Friday, November 22, 2019

HST 344, "The Automobile and American Life" Final Exam Study Sheet


HST 344
Final Exam Study Sheet --- FINAL VERSION AS OF 12/3/19
Fall, 2019
Exam: Thursday, December 12, 2:30-4:20 p.m.


I Identification and Significance.  I will pick 8 of the following and you must answer 5 (10 points each). To maximize your grade, your answers should include selective detail, meaning, and explanatory short and long-term significance, when appropriate.

1.     The Red Car
2.     1955 and the Coming of Rock and Roll
3.     Reconsidering the Corvair
4.     1966National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Act
5.     The Myth of the Ford Pinto Case
6.     Vin Diesel and “The Fast and Furious” Franchise
7.     NUMMI and other 1980s “Transplants”
8.     The Filming of “Bullit”
9.     The Oil Crisis as a Signal Event in Post-WWII America
10. MITI and the Japanese Automobile Industry
11. The Chevrolet Vega and the Lordstown, Ohio, Assembly Plan
12. 1950s Automobile Dealer Abuses and Garten Motors
13. The 2008-9 Economic Crisis and the Automobile Industry
14. Low-riders, Technology, and Hispanic Culture
15.  Lee Iacocca and the 1980 Chrysler Corporation Bankruptcy


II Essay (50 pts). Be as detailed and critical as possible in writing a coherent essay that includes both an introduction and a conclusion.

Jason Vuic's, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History is far more than just a history of a car. While this well-written story maintains a focus on the Yugo, it also explores key personalities, and contrasts East and West economic systems. Write a critical review of this book. Include a discussion the key personalities and their place in the story and the interplay between the socialistic production system that existed in Yugoslavia and capitalistic system in the U.S.  
You may want to address these additional questions. Was the Yugo just a bad car? Or was it the consequence of a flawed business plan?  Could one conclude that it was a car obsolete from American standards from the start? Given the circumstances, was it really an impossible dream?

 Conclude by reflecting on meaningful lessons learned from the story of a car that is largely forgotten.

2 comments: