12-Guggisberg_Aggrey_Damas_Senghor(1).pdf (xula.edu) https://www.kanopy.com/xula/video/afrique-je-te-pl… Congo and Africa’s World War: Crash Course World History 221 – YouTube

HIST 2600: AFRICA AND THE WORLD

FINAL EXAM: SUMMER
(no late papers accepted)
This is a written, out-of-class exam essay. This means that you cannot simply rely on a broad knowledge of your notes and readings. You
have days, not hours. You should use all materials – notes, readings, primary documents, and films – from THIS CLASS. You have
access to all of them while you are writing and should utilize them as the historical primary and secondary sources to support your
arguments. You cannot simply repeat what is said by others, or what you have read, although you can and should certainly use your last
few discussion posts to help you. There is no need for you to seek out other information on-line; this information will likely be
extraneous. You will find that utilizing AI also has the potential to lead you down tunnels that dance around the issues and don’t provide
the necessary depth and detail. You should utilize CLASS MATERIALS. Through analytical reasoning, you must find a way to
synthesize all relevant sources (films, secondary, primary), integrate them into your argument, and use them to support a clear and strong
THESIS. This is the basis of analytical thinking and writing. For more information, see Writing Historical Essays on Brightspace.
Details:
• The essay should be 1,200-1,800 words (double-spaced, Times, 12pt, 1.25” margins). Although some of you may
want to write far more, presenting a clear &concise argument is a skill. I will not ready beyond 1,800 words.
• Citations – you do not need to cite general knowledge and lecture material, but you should provide citations (style is
your choice but be consistent) for direct quotes, specific facts, and the ideas of others. I would advise you to avoid
using any long quotes because they will diminish the space for your own thoughts. Be very wary of using anything
that is NOT YOUR OWN WORK (plagiarism is plagiarism, whether you use the work of another person or an AI
bot). If you do you risk being caught and failing the course. Nobody wants that.
• There is no need to repeat the question. This only takes away from your own writing space.
• Don’t forget a TITLE and PAGE NUMBERS. See Brightspace for more essay writing tips.
Recommended Procedure:
1. Read the question closely, paying particular attention to the various components of it
2. Identify your secondary information and think about how you might organize your paragraphs (sections);
3. Prepare a general outline
4. Come up with a tentative thesis for the essay
5. Identify voices and data to provide evidence and support your arguments
6. Think about how you will develop your analysis (i.e., what does your evidence support?)
7. Write, revise and strengthen your topic sentences. Revise and strengthen your thesis
8. Write the first section of the essay, let it rest for a day, and go back and read and revise all; repeat for each section
until you get tired
9. Revise and strengthen your topic sentences. Revise and strengthen your thesis.
10. Write your conclusion. Revise your Introduction.
11. Proofread and edit the essay for content and grammar (polish!)
12. Write, revise and strengthen your topic sentences. Revise and strengthen your thesis
Question:
In Afrique Je te Plumerai, the filmmaker, Jean Marie Teno, asks the question: “How can a country composed of
well-structured traditional societies fail to succeed as a state?” He sets out to answer that question in the context of
Cameroon.
Focusing on Cameroon and Congo (you may choose to also bring in in support from other African countries that
we have studied in Modules 4, 5, and 6), and incorporating relevant videos, readings, and primary sources from
THIS CLASS, how would you respond to Teno’s question? Why had so many African countries failed as modern
states by the mid-1990s. Think about your response in political, economic, and socio-cultural terms and bring in
specific examples and voices to support your arguments. What historical circumstances have fostered failure and
hindered the success of independent African countries?