1.)       We have, in class, begun to find links between the Judge Dee stories and Confucius' philosophy. Show this relationship with a few examples. But let's go the next step as well: Do the criminals exhibit behavior that is not consistent with Confucianism? In other words, could we track the suspect and then identify the guilty parties purely on the basis of how well each does, or does not, conform to Confucianism? Explain with examples.

2.)      The documents entitled Mitylenian Debate (Thucydides) and the Darius ‘trialogue’ (Herodotos) offer some answers as to why Athenian democracy failed. Using these and any other evidence/explanations at hand, explain the failure of Greek democracy. Do these documents have it about right? Or not?
          In other words, do these critics of Athenian democracy sufficiently explain the failure for you? Is there more to add to the story? Please explain.

3.)      The Isidasi story/sutra reveals the basic tenets of Buddhism. Explain Buddhism through this story, showing how Isidasi’s story, step by step, is consistent with other Buddhist writings, e.g., Buddha’s First Sermon.

4.)          Confucian thinking provided a great deal of support and stability to Chinese life, culture, society and politics.
           Explain the basic ideas of Confucianism with an eye to showing how it provided such a solid, lasting, foundation for centuries of continuity to the Chinese people, especially in the areas of politics, society and the individual.

5.)         In class, we examined the conservative approaches of both Cato and Confucius. In detail, what is conservative about each of these two approaches to life? How do they compare? Is there any place in the readings or in your thinking that the conservative notion breaks down in either or both?

6.       How does the Eastern Worldview of Confucius, or that pictured in the Book of Esther compare and/or contrast with the Western Worldview, e.g., in Plutarch or Pericles Funeral Oration? Cites specific examples to build your case.

7.       Cato and Tiberius each had a plan for re-vitalizing the Roman Republic. Describe each plan generally  -- what was it made of, what sort of assumptions were involoved, how would it help Rome, etc.  Then evaluate Tiberius' and Cato's plans: what benefits and/or drawbacks do you see? Which makes more/better sense to you?

8.       The rise of Christianity has often been explained in terms of the message of "Jesus of Nazareth" or the "Organization" of the Early Church. Explain these two positions. Which seems most useful in explaining the rise of Christianity? Why this one and not the other?

One student has asked: "What sort of response will effectively deal with the short-answer or Identification Terms?"

To do well on each term requires  A.) definition; B.) placement in a historical context; C.) an explanation of one historical significance. So for example, the following response to the term, Pentakosiomedimnoi, 'Aces' it:

A.) Defined as one of four citizen classes resulting from Solon's reforms of 6th-century B.C. Athens. This was the top or elite class from which political leadership was drawn, and to be listed among them, a person produced the equivalent of 500 or more bushels of wheat annually.

B.) The Athens of Solon's day had fallen into serious trouble because of the drastic increase of Athenian debt-slaves and the enormous power of the wealthy 'Areopagos' class of nobles who were buying up the land and people. This created a revolutionary powder-keg with the fuse lit. Solon de-fused the situation with his reforms.

C.) By moving Athens off the political-economic-social basis of aristocracy and into a meritocracy (or plutocracy or timocracy), Solon changed Athenian life forever, setting the Greek world on the path to democracy. His reforms linked an increasing economic power through production and trade with a growing sense of political equality that has its influences even today.

Observation: Of course we could raise various quibbles with this response, but as a short answer it would get a 10-out-of-10 from me because of its precise definition, detailed historical context and it provided one very significant result.

Quibbles? A more historical significance might center on Solon's elite class as a set-up for the revolution of Pisistratos which put in place a more equal distribution of wealth, or, said in another way, Solon's reforms were unfinished and that Pisistratos carried Solon's ideas to their logical conclusion of relating economic equality to democracy by his destruction of the Pentakosiomedimnoi class.

Or, a response might spend more time on the economics of how this elite class put Athens into the place of becoming a merchant state through the production of olive oil and wine, and then trading it throughout the Mediterranean in exchange for raw materials (like grains to eat and minerals/timber to fashion with Athenian labor into more products for trade) and how that trade necessitated the premier Navy of the day, and in time, led Athens into becoming the first major empire of the Ancient Western world (and then, of course, to the Peloponnesian War, then to the Kingdoms of Alexander, then to the conquests of these Greek Kingdoms by Rome, and then, and then....).

NOTE:

So, the point is that no one answer is the only best answer.   On the other hand, all best answers respond with some precise detail and explain a larger historical significance in the response.

All these questions (ID and Essay) are open-ended (i.e., no 'answer book'), so construct your arguments with your own thought, back them up with much evidence, explain how that evidence supports your line of thinking, then conclude clearly even if you do present two or more sides to the inquiry. Your thinking, and your expression of it, matters more than any particular conclusion. So, please, gain depth through the use of the sources.