INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Your final

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH score

FINAL EXAMINATION
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
Student name: _______________La Viet Ha____________ Student ID:
___ENENIU18139___________________________

ANSWER SHEET
Proctor: Date of exam: Duration:
60 minutes Insert your ID card here.
D.T.D.Ngoc 13h00 - June 17 On Zoom

Save your file in Word with file name: your ordinal number on student list + full name + ID
Link to submit:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13nvkj6_YGkcCdT6NM_vsfkkoP5jUtIX9yiy2bxXNNx0/edit
Instructions:
1. Read the instructions carefully and write the answers on the space provided. Academic citations are required.
2. Submit your file to the link provided.
Choose ONE of the following topics and write your answers in the given space.
Topic 1 – People: A popular metaphor among the Asian communities in the U.S. to describe Asian-
American identity is ‘banana’: Yellow on the outside but White on the inside.

1. Input: Cite TWO facts/opinions from articles to clarify the metaphor. (100 words) 30pts
2. Essay: Select a or some real case(s) of well-known Asian Americans in America or some aspects of
Asian life in America to illustrate the metaphor ‘banana’. Make your own evaluation on whether
this metaphor will fade out or strengthen as time goes by. (250 words) 70pts

Topic 2 - Education: U.S. undergraduate education is based on the concept of liberal arts and sciences
and the Bachelor’s degree is awarded after four years of full-time study. (educationusa.state.gov)
1. Input: Indicate some major features (differences and/or similarities) regarding the admission
testing and the education process in the U.S. undergraduate education and Vietnam undergraduate
education (four-year of full-time study). (100 words) 30pts
2. Essay: Evaluate these major features with solid evidence from the two countries. (250 words)
70pts

Topic 3 – Holidays + Core Values: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day, (a federal holiday on the third
Monday in January since 1983) honors the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister
who advocated the use of nonviolent means to end racial segregation.

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1. Input: Briefly describe the background and summarize King’s dream in his famous speech ‘I have a
dream’ delivered in 1963. (100 words) 30pts
2. Essay: This national honor for a leader of color shows that King’s dream was fulfilled to a certain
extent. Cite further evidence from the U.S. social setting since 1983 until now to illustrate the
aspects of King’s dream being fulfilled. (250 words) 70pts

Indicate your chosen topic and write your answers here.

TOPIC 2:
1.
About the educational process, the lecture system of Vietnamese universities favors the style of
depending on teachers. Although the lectures of Vietnamese universities today have included practical
exercises as well as research papers that require students to research and perform by themselves, but
these exercises are still more pure theory than practice. On the other hand, American universities
requires each student to have an active spirit in learning and self-study skills. They must take periodic
tests, independent research projects or with the help of professors. Particularly for research papers,
students must make up their own topics, make plans for implementation and submit them to the
faculty on time.
About the admission testing, American university requires 5 factors: the score board of students’ high
school, letters of recommendation from high school teachers, an essay and a common application
form, and SAT test. Besides, Vietnam university just held paper exam test.
2.
The American undergraduate education system is quite different from the Vietnamese education
system. About the admission testing, American university requires a lot of factors. First, by looking at
the score board of students’ high school, the university will know what the main area of interest is and
what is the corresponding result of the academic merit. Second, the university requires three letters of
recommendation from teachers who have directly taught students. The objective assessment of
teachers will tell the school an important information about the academic ability of students. Third,
the university requires an essay between 800 and 1200 words and a common application form. Forth,
they will look at the extracurricular activities and community activities list and last requirement is
SAT test. However, the score is for reference only. In the contract, the admission testing of Vietnam
university is not complicated like that. Commonly, they recruit students by holding a paper exam.
Besides, about the education process, although there are many innovations in the curricula, the
lecture system of Vietnamese universities still favors the style of depending on teachers. We can see
that the lectures of Vietnamese universities today have included practical exercises as well as
research papers that require students to research and perform by themselves, but these exercises are
still more pure theory than practice. On the other hand, American universities requires each student
to have an active spirit in learning and self-study skills. They must take periodic tests, independent
2
research projects or with the help of professors. Particularly for research papers, students must make
up their own topics, make plans for implementation and submit them to the faculty on time. In
conclusion, there are many differences between the educational system of American university and
Vietnam university.
References:
https://www.studymode.com/essays/Comparison-Education-System-Between-Vietnam-And-United-
Sta-65100418.html
https://artscolumbia.org/college-education-comparison-between-america-and-vietnam-21933-
59893/

End of the test