Study outline for Final Exam in English 346—Ethnic American Literature–Fall 2002

The final exam consists of an essay about 500 words long on a topic involving Woman Hollering Creek, Ceremony and one of the works read before the Midterm: Joy Luck Club, Brothers and Keepers and Maus. Whenever possible compare and contrast the way they treat the same subject. Support general claims with reference to specific incidents and characters. This is a closed book exam.

On the exam you will be given three of the following topics from which you will choose one. The essay will be marked with a letter grade that counts 15% of the final grade. If you indicate that you are taking this class for GWR credit, the essay will also be marked "pass" or "no-pass." A passing essay contains a clear thesis and several unified, coherent paragraphs providing specific evidence supporting their topic sentences, and no more than two or three grammatical or punctuation errors.

  1. The authors we have read in this course introduce the reader to elements of culture, religion and language unfamiliar to readers who dont share their ethnic background. Describe some of these "strange" elements and the way the reader learns to understand them in the course of reading the book. Argue for or against the claim that learning to read these books achieves an overall social benefit.
  2. The authors we have read use playful and experimental techniques to give variety and shape to their books. Compare and contrast some of the ways they depart from conventional ways of telling a story and creating a unified structure.
  3. Compare and contrast ways the societies represented by the authors we have read limit and/or acknowledge the powers of women.
  4. Compare and contrast the ways books we have read move from dissonance and despair to resolution and affirmation as they conclude.
  5. The books we have read are set within geographically as well as ethnically defined American subcultures. Compare and contrast the description of landscape and climate and their significance in the works considered.
  6. Discuss the negative and positive effects of large historical forces like prejudice, war, economic exploitation and migration on personal lives.
  7. One person’s religion is another person’s superstition. How are religious practises and beliefs both critiqued and affirmed in the works considered?