Japanese History

History 162
Summer 2022
Take Home Final Exam
DUE: Aug 10 by 11:00 AM EST
Final Exam Process:
1. Select one of the news stories about Japan from the list (on Moodle).
2. Read the article carefully and evaluate it. What are the key points or
arguments? Are there any errors or misleading statements?
3. Next, prepare to discuss the article. What context or additional information
might a general reader need to understand the article? Draw on our lectures,
textbook, and primary sources as you prepare.
4. Share the article with someone who is relatively unfamiliar with Japanese
history and culture and evaluate the article including a discussion of its
significance, explaining and giving context as necessary. Answer any
questions they might have.
5. Reflect on the experience of reading the article and discussing it and write
your final essay according to the following instructions.
Final Essay (~5 pages, no more than 1500 words):
1. Begin with a summary and evaluation of the news story that includes the
title of the story, author, and publication. Be thorough but concise – this
should be no more than 1 page of the essay.
2. Evaluate and critique the article by drawing on our lectures, textbook, and/or
primary sources. You must refer specifically to at least two primary sources.
Be sure to cite your sources.
3. Tell me who you discussed the article with and describe your conversation
about the article. What did you have to explain? What questions were raised
and how did you respond?
4. Reflect on how your understanding of this story has been informed by our
class – what do you see or understand now that you would not have seen or
understood before taking the class?
Format & Requirements:
• Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
• Include a word count at the end of the essay.
• Draw on at least two primary sources in your essay. Your references must be
specific and substantive.
• You must include citations, and they should follow the format used in the
analytical papers, ex. (Lecture, 4/12) (Gordon, 93) (Musui’s Story, 103)
Notes on Grading:
An A essay will address all four elements of the assignment thoroughly. It will
demonstrate the student’s ability to summarize and evaluate an article about Japan,
as well as their ability to put that story into a wider historical context through
meaningful engagement with the lectures, primary sources, and/or the textbook
from our class. It will not contain any factual errors. It will also contain a serious
and thoughtful reflection on the discussion of the article as well as the student’s
experience in the class.
A B essay will address all four elements as noted above, but the discussion,
summary, and/or reflection may be uneven in quality. The essay may include
minor errors of interpretation, but no major factual errors. Engagement with the
lectures, textbook, and/or primary sources may be uneven or limited.
A C grade will reflect a student who left out one or more elements of the
assignment and/or made a significant factual error in their discussion or analysis.
Reflection might be shallow or incomplete and the essay may lack meaningful
engagement with the lectures, textbook, and/or primary sources.
D grades will show some effort to address the assignment but may contain multiple
major errors of fact or be missing significant pieces of the assignment. The essay
might address all parts of the assignment but lack any references to primary or
secondary sources.
Components:
Summary & Evaluation
Preparation for Discussion
Discussion
Reflection