you took 16E:178, you may not resubmit the same map. You must do a new one from scratch.

An example of a map submitted in a previous class is available here to give you an idea what I’m looking for. Have fun!!

Midterm exam

20%

The exam is scheduled for MARCH 6, will cover the first two units of the course, and will have two segments: short answers and an essay. The short answers will be drawn from a finite list of terms that come from the readings, discussions, and lectures and will be distributed in advance. Students are required to define and give the significance of five out of six terms, each worth 10 points. This portion of the exam will be given in class.

In addition, students will submit take home essay to be typed, with 1” margins all around, double spaced, 12 point font, and approximately 4 pages in length, but absolutely no longer than 5. There will be a single essay question given out approximately one week before the in class exam and it must be turned in together with the short answer portion. It will be worth 50 points and will test the student’s ability to synthesize material from the lectures, discussions, and the readings. Particular attention should be paid to drawing on assigned readings as evidence in support of an argument. Students are encouraged to seek help with their writing from the History Department’s Writing Center, SH 303.

For details on the midterm, please see the study guide.

Class participation

20%

Discussion sections are an important component of this course and active participation is essential not only to your understanding of the material, but to the success of the class. Your discussion section participation will be evaluated based on two components (each worth half of the participation grade, i.e. 10% of your final grade). First, attendance and active participation in discussion sections. Attendance will be taken at each session and you will be docked 2 percentage points off your final participation grade for each unexcused absence after the first absence. Let us be clear, however, that just showing up will not earn you a good grade—you must come ready to discuss and do so. You are expected to come with your one or two questions of your own for discussion to supplement the TA’s agenda. Second, each class will begin with a brief writing assignment that will quickly verify that you have done the reading for that session. These assignments are intended to insure that you come to class prepared. They will be graded on a scale of 0-2: zero if you do not turn it in or it is clear you did not do the reading; one if your response is adequate; two if it is superior. The week of MARCH 24-28 you will submit your research paper topic and a brief bibliography in lieu of the quiz.

Research Paper

25%

The research paper, due April 27, provides students with an opportunity to delve more deeply into a subject that has sparked their interest. The aim of the paper is to get students working not only with secondary sources, but primary ones as well. Students must draw principally on primary material for this paper and MAY NOT SOLELY RELY ON INTERNET SOURCES, whether primary or secondary.

The paper should be approximately 6-8 pages, but absolutely no longer. It should be double spaced, with 1” margins all around and in 12-point font. It should have a title. The subject of the paper is open, as long as it deals with postwar Soviet history. Students might want to consider topics in areas that get less attention in this course than others, but are nonetheless profoundly significant, such as the Cold War or Soviet foreign policy. Alternatively, if students have a thematic interest, such as history of medicine or women’s history, those are also possible areas to pursue. If you choose a topic that explores Soviet history beyond the USSR’s own borders, such as, for example, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the focus MUST be squarely on the SOVIET aspect of the story. In other words, don’t turn in a paper on JFK, or even on JFK’s policy toward the USSR, and expect to get a passing grade. By contrast, a paper on Khrushchev’s policy toward the US is a legitimate topic. Some broad categories for consideration include, but are not limited to:

Diplomacy	Sports	Space Race
Medicine, Science, Technology	Ecology	Women, Gender, Family
Education	Demographics	Minorities
Social Problems (e.g. Alcoholism)	Perestroika, Glasnost	Post-Soviet Politics, Culture
Afghan War	Agriculture	Art/Film
Literature	Human Rights	Economics

Final exam

25%

The final exam is scheduled for TUESDAY, MAY 13 at 7:00 p.m. It will have a format identical to the midterm. A take home essay question will be distributed at least one week before the final exam and is due when the in class portion of the exam is administered. Short answers, which require that the student define and give the significance of a term understood in a broad context, will be drawn from a finite list distributed in advance. The exam is scheduled for XXX. It will be held in our regular room, SH40. It should only take about an hour or a little more, but you will have the full two hours if you need it. See study guide

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