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Exam #1

This exam is worth a total of 15 points toward your final grade. Exams will be completed by creating a Microsoft Word (.docx) document, just like Paper 1.

 

The exam has two sections:

  • Five short-answer identification questions worth two points each (choose 5 out of 8).

  • One essay question worth five points (choose 1 out of 2).

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This is a written exam that you complete at the your own pace. I will post the exam on this page and e-mail it to the class as a Microsoft Word document at 6 pm on Tuesday, October 12, and it is due back to me by e-mail to dhopper@marymount.edu at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 15. You may use the book, your notes, my slides, and class videos, but you must not collaborate with other students after you receive the exam. (You may, and should, study together with other students before the exam starts.)

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Late exams will not be accepted.

 

Here is how to prepare for the exam generally:

Make sure that you are familiar with all of the major concepts we have covered so far in the course. I have slides and class session videos on the web page recapping some of the key definitions.  The textbook has explanations throughout, as well as a glossary.

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Meet with other students in the class to compare notes and help each other prepare. If your study group meets with me to review concepts and present possible term definitions, everyone in the group gets a point of extra credit.
 

Here is how to prepare for the first part of the exam specifically:

In the first part of the exam, I will give you a list of eight terms. Choose any five of them, and give me a definition of the term and an example. The example must be a real example from international politics. For example, if I give you the term "autocracy" you would respond by writing something like "An autocracy is a political system in which rulers are chosen by a small number of people. For example, China is an autocracy because the leaders are chosen by a small group of party members rather than the people as a whole." That would be a good answer, because it has a definition and a real example.  Answers should be 2-3 sentences long.

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Here is a list of just some of the terms that I might choose to put on the exam; although this is not a complete list:
 

  • Authoritarianism

  • Autocracy

  • Coalition government

  • Delegation

  • Democracy

  • Legitimacy

  • Majoritarianism

  • Parliamentary Democracy

  • Presidential Democracy

  • Prime Minister

  • Proportional Representation

  • Selectorate

  • Totalitarianism

 

Here is how to prepare for the second part of the exam specifically:

In the second part of the exam, I will ask you two questions.  Choose one of them to answer.  Your answer should be in the form of an essay.  A good answer will probably be about three to five paragraphs. Both questions will ask you about a concept we used in the course, and how they work in practice.  They will rely on one of the extended discussions in a class about how a system works, and you will be expected to understand that system and be able to not just name an example, but describe how that example fulfills the definition of the system.  Prepare for the exam by reviewing your notes during our class discussions.

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