« August 2005 | Main | October 2005 »

September 29, 2005

Homework for September 29th

Your next unit test is on Monday. The directions for the test describe what is covered. Remember, you do not know which essay question you will answer on the exam. You can prepare one, two hundred word outline for each essay question. You must do your own work on the outlines. This means your outline should not be identical to any other student's outline. You cannot use any notes on the multiple-choice test.

Posted by kmurr at 9:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2005

Homework for September 28th

1. Read the debt relief article that I handed to you in class. We will be discussing this tomorrow.

2. Continue preparing for Monday's exam. Don't forget to look at the directions for the test. You can also download the essay questions here. Remember, you have to prepare for both questions because you won't know which question will be chosen until Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2005

Homework for September 27th

You need to prepare your case for tomorrow's class. At the end of class today, you received your assignment for the debate. The half sheet of paper that you received says that you are either a prosecuting attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.) or a defense attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was NOT negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.). You also received two documents. Everyone received the "genocide fax." Everyone needs to understand this document for tomorrow. You also received an additional document that could act as a piece of evidence in your case. You need to read this document and figure out how it could support your side of the debate. Everyone has a different document, so don't worry if you have a document that is different from your neighbor's document.

Once you have read both of the documents, think about the questions on the half sheet of paper. Then, brainstorm ideas that you can use to support your case. I expect a half sheet of notes from each of you tomorrow. These should be your OWN ideas about what your side can do to win the debate.

This is a challenging assignment, but don't be afraid to get into it. Be creative in developing your ideas and think about all of the things that we have studied over the past few days when building your cases.

Posted by kmurr at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2005

Homework for September 26th

Start working on your essays for next week. You can already answer the first essay question and you should be able to answer part of the second essay question. The directions for the first exam and the essay questions are linked here.

If you like to plan ahead, the Hotel Rwanda extra credit opportunity that we have discussed in class will be on October 10th from 5:30 to 8:00. I know that some of you may have games that evening or other conflicts and that you might not be able to attend. Don't worry. We definitely wish that you could come, but there will be an alternative extra credit opportunity for you. Nobody will be left out. I will be giving out more details in the upcoming days, but a number of you have asked for the date. Now you have it!

Posted by kmurr at 7:59 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Homework for September 23rd

Download the excerpts from PDD 25 that are linked to Lesson 12. Answer the questions at the bottom of that short reading. Be ready to discuss these questions in class on Monday.

Have a nice weekend!

Posted by kmurr at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

Homework for September 22nd

You kids are lucky. No new homework tonight. Relax and help clean up your yards.

Posted by kmurr at 9:27 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Homework for September 21st

If you completed your AIDS presentation, you have no homework. If you haven't presented yet, you will present tomorrow. Make sure that you are ready.

Have a nice night!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:42 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

Homework for September 19th

Work on your AIDS project. This is your only homework. Here is a list of reminders for you as you are working.

1. Make sure that you are dealing with each part of your committee assignment.

2. You need to do some independent research for this project. If you are having trouble finding information, please feel free to come and see me for help.

3. You need to organize your ideas. DO NOT just list facts during your presentations. Make claims and support them with facts. For example, make the claim that orphans are the most significant problem resulting from the AIDS crisis. THEN use your facts (statistics, stories about orphans, etc.) to support this claim.

4. You can make a PowerPoint presentation to help you when you are presenting. It usually helps to put a basic outline of what you are saying on the slides. Don't just put pictures in your slides to make them interesting. Make sure that any pictures that you include are purposeful.

5. If you are confused or need help, please feel free to meet with me or to email me!

You will have time tomorrow in class to work on this assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 9:50 AM | Comments (6)

September 16, 2005

Homework for September 16th

1. Work on your AIDS presentation over the weekend. Remember, you will have some time to work on this in class next week.

2. Catch up on any missing assignments and/or on any readings that you haven't done.

3. Have fun at Homecoming!

Posted by kmurr at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Homework for September 15th

1. Read over the notes that you downloaded from lesson nine. We will discuss these tomorrow, so be prepared to answer questions about them.

2. Read one of the articles linked to the bottom of lesson eleven. We will be discussing these in class tomorrow and they will help you with your first project of the year.

3. As a follow up to our discussion today, post an answer to one of the following questions by 8 AM tomorrow morning. Again, feel free to argue respectfully with your peers. Also, feel free to post more than once. Your entry should be at least four sentences long.

Do the ends justify the means?

Why do so many people in this country seem to prefer the use of non-violence?

Can non-violence work in a country that isn't a democracy?

Should those who use violence to achieve "worthy" goals be condemned?

Are there negative impacts to using violence in order to achieve "worthy" goals?

Posted by kmurr at 8:40 AM | Comments (32)

September 13, 2005

Homework for September 13th

Study for your test. It is tomorrow. The directions for the test are linked here. Remember to have everything printed before class starts.

Good luck and email me with any questions that you might have.

Posted by kmurr at 9:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Homework for September 12th

1. Study for your test on Wednesday. Remember, the test has both a multiple-choice component and an essay component. Prepare for both. Look at this webpage for more information.

2. If you didn't finish the colonial ledger sheet over the weekend, finish it tonight.

3. Make sure that you understand how to answer the following question. The "all but which" format might be new to you and I want to make sure that you understand it before Wednesday's test.

Sample Question

ALL BUT WHICH of the following are true statements about Ms. Murr?

a. She teaches Freshmen Seminar.
b. She coaches debate.
c. She hates jokes.
d. She has a desk in room 197.

4. Here is a link to a map of colonized Africa. This should give you a clear idea of how extensive colonization was.

Posted by kmurr at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Homework for September 9th

1. Study for your test next week. You can work on your notes for the multiple-choice test and/or you can work on preparing for your essay exam.

2. Complete the reading about colonialism. It contains a little background information that further explains what we have been talking about for the last couple of days.

3. Complete the colonial ledger. In order to do this, think about how colonialism impacted African politics, economics and society. Then divide these impacts into positive and negative impacts and fill in the boxes. Try to have one or two things for each box. Don't do extra research for this assignment and don't spend more than a half an hour on this assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2005

Homework for September 8th

1. I am going to move your first unit test back to Wednesday of next week. Start thinking about questions one and two for the essay portion of your exam.

2. Your physical geography quiz is tomorrow. Don't forget to study for it.

Posted by kmurr at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2005

Homework for September 7th

1. Your physical geography quiz is on Friday. Don't forget to start studying for it.

2. Take a look at the directions for the first unit test. You might even want to think about how you could answer the first essay question. We went over all of this in class today, so you could definitely get a start on this question.

3. If you need to catch up on any readings, make sure that you do that tonight.

Posted by kmurr at 9:46 AM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2005

Homework for September 6

1. Your first Africa geography quiz is tomorrow. It will be on the countries and cities of Africa. Remember, you only need to memorize the countries and cities that are underlined on the map assignment linked to Lesson One.

2. Read the article on reparations for tomorrow. We will be having an in-class debate and you will be expected to participate in this debate. Participation will be much easier if you read the article.

3. By the end of the week, read the background information on the slave trade. It will help to clarify the notes that you take today and tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 1:46 PM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2005

Civilization Questions

Choose one of these questions and answer it by 9 PM on Monday.

1. Is it important to be considered civilized? What happens to groups of people if they are not considered to be civilized?

2. Is it important to be civilized?

3. Can civilized places become uncivilized? Try to use specific examples in your answer.

Your answer should be at least four sentences long. You can respond to other comments in your answer. Make sure that you are respectful, serious and appropriate in your responses.

Posted by kmurr at 10:36 AM | Comments (38)

Homework for September 1

1. Study for your geography quizzes. Your first quiz (countries and cities) will be next Wednesday.

2. Finish the civilizations chart that we started in class today. Don't forget to be as detailed as possible. Also, don't forget to write in complete sentences in the "Is this a civilization?" box.

3. Post an answer to one of the questions listed above. In order to post on the blog, click on the comments link under the questions. Then write your comment and hit post. You do need to put your real email address in the email blank, as this is how I will track your comments. Comments must be appropriate. Also, comments should be at least four sentences long. Feel free to debate/discuss with each other through these comments. Posts should be made by Monday at 9 PM.

Posted by kmurr at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)