Due Thursday, December 13
Thanks for being in the class. It has been a pleasure reading your essays and spending time with you this semester.
If you are missing an old essay, get it in before the date of the final along with the last essay. Failure to get all essays in will result in something less than a passing grade. Late assignments and absences may affect your grade or keep you from passing, as described in the syllabus on page 2 (and on the blog via "where to find it" menu).
Checklist for final essay:
1. If your final essay is a "Speculating about Causes" essay, be sure you follow the "Basic Features" of that essay as described in SMGW. If you write an essay in some other form, be sure to use the "basic features" of that form as described in SMGW If you use a combination of forms, include a statement describing which forms you're combining, and how you made use of their basic features.
2. Be sure you hand in a hard copy, including a list of works cited.
3. Also put a copy in the drop box.
4. Make sure that the essay is 2 full pages, single spaced, or 4 full pages, double spaced, not counting graphs, illustrations, or your list of works cited.
5. Make sure you use all your sources properly:
(a) Integrate your quotes. See "Integrated quotes" exercise for examples via the "Where to find it" menu.
(b) You must include some integrated quotes in your essay. An essay without integrated quotes does not fulfill the minimum requirements needed for a passing grade on the assignment.
(c) If you quote a source, use quotation marks and provide a citation, and list the source in your list of works cited.
(d) If you paraphrase the source, change both the wording and the sentence structure significantly, include a citation, and also list the source in your list of works cited.
(e) Failure to use your sources properly (b,c,d) could result in something less than a passing grade. Failure to paraphrase correctly (d) or to use quote marks with quoted material (c) could result in an "F" for the assignment.
(f) Therefore, use sources with care and give credit to your sources both in citations and in your list of works cited.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
In-class activities, Thursday, December 6
In-class activities, Thursday, December 6
Tonight we will discuss and give feedback on some rough drafts of the last essay.
We also have three other activities, the first two of them shorter and simpler, and the third, slightly longer. We'll do them in this order:
1. End-of-Course Questionnaire
2. Unit Themes Questionnaire
3. End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
Tonight we will discuss and give feedback on some rough drafts of the last essay.
We also have three other activities, the first two of them shorter and simpler, and the third, slightly longer. We'll do them in this order:
1. End-of-Course Questionnaire
2. Unit Themes Questionnaire
3. End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
Do the following 2-part self-evaluation.
The first part asks you to reflect on what you learned about your writing habits, how your writing may have improved, and what skills you may have identified that you need to improve, but need more work on.
The second part asks you to describe what you learned from the unit reading, sources and research. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with?
1. Consider the wide range of skills used in academic writing: Research, brainstorming, narrowing your topic, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, grammar, punctuation, etc. Consider the practice of writing regular assignments such as summaries, responses, and integrating quotes. Consider exercises related to research and Google searches. Consider the comments/feedback you received on your writing this semester.
(a) In preparation for this very brief, informal essay, list a few things you learned about your writing habits, new skills you learned, old skills you strengthened, and skills that will need more work beyond this class.
(b) Organize the list into an informal plan for paragraphs.
(c) Write an informal essay, organized into a few paragraphs, about what you learned about research, writing, and your writing habits.
2. Consider what you learned about the topics of the units and all the assignmed research, readings and films. As with #1 above, make an informal list that organizes what you learned. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with? You can refer to the list of units/themes below.
Write up your two-part self-evaluation, and then turn it in to the drop box titled "End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Eval." Write at least an informal outline or rough draft before you leave tonight and turn it in to the drop box. If you like, you can write the final draft and get it done tonight (and turn it in to the drop box). Otherwise, get it in by next Thursday (the night of the final).
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Do the following 2-part self-evaluation.
The first part asks you to reflect on what you learned about your writing habits, how your writing may have improved, and what skills you may have identified that you need to improve, but need more work on.
The second part asks you to describe what you learned from the unit reading, sources and research. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with?
1. Consider the wide range of skills used in academic writing: Research, brainstorming, narrowing your topic, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, grammar, punctuation, etc. Consider the practice of writing regular assignments such as summaries, responses, and integrating quotes. Consider exercises related to research and Google searches. Consider the comments/feedback you received on your writing this semester.
(a) In preparation for this very brief, informal essay, list a few things you learned about your writing habits, new skills you learned, old skills you strengthened, and skills that will need more work beyond this class.
(b) Organize the list into an informal plan for paragraphs.
(c) Write an informal essay, organized into a few paragraphs, about what you learned about research, writing, and your writing habits.
2. Consider what you learned about the topics of the units and all the assignmed research, readings and films. As with #1 above, make an informal list that organizes what you learned. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with? You can refer to the list of units/themes below.
Write up your two-part self-evaluation, and then turn it in to the drop box titled "End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Eval." Write at least an informal outline or rough draft before you leave tonight and turn it in to the drop box. If you like, you can write the final draft and get it done tonight (and turn it in to the drop box). Otherwise, get it in by next Thursday (the night of the final).
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Unit Themes Questionnaire
Unit Themes Questionnaire
Introduction:
One of my department chairs often reminds instructors that students who read a lot tend to write better, so she asks us to be sure to have students read and respond to reading in summaries, responses, extra research, and essays. She also advises us to assign sources for reading that may include stories and information students that might be interesting, fresh, or useful in terms of the changing world into which students will move and work after they receive their degrees.
At the end of each semester, I ask students for feedback related to favorite assignments and research. The feedback I get from students at the end of one semester often influences the structure of the course for the next semester, as I often try new things in light of student feedback. Here is your chance to influence some of the structure of units for the next semester.
Last spring, I had shown the following films:
"9-11: Press for Truth"
"Why We Fight"
"The End of Suburbia"
"An Inconvenient Truth."
I showed these, in part, because of earlier feedback from students requesting topics dealing with global warming, the war in Iraq, and peak oil. Of these, students expressed interest in peak oil, but didn't care for some elements of "End of Suburbia." A few students suggested the topic of propaganda, so we tried "OutFOXed."
But interests change, and one group of students might suggest good ideas that another group might not.
CONSIDER UNIT THEMES:
Consider the themes for the unit, listed below, and then read the two questions below the list. Paste the questions into an MS-Word file, answer the questions, and submit this to the drop box titled "Unit Themes Questionnaire."
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Questions:
1. If you had to choose one, which of these units was most interesting, or surprising, or eye-opening, to you? Explain your choice.
2. If you had to get rid on one of these units and replace it with something else, which would you get rid of first? Explain your choice.
3. If you had to design a class with brand new themes and readings, and if you could include NONE of the themes listed above, what would you include that might appeal to a diverse group of students? List four suggested units (A,B,C,D). Explain your choices.
Introduction:
One of my department chairs often reminds instructors that students who read a lot tend to write better, so she asks us to be sure to have students read and respond to reading in summaries, responses, extra research, and essays. She also advises us to assign sources for reading that may include stories and information students that might be interesting, fresh, or useful in terms of the changing world into which students will move and work after they receive their degrees.
At the end of each semester, I ask students for feedback related to favorite assignments and research. The feedback I get from students at the end of one semester often influences the structure of the course for the next semester, as I often try new things in light of student feedback. Here is your chance to influence some of the structure of units for the next semester.
Last spring, I had shown the following films:
"9-11: Press for Truth"
"Why We Fight"
"The End of Suburbia"
"An Inconvenient Truth."
I showed these, in part, because of earlier feedback from students requesting topics dealing with global warming, the war in Iraq, and peak oil. Of these, students expressed interest in peak oil, but didn't care for some elements of "End of Suburbia." A few students suggested the topic of propaganda, so we tried "OutFOXed."
But interests change, and one group of students might suggest good ideas that another group might not.
CONSIDER UNIT THEMES:
Consider the themes for the unit, listed below, and then read the two questions below the list. Paste the questions into an MS-Word file, answer the questions, and submit this to the drop box titled "Unit Themes Questionnaire."
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Questions:
1. If you had to choose one, which of these units was most interesting, or surprising, or eye-opening, to you? Explain your choice.
2. If you had to get rid on one of these units and replace it with something else, which would you get rid of first? Explain your choice.
3. If you had to design a class with brand new themes and readings, and if you could include NONE of the themes listed above, what would you include that might appeal to a diverse group of students? List four suggested units (A,B,C,D). Explain your choices.
End-of-Course Questionnaire
End-of-Course Questionnaire
Copy the following questions into an MS-Word document, read each question or group of questions (and in some cases the introduction), respond to the questions, and submit to the drop box titled "End-of-Course Questionnaire."
1. Was this your first night course, or not? What do you think in general of a night course that meets a number of hours in a row, with brief breaks? Is it a great opportunity to fit a class in your schedule? Is it too late in the day, when much of your energy is gone? Is it too many hours in a row? Is it just right? Comment briefly.
2. Was this your first course in which you turn in assignments via D2L, or not? What did you think of the format (drop box for grading, discussion forums for sharing, content for some of the content)? Was it helpful, easy to use, or frustrating, or mixed, or - ? Was it helpful to see, in the discussion forums, what other students were doing on assignments? Comment briefly.
3. What did you think of the essays assigned from Blair Reader? Were they interesting, helpful, boring, strange, or - ? Comment briefly.
4. How helpful was SMGW? We used mostly the basic features sections, refered to a few samples essays, and used chapter 22 on "Use of sources." Was this helpful? Comment briefly.
5. How helpful/useful was CWH? We used this for various general things related to the writing process, and also for information on MLA formatting of citations and the list of works cited. It also contained resources related to punctuation and other various writing issues. Comment briefly.
Copy the following questions into an MS-Word document, read each question or group of questions (and in some cases the introduction), respond to the questions, and submit to the drop box titled "End-of-Course Questionnaire."
1. Was this your first night course, or not? What do you think in general of a night course that meets a number of hours in a row, with brief breaks? Is it a great opportunity to fit a class in your schedule? Is it too late in the day, when much of your energy is gone? Is it too many hours in a row? Is it just right? Comment briefly.
2. Was this your first course in which you turn in assignments via D2L, or not? What did you think of the format (drop box for grading, discussion forums for sharing, content for some of the content)? Was it helpful, easy to use, or frustrating, or mixed, or - ? Was it helpful to see, in the discussion forums, what other students were doing on assignments? Comment briefly.
3. What did you think of the essays assigned from Blair Reader? Were they interesting, helpful, boring, strange, or - ? Comment briefly.
4. How helpful was SMGW? We used mostly the basic features sections, refered to a few samples essays, and used chapter 22 on "Use of sources." Was this helpful? Comment briefly.
5. How helpful/useful was CWH? We used this for various general things related to the writing process, and also for information on MLA formatting of citations and the list of works cited. It also contained resources related to punctuation and other various writing issues. Comment briefly.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Due Thursday, December 6
Due Thursday, December 6
1. Have an outline of the last essay posted to D2L and ready to discuss on the 6th. Your final draft will be due on the 13th, the day of our final.
2. Please do this self-evaluation related to unit 3 and essay 3.
3. Consider consulting some of the sources below to assist in your research for the last paper. Some at the top are videos you can watch on your computer. Some are articles on a range of subjects, including a September 4, 2001 article (right before 9-11) about US research for germ warfare.
If you see an article you'd like to check out, paste the URL/web addresses into your browser:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video, or video-related:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Iraq For Sale:
The first video we watched for this unit was called Iraq for Sale, and was about war profiteers. Below are two links to the web site for the film, which includes some short video segments.
Iraq For Sale - Trailers & Clips
http://iraqforsale.org/videos.php
Iraq for Sale - about the film
http://iraqforsale.org/about.php
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why we Fight
The second film that we watched for this unit, just this last Thursday, was Why We Fight. The web site below includes short video segments (including segments of the Eisenhower speech warning America about the Military-Industrial Complex), information about the film, and additional information.
Why we Fight - main menu, video clips
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/main.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
War Made Easy
Norman Solomon has made a film, narrated by Sean Penn, called War Made Easy. I have not yet seen the film, but have seen some of the clips below, and many are interesting and thoughtful, and related to the topic of our current unit.
War Made Easy - video part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6mw-nzt704&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVSYRYlPVbk&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjjdKb5pE2E&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeY23c7wOj4&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZA8qJf19zI&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkrQQ_kwRF8&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JtJjVAieV4&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhsf100E8cw&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5CFHi-W8Y&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GABs0brzSg&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3TTyID91kw&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFBB8u7SCl4&feature=related
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Below is a link to another film, or parts of a film, about Peak Oil, which may be one of the handful of factors contributing to an increasing risk of more wars in the coming decades. After that is an article from early 2001 related to the Bush energy policy.
A Crude Awakening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HRZPpbpSjg&feature=related
May 2001
Wired:
Bush's Energy Plan: A Fossil?
Farhad Manjoo 05.07.01 | 2:00 AM
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/05/43556
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Articles:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surviving after oil
Some of you expressed an interest in exploring the "prepare for war" option for the last essay, with an emphasis more on planning for survival as individuals than for planning for victory in every war. If you're interested in taking this approach, below is one article, one place to start, and then a few resources from another web site. Some of these resources seem very hopeful and practical, about gardening and self-sufficiency, but others seem like the paranoid raving of conspiracy theorists.
Preparing for life after oil
http://www.alternet.org/audits/66625/
Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
(See the "Preparedness Store" along the top menu)
http://www.postoilliving.com/Articles.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Empire
Some students expressed an interest in the "prepare for victory in war" option, with an emphasis on a world empire controlled by the US. Some might say we've already arrived at a world economic empire dominated by the US.
Here are some resources that are *pro*-empire:
General Resources:
http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/spheresInfluence.html
Key Figures:
http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/index.html
General Commentary/Analysis:
http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/mead.html
And here are some resources that are *critical* of empire:
- an article by Chalmers Johnson,
retired CIA analyst featured in the film, Why We Fight.
Article: "Nemesis on the Imperial Premises"
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/160594/chalmers_johnson_nemesis_on_the_imperial_premises
You could Google for other articles on American empire by Chalmers Johnson (he's considered an expert of sorts on the view that is critical of empire).
The American Empire Project is often critical of American Empire:
http://www.americanempireproject.com/
Here's their forum, which includes discussion of the pro's and con's of American Empire in the form of economic globalization:
http://www.americanempireproject.com/forum/toast.asp
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Lysistrata" - themed resources:
Below are some resources involving otherwise relatively powerless people who, like the women in the Lysistrata story, are thinking outside the box to find and use their power to attempt to effect change.
Bye bye miss american empire
(An article by a man from New England who favors having states whose population opposes Empire work toward secession, or in other words, leaving the "union" of the United States in favor of national independence as smaller nations--and yes, this is like what led to the US Civil War. It sounds very unlikely, but right now we have polls showing that a majority of the population of the US is against the war in Iraq, so if enough states at least passed resolutions to consider secession, it could send a strong message to Washington about the failure of elected leaders to listen to the wishes of the people.)
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/311/
It’s Time to Stop the War Ourselves
(About a group of people thinking outside the box, looking for unconventional ways to work against war and in favor of peace.)
Published on Friday, November 30, 2007 by Yes!
by Aimee Allison and David Solnit
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/30/5530/
Students and Iraq Veterans Engage in Non-Violent Civil Disobedience to Launch 'Out of Our Schools—Out of Iraq' Campaign
(Pretty much what the title says - working against military recruiters in the schools.)
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1130-03.htm
US War Vets to Speak Publicly About War Crimes
by Aaron Glantz
Published on Friday, November 30, 2007 by One World.net
(About Iraq war veterans who have either committed or witnessed war crimes, and who are going to speak publicly about them--like some Viet Nam veterans did, which may have contributed to the end of the Vietnam War.)
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/30/5538/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Germ Warfare:
I mentioned the role germ warfare might play in future wars. Some students expressed interest, surprise, or moral repulsion at the thought. If you're interested in looking into it, consider some of the sources below.
U.S. Germ Warfare Research Pushes Treaty Limits
by Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg and William J. Broad
Published on Tuesday, September 4, 2001 in the New York Times
(In other words, published only a few days before 9-11)
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0904-02.htm
Published on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
The Genetically Modified Bomb
by Thom Hartmann
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0910-15.htm
The Avian Flu Fright is Politically Timed
A Public Health Warning and Political Essay
by Dr. Leonard Horowitz
Global Research, October 12, 2005
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20051012&articleId=1071
Now for GM* weapons (*Genetically Modified Weapons)
It's time to get tough with the biotech firms over germ warfare
Jeremy Rifkin
Thursday September 27, 2001
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,558767,00.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reduced Veteran's Benefits
I mentioned that, if you want to plan for war, you have to interest people in joining the military. But instead of making the military more attractive by increasing benefits, benefits have been cut. The article below deals with these reductions.
The Soldier and the Student
by Aaron Glantz
Published on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by The Nation
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/28/5488/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Some other general resources related to the theme of our last unit:
War Profiteer Knows How to Party
by Sarah Anderson
(about a very rich war profiteer)
Published on Thursday, December 1, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1201-30.htm
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Newt Gingrich on phony war, on losing war
(Conservative Republican Gingrich, critical of the war and the Bush administration's strategy to fight terrorism)
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/08/hbc-90000784
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=5767
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Have They No Shame?
by Amy Goodman
(more about Abu Ghraib, demoted Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who became one of the scapegoats for the Abu Ghraib scandal, and tolerance of, or cover-up for, torture)
Published on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by TruthDig.com
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/28/5489/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Klein: In War on Terror, Are You Next?
by Shaunna Murphy
Published on Thursday, November 29, 2007 by Washington Square News (New York)
(...more from Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine (we watched the short video).
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/29/5499/
1. Have an outline of the last essay posted to D2L and ready to discuss on the 6th. Your final draft will be due on the 13th, the day of our final.
2. Please do this self-evaluation related to unit 3 and essay 3.
3. Consider consulting some of the sources below to assist in your research for the last paper. Some at the top are videos you can watch on your computer. Some are articles on a range of subjects, including a September 4, 2001 article (right before 9-11) about US research for germ warfare.
If you see an article you'd like to check out, paste the URL/web addresses into your browser:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video, or video-related:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Iraq For Sale:
The first video we watched for this unit was called Iraq for Sale, and was about war profiteers. Below are two links to the web site for the film, which includes some short video segments.
Iraq For Sale - Trailers & Clips
http://iraqforsale.org/videos.php
Iraq for Sale - about the film
http://iraqforsale.org/about.php
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why we Fight
The second film that we watched for this unit, just this last Thursday, was Why We Fight. The web site below includes short video segments (including segments of the Eisenhower speech warning America about the Military-Industrial Complex), information about the film, and additional information.
Why we Fight - main menu, video clips
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/main.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
War Made Easy
Norman Solomon has made a film, narrated by Sean Penn, called War Made Easy. I have not yet seen the film, but have seen some of the clips below, and many are interesting and thoughtful, and related to the topic of our current unit.
War Made Easy - video part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6mw-nzt704&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVSYRYlPVbk&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjjdKb5pE2E&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeY23c7wOj4&feature=related
War Made Easy - video part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZA8qJf19zI&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkrQQ_kwRF8&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JtJjVAieV4&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhsf100E8cw&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5CFHi-W8Y&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GABs0brzSg&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3TTyID91kw&feature=related
Normon Soloman speaking about War Made Easy - part P7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFBB8u7SCl4&feature=related
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Below is a link to another film, or parts of a film, about Peak Oil, which may be one of the handful of factors contributing to an increasing risk of more wars in the coming decades. After that is an article from early 2001 related to the Bush energy policy.
A Crude Awakening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HRZPpbpSjg&feature=related
May 2001
Wired:
Bush's Energy Plan: A Fossil?
Farhad Manjoo 05.07.01 | 2:00 AM
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/05/43556
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Articles:
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Surviving after oil
Some of you expressed an interest in exploring the "prepare for war" option for the last essay, with an emphasis more on planning for survival as individuals than for planning for victory in every war. If you're interested in taking this approach, below is one article, one place to start, and then a few resources from another web site. Some of these resources seem very hopeful and practical, about gardening and self-sufficiency, but others seem like the paranoid raving of conspiracy theorists.
Preparing for life after oil
http://www.alternet.org/audits/66625/
Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
(See the "Preparedness Store" along the top menu)
http://www.postoilliving.com/Articles.html
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Empire
Some students expressed an interest in the "prepare for victory in war" option, with an emphasis on a world empire controlled by the US. Some might say we've already arrived at a world economic empire dominated by the US.
Here are some resources that are *pro*-empire:
General Resources:
http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/spheresInfluence.html
Key Figures:
http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/index.html
General Commentary/Analysis:
http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/mead.html
And here are some resources that are *critical* of empire:
- an article by Chalmers Johnson,
retired CIA analyst featured in the film, Why We Fight.
Article: "Nemesis on the Imperial Premises"
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/160594/chalmers_johnson_nemesis_on_the_imperial_premises
You could Google for other articles on American empire by Chalmers Johnson (he's considered an expert of sorts on the view that is critical of empire).
The American Empire Project is often critical of American Empire:
http://www.americanempireproject.com/
Here's their forum, which includes discussion of the pro's and con's of American Empire in the form of economic globalization:
http://www.americanempireproject.com/forum/toast.asp
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"Lysistrata" - themed resources:
Below are some resources involving otherwise relatively powerless people who, like the women in the Lysistrata story, are thinking outside the box to find and use their power to attempt to effect change.
Bye bye miss american empire
(An article by a man from New England who favors having states whose population opposes Empire work toward secession, or in other words, leaving the "union" of the United States in favor of national independence as smaller nations--and yes, this is like what led to the US Civil War. It sounds very unlikely, but right now we have polls showing that a majority of the population of the US is against the war in Iraq, so if enough states at least passed resolutions to consider secession, it could send a strong message to Washington about the failure of elected leaders to listen to the wishes of the people.)
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/311/
It’s Time to Stop the War Ourselves
(About a group of people thinking outside the box, looking for unconventional ways to work against war and in favor of peace.)
Published on Friday, November 30, 2007 by Yes!
by Aimee Allison and David Solnit
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/30/5530/
Students and Iraq Veterans Engage in Non-Violent Civil Disobedience to Launch 'Out of Our Schools—Out of Iraq' Campaign
(Pretty much what the title says - working against military recruiters in the schools.)
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1130-03.htm
US War Vets to Speak Publicly About War Crimes
by Aaron Glantz
Published on Friday, November 30, 2007 by One World.net
(About Iraq war veterans who have either committed or witnessed war crimes, and who are going to speak publicly about them--like some Viet Nam veterans did, which may have contributed to the end of the Vietnam War.)
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/30/5538/
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Germ Warfare:
I mentioned the role germ warfare might play in future wars. Some students expressed interest, surprise, or moral repulsion at the thought. If you're interested in looking into it, consider some of the sources below.
U.S. Germ Warfare Research Pushes Treaty Limits
by Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg and William J. Broad
Published on Tuesday, September 4, 2001 in the New York Times
(In other words, published only a few days before 9-11)
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0904-02.htm
Published on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
The Genetically Modified Bomb
by Thom Hartmann
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0910-15.htm
The Avian Flu Fright is Politically Timed
A Public Health Warning and Political Essay
by Dr. Leonard Horowitz
Global Research, October 12, 2005
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20051012&articleId=1071
Now for GM* weapons (*Genetically Modified Weapons)
It's time to get tough with the biotech firms over germ warfare
Jeremy Rifkin
Thursday September 27, 2001
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,558767,00.html
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Reduced Veteran's Benefits
I mentioned that, if you want to plan for war, you have to interest people in joining the military. But instead of making the military more attractive by increasing benefits, benefits have been cut. The article below deals with these reductions.
The Soldier and the Student
by Aaron Glantz
Published on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by The Nation
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/28/5488/
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Some other general resources related to the theme of our last unit:
War Profiteer Knows How to Party
by Sarah Anderson
(about a very rich war profiteer)
Published on Thursday, December 1, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1201-30.htm
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Newt Gingrich on phony war, on losing war
(Conservative Republican Gingrich, critical of the war and the Bush administration's strategy to fight terrorism)
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/08/hbc-90000784
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=5767
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Have They No Shame?
by Amy Goodman
(more about Abu Ghraib, demoted Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who became one of the scapegoats for the Abu Ghraib scandal, and tolerance of, or cover-up for, torture)
Published on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by TruthDig.com
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/28/5489/
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Klein: In War on Terror, Are You Next?
by Shaunna Murphy
Published on Thursday, November 29, 2007 by Washington Square News (New York)
(...more from Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine (we watched the short video).
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/29/5499/
Self-evaluation for unit 3 and essay 3:
Self-evaluation for unit 3 and essay 3:
Write up a self-evaluation that answers the following questions, but that stands on its own without the questions. Delete the questions and leave your answers, and instead of giving single-word answers, write your answers in full sentences.
Submit the self-eval to the D2L drop box titled "Self-evaluation for unit 3 and essay 3."
A. Learning through research:
- First of all, whether you felt you did well on the essay or not, consider what you learned during Unit 3 ("Wealth, Poverty and Injustice").
A1. Whether you wrote about it or not, did any of the readings for the unit interest, surprise or shock you, or challenge your assumptions in any way? Describe those readings and issues that did.
A2. Did you base your essay more on a topic that especially interested, shocked or challenged you, or more on a topic that you felt would be relatively easy to write about?
A3. Consider how research fit into your writing process. Which of the following three best describes your process?
(a) You started with an opinion, and then did research to find sources to justify your opinion.
(b) You started with curiosity, did research on a topic of interest, formulated an opinion, and then found sources to support your position.
(c) You started with an opinion that was changed, broadened or deepened somehow through research, and then found sources to support your changed or newly qualified opinion.
B. General Essay Evaluation
Second, consider your essay from top to bottom, with parts like any other essay:
- Was your topic narrow enough?
- Did you have a strong title that was not too general/ generic?
- Was your introduction well-developed, and did it strive to capture your reader's interest?
- Did the introduction transition smoothly and logically to a clear, focused thesis statement?
- Was your outline complete and well-organized?
- Were your main ideas covered in paragraphs?
- Were your paragraphs well-developed, or did they wander a bit?
- Did you use good grammar, good word choice, good spelling and punctuation?
- Did you include well-integrated quotes, paraphrase, summary of ideas from sources, all necessary citations in MLA format, and a list of cited works?
C. Basic Features:
- Like the last essay self-evaluation, this self-evaluation will also be based somewhat on the "basic features," in this case, for the "Arguing a position" essay form described in SMGW chapter 6:
C1. A Focused Presentation of the Issue: Did your essay give a good, clear, focused presentation of the issue, why it matters, and some of the compexities related to the issue?
- Ask yourself: Did you present/describe/explain enough information about your issue as your reader needed, or did you assume too much, and leave too much unsaid?
C2. A Clear Position:
- Did you state your position clearly, or did you simply explore possible opinions on the issue, as described by others (using sources)?
C3. Plausible Reasons and Convincing Support: Did you work on a list of reasons and support for your position, and organize this list well in your essay as you presented each, or did you simply write and let your thoughts unfold in a somewhat disorganized way?
C4. Anticipating Opposing Positions and Objections:
- Did you think about objections or positions other than your own, and argue your own position against these in a convincing way, or show the limitations of other positions or objections?
D. Is your writing getting better?
D1. What did you learn from writing your last essay that you did better in this one?
D2. What did you learn about writing, or the writing process, or your writing habits, from writing this essay?
E. CEL
Did you utilize the free help and tutoring services of the MSU Center for Excellence in Learning in the basement of the library?
Write up a self-evaluation that answers the following questions, but that stands on its own without the questions. Delete the questions and leave your answers, and instead of giving single-word answers, write your answers in full sentences.
Submit the self-eval to the D2L drop box titled "Self-evaluation for unit 3 and essay 3."
A. Learning through research:
- First of all, whether you felt you did well on the essay or not, consider what you learned during Unit 3 ("Wealth, Poverty and Injustice").
A1. Whether you wrote about it or not, did any of the readings for the unit interest, surprise or shock you, or challenge your assumptions in any way? Describe those readings and issues that did.
A2. Did you base your essay more on a topic that especially interested, shocked or challenged you, or more on a topic that you felt would be relatively easy to write about?
A3. Consider how research fit into your writing process. Which of the following three best describes your process?
(a) You started with an opinion, and then did research to find sources to justify your opinion.
(b) You started with curiosity, did research on a topic of interest, formulated an opinion, and then found sources to support your position.
(c) You started with an opinion that was changed, broadened or deepened somehow through research, and then found sources to support your changed or newly qualified opinion.
B. General Essay Evaluation
Second, consider your essay from top to bottom, with parts like any other essay:
- Was your topic narrow enough?
- Did you have a strong title that was not too general/ generic?
- Was your introduction well-developed, and did it strive to capture your reader's interest?
- Did the introduction transition smoothly and logically to a clear, focused thesis statement?
- Was your outline complete and well-organized?
- Were your main ideas covered in paragraphs?
- Were your paragraphs well-developed, or did they wander a bit?
- Did you use good grammar, good word choice, good spelling and punctuation?
- Did you include well-integrated quotes, paraphrase, summary of ideas from sources, all necessary citations in MLA format, and a list of cited works?
C. Basic Features:
- Like the last essay self-evaluation, this self-evaluation will also be based somewhat on the "basic features," in this case, for the "Arguing a position" essay form described in SMGW chapter 6:
C1. A Focused Presentation of the Issue: Did your essay give a good, clear, focused presentation of the issue, why it matters, and some of the compexities related to the issue?
- Ask yourself: Did you present/describe/explain enough information about your issue as your reader needed, or did you assume too much, and leave too much unsaid?
C2. A Clear Position:
- Did you state your position clearly, or did you simply explore possible opinions on the issue, as described by others (using sources)?
C3. Plausible Reasons and Convincing Support: Did you work on a list of reasons and support for your position, and organize this list well in your essay as you presented each, or did you simply write and let your thoughts unfold in a somewhat disorganized way?
C4. Anticipating Opposing Positions and Objections:
- Did you think about objections or positions other than your own, and argue your own position against these in a convincing way, or show the limitations of other positions or objections?
D. Is your writing getting better?
D1. What did you learn from writing your last essay that you did better in this one?
D2. What did you learn about writing, or the writing process, or your writing habits, from writing this essay?
E. CEL
Did you utilize the free help and tutoring services of the MSU Center for Excellence in Learning in the basement of the library?
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