School of Information Management & Systems.   Fall 2003.
142  Access to American Cultural Heritages.   M. Buckland.

PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

Fall 2003.
CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - SEPTEMBER 29, 2003
Answer Question 1 and any two of questions 2A, 2B, 3, 4, or 5 , in any order.
One hour only. (Recommendation: Ration your time.) Try to give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. Whenever applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English.

Answer Question 1:
1. "Heritage depends on a sense of community, a shared culture. But this depends on there being a boundary with different others beyond. So a strong sense of heritage can be expected to lead to ethnic conflict."
    (a) Explain this statement.
    (b) What considerations support it or contradict it?
    (c) If it were true, what are the consequences? And
    (d) (Briefly) What could or should we do about it?

Answer any two of Questions 2, 3, 4, or 5.
2. If you choose to work on question 2, answer either part 2A or 2B, not both:

    2A. "Every immigrant group considers itself unique, but, actually, the experience of each group follows the same pattern." In what ways is this claim justified? And in what ways is it wrong? Base your answer on your reading of Sowell or Takaki.

    2B. How does the Japanese-American experience resemble the Chinese-American experience and how does it differ. Draw on anything you have seen, heard, or read in the class.

3. After visiting the Black Panther exhibit, several students commented that black and white photographs constituted a relatively "authentic" medium. Why do you think this is? What are the advantages of this medium? What are its limitations and disadvantages? If the Museum decided to add one (and only one) of the following additional medium to that exhibit, which of the following would you recommend and why:
    – Detailed text in captions and explanation panels; or
    – Audio of explanation, speeches, etc.; or
    – A 20 minutes video; or
    – A box containing a website?

4. "Words have multiple and unstable meanings." Explain. Illustrate your answer with reference to the word "Culture" and also, if you wish, other words.

5. Why do libraries become targets for book-banning or bombardment? What materials get targeted in U.S. libraries? – and why? In what sense(s) is the motivation based on cultural values?

Fall 2000.
CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - OCTOBER 3, 2000
One hour only. Answer three questions , in any order. (Recommendation: Ration your time.) Try to give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. Whenever applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English.

1. People referring to "culture" commonly mean "high culture," but anthropologists have a different view of culture. Explain the difference.

2. Ira Jacknis said that preparing a museum exhibit "is like making a movie." In what ways is this true -- or untrue?

3. What is a cultural attaché? What does a cultural attaché do? – and why?

4. How has the cultural identity of the Japanese American community been shaped? And how is it now changing? Include, if you can, comparisons with other ethnic groups.

5. The instructor has said that cultural heritage is "constructed" and that documents (broadly defined) can play a significant role. Explain with reference to the video Separate Lives; Broken Dreams.

6. "There are difficulties and barriers involved in `first world' access to `indigenous' culture and environmental knowledge and also in `indigenous' access to `first world' culture and knowledge. Explain.

CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - NOVEMBER 7, 2000
One hour only. Answer three questions, in any order. (Recommendation: Ration your time.) Try to give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. Whenever applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English.

1. "Every cultural group should have its own different K-12 textbooks for history and social sciences." What arguments can you think of for and against this proposal?

2. "Data is a raw resource which is the basis for ideas and knowledge." What would Roszak have to says about this statement?

3. Either 3A: "Naming is framing." What does this statement mean? Illustrate your explanation with examples relating to this class.

Or 3B: "The purpose of subject headings is enable searchers to find what they are looking for. Catering to changing political correctness interferes with that purpose." Explain what is meant. Is there a problem? If so, what can be done?

4. Your local Senator has asked you to explain what a "national language policy" would be and what might it include. Provide an answer. Give actual or imaginary examples of what might be done as part of a national language policy -- and, briefly, reasons for or against such a policies.

CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - DECEMBER 7, 2000
One hour only. Answer three questions, in any order. (Recommendation: Ration your time.) Try to give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. Whenever applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English.

1. "Neither the study of cultural heritage nor ethnic studies can be complete without a program in European-American Studies." Suppose Chancellor Berdahl asked you for advice concerning: (i) the probable scope and content of such a program, (ii) the justification, if any, for such a program; (iii) what arguments he should expect to hear for and against this proposal. (Note: "European-American", not "European").

2. "The Holocaust may be history to Germans but heritage to Jews." Explain what is meant? Use this statement to examine the distinction between "heritage" and "history." How valid is that distinction?

3. Either 3A: What is the difference (and/or similarity) between classification and nomenclature. Explain both terms and provide examples of both.

Or 3B: Discuss three major categories of classification systems: native, biological, and bibliographic. Who uses them and for what purpose?

4. Either 4A: Suppose that the State of California has allocated some public funding to support the arts, but there are far more requests than money available and there is a need to prioritize the allocation of the funds. If you were asked to formulate some policy guidelines for deciding on which requests to fund, what would you advise -- and why? You can establish priorities between types and kinds of artistic activities (e.g. making art, preserving, education) and/or different kinds of institutions (art schools, K-12 schools, art museums, artists, etc.) and/or different kinds of activities (e.g. creating art, collecting, preservation, exhibits, education of the museum staff, education of the public, etc.) and/or segments of the public to be served.

Or 4B: Suppose that the State of California has allocated some public funding to support museums, but there are far more requests than money available and there is a need to prioritize the allocation of the funds. If you were asked to formulate some policy guidelines for deciding on which requests to fund, what would you advise and why? You can establish priorities between types and kinds of museum and/or different kinds of museum expenditures (e.g. collecting, preserving, publicity, exhibits, education of the museum staff, education of the public, etc.) and/or segments of the public to be served.

Fall 1997.
CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - SEPT 30, 1997
One hour only. Answer three questions, in any order. (Recommendation: Ration your time.) Try to give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. When applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English.

1. Raymond Williams wrote: "Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language." Comment (briefly) on the meanings of the word "Culture" and explain what it means in the context of this course -- and in what way(s) use of this word is not simple and straightforward.

2. In what ways was the video Separate lives; Broken dreams relevant to this course?

3. Either (i) The instructor keeps saying that "Indexing is a language activity and, therefore, always culture-based". Sanford Berman seems to think that the use of language in library subject headings reflects particular attitudes. Explain. Are these two positions compatible?

Or (ii) What is the difference between the meaning of the word denote (or denotation ) and the word connote (or connotation)? Explain, with examples, how is the distinction relevant to this course?

4. Do you think that James Burke and Theodore Roszak would agree about the nature of ideas? Explain your answer.

CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - November 4, 1997
One hour only. Answer three questions, in any order. (Recommendation: Ration your time.) Try to give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. When applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English.

1. What is "cultural property"? What sorts of laws and policies apply to it? – and why?

2. Summarize the issues involved in developing textbooks acceptable to multiple cultural gropus. Lin Everstz-Eriksson said that lack of agreed authority was a problem. What did she mean?

3. "If a museums objects are authentic and the labeling accurate, then the exhibit will be objective." Comment.

4. The Mulcahy reading and the "Degenerate art" video both had to do with governmental art policy. What are the arguments for and against active governmental art policies?

5. What was the Ebonics controversy about? What is "Ebonics"? What reasons can you think of for and against having a a national language policy.

CLOSED BOOK, IN-CLASS TEST - DEC 4, 1997
One hour only. Answer TWO questions. Give as complete an answer as you can within the time available. When applicable, use real or imaginary examples to illustrate your answers. In any answer, draw on any part of the course for your answer. Write legibly. Use clear English. (Recommendation: Ration your time.)

ANSWER THIS QUESTION
1. In what ways does cultural heritage matter? Who cares and why? Who cares about other peoples' sense of cultural, ethnic, and national identity and why? What kinds of vested interests (e.g. commercial, economic, political, social) are there in cultural heritages?

ANSWER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
2. According to Stuart Hall, the statement "Nothing meaningful exists outside of discourse" is true, while the statement "Nothing exists outside of discourse" is false. What does he mean? If we consider exhibitions to be a form of discourse, explain what Hall means using examples from exhibitions you have visited.

3. Hamerow discussed the assertion that "the collective experience of any group -- whether based on race, sex, religion, ethnic or national origin, or cultural background -- endows the individual members of that group with unique insights and perceptions denied to those outside the group." Comment on this claim. What argument(s) support the claim? What counter-argument(s)? What limits might their be on what an insider knows? What advantages, if any, might an outsider have?

4. Mulcahy wrote about U.S. federal funding for the arts. Imagine that President Clinton had established a National Endowment for American Cultural Heritages, that you thought that this was a good idea and had appointed you to direct it. How would you define its scope? What definitions, priorities and procedures would you establish -- and why?

FALL 1995 MIDTERM - SEPTEMBER 28, 1995
ONE HOUR. THREE QUESTIONS OF EQUAL WEIGHT. ANSWER QUESTION 1 AND ANY TWO OF QUESTIONS 2 - 5. WRITE CLEARLY AND LEGIBLY. AS AND WHEN APPROPRIATE, ILLUSTRATE YOUR ANSWERS WITH ACTUAL OR IMAGINARY EXAMPLES AND / OR REFERENCES TO CLASSROOM DISCUSSION.

ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
1. The first assignment was to find out what others thought "culture" was. Another Berkeley student who is not in this class and who has not done the assignment wants to know what we found. Provide an explanation. Don't assume the student has a social science background.

ANSWER ANY TWO OF QUESTIONS 2 THROUGH 5
2. How was the video Separate lives, broken dreams relevant to this course? What aspects of access to American cultural heritages did it illustrate?

3. What does Roszak say in chapter 5 of The Cult of Information? How does it relate to the content of this course thus far?

4. Summarize the article by Deirdre Stam "Documenting whose heritage?".

5. One doesn't normally think of museum-keeping as a political activity, but our guest speaker says that his work as a museum anthropologist and curator is "political". What did he mean? In what ways?

FALL 1995 FINAL EXAM - DECEMBER 13, 1995, 8:10 - 11:00 am.
FOUR QUESTIONS OF EQUAL WEIGHT. WRITE CLEARLY AND LEGIBLY. AS AND WHEN APPROPRIATE, ILLUSTRATE YOUR ANSWERS WITH ACTUAL OR IMAGINARY EXAMPLES AND / OR REFERENCES TO CLASSROOM DISCUSSION.

ANSWER QUESTION 1:
1. Cultural Heritage may seem to be a matter of harmless historical interest, but we have encountered some substantial concerns and vested interests during the semester. Who cares and why? How and why are cultural heritage issues significant in society?

ANSWER ANY THREE OF QUESTIONS 2 - 6.
2. What is "cultural property"? What issues and value questions arise with respect to cultural property? What kinds of laws and policies relate to it?

3. ANSWER EITHER 3A OR 3B:
3A. What is meant by "the construction of meaning"? How does it arise in the context of cultural heritage? What is its significance? Explain your answer in relation to material discussed in the course.

3B. In what ways was the James Burke video on the development of the theory of evolution relevant to this course?

4. Imagine that you are the Superintendent of a California school district. A group of Fundamentalist Christian parents are complaining about "secular humanism". They think that their and their children's religion and cultural heritage are being attacked by your schools' education materials. They have made an appointment to meet with you. What issues would you expect to arise? How might you respond to their complaints?

5. Imagine that the existing National Endowment for the Arts has been abolished and that you have been appointed to create and direct a new Agency for the Public Funding for the Arts (APFA). What definitions, policies, priorities and procedures would you establish?

6. A rose is still a rose whatever it may be called. So why do people get excited about the words used in library subject headings and museum labelling? What issues arise?