Study Guide for the Final Exam
 

The final will exam will have six essay questions – three philosophy questions and three questions representing other disciplines in the humanities.   Every essay should have a thesis, and you should provide specific and concrete evidence for your claims.  For example, you should name particular people, particular works of art, particular characters, etc.  Use these essays to display your knowledge.
 

The three humanities questions will be drawn from the following list:

1. Develop a thesis about the conceptions of the hero found within the Iliad and the Aeneid.  Include in your discussion a consideration of the cultural contexts within which these works were produced and/or appreciated.
    
2. Develop an interesting comparison looking at the selections that we read from The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Golden Ass, and The Divine Comedy. 
    
3. Pick four or more representative works of religious architecture from  different cultures, and write an essay in which you show how the architecture of these works is related to the religious beliefs and practices of their societies. One of the eras that you consider should be the Medieval era.
    
4. Many people believe that science is a very modern development.  Reflecting on a number of the periods we have covered, discuss whether this belief is correct.
    
5. Develop an interesting thesis comparing the presentation of the human body in the art of at least three of the eras that we have covered.  One of the eras that you consider should be the Medieval era.
    
6. “Prometheus Bound and The Trojan Women reveal that the Greeks had a view of life, ethics, and religion that is fundamentally different from that of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition.”  Defend or attack this claim.  Make reference to the Book of Job in your essay.
   
   
   
   The three philosophy questions will be taken from the following list:
    
7. Consider the morality advocated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  Is this compatible with what Socrates/Plato advocated in the Gorgias?
    
8. Evaluate Boethius’ proposed answer to the problem of the compatibility of God’s foreknowledge and human free will. Make sure you (a) explain the problem clearly; (b) explain Boethius’ answer clearly; and, (c) evaluate the answer clearly.
    
9. Consider the work of  al Farabi and Maimonides.  Do they develop philosophically coherent conceptions of God’s nature which also satisfy the basic requirements of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic concept of God.  Do they do this in similar or fundamentally different ways?  Explain and evaluate their viewpoints.   
    

10. Develop a response to the following claim: “Reason and faith are fundamentally incompatible, so, you cannot at the same time be a person of faith and be a rational person.” In developing your response use Aquinas and Ibn Rushd. Consider the following questions: Should people of faith engage in philosophy? Can philosophy produce proof of faith? Is faith open to rational argumentation? Or, does faith trump reason?
     

11. Evaluate Socrates’ argument in the Gorgias that suffering harm is better than doing harm. Make sure you take a clear stance on this issue, explain Socrates’ defense of his position, and clearly evaluate his defense and the claim itself.
     

12. Using Aristotle, develop a response to the following claim: “The state is a fully artificial construction. There is no natural end or purpose of political life—it is merely the exercise of power.”