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August 31, 2007
Friday - Tuesday, Aug. 31st - Sept. 4: African Civilizations
Finishing Up Africa Statistics
We will finish our discussion of the Africa statistics exercise. Be prepared to discuss what may cause these different statistics to fluctuate and what these statistics suggest about the near future of Sub-Saharan Africa.
African Civilizations
We will use the lists you put together on our "fieldtrip" to develop a set of features that all civilizations possess. You will do some brainstorming in small groups and then we will discuss your ideas as a large group. Once we have developed some criteria by which we can measure civilizations, we will examine some African civilizations to see if they meet these criteria.
Homework
You have no homework for the weekend. Enjoy the wonderful weather.
Posted by kmurr at 2:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
Wednesday - Thursday, Aug. 29 - 30: Africa by the Numbers
A Walk Through Civilization
We will begin with an activity that will actually help us on Friday/Next Tuesday. We will take a walk in and around the school looking for signs of civilization. Take a pen/pencil and a notebook with you on the walk. As we complete our journey, make note of things that you see that you think prove we live in a civilization. For example, you might see cars and think that cars prove we have advanced technology which is an important part of civilization. On your piece of paper, you might write down "cars --> advanced technology" as a reminder of this thought.
Africa By the Numbers
Using a data set that I will hand out in class, we will compare and contrast African countries and we will determine if we can draw any generalizations about the continent of Africa. We will also begin to draw conclusions about the future of different African countries and about the future of the continent as a whole.
Homework
Continue the civilization search that we started today. As you drive to and from school, spend time in your homes, etc. look for signs of civilization. Be sure to add these signs to your list.
Posted by kmurr at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2007
Monday, August 27th: Introductions
Some Questions to Ponder
Rather than beginning with a syllabus or a survey, I would like to begin with a discussion. Foreign Policy, a very reputable journal that deals with international affairs, released its Terrorism Index this week. The Terrorism Index is a survey of "more than 100 of America's most respected foreign-policy experts" about the state of international affairs today. The results are very interesting and I would like to hear your thoughts about them. Be prepared to discuss the war on terrorism, the war in Iraq and your view of the role of the United States in the world.
Syllabus and Introductions
I will introduce myself and we will go over the course syllabus. This shouldn't take too long, but be sure to ask questions if you have them.
Survey
I would like you to complete a short survey for me. This will help me to better structure the class to meet your needs.
Homework
If you did not complete the survey in class, please take a few minutes and complete it at home. It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes.
Posted by kmurr at 7:51 PM | Comments (0)