Author: chris

• Describe the varieties of religious experience and practice in a wide range of cultures.

• Analyze the similarities and differences in the primary beliefs held by major religious traditions and the cultures in which these religions evolved.

World War I and World War II : How would you compare the causes of these two global conflicts? Also, how was the first war related to the second? Finally, What made these conflicts global conflicts?

What were the most significant causes and results of the Crusades? Consider religious, economic, and social factors in your analysis. Were the Crusades, on balance, a major mistake? Why or why not?

Discuss the most visible reminder of thirteen-century beliefs: the Gothic cathedrals.  Describe the architectural style we call Gothic.  What interests did these building serve?  How did the cathedrals, their glass, and their sculptures reflect their time and mentality?

Based on the Supreme Court’s findings in United States vs. Miller (1939), DC vs. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010), discuss the following. If the Second Amendment does create an individual right, how broad is the right?  Does it include the right to possess arms that would be useful to a militia today–hand grenades, rocket launchers, etc.?  Or does it create only a right to possess arms that would have been used by a militia in 1791–muskets?  Or is the right answer somewhere between these extremes?

What did the socialist revolutionaries in Russia want during WWI?

Write an essay that discusses the reasons why President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Consider the culture at that time and the following questions as you write your essay:

• What were some of the arguments for and against the decision?
• How have historians differed on their interpretation of the decision?
• In your view, what eventually led Truman to make up his mind?
• Did his decision have any unintended consequences?

• Specify ways that women and minorities have responded to challenges and made contributions to American culture.

• Examine how changes in social and economic conditions and technology can cause corresponding changes in the attitudes of the people and policies of the government.