One of the great things about working at the Patterson School is that my classes are small (10-15 students) and consist entirely of skilled, engaged, and informed graduate students. This gives me a lot of latitude in the kinds of questions I ask, allowing very broad inquiries without running the risk of getting senseless or off topic answers. Here was my final exam for National Security.
Instructions: Answer one of the three questions. E-mail your answer to me. Your exam is due in two hours.
1. The US Defense budget for fiscal year 2007 stands at $470 billion. Is this enough? Too much? How do we go about assessing this question?
2. Evaluate the following statement: Neoconservatism didn’t fail; it was never properly tried.
3. What’s at stake for the United States in Iraq? What does the United States risk by staying, and what by leaving?
The answers were very good, with roughly a third taking on each question. One of the answers to the second question was publication quality. Good times.
I especially like #2: funny stuff, if you grew up in the days when Communists lurked around every corner.