in file

Preparing for the Midterm

Thinking about the question and your essay

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Introduction 1
The question
Sources
Breaking down question into its parts
How to write an expository essay
Thesis, arguments/evidence, conclusion
Paragraphs, topic sentences, word limit
Essay objectives
Familiarity with evidence, arguments and materials
Accurately summarize, compare and contrast, critically evaluate
Test both easy and hard
No surprises
High level of quality required

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Introduction 2
Comparing Diamond, Morris and Gordon
Geography, technology and destiny
Diamond: Geography Is Destiny
Morris: Geography Destiny until Now
Gordon: Technology Is Destiny until Now
Lesson
Diamond: we are all the same but where we came from shaped our relative power
Morris: for most of the last 14,000 years Western Eurasia was wealthier and more power using than Eastern Eurasia but maybe not going forward
Gordon: between 1870 and 1970 the US grew faster than anywhere at any time before of since. Don’t count on it continuing

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Preparing for the Midterm (part 2)
Thinking about the question and your essay: breaking apart the question

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The Question
Compare, contrast and critically evaluate Jared Diamond, Ian Morris and Robert Gordon in analyzing the causes and consequences of the pace and pattern of growth

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Sources
Course
Lectures
Videos
Readings (primarily Gordon)
Outside material
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310651303_Book_Review_of_the_Rise_and_Fall_of_American_Growth_by_Robert_J_Gordon_Princeton_University_Press_2016 (download pdf button upper right)

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Growth of What?
Power
Wealth
Income
Harnessing energy
Productivity
Living standards
Technology
Aggregate growth
Per capita growth

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Comparing Who or What?
Eurasian civilization compared to Western Hemisphere and other Neolithic societies
Asia vs the West meaning Europe and after Columbus the trans-Atlantic society of Europe and the colonized parts of the Western Hemisphere
100 years of the second industrial revolution compared to 50 subsequent years of slowdown

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Pace and Pattern
Changes in rate of growth
Changes in the location of growth

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Causes
Geography
Technology
Organization
Cities
Governments
Infrastructure
Education
Markets
Natural resources
Integration and sharing: trade
Spatial
Technological

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Consequences
Standard of living
Inequality/equality
Power
Crises

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Preparing for the Midterm (part 3)
Thinking about the question and your essay: how to write your essay and how your essay will be graded

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The Question
Compare, contrast and critically evaluate Jared Diamond, Ian Morris and Robert Gordon in analyzing the causes and consequences of the pace and pattern of growth

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How to write your essay 1
Expository essay
Introductory paragraph
Thesis
Outline of argument
Supporting paragraphs
Topic sentence in each a sub-thesis supporting general argument
Followed by evidence supporting sub-thesis
Concluding paragraph
Summarizes and tells the importance and limitations of your conclusions
You are limited to 1000 words.
Keep an eye on the word count
Reserve enough time to have your essay read by another or others
Revise and edit your essay based on the feedback you receive
Clear well written essays are the necessary if not sufficient condition for a good grade

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How to write your essay 2
Essay objectives
Show familiarity with material
Accurately summarize what you choose to include
Pick issues that are central showing you understand the big picture
Pick examples that are telling showing how specific evidence illustrates central issues
Show ability to compare and contrast the three authors
The web is full of material summarizing each author but not full of material comparing the three
Here you show your own understanding by indicating where these authors are similar in their topics and approaches and where they differ in theses, evidence and conclusions
Show you ability to critically evaluate each and all three authors
Where are they insightful
Where do each or all of them fall short in either the questions they ask, the evidence they bring or the conclusions they reach
Tell your reader what all this means
Why is it important or not important
What should your reader conclude from these materials?

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How to write your essay 3
Grading your essay
I will read your introductory and concluding paragraphs before I read you whole essay
Make sure that the key thesis, arguments and conclusions can be found there
But your middle paragraphs will be where you show familiarity and understanding of the material
Your grade will be based on
Clarity of thesis
A thesis is stated in a declarative simple clear argumentative sentence
Example
(good) “We cannot understand our future if we do not understand our past”
(bad) “Understanding the past and future are important”
(bad) “Some people think about the past and others think about the future”

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How to write your essay 4
Your grade will be based on
Essay organization
Writing in paragraphs
Introductory and concluding paragraphs
Topic sentence in each paragraph
Topic sentences avoid passive (“to be”) construction
Clear sentences
More simple and fewer compound or run-on sentences
Accurate word usage
Showing familiarity with course materials
It is permissible to use Wikipedia or other sources to help you understand these authors
But you need to demonstrate a familiarity and understanding of the readings, videos and lectures in the course also

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How to write your essay 5
Your grade will be based on
An ability to accurately summarize the material you deem relevant
Get your facts right
Get your summary of the authors’ arguments right
Pick central arguments and facts showing you understand the basic and central points of the issues you deem relevant
An ability to critically evaluate the material you find relevant
Knowing what is relevant is one demonstration of a critical understanding of the material
Finding points of contention or contradiction between the authors is another demonstration of a critical understanding
Identifying the limitations or anomalies in the author(s) evidence or arguments is also a demonstration of a critical understanding

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Adding a “hook” to your essay
All great expository essays begin with a hook that captures the importance of a thesis in a striking and memorable way
Typical expository essays place their thesis in the first sentence of the essay
Examples:
Energy and technology determine how societies differ in their wealth and power.
Looking over decades, technology apparently drives growth but looking over millennia geography becomes the fundamental driver
Examples with hooks however tie a thesis to its importance
Getting on the wrong side of history boils down to getting on the wrong side of technology. Energy and technology determine how societies differ in their wealth and power.
It is not who you are but where you are that determinizes your society’s destiny. Looking over decades, technology apparently drives growth but looking over millennia geography becomes the fundamental driver

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This Essay is both Easy and hard
There are no surprises or “got you” aspects to this test
You see the question coming
You do not have to write from memory
You have plenty of time
You can work with others and/or get feedback from others
You have time to rewrite and refine your essay
The standards for this essay are high
Good clear writing is essential
You have to triage your argument and evidence to fit within 1000 words
You have to synthesize three authors who are related but not the same
You have to have a thesis: you cannot hide behind vagueness and indecision
You have to show that you KNOW the material and are not just cribbing from Wikipedia

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Warning About Grades
Because of the way this exam is being administered (open book, week long, cooperation etc) students will write a better midterm than they usually do in other classes
This leads to an expectation that their grade will be high
But the bar has been raised by the way the rules have been set
Typically, the average essay is a B- or a C+
Of the 90 plus students in this course, only about 10 will receive an A and another about 10 an A-
About half (45 students will receive a B- or less)
This easy exam is hard!
Familiarity, understanding, critical evaluation all wrapped in clear expository writing are baseline criteria for a B- or above grade

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Preparing for the Midterm (part 4)
Thinking about the question and your essay: basics of comparing Diamond, Morris and Gordon emphasizing Morris

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The Question
Compare, contrast and critically evaluate Jared Diamond, Ian Morris and Robert Gordon in analyzing the causes and consequences of the pace and pattern of growth

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Jared Diamond: Guns Germs and Steel
Ian Morris: Why the West Rules for Now
Robert Gordon:
Rise and Fall of American Economic Growth
Diamond: Geography Is Destiny
Morris: Geography Destiny until Now
Gordon: Technology Is Destiny until Now
(This is a bit simple but helps get one started thinking about these folks)

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Gordon: economic growth we still consider our due, and expect to continue forever, was in fact a one-time-only event
Second Industrial Revolution
1870 to 1970
electricity
urban sanitation
chemicals and pharmaceuticals
the internal combustion engine
modern communication
Digital Revolution
1970 to the Future
computers
the web
artificial intelligence
robotics
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/books/review/the-powers-that-were.html

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One Time Event?
How Fast Do Economies Grow?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9491855-why-the-west-rules-for-now

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Economic Growth Exploded with Industrial Revolution
https://hardlywritten.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/why-the-west-rules-for-now/
The Social Development Index shows the West leading until the 6th century, China leading until the 18th century, and the West leading again in the modern era.

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Ian Morris’ Growth Index and Thesis
Measure and Source of Economic Growth
energy capture
organization/urbanization
war making
information technology
Theses:
the difference in the west’s lead is the benefit of geography, not some innate superiority. 
the east surpassed the west for over a thousand years from approximately 500 CE to about 1700 CE
social development has stalled many times due to a ceiling on development that limits the scope of a society’s ability to continue developing 

Why The West Rules – For Now

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Morris:
Geography and Climate Shape Agricultural Takeoff
When agriculture was first invented, areas with reliable rainfall benefited most.
Irrigation benefited drier areas such as Egypt and the Fertile Crescent.
Plants and animals more easily domesticated gave certain areas an early advantage, especially the Fertile Crescent and China.
Development of Africa and the Americas started on the same path, but it was delayed by thousands of years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now

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Morris:
Water Connected and Facilitated Growth
With the development of ships in Eurasia, rivers became trade routes.
Europe and empires in Greece and Rome benefited from the Mediterranean,
China built the Grand Canal for similar purposes).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now

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Morris:
Pandemics Undercut Civilization
Raids from the Eurasian Steppe brought diseases that caused epidemics in settled populations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now

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Morris:
Geography Destiny—Oceans become Rivers
After the development of ocean-going ships, the significantly greater size of the Pacific Ocean made trans-Atlantic exploration and trade more feasible and profitable for Europe than trans-Pacific exploration and trade for East Asia.
Though the mariner’s compass was invented in China in the 11th century, Chinese exploration was less successful than the European Age of Discovery and subsequent colonization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now

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Morris:
Geography Destiny—Disease
Eurasian diseases to which people in the Americas had no immunity were a byproduct of Eurasian development that devastated Native Americans after contact, in addition to superior European weapons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now

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Morris:
Information becomes Rivers: Geography No Longer Destiny
Globalization and advances in information technology are leveling differences between civilizational areas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now

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2) write in paragraphs.

the intro should have a hook, thesis and supporting sub-arguments which outline the argument of the essay.  All the body paragraphs should have topic sentences at their beginning.  These topic sentences should relate closely to the sub-argument sentences in your intro paragraph.  The concluding paragraph should have a take-away sentence that captures the meaning or implication of your essay. 

3) highlight your “hook”, thesis, topic sentences and take-away sentence

4) you are limited to a maximum of1000 words not counting your name(s) and any citations you may provide

5) citations may be informal. outside information is fine. but you need to demonstrate a familiarity with material assigned in the course that is relevant to the question.

6) Avoid plagiarism.  If you rely on material from outside the course, be sure to cite your source(s).  If you have any concerns about this, here is a page describing the issue of plagiarism.  They key point is that plagiarism is easy to catch even if you are paraphrasing.  So avoid this pitfall.

7) points for this essay will be weighted as follows:

Question:

“Compare, contrast, and critically Evaluate Jared Diamond, Ian Morris, and Robert Gordon in analyzing the causes and consequences of the pace and pattern of growth.”

This essay should demonstrate a critical understanding of each author and the relationships between them as well as an understanding of the course material relevant to this question.

Essay instructions:

Write in paragraphs with an introductory and concluding paragraph plus 3 or 4 body paragraphs.  Your introductory paragraph should have one sentence which is the thesis or basic argument of the essay.  Each of the body paragraphs should have topic sentences that proclaim the basic argument of that paragraph. Each of those topic sentences should support the main thesis of the essay.  In your introductory paragraph also place the sub-arguments found in the topic sentences of your body paragraphs.  This can be simply replicating those topic sentences or they can be restatements or re-phrasings of those topic sentences.  The concluding paragraph summarizes your essay following the basic rule of tell the reader what your are going to say, say it and then tell the reader what  you said.  You concluding paragraph should also have a “so what” sentence which tells the reader the punchline or take-away or meaning of your essay.  This punchline sentence can then be the basis for a “hook” sentence at the beginning of your introductory paragraph that draws the reader into your essay.

Highlight in yellow your hook sentence, thesis sentence, topic sentences and so-what or take-away sentence. 

General instructions:

You are limited to 1000 words.  Provide an introductory paragraph summarizing your argument (including both the theses and your critical evaluation of the thesis).  Write in paragraphs with each paragraph containing a topic sentence at its beginning which states the sub-thesis or supporting argument explained and supported in that paragraph.  Provide a concluding paragraph which summarizes your argument and critical evaluation plus indicates the importance of the issue and you position on the issue.

This is an open book, open notes, open web, open submitted assignments exam.  However, to the extent you quote or paraphrase the material of others, please add an endnote indicating your source.  The form of citation may be informal but if it comes from the web, please include the website url.  Note that your essay may be submitted to a service that scrapes the web for possible plagiary.  You may work from home or the library as well as the classroom.