Overview
FINAL EXAM
This exam is open-book and open-notes, but do not consult any other person or the exam answers of anyone in the class. The length of your response should be no more than 7 double-spaced pages (12-point Times New Roman or Cambria font, 1-inch margins). This exam is worth 30 percent of your final grade. While the prompt is the same as the midterm exam, we expect that your argument will have evolved from the midterm to the final. First, we expect you to incorporate material from the entire class for the final exam. Please write your final to reflect mastery of the full course content, i.e., do not just add two additional pages to your midterm essay and leave the rest of your essay the same. Second, we expect that you learned something from the feedback you received on your midterm.
Final Exam Prompt Does education promote socioeconomic opportunities or maintain socioeconomic inequalities, or do both? In explaining your answer, draw on material learned in lectures and readings
2
Guidelines on Final Exams (100 points total) I. Introductory section State your thesis, i.e., whether you will argue that education promotes socioeconomic opportunities or maintains socioeconomic inequalities, or both; Briefly state how you will support your argument; Do not include a title page, but do include a title at the top of your essay; II-IV (or however many sections you prefer). Main body sections Construct a logical sequence of sections that supports the argument you are making; Describe the main topic of each section or paragraph; Your argument should proceed in such a way as to convince the reader of the persuasiveness based on your handling of evidence; Use transitions between points to allow the reader to follow how your points relate to the argument you are making; Describe the evidence to support your argument; Draw on at least 7 readings and at least 7 references to material from lectures; Cite the readings/lectures as (last name and date) for readings and (Brand and week) for lectures, e.g., (Reardon 2011) or (Brand week 3); You can also jointly cite a reading and a reference to lecture material, e.g., (Reardon 2011; Brand week 3); Referencing the same reading or week of lecture multiple times counts as multiple citations; but we do want to see breadth of references;
3 You do not need a references section unless you draw on materials outside the course. We do not ask for any outside sources. If, however, there is something outside the course you want to cite, please supply a references section in APA format. Do not use footnotes. When drawing on lectures and readings, do so accurately and do so to facilitate a logical and persuasive argument; Demonstrate mastery of course concepts; Be thoughtful, reflective, and insightful; go beyond the words on the page; Do not draw on personal experiences as evidence for your midterm; V. Conclusion Include a concluding statement that summarizes your argument and the evidence you used to support your argument; Discuss the implications of your argument; Distribution of points Logical coherent, analytical, and reflective essay (40 points) Draws on lectures and readings and demonstrates mastery of the concepts (40 points) Writing quality (20 points)