The 21st Century World

Welcome back.

As you have probably noticed, all remaining blog entries and Take Home Essay Exam #2 are all posted. I'd like everything in by the end of Friday, January 11th. I'll get the blog entries that came in over break updated here in the next day or so.

I think we have guests arranged for our last two sessions, so I'll expect everyone to be courteous and helpful toward those folks.

Today, in addition to touching base on class requirements and whatever else has happened in the world over the last two and a half weeks. I have one thing for us to take a look at. The "National Opinion Ballot Report" is a part of the "Great Decisions" program. Basically, more that 20,000 people responded to surveys based on their particiaption in Great Decisions study and/or discussion groups. You will get a summary of the data for "your" topic. We'll give you ten minutes or so to look it over, and then we'll hear from each of the groups as to what they found, etc.

If you are interested, here are the 2008 edition of the "Great Decisions" topics:
Iraq endgame
European Union
Engaging the enemy
Russia
Defense and security
Latin America
China
Philanthropy

We've got a very appropriate guest for today. Professor Himadeep Muppidi, in addition to being the father of twins in the MPA PreK program, teaches Political Science and advises programs in International Studies and Asian Studies at Vassar College.

Here's a link to his faculty bio if you are interested in more information.

Professor Muppidi is the author of The Politics of the Global and he also has used Friedman's The World Is Flat with college students. Hopefully, you can see why it is appropriate we have him visit with us today.

Hi. I will be out today, and I figure it doesn’t make sense to have a sub. Some of you have turned in all your work, so you’re done. Others can use this time to finish up blog entries and/or Essay Exam #2. (You can put paper copies of the exam in my mailbox, or you can submit them to me as an email attachment. The latter seems more 21st Century…)

Ideally, I’d get all your work by the end of the day. Realistically, I know that is unlikely. I’ll accept work the early part of next week, through Wednesday at least. (Expect a slight penalty on the exams – like 10%.) If, for some reason, you can’t be completed with your work by that point, you’ll need to see/contact me early next week.