Comments on: Final Exam questions

By: Dan Hirschman

Dan Hirschman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:45:27 +0000

Thanks for the syllabus!
The class looks fantastic! My view of economic sociology, I think, will forever be… warped? by the intense focus on networks and interlocks that I was taught (in an excellent course by Mizruchi, but still one with a particular focus). Because of that, I keep wondering what undergrad econ soc classes look like. Yours looks like it covers the topics I would want to cover, and I’ll have to track down the parts I haven’t read.

Good luck running the exam!

By: Jenn Lena

Jenn Lena — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:22:59 +0000

Ah.

This year I just told my Intro students the “topics” of the exam questions (e.g., question 1 will be on “globalization”) and STILL I had four students (so far) earn below a 40%. (I also had as many A’s as F’s, continuing my streak of Perfect Exam Composition.)

Btw, I had a “how is art like the global financial crisis” idea this morning on my way to work. What is our sched.?

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:20:08 +0000

I am enamored of this final exam approach. It fits my personality well, allowing me to be totally fair and transparent while also being totally unreasonable.

By: Jenn Lena

Jenn Lena — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:50:52 +0000

Wait. I don’t get to pick the questions on your final? YOU do it?

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:17:26 +0000

Dan – here’s the syllabus (pdf file). With some time I might be able to rustle up something multi-media-ish w/r/t the Cronon discussion.

The book itself is about the remaking of ‘nature’ on top of nature, so that what we think of now as nature (ie farmland) actually was a massive intervention into the prairie ecology of the Midwest.

The chapters on the grain trade and the hog trade are more specifically about futures and markets. I’d go into more detail now, but I am sure at least one of my students reads my blog and I may put that question on their final…

By: Dan Hirschman

Dan Hirschman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:40:40 +0000

This exam sounds fabulous – a couple of these would make decent prelim questions for the PhD program here!

Did you ever post the syllabus for this class, and if not, would you? It sounds great. I especially am interested in what you do with Cronon’s book – everyone from MacKenzie to Ted Porter cites that book for similar reasons, but I’ve not yet gotten to read it in the original, so to speak.