Lesson Report:
**Title:** Midterm Preparations: Short Answer and Essay Skills – Political Terms, Concepts, and Argumentation
**Synopsis:**
In today’s session, the focus shifted from the scheduled lecture on elections and political parties towards preparations for the upcoming midterm exam. The instructor responded to students’ concerns about the midterm by running a series of review activities aimed at practicing short answer and essay writing skills. Students were assigned to groups and worked on articulating relationships between political concepts, providing real-world examples, and constructing outlines for essay responses. The overall goal was to enhance the students’ ability to clearly explain complex concepts and write concise and analytical answers, similar to what will be expected during the exam.
—
**Attendance:**
– Absent: Samira (left early), Mahabat, Gleb
—
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Introduction & Midterm Schedule Overview**
– Overview of the upcoming midterm exam, split into two parts:
– *Tuesday*: Multiple choice and short answer sections (50-60 minutes)
– *Thursday*: Essay section (also 50-60 minutes)
– *Notes Policy*: Students may bring paper notes only (no electronics allowed). Violating this rule will result in removal from the exam.
2. **Group Activity – Relating Political Concepts**
– Students were assigned or reassigned into groups to discuss two core political concepts (e.g., sovereignty and coercion, checks and balances, institutions) assigned by the instructor.
– **Objective**: Write a two-sentence explanation of each pairing, describing the relationship between the concepts: whether one influences the other, how they interact, or if they represent opposing ideas.
3. **Exchange and Critique of Explanations**
– Groups exchanged their two-sentence explanations with others and evaluated each other’s work.
– **Key Instructions**: Ensure that the sentences clarified the link between the terms concisely.
4. **Real-World Example Development**
– After exchanging explanations, groups were tasked with finding concrete real-world examples to illustrate the relationship they described.
– Example provided by the instructor: *Fascism and Coercion*, with Nazi Germany as a key historical case study.
– Groups then worked on their own historical or contemporary examples to showcase the relationships between their concepts.
5. **Presentations**
– Groups were asked to present their work, including:
– The relationship between the two terms
– A practical real-world example
– Examples provided by groups included:
– **Sovereignty and Coercion**: Example of China’s response to the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong
– **Checks and Balances**: The UK parliamentary system holding the Prime Minister accountable
– **Stability and Economic Recession**: U.S. government response during the 1930s Great Depression
6. **Exam Preparation: Short Answer and Essay Writing Tips**
– **Short Answer Guidance**:
– Responses should be concise, direct, and show practical examples.
– Avoid “fluff” or unnecessary elaboration. Focus on essential points only.
– **Essay Structure Preparation**:
– Basic structure: Introduction (with hook and thesis statement), two body paragraphs (topic sentence, supporting details), conclusion.
– The thesis statement should be clear, allowing the reader to understand the argument and the structure of the essay.
– Analogies were provided, including a mock essay prompt on Beshbarmak to demonstrate effective essay writing using clearer topic sentences and supporting details.
– **Outline Creation**: Students were tasked with transforming their group work into an essay outline with a thesis and planned body paragraphs.
7. **Final Review and Q&A**
– Brief questions and reminders about the content and structure of the midterms, particularly emphasizing the essay format.
– The instructor reiterated the importance of studying the terms and concepts on the midterm review sheet available on the course platform.
—
**Actionable Items:**
– **Urgent**:
– Prepare for Tuesday’s midterm part 1 (multiple choice and short answers).
– Bring necessary paper notes but **no electronic devices** to the midterm exam.
– **Short-term**:
– Review midterm study sheet available on e-course. Ensure understanding of 50+ political terms and their interrelationships.
– Familiarize with the structure of short answer and essay responses, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and practical examples.
– **Post-Exam**:
– For any attendance issues like lateness or absence, students need to provide valid documentation (spravka) or email the instructor and department head (Gurken).
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
Justification: The transcript focuses on in-class review activities and preparation for the upcoming midterm, but no explicit homework assignment was given. Instead, students were instructed to check the midterm review sheet on the “eCourse” page to prepare for the exam.