Below are all possible essay topics for your midterm exam. Please make sure to have your essays ready
for submission on your computer by the exam day (approximately three pages double spaced per essay).
On the exam day
...
Below are all possible essay topics for your midterm exam. Please make sure to have your essays ready
for submission on your computer by the exam day (approximately three pages double spaced per essay).
On the exam day, your instructor will choose three of them, and you will submit two of these three to
Sakai (Tests & Quizzes) as Word Documents of PDFs. You will have 75 minutes to complete your exam
in Sakai. The exam will begin in Sakai on March 1, promptly at 10:00 AM and end at 11:15 AM. Please
read your specific submission instructions in Sakai.
For your exam, be prepared to give precise answers to the questions. Avoid vague generalities that are not
backed up with specifics. Make references to relevant dates and names. Organization of the material is
important since it demonstrates your grasp of the subject.
Possible essay topics:
1. Write the history of England from the time of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) to the Glorious Revolution
(1688). How did England change politically, religiously and socially during this time period?
Make sure to identify major actors of this change as well as their contributions. Why did so many
Enlightened thinkers in continental Europe envy the post-1688 political model of England? What
made this model so unique and special, especially when one compared it with that of absolutist
monarchies in continental Europe? Do you see any connection between the political system that
emerged in England after the Glorious Revolution and that of the United States? Do you believe
that a representative political system is beneficial to society? How so?
2. France under Louis XIV was considered the best example of an absolute monarchy. Provide your
own definition of an “absolute monarchy” and reflect on the way such a political system is or is
not “absolute.” Why do you think Louis XIV embraced this particular political model?
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