About the Midterm Exam

The midterm exam can cover anything that we have studied in the course thus far. It will require you to draw on knowledge gained from the lectures, readings, and videos. Questions will gravitate towards the materials that have been emphasized in class, but they will also address readings that we did not have time to cover in the classroom. Thus it is important to review all of your materials.

The midterm will be composed of four kinds of questions:

1. Image Identification: in which you will be asked to identify several images and say something about the significance of each one

2. Definition: in which you are asked to define a key term

3. Short Answer: these questions can cover anything in the course materials.

4. Medium-Length Essay: here I will give you three essay questions and ask you to respond to two of them.

Please note that, for the essay questions, you are expected to know and use the appropriate terms (dharma, nirvana, bodhisattva, pure land, etc.). In grading the midterms, I will look carefully at your use and understanding of these terms and the basic concepts that they denote.

The exam will last one hour and is worth 200 points.