Past Exam 1 Study Guide - International Relations | INR 2001, Study notes of International Relations

Download Past Exam 1 Study Guide - International Relations | INR 2001 and more Study notes International Relations in PDF only on Docsity! INR 2001 Fall 2009 Exam 1 study guide Format The exam will have two parts: 1. Five short answer questions, 10 points each. By "short answer" I mean no more than three sentences. If you write more than that, you’ll probably run out of time on the essay. 2. Essay, 50 points. You will have more than one question to choose from. Each will require application of theories studied thus far to a broad question. Strategy 1. Budget your time. The biggest problem in the past has been that people spend too much time on the short answers, and run out on the essay. 2. So get to the point quickly. The challenge of the short answers is not just to know a lot about the question, but to be able to focus on the really important stuff and leave the rest out. If you try to tell us everything you know, you'll run out of time. The short answers are an exercise in concise thinking and ability to express major themes. 3. On the essay, begin by deciding what the theme of your answer will be; what argument you wish to make (and state it clearly). Without a central theme, you will not be able to organize the essay. You will also not know to what to leave out, and again you'll run out of time. Having formulated a basic argument, make sure that what follows supports it. Again, don't tell us everything you know. Writing a well-reasoned argument is the most important goal here. 4. Provide evidence to back up your argument, either in the form of references to the readings or with examples from the real world. This applies to both short answers and essays. A well-reasoned argument is much more convincing when it's also well-supported. 5. Write carefully. Grammar and spelling count. Exam questions will be selected from the following list. Most of these could be asked in either a short answer or essay form, requiring differing amounts of depth in the answer.