Final Exam, HST 344 Leipzig

HST 344

Summer, 2009, Leipzig

Final Exam

Open Book Exam! You must work independently with no help from anyone, and no discussion among members of the class! Send your exam to john.heitmann@notes.udayton.edu no later than June 22, 2009.

I Identification and historical significance (50 pts.). Answer five (5) of the following eight (8) people, places, and things in a concise and detailed paragraph for each of five sentences or less.

1. Fred and August Duesenberg

2. Sitdown and the Coming of the UAW

3. The Jeep and WWII Popular Culture

4. The Cadillac as a Symbol of Post-WWII Success in America

5. Ben Hamper’s Rivethead

6. Ralph Nader and Unsafe at Any Speed (1965)

7. Lowriders and Hispanic Culture

8. Oil Shock II, 1979

II Essay. (50 pts.) Answer one of the following by writing a coherent essay harnessing factual evidence whenever possible. Your answer should have both an introduction and a conclusion.

1. It seems obvious that the current decline in the American automobile industry didn‘t happen in the past six months, or even the past few years. In your own words and using what you have learned in this course, trace the decline of the American industry, making sure to discuss key aspects and developments in chronological fashion. Do you think this decline was inevitable or not, and why?

B. Discuss recent developments in car culture, post 1960, in terms of music, film, and literature. Why is culture integral to developing an understanding of the place of the automobile in American life?