Compare and contrast the concepts of Confucianism and Legalism.

Essay Assignment
There is one (1) essay required for this course. It is worth forty (40) points. Choose one (1) of the questions below and compose a 500 word essay.
What role did the development of agriculture play in the emergence of organized communities during the Neolithic Revolution, 10,000–4,000 BCE? Use specific examples to support your thesis.
Describe the Assyrian military machine. Based on the writings of the Assyrian kings, what did they consider essential to military success? Do you think the Assyrian kings exaggerated their military prowess? Explain your answer in the context of their military and political conflicts with other kingdoms and city-states?
Compare and contrast the concepts of Confucianism and Legalism. Why did the latter become so important in the Qin dynasty? Would the Qin have survived longer if it had followed the Confucian path? Why or why not?
What were the chief features of the polis, or city-state? Compare and contrast the values, institutions, and actions of the city-states of Sparta and Athens.
What were the distinctions between the Patrician and Plebeian orders, and why did this have such a large effect during the Roman Republic? How did it affect the approach to significant crises in Roman society?
What are the historical roots of the differences between the two major sects of Islam (Shi’ite and Sunni)? How has this affected geographic and political developments in the Muslim world and their interaction with non-Muslim societies?
How did Karl Mauch’s opinion of origin of the ruins he discovered reflect the general attitude of nineteenth century Europeans toward the sub-Saharan Africans? How have new discoveries about developments in Nubia, Kush, and the Sahara challenged historians’ thinking about the origins of civilization in Africa, and the world? In your opinion, what are the most significant cultural contributions of African societies?
What were the political, economic, and social advantages that permitted Germanic tribes to fill the power vacuum caused by the collapse of the Western Roman Empire?
What was the Columbian Exchange? What were three good things that came about because of the exchange. What were three bad things that came about because of the exchange? Do you think the good outweighed bad, or that the bad outweighed the good? Be specific.