Study Sheet for HST 344, Final Exam

HST 344 Final Exam Study Sheet, Spring, 2012

Dr. Heitmann

Exam on either May 2, 12:20 p.m. or May 4, 12:20 p.m.

I Identification and historical significance (40 pts.).  Answer four (4) of the following six  (6) people, places, and things in a concise and detailed paragraph, in five sentences or less for each.

Possibilities:

John Muir and How to Keep your Volkswagen Alive

Cadillac and the establishment during the 1950s and 1960s

Ralph Nader and the Corvair

The Muscle Car

Oil Shocks I and II

The Federal Government, the automobile industry, and the 1960s

W. Edwards Deming

The Rise of the Pickup Truck in the late 20th century American Market

Bullitt and the automobile chase scene

Crap Cars of the 1970s

Roger and Me

Low - Riders

The Drive-By

Airbags and ABS

NASCAR in the recent past

Women, Poetry, and Passion, post-1980

The Revenge of the Electric Car

Transplants from Japan

Why the automobile industry crisis of 2008 – 2010?

II Essay (60 pts.):  In a well-organized and factual essay that contains both an introduction and a conclusion, answer the following question.

Ben Hamper’s Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line is a remarkable tale focusing on the nature of assembly line work at General Motors during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is among other things, quite an indictment of General Motors’ management practices, ironically coming from an unhinged worker.  Being as specific and detailed as possible, describe Hamper’s portrayal of management style and managers.  To what degree do you think that Hamper’s account is at all truthful, and what convinces you that he is on target, or not?