Unit 2 – What to do

By | February 3, 2015

For Unit 2, I want you to do the following:

  1.  You need to read:
    • The Jim’s Readings for Unit 2.  These are two required readings posts I created – kind of written mini-lectures.  If you missed them in the ordinary flow of the blog posts on the home page, don’t worry. They are listed/linked under the “Jim’s Readings” tab on the menu on the site.  Each of them is listed as “Unit 2 -……” . For example, the first one is here and called “Unit 2 – Roadmap From Division to 1 Planet”  The other one will be posted very soon (it’s undergoing last minute editing right now)
    • Read each other’s posts as they come in.  I recommend checking the course home page each day or every other day if possible.
    • Part I of  the Maddison book, this is pages 1-30.
  2. Take the quiz (10 questions MC in D2L) on the required Jim’s Readings and the Maddison book.  Quiz will be available no later than Feb 4.
  3. Continue to surf the web and follow links, etc. to try to find interesting things. If you find something, try posting about it.  Something about what? Well anything that seems related to the kind of stuff we’re talking about so far in the course.  It’s open.
  4. Make some posts. At this point, to receive the full points credit for posts for unit 2, you need to make at least two substantial posts. Feel free to post more times and to post shorter types of things or just links with brief comments, but I’d like to see at least two posts that try to make some kind of point.
    • Suggested ideas for post topics include, but are not limited to:
      • What in Maddison readings surprised or intrigued you – perhaps something you didn’t realize before.
      • What reaction do you have to the required readings posts I (Jim) made?  Is there a point you wish you disagree with, don’t understand, strongly agree with?  Did I cause any questions to rise in your mind that you’d like either me (Jim) to respond to?
      • Have the readings prompted an idea/question/issue in your mind that you’d like your fellow students to weigh in on?  Why?
      • In this unit we talk about ideologies like capitalism-socialism-communism. Do you have a story you’d like to tell – either an illustration or a personal story – of what these ideologies may have meant to you or someone you know.

The syllabus says to be done with all this by Feb 8, but as I’ve pointed out here, that’s more a guideline than a rule. Let’s aim for having this unit 2 work done by Feb 15 or earlier if possible.

 

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