Regional Studies - Russia/China: May 2006 Archives

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May 31, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #35 - Modern Russia and China - Introduction

Our plan for today is to split the time between doing an overview of some of the issues facing Russia today and those facing China.

I have a handout for you that summarizes many of the key issues/questions that Russia is dealing with now and into the foreseeable future. There also some links below that we might make use of in class today.

The Dismantling of Russia Democracy - The Atlantic

BBC News: Timeline - Chechnya

These articles are all found on a great Russia site, Russia Profile.org

Russia Profile’s Weekly Experts’ Panel: Russia Looking to 2006

Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: A New Cold Spell in Russia-U.S. Relations?

A Question of Value

Posted by mvergin at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #34 - Guest Speakers: Katherine and Ben Murr

Welcome back. Ms. Murr and I are also the advisors to the Senior Seminar program. I'll run the meeting with the seniors today, so you will get the pleasure of her company. Please be cooperative.

We'll have you go over a couple parts of the exam from Friday and then set up a couple things we'll do in these next six days...

First, remember that your 20th Century Russia & China "Take-home" Essays are due today. If you can print them out, great. If not, email them to me as attachments by 3:30 PM Tuesday to avoid being counted late.

Next, I'll have Ms. Murr return the parts of the exam that are corrected. You can go over them and ask any questions. I'll have her collect them back from you.

Third, I'll have her remind you about the upcoming Regional Studies Final Exam. That will be held on Wednesday, June 7th at 8:45 AM. Here is another link to the Regional Studies Final Exam information.

Fourth, you'll get a copy of one chapter (Russia or China) from Harm de Blij's new book, Why Geogrpahy Matters. You need to have that read for Thursday's class. You'll get up to 10 points for your contributions, participation and/or cooperation that day. Be sure to sign the sheet indicating which chapter you have.

Finally, you'll chose a partner/group and sign-up for a topic for the Modern Russia and China Student Congress. You'll follow the directions below and be ready to speak on your topic Friday. (We'll use part of each of the last three days for the Congress and parts of each for final exam preparation.)

MODERN (and FUTURE) RUSSIA AND CHINA...

Tuesday - Introduction, set-up and work time
Wednesday - Overviews of Russia and China
Thursday - "Why Geography Matters" readings - Discussion (CHAPTER DUE HERE)
Friday - MPA Student Congress - (ALL GROUPS SHOULD BE READY HERE)

Monday - MPA Student Congress
Tuesday - MPA Student Congress
Wednesday - Final Exam

WHY GEOGRAPHY MATTERS - readings from the book by Harm de Blij
On Thursday, we'll be looking at the Why Geography Matters chapters on Russia - "Russia - Trouble on the Eastern Front" and China - "Red Star Rising - China's Geopolitical Gauntlet." Those of you who read each chapter will help lead the conversation and teaching. You will each earn up to ten points today. I'll give you all a handout that tracks some of the main points and ideas each chapter. (Of course, half of you haven't even each chapter.) You can add any notes to that that you'd like.

MODERN RUSSIA AND CHINA STUDENT CONGRESS: We'll use a simulated congress to "debate" some of the current issues facing Russia and China. Here are the eight resolutions we will debate.

RUSSIA:
Vladimir Putin has provided effective leadership for Russia.
The United States should place economic sanctions on Russia until it grants independence to Chechnya.
The United States should increase financial assistance to help secure Russia’s stockpile of nuclear weapons.
The United States is headed toward another Cold War with Russia.

CHINA:
China’s economic growth should be considered a threat to the United States.
The United States should place economic sanctions on China until it grants the people of Tibet more rights.
The people of Taiwan should declare themselves an independent nation-state.
China should not have been selected to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Student Congress Format:
Speaker #1: Provides a “background” speech of 2 to 3 minutes.
Speaker #2: Provides an “affirmative” speech of 2 to 3 minutes.
Speaker #3: Provides a “negative” speech of 2 to 3 minutes.

IF YOU ARE WORKING IN A GROUP OF TWO, YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THE BACKGROUND SECTION.
After these scheduled speeches (and questioning), other students may speak. It is expected that each class member will deliver at least one additional speech during the 2+ days that we do our congress.

Since we never really got to it in 9th Grade Seminar, you do NOT need to write out a 'resolution' as we attempted to do in that class. Simply take the resolution as worded and speak in favor of or against that.

Posted by mvergin at 07:28 AM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #33 - 20th Century Russia and China Exam

Most of our class time today will be dedicated to taking the three parts of the exam: Russia VIP, multiple choice and identifications.

Remember that everything you need for your take-home essay is found on the separate blog entry: 20th Century Russia and China - Exam Information. The take-home should be turned in on Tuesday when you come to class, or by 3:30 at the latest.

Posted by mvergin at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #32 - Tiananmen Square

We'll spend a bit of time talking about the events at Tiananmen Square and what happened in the aftermath in 1989. I'll show you about 20 minutes of a video clip on the events leading up to the massacre at Tiananmen Square.

I've relinked the news story from yesterday's blog and the BBC archives... BBC on This Day - June 4, 1989. Massacre in Tiananmen Square

Here is a collection of documents about Tiananmen Square released from the National Security Archives of the United States government. They make for interesting browsing.

Most of our class time, however, will be dedicated to review and test preparation. Remember that everything you need for information about the test is found on the separate blog entry: 20th Century Russia and China - Exam Information.

Posted by mvergin at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #31 - From Mao to Deng to Tiananmen Square

Today, we'll attempt to get up to the 1989 events at Tiananmen Square.

Mao's Rule over China: You received a copy of the Mao Zedong chapter from our textbook and were asked to complete the Mao study guide. Let's go through this and see if we can make sense of it.

I'll show you some pictures from my book, The Chinese Century. It might help your understanding of the events.

We'll take a closer look at the Cultural Revolution. The Morning Sun website has a lot of very interesting exhibits and activities related to this important and complex period. We'll spend a little time here.

Read this for tomorrow. It's an excerpt from Britain's coverage of the events we will talk about: BBC on This Day - June 4, 1989. Massacre in Tiananmen Square

Posted by mvergin at 09:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #30 - Mao's China

I hope you are all well rested from yesterday's Long March. 6000 miles will take a lot out of you...

World War II and the Chinese Civil War: We will touch briefly on several of the key events from these two periods. Of course, we already did much of this via the China - Chronology assignment.

We'll also take a few minutes to look at events surrounding the "Rape of Nanking". I've compiled accounts of these events from two sources, an independent account and one from Japan. You can download those here.

Mao's Rule over China: You'll get a copy of the Mao Zedong chapter from our textbook that we have used a bit. Pair up or work on your own to complete the Mao study guide. Be sure you work productively on this. We WILL be discussing the answers tomorrow in class.

Wednesday, we'll take a closer look at the Cultural Revolution. The Morning Sun website has a lot of very interesting exhibits and activities related to this important and complex period. Feel free to check some of them out.

20th Century Russia and China Exam information
Regional Studies Final Exam information

Posted by mvergin at 07:16 AM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #29 - The Long March

Today, we'll get back to China and go on the "Long March" together...

Now, it's time for The Long March... You'll receive a written summary of this, so don't worry about taking notes or anything. Your job is to come along, follow orders and not disturb others who might be in class.

Tomorrow, we'll look at Mao's years as ruler of China...

Don't forget that the 20th Century Russia and China Exam is scheduled for Friday. The take-home essay will be due no later than 3:30 PM on Tuesday, May 30th.

Posted by mvergin at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #28 - Communism Comes to China

NOTE: The information for next Friday's test can be found at the bottom of this blog entry...

First, we can take some time to talk about Current Events. Remember, you should print out your second batch of these before you turn them in. These are worth 20 points.

China - From Revolution to Civil War: Let's quickly get up to the Long March so we can go on it Monday. Download this note guide that I "borrowed" from Ms. Murr...

Twentieth-Century Russia and China - Exam format: This exam will be next Friday. There will be three "in-class" components: multiple choice, identifications and Russia VIPs. In addition, you will have a "take-home" essay due no later that 3:30 PM on Tuesday, May 30th.

Multiple choice: There will be somewhere between 20 and 30 questions again. I'll divide them as evenly as possible between Russia and China.

Identifications: You will write on your choice of 6 of the 8 identifications that appear on the exam chosen from the list below. You may have 10 words of "notes" for each of the 16 possible identifications during the exam. You will need to turn in these notes, and I reserve the right to count symbols, acronyms, etc. as one or more words.

Russia
Karl Marx
March Revolution
Great Purge
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Sputnik
de-Stalinization
glasnost
Chernobyl

China
Sun Yat-sen
Nationalists
Long March
Rape of Nanking
"Hundred Flowers"
Great Leap Forward
Cultural Revolution
Tiananmen Square

Russia VIPs You will be provided with a "name bank" and written descriptions of all 20 of the Russia VIPs. You simply match the name to the description. You do not use any notes on this portion of the test. Here are the 20 names if you want to do a little review...

Ivan the Terrible
Peter the Great
Elizabeth
Catherine the Great
Leo Tolstoy
Nicholas II
Alexandra
Rasputin
Karl Marx
Vladimir Lenin
Leon Trotsky
Joseph Stalin
Sergei Eisenstein
Nikita Khrushchev
Leonid Brezhnev
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Andrei Sakharov
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Boris Yeltsin

"Take-home" Essay: You will write on your choice of ONE of the questions from the list below. You will need to write this essay outside of class time. The essay must be typed, using the Times or Times New Roman font, 12-point. The essay should be double-spaced (or space and a half) and should not be more than two pages. (You won't be penalized for being "too long" unless you go beyond three pages...) The essay is due NO LATER than Tuesday, May 30th at 3:30 PM.

CAUTION: You must be writing in your own words. If you don't understand what constitutes plagiarism, you need to ask. The questions are designed to be answered in your ideas and words, not those of Wikipedia or anyone else. If you are using a direction quotation, it must be correctly cited. Otherwise, it is the same as plagiarizing. Here's a simple test. "Copy" a section of your writing (maybe a phrase or sentence) into Google and search. If that search leads you back to where you "took notes from," that is plagiarism.

You can answer any ONE of these questions:

A. Identify major consequences of three decades of Stalin's rule upon the Soviet Union in its domestic policy, foreign policy, and economic situations. How should history remember Joseph Stalin?

B. Explain and evaluate the impact of at least three specific events in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Is the United States justified in its claim to have "won" the Cold War?

C. Explain at least one economic, social, and political factor which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Would the Russian people be better off if communism had remained in place? Why or why not?

D. Identify major consequences of almost three decades of Mao's rule upon China in its domestic policy, foreign policy, and economic situations. How should history remember Mao Zedong?

E. Explain the major impacts of the Long March, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution on communism and Mao's rule in China. Which of the three do you believe made the greatest impact? Why?

F. Explain at least one economic, social, and political factor that you believe led to China retaining its system of communism while the Soviet Union and others abandoned that system. Do you believe China would be better off if communism had not remained in place? Why or why not?

Posted by mvergin at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2006

Q4 - Final Exam Information

Remember, this is only for your information. You do not need to actually do anything with this for a while if you choose not to. However, I thought some of you might appreciate the chance to get a head start on your preparations.

You will write on two essay questions. Question #1 will be drawn at random at the time of the test. You may select Question #2 from the choices listed below. You may prepare and outline your answers (or take notes) on the sheets that will be provided for each question. That is all that you will be allowed to use on the final exam. Do not expect to be allowed to use your other notes and handouts here.

You can download a Final Exam - Note Sheet that you may bring to the finals. You may bring TWO sheets for the essays. You may use three of the columns for questions 1A, 1B, and 1C. You may use the fourth column for the #2 question that you get to choose. You may NOT go beyond this format. LIMIT YOUR NOTES TO NO MORE THAN 50 WORDS PER "BOX".

ONE of these questions will be selected at random at the time of the exam.

1A. History is made up of the stories of countless individuals. Some of those individuals have had a tremendous impact upon both their time and the future. For each of the four regions we studied, explain and defend your choice for the "most influential person" in that region's history. Which of these figures do you believe was the most influential?

1B. Long-term trends and gradual developments heavily determine the history of a region. At the same time, particular events can have a decisive impact. For each of the four regions we studied, explain and defend your choice for the "most important event" in that region's history. Which of these events do you believe was the most influential?

1C. As we have begun a new century, there is reason for both optimism and concern in many areas of the world. Key issues and trends face all of the areas we studied. For each of the four regions we studies, explain and defend your choice for the most important challenge that region faces. (It may be a particular conflict, a particular location, an outside influence, etc.) Which of these challenges do you believe will be the most difficult to overcome?

You may choose ONE of these questions to write on for the final exam. In each case, it is expected that you will draw on examples from all four of the regions. You will be expected to include a brief introduction and conclusion.

2A. Religion has been, and continues to be, a dominant influence around the world. Explain at least one time when religion had a major influence on the history of each of the four regions we have studied.

2B. Geography affects societies in many ways. For each of the regions we have studied, identify and explain at least one way that geography has been a major factor in the history or current situation in the region.

2C. Discrimination has occurred for various reasons in societies around the world for generations. For each of the four regions we have studied, explain the way in which some type of discrimination harmed the stability or progress of that region.

2D. Societies around the world have long expressed their values and ideas through a variety of forms of artistic and cultural expressions. For each of the four regions we studied, identify and explain the importance of at least one form of this expression that you believe was significant to that region.

2E. Military conflict is often a decisive event in the history of a region. For each of the four regions we studied, identify and explain the significance of your choice as the most important military conflict to have occurred in that region.

2F. Government's treatment of the people has been a recurring theme in our studies. For each of the four regions we studied, identify and explain the significance of one time where you believe a government has violated the rights of its people.

Posted by mvergin at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #27 - Finishing Up Russia

Change in plans, and I am home today. (All is fine with the baby and my wife.) We'll have you go ahead with looking at the Soviet Union's final years...

LAST OF THE RUSSIA VIPs - Be sure that you are a good audience for these presenters. Remember that you have a 'matching' style quiz on all 20 VIPs next week. You could review a bit for that with a friend later in the hour.

2nd Hour: Mikhail Gorbachev (Waleed), Mikhail Baryshnikov (Shawn)
4th Hour: Mikhail Gorbachev (Will), Mikhail Baryshnikov (Jessica), Boris Yeltsin (Matt)

GORBACHEV and the FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION

You will each need a copy of the short reading, as well as the Gorbachev study guide. You can work with a partner if you’d like, but each of you is responsible for having your own set of answers. I may check for completion on Wednesday.

WITH ANY REMAINING TIME...There are a couple options.
First, you have a batch of Current Events due Wednesday.
Second, you can prepare for the Russia Identifications portion of the exam.
Finally, you can work on choosing and beginning to think about the take-home essay question.

I’m now thinking that we will move the 20th Century Russia and China exam back to Thursday, May 25th. The take-home essay will still be due on the 26th.

Posted by mvergin at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #26 - Gorbachev and the Fall of the Soviet Union

REMINDERS: There is a separate blog entry that contains the information for next week's test on the "20th Century Russia and China" unit. Don't forget that your "take-home" essay is due no later that 3:30 on Friday, May 26th. (You should print it out for me that day.) I'll let you know later this week whether or not we need to push the exam back a day. As of now, I'm still planning on having it Tuesday, May 23rd.

You have a batch of Current Events due on Wednesday. That will be the last one of the year.

REMAINING RUSSIA VIP PRESENTATIONS These will take place either today or tomorrow, depending on the block... I'll get scores entered for the rest ASAP.

Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Boris Yeltsin

The Soviet Union in the Cold War: Let's quickly go over the events from last time... The 8 events that you are responsible for are:

Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
Korean War
Hungarian uprising
Sputnik
U2 incident
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis

Gorbachev and the Fall of the Soviet Union

For those of you who like to go into a little more depth, here are a copy of some of my Khrushchev and Brezhnev notes.

Our main focus today will be on the impact of Mikhail Gorbachev and his reforms on the Soviet Union. We'll talk about this together, but you might also find these Gorbachev notes useful for review and test preparation.

Posted by mvergin at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #25 - The Soviet Union in the Cold War

Thanks for your patience and cooperation yesterday. As of now (Thursday at 8:45 PM), I'm planning on being their Friday. It looked like it was going to be baby day, but that changed around noon. Could be tonight, could be a while... I'm writing this blog entry as if I'm not in class.

Remember that you have a batch of Current Events due on Wednesday, May 17th.

QUESTION: It would really make more sense if we could do the remaining VIPs (Gorbachev, Baryshnikov, and Yeltsin) on MONDAY, MAY 15th. That's sooner than originally scheduled. Does that work for the presenters? Waleed, Jessica, Shawn, Matt C. and Will D. - If I'm gone Friday, please email me whether you can be ready for that.

THE SOVIET UNION IN WORLD WAR II
We'll sneak that film clip in at some point. Here are the things I want you to understand about Russia's experience in the Second World War. Read both the handout from the textbook and my notes to help your understanding.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact
Operation Barbarossa
Battle of Moscow
Siege of Leningrad
Battle of Stalingrad
Impact of World War II

I'm again linking that set of some of my own World War II notes.

THE SOVIET UNION IN THE COLD WAR

Our "topic" for today will be the Soviet Union's involvement in the Cold War. You should understand the basics and significance of the events listed below. Work in a group of two or three, and look up at least four of the events. Use your text and any Internet resources you think might help. We'll chat briefly about these either at the end of the block or on Monday.

Remember that this information will directly help you with one of the essay questions...

Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
Korean War
Hungarian uprising
Sputnik
U2 incident
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis

For each event, you and your group should understand the following:

* When did it happen?
* Where did the event happen?
* What happened?
* How did the event affect US/ Soviet relations?
* Was there a "winner" or "loser"? Why?

CNN.com has a great website called, suprisingly enough, Cold War. Check it out.

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #24 - The Soviet Union in World War II

I've got a short section of the text on Stalin to give to you that should help in preparing for the exam on the 23rd.

We meet a number of Russia VIPs today: Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov.

Here's an on-line collection of images from "The Commissar Vanishes" if you liked the Stalin photos from yesterday.

Here are some of my own World War II notes.

We will also watch some of the video clips on Stalin's early years and World War II. Be sure to ask any questions you have. You'll watch up through the events on World War II.

Remember that you have a batch of Current Events due on Wednesday, May 17th.

Posted by mvergin at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2006

Q4 - Exam Information - 20th Century Russia & China

Twentieth-Century Russia and China - Exam format: This exam is currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 23rd. (CHANGE TO FRIDAY, MAY 26th.) There will be three "in-class" components: multiple choice, identifications and Russia VIPs. In addition, you will have a "take-home" essay due no later that 3:30 PM on Friday, May 26th. (CHANGE TO TUESDAY, MAY 30th.)

Multiple choice: There will be somewhere between 20 and 30 questions again. I'll divide them as evenly as possible between Russia and China.

Russia
Karl Marx
March Revolution
Great Purge
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Sputnik
de-Stalinization
glasnost
Chernobyl

China
Sun Yat-sen
Nationalists
Long March
Rape of Nanking
"Hundred Flowers"
Great Leap Forward
Cultural Revolution
Tiananmen Square

You can answer any ONE of these questions:

A. Identify major consequences of three decades of Stalin's rule upon the Soviet Union in its domestic policy, foreign policy, and economic situations. How should history remember Joseph Stalin?

D. Identify major consequences of almost three decades of Mao's rule upon China in its domestic policy, foreign policy, and economic situations. How should history remember Mao Zedong?

Posted by mvergin at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

Q4 - Lesson #23 - Stalin's Russia

Reminder: You have a second batch of Current Events due NEXT Wednesday. That's May 17th. I should have emailed you the template by class time.

We can take any additional questions or comments on the basics of communism. Next, let's look at some of the posters that you found interesting. Here are the links again...

Collections of Communist Propaganda Posters
Soviet Posters - International Institute of Social History
Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages

RUSSIA VIPs for today: Sergei Eisenstein in 4th Hour.

Today, we'll take a look at the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. There are a ton of things we could be looking at from his three decades in power, but we'll pick and choose.

Several times this week, we'll show a few minutes of clips from the Stalinist era in the Soviet Union. I'll probably wait until tomorrow to begin that.

Stalin's impact is so great that it will be felt over several days. We will look at his foreign policy, World War II, and the Cold War over the next several class periods. Today, we will focus on events closer to home. These Stalin- notes would be a good place to start.

Related links: These are some of the resources I have used in the past that you might find useful and/or interesting.

* CNN Profile of Joseph Stalin
* a biography of Stalin with a number of links to photos and resources
* "Hymn to Stalin" taught to Russian schoolchildren

Posted by mvergin at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #22 - Communism: An Introduction

Russia VIPs for today: Joseph Stalin and Sergei Eisenstein

Although we'll use examples from both Russia and China, today's lesson isn't really "part" of one particular nation. Instead, we'll look at the idea of communism. We'll define some of its main ideas and discuss some of its strengths and weaknesses.

We will definitely add more specifics as we go back to our studies of Russia and China... Let's start with an introduction to some of the ideas and terms of communism. I have a "real" handout for you. None of those fancy link things for this one...

Collections of Communist Propaganda Posters Browse the collections of images below in a group of 2-3. Select at least one Soviet and one Chinese poster that you find interesting. Be prepared to interpret their meaning or "what makes them work" to the class. We'll share them with the class.

Soviet Posters - International Institute of Social History
Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages

Questions for discussion:

What do you think of capitalism? Are there any problems with this system? If so, what are they?

What do you think of communism? What are its advantages? Disadvantages?

Can a truly communist state exist? Would it work? Why or why not?

Posted by mvergin at 03:48 PM | Comments (0)

May 08, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #21 - The Russian Revolutions of 1917

Welcome back. We're moving into our second historical unit, and it will focus on the 20th century and the communist eras in both Russia and China. The test on this unit will be scheduled for Tuesday, May 23rd.

I'll hand back some work and go over the tests. Next, we'll go with the VIP presentations. We have Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky scheduled for today.

Our other goal for the actual lesson today is make sense of 1917, which is probably the pivotal year in the history of Russia. The year begins with Czar Nicholas II in charge, and it ends with the Bolsheviks in charge of much of the country. I think it is easiest to look at the two revolutions in contrast with each other. You should download this Russian Revolutions of 1917 matrix.

REMINDER: Your second batch of current events will be due on Wednesday, May 17th. Same format as the first, and I will send you another template via email.

Posted by mvergin at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

May 05, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #20 - Ancient & Imperial Russia and China Exam

Obviously, today's focus will be on the exam. It is worth 50 points. Each of the 20 multiple choice questions are worth one point, and the six identifications are each worth five points.

There's no specific homework over the weekend, but we do meet a number of Russia VIPs on Monday and Tuesday and Thursday. Be sure you are ready for your day. (It's Marx, Lenin, and Trorsky on Monday.) The Tuesday and Thursday are the same as originally scheduled.

NOTE: A number of you have yet to turn in the first batch of Current Events. That would be a "0" out of 20 points. However, provided you turn them in to me by Tuesday, I'll allow you to receive up to half credit for them. Clearly, that is better than a "0".

Have a good weekend.

Posted by mvergin at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #19 - The End of Imperial China

This is our last lesson before the test on Ancient & Imperial Russia and China. We'll take you through China's final few centuries of imperial rule. We'll pick up the story of China as a republic and later a communist state next week.

We'll be sure to set aside time for questions and review as well.

REMINDER: The "Ancient & Imperial Russia and China" exam will be on Friday. There will be twenty multiple-choice questions, and you will write 6 identifications. Here are the identification lists reprinted for your convenience... 8 total will appear on the exam, and you may write on any 6 of those 8. You are allowed to bring in 10 words of notes for each of the 16 possible identifications.

Russia Identifications
Primary Chronicle
Cyril
Golden Horde
Ivan III (the "Great")
Time of Troubles
oprichnina
Pugachev
"Bloody Sunday"

China Identifications
Confucius
Taoism
Shi Huang Di
Kublai Khan
Ming Dynasty
Manchus
Taiping Rebellion
Opium War

Posted by mvergin at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

May 03, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #18 - Ancient & Imperial China Presentations - Day #2

We'll finish the presentations today. You probably should have already read that Russia chapter I handed out ("The History of Russia to 1917") by now. Remember that I also gave you the China reading on Tuesday. We'll use the class period on Thursday to wrap up Imperial China, and then we'll also review for the exam.

You can find the list of Identifications on previous blog entries...

Today's presentations:
Architecture
Science and Technology
Art and Culture

Your only homework would be to prepare for Friday's exam.

Posted by mvergin at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #17 - Ancient & Imperial China Presentations

ANCIENT AND IMPERIAL CHINA GROUP PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 2nd
Confucius/Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
Military and Mongols

Wednesday, May 3rd
Art and Culture
Science and Technology
Architecture

The Ancient and Imperial Russia and China Exam will be on Friday. We've now finished the identifications on Russia. Remember that you are allowed ten words of notes for each of those. We'll cover the China material this week.

Russia Identifications
Primary Chronicle
Cyril
Golden Horde
Ivan III (the "Great")
Time of Troubles
oprichnina
Pugachev
"Bloody Sunday"

China Identifications
Confucius
Taoism
Shi Huang Di
Kublai Khan
Ming Dynasty
Manchus
Taiping Rebellion
Opium War

Posted by mvergin at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)

May 01, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #16 - The Fall of the Romanovs

We'll finish up the Russia material for this unit today. By the time we are done, the Imperial period in Russia's history will have ended, and the year of revolution will have begun.

Russia VIPs for today: We'll meet Leo Tolstoy, Nicholas II, Alexandra and Rasputin today.

Today's lesson will take you up through the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and the fate of the Romanovs. We'll use a couple of clips from Nicholas & Alexandra to bring this to life for you...

Here is a Nicholas II - note guide if you want additional information about this time period.

Here is an interesting web site: Nicholas and Alexandra - The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia. This accompanied an exhibit from Russia that toured the United States a couple years ago.

REMINDERS: ANCIENT AND IMPERIAL CHINA GROUP PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 2nd
Confucius/Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
Military and Mongols

Wednesday, May 3rd
Art and Culture
Science and Technology
Architecture

Russia Identifications
Primary Chronicle
Cyril
Golden Horde
Ivan III (the "Great")
Time of Troubles
oprichnina
Pugachev
"Bloody Sunday"

China Identifications
Confucius
Taoism
Shi Huang Di
Kublai Khan
Ming Dynasty
Manchus
Taiping Rebellion
Opium War

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)