Exam #2

15 points.  Exam will be completed in-class. The exam is designed to take you 45 minutes, but you have have the full 75-minute class period if you want. You may not use books, notes, or electronic devices. (You may, and should, study together with other students before the exam starts.) 

The exam has two sections:

• 5 short-answer identification questions worth 2 points each (choose 5 out of 8).

• 1 essay question worth 5 points.  

Here is how to prepare for the exam generally:

Make sure that you are familiar with all of the major concepts we have covered in part 2 of the course.  I have slides on the web page recapping some of the key definitions, and the very well-written textbook has explanations throughout (as well as a glossary). 

Meet with other students in the class to compare notes and help each other prepare.

Here is how to prepare for the first part of the exam specifically:

In the first part of the exam, I will give you a list of eight terms. Choose any five of them, and give me a definition of the term and an example. The definition must be about the way the term is used in international relations. The example must be a real example from international politics. For example, if I give you the term "cooperation" you would respond by writing something like "Cooperation is where two or more groups agree to change their behavior in some way that makes them, together, better off. For example, after World War 2 many countries cooperated to reduce trade barriers, making all of them better off." That would be a great answer, because it has a definition from international relations and a real example from international relations. 

Here is a list of terms that I might choose to put on the exam:

• Community

• Comparative advantage

• Mercantilism

• Negative externality

• Nuclear proliferation

• Opportunity cost

• Positive externality

• Public good

• Self-enforcing agreement

• Sovereignty

• Tragedy of the commons

Here is how to prepare for the second part of the exam specifically:

In the second part of the exam, I will ask you to explain why it is that some international problems get solved and others don't, using concepts from the course and relevant examples from international politics. I might ask you to focus on one or more of the topics I presented (including climate, h5n1, AI, trade, and nuclear proliferation). In your answer, you will write a short essay referring to the causes of cooperation and some examples of cooperation. I will give more specific instructions on the exam itself.  

In particular, be ready to explain, with examples, the importance for cooperation of:

• Numbers and Relative Sizes of Actors

• Iteration, Linkage, and Strategies of Reciprocal Punishment

• Institutions

• Information