Remember, we WILL be meeting on the scheduled Final Exam time. I expect everyone to attend–this is a scheduled class time. You will lose points off of your final grade if you are absent. Finals will meet: 
–section I: Wednesday 11:00-1:00
–section II: Thursday 11:00-1:00

Our final class activities:
-News presentations (groups listed below–scroll down a few weeks to see specifics of the assignment)
-some evaluations
-maybe something else concerning the news
 
 
News-section I: noon class
Jesse, Greg, Brett–world/global news
Yohanna, Hailey, Robbie, Kara–national news

News-section II: 1:00 class
Abby, Julia, Emma, Jordan-world/global news
Molly, Jake, Matt, Andrew–national news

For those who are still searching for a presentation topic, here are a few possibilities. If you want to know something more specific about one of these topics, email me.

–New York’s Lower East Side neighborhood (then)
–sewing industry
–Tammany Hall
–settlement houses/Hull House
–Francis Perkins
–Emma Goldman
–Florence Kelley
–Robert Wagner
–Rose Schneiderman
–Clara Lemlich
–socialism/Marxism
–something to do with the victims

section I (12:00 class)
Monday: Flavin, Gebre, Kappes, Kassekert, Lahaye
Tuesday: Lancaster, Larpenter, Maxfield, Moyer, Obarski
Thursday: Mitchell, Blood, Petterson, Pieper, Reed, Riedel, Baker
Friday: Bates, Benedict, Chan, Dalton, Stusynski

section II (1:00 class)
Monday: Hines, Johnson, LaPoint, Mullins, Munkwitz 
Tuesday: Munson, Paulson, Pratt, Saunders, Vasterling
Wednesday: Zaffran, Zimmerman, Beckrich, Brekke, Carrigan, Cole
Thursday: McDonough, DeNure, Fombe, Foster, Gilhart

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hopefully, you all know what a bibliography is: a listing of sources, usually arranged alphabetically, and included at the end of a book or essay to allow readers to see quickly what works have been cited in the text. A bibliography shows whether the writer has consulted a wide variety of sources and whether he/she knows the latest literature in the field of inquiry. An annotated bibliography goes a little farther than just listing—it briefly summarizes each book, article, website, or archival source and assesses its value for the topic under discussion. Following is an example of an annotated bibliography entry:

Duus, Peter, ed. The Japanese Discovery of America: A Brief History with Documents.Boston:Bedford Books, 1997

This book explores the relationship between Japan and the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, focusing on the dramatic differences between the two cultures and the uneasiness, confusion, and misunderstanding that arose from these differences. In a short introductory history, Duus discusses Japanese isolationism; the military and economic factors that led the United States to forcefully open relations with Japan; and the ways in which the Japanese observed and interpreted Americans and their culture. The main body of the text comprises a series of documents, including political pamphlets, autobiographies, eyewitness accounts, broadsheets, and prints. The inclusion of both Japanese and American views of Japan invites a comparison of mutual understanding.

 
Your Triangle sources/annotations: On the day of your presentation, you must email me a list of sources that you used and/or consulted to get your information (the Triangle book does not count as a source). I expect you to have at least 4 quality sources (more would be even better). Your bibliography list should be typed and written in the proper style. In addition, you should write a 2-3 paragraph summary of what you found in each source–this is an annotated bibliography as described above. So you are not only listing your sources, you are also summarizing and analyzing.
-at least one scholarly article
-at least one website
-at least one relevant historical document
-the other can be your choice  

 
HELPFUL WEBSITES
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm

http://www.library.mun.ca/guides/howto/annotated_bibl.php

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnotatedBibliography.html

Easy week–but you have next week’s presentations to work on. Here is what we will be doing this week:

Monday: I will explain what I am looking for in your presentation bibliography. In addition, I will bring some discussion questions from the Triangle book and you will get in small groups and examine these questions.  

Tuesday: There is a news presentation (see schedule in earlier post). Also, Tuesday is when I am supposed to have your topics for next week’s presentation. I expect those topics emailed to me by the end of the day on Tuesday.

Thursday: Another news presentation.

CQ Researcher article/option #6. Remember what we discussed about this assignment (read the CQ blog link if you forgot). I will assign 6 (six) of these CQ Researcher readings. You are required to write a paper/essay on 3 (three) of them. This is your last chance. Your final CQ paper must be handed in or emailed to me by the final day of class (December 9). The topic: Your Choice: any topic from 2011 that we haven’t already used. Go to the CQ Researcher website and find this particular article by date or topic. The site is at: http://library.cqpress.com.ezproxy.csp.edu/cqresearcher/

Here is your Thanksgiving Week blog question. You must submit a serious answer by Tuesday at 3:00 or you will be marked absent for a day. Your responses must be at least 150 words–and I will count! Have a nice Thanksgiving break. 

Why didn’t the political and economic system help the garment workers? What arguments were used by management to stop all reforms? What political options were available to the workers?

You are all currently reading Triangle: The Fire That Changed America. I hope you all enjoy the book. It is a very tragic story, but important reading nonetheless. To assess and evaluate this reading, you are all required to do a project/presentation on some topic or aspect of the book. Here are the rules:

1. Everyone must do a project/presentation–no group work.

2. topics must be related to the book. There will be no presentations on the book itself–we are all reading it. I do not want a summary. Instead, find an interesting subtopic—and there are many of those in Triangle. You should find some aspect of the book: historical or governmental topic, person, organization, or event to accentuate. Some examples might be: immigration, tenements, sweatshop labor, specific individuals in the book (ask me for suggestions), women and women’s issues, industrial fires/accidents, etc. You get the point? We will talk about topics during class–but you should be thinking about it now. Email me if you have questions or ideas.

2a. You MUST email me your topic choice (or talk to me about it) by Tuesday 29th. I want to make sure you are all doing slightly different topics. If you fail to get your topic approved, your grade  on this assignment will suffer.           

3. presentation: You must do some kind of in-class presentation. I will leave this part of the assignment to your imagination. I encourage you to do anything you want—so be as creative and innovative as you can be. I am flexible and encourage your artistic nature. As long as you are serious and convince me that you gained some knowledge from this book. Here are some possible ideas. If you can think of other options, let me know and I will add to the list:
-collage
-PowerPoint presentation
-dramatic reading
-poster
-dramatically portray a character(s) from the book
-newspaper article or other handout
-character discussion or interview
-speech
-creative dance
-music
-film
-painting
-lecture
-poetry
-outdoor activity
-field trip

4. Presentations should be about 5 minutes long. These presentations will take place the week of December 5-9. I will make the schedule and post it on this blog. We will meet on Friday of that week in order to get in all the presentations.

5. sources/annotations: No matter how you present, this assignment calls for some basic research on a topic. Therefore, on the day of your presentation, you must email me a list of sources that you used and/or consulted to get your information (the Triangle book does not count as a source). I expect you to have at least 4 quality sources (more would be even better). Your bibliography list should be typed and written in the proper style. In addition, you should write a 2-3 paragraph summary of what you found in each source–this is an annotated bibliography. So you are not only listing your sources, you are also summarizing and analyzing.
-at least one scholarly article
-at least one website
-at least one relevant historical document
-the other can be your choice  

6. grades: I expect you to take this project seriously, and I will grade you seriously–no silliness or frivolity. Your presentations should be high-quality, college work. The presentation and bibliography will be worth 25% of your grade.

-read: chapter 12: Political Parties
-read: Triangle book: you should be reading this book, maybe even be about halfway through it

Monday: Your “Political Ads” paper is due. If you see any ad that is so good that you think the entire class should discuss it, please email me. We will be discussing some of these ads as a group. There will be some additional small assignments based on chapter 12 of the text.

Tuesday: We will talk about the Triangle book–be prepared for a discussion

Thursday: News Groups (assignment is detailed in link just below)

Have you ever watched one of those weekly news wrap-up shows where a panel of journalists sit around and discuss what happened during the week? Sure you have. Well, this is what your group will be doing on Thursday. After diligently following the news for a week, your group will be educating the class as to the top news stories. You will be expected to analyze, discuss, and comment on these current events.

Your group can “present” in any manner you see fit. I can be very flexible on this. In fact, the more innovative the better! Some possibilities might include a: PowerPoint, panel discussion, lecture, etc. Your job is to simply inform the class of the major news of the week, while also analyzing and explaining it (why it was important). You should not just read news stories, you should analyze. You are the news experts for the week.  You will need to find:

-the most important national news (no silly news)
-real news, not sports or celebrity stories
-you can report on some local and/or international news if you think it is important
-and you should make sure to understand what you are talking about

Group: You should probably meet as a group before Thursday to figure out the details and particulars of your presentation.    

Each Student: In addition, each student in the group MUST also hand in a 2-3 pp. paper on the news of the week—a kind of news journal that you might want to do daily. So you will all be following and analyzing the weekly news individually. The group presentation should then be easy.   

Class: The class (and professor) will ask questions about the news. You will be expected to answer.

Grades:
quality of you presentation
organization of your news details
papers
knowledge of the news
understanding of the news
analysis of the news

Sources: I expect you to give citation in your papers—tell me where you are getting your stories. It would be advisable during the week you follow the news to read some good online newspapers/news sources (PRI, NPR, New York Times, BBC (for international news).

Schedule
November 29 (Tuesday) : Hunter, Tyeisha, Jolene, Simon (section I); Corey, Lief, Emily (section II): topic–Global and International News

December 1: (Thursday)–national news 
Andre, Sarah, Kali, Stephanie (section I)
Jacob, Jared, Clemesha  (section II)

Finals Week: international/global news
Jesse, Greg, Brett (section I)
Abby, Julia, Emma, Jordan (section II)

Finals Week: national news
Yohanna, Hailey, Robbie, Kara (section I)
Molly, Jake, Matt, Andrew (section II)

Monday: Read chapter 14 of the textbook (Voting, Campaigns, and Elections) and we will discuss it in class. I will try to explain the current political campaign and how it might unfold in the upcoming months. So if you want to understand the current political race–come to class and listen. It should be fun to talk politics for the hour.   

Tuesday: There will be an online/web based assignment. I will talk about it in class and you can get started.  I will also explain the final class project. That assignment will be based on the Triangle book.  

Thursday: News Groups:  this week’s groups will give presentations. I expect all students to listen and ask questions. News Group participants have papers to hand in.

also: You should get started reading the Triangle book. On Tuesday, I will explain the final class assignment which is based on that book.    

also: There will be a question on the blog later in the week–probably Tuesday or Wednesday….. something about political campaigns. So look for it. You will all be required to post a response. This will be your “Journal” assignment for the week.

I hope you all enjoyed the Convocation speech. My first, rough count is that about 30-31 of you attended–that’s real good. For those of you who attended, you can get some extra credit points by answering this brief question right here on the blog. Just hit comment and write your response in about 150-200 words. Make sure that your name is attached to your response.

What did you think of Dr. Bartling’s speech? Please comment. If you did like it, discuss a few particular things you liked about it. What stories or historical examples did you like the most?   

This Wednesday (November 2), there will be a convocation speech given by former Concordia History professor Fred Bartling. Dr. Bartling will be talking about his days in the Civil Rights movement (1960s). It should be a great speech by a distinguished former CSP professor. I am also proud to say that this speech will be the first in a History lecture series that my department has initiated. Each year we will be presenting a scholar to talk about an important history topic. I am very excited to have helped start this series. 

Dr. Bartling’s lecture, “Shaped by History” will be at 11:45 – 12:45 in the Buenger Education Center (BEC).

attendance: I would like you all to attend–although it is not mandatory. But I will make a deal with all of you. Here is the deal:
1. If you come to the Convocation, listen, and write a brief analysis (details will follow but it will be short), I will give you some extra credit. And some of you really need the extra credit.
2. If at least 30 total students attend, I will give you all a day off during Thanksgiving week. If that number reaches 35, I will give you both of those days off during Thanksgiving week (Monday and Tuesday).
3. If you do attend, you will have to find me so I can write down your name. I will have a sign-up sheet. But I will be easy to find. You will have to stay for the entire speech.
4. Email me if you have questions. No one has class at this time, so you could all attend.

Monday: read chapter 10 of the textbook (Courts) and we will discuss it in class.Also take a look at the following link to better understand some important Supreme Court decisions. Read a few of them and we will discuss in class:  http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/04_2008/interactive.php

Tuesday: CQ Researcher article/option #5. Remember what we discussed about this assignment (read the CQ blog link if you forgot). I will assign 6 (six) of these CQ Researcher readings. You are required to write a paper/essay on 3 (three) of them. This is your fifth chance. Everyone is required, however, to read the article. We will debate the topic in class on Tuesday. This week’s topic: Student Debt: October 21, 2011. Go to the CQ Researcher website and find this particular article by date or topic. The site is at: http://library.cqpress.com.ezproxy.csp.edu/cqresearcher/

Thursday: News Groups:  this week’s groups will give presentations. I expect all students to listen and ask questions. News Group participants have papers to hand in.

also: There will be a question on the blog later in the week–probably Tuesday….. something about the Supreme Court–look for it. You will all be required to post a response. This will be your “Journal” assignment for the week.

 From this week on, things in the class will be a little more informal. There will be more research activities, some in-class projects, and even some days off to do your work. So pay attention to the blog for the weekly schedule. For this week, remember:
-your Congress assignment is due on Thursday (email it to me)
-the 4th CQ option is posted below–it is due on Thursday
-there is a question below, write a blog post
-there are extra links to read   

Monday: No class. You should spend the time working on your “Congress” scavenger hunt. That assignment was emailed to you. 

Tuesday: Come to class at the regular time.

Thursday: We will go over chapter 8 (the Presidency) of the textbook–so read it and come to class ready to discuss.  Also, read/watch the following links on the presidency:

view: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4408864248111359024:
This interview concerns the character of Abraham Lincoln. Most historians consider Lincoln’s character and temperament the traits that made him such an outstanding president. See if you can distinguish some of his personality traits. (Lincoln-video interview: 60 minutes)

read about presidential rankings: http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/parents_and_community/community_
page/sri/independent_research/Presidents%20Release_2010_final.pdf

read another ranking list: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/cspan_2009_presidential_rankin.html

• Finally, answer the following question right here on the blog–just select comment and write about 150-200 words: “Write about and/or discuss the 2-3 most interesting things you learned about presidents and the presidency.” These can be questions, things you learned, things you don’t understand, or things you would like to know more about. Use the textbook and the links for your ideas.  

CQ Researcher article/option #4. Remember what we discussed about this assignment (read the CQ blog link if you forgot). I will assign 6 (six) of these CQ Researcher readings. You are required to write a paper/essay on 3 (three) of them. This is your fourth chance. Everyone is required, however, to read the article. We will debate the topic in class if we have time. This week’s topic: Confronting Warming: January 9, 2009. Go to the CQ Researcher website and find this particular article by date or topic. The site is at: http://library.cqpress.com.ezproxy.csp.edu/cqresearcher/

Sorry to report this , but we will be changing the format of our weekly News assignment. Unfortunately, the person who organizes our podcasts is leaving her position at PRI. Until she is replaced (which may take some time), we will have to do something different. But do not panic–I have alternatives! Here is what we are going to do.

1. We will divide into groups of 3-4 (sign-up sheet on Monday).

2. Each week (starting the week of October 31), a designated group will give a news presentation to the class. Your group will only be responsible for 1 week of news coverage.

3. But for that week, the News group will be required to follow the news in some detail, and then give an in-class presentation on what is happening. You can just talk, give a PowerPoint, or something else creative. The News group will be expected to understand the primary news issues of the week, examine and present them, and take questions from the students and professor.

4. I would expect the News groups to follow PRI, the New York Times, and/or other reputable sources for that week. No sports or celebrity news is expected–global and international stories are allowed, especially if the United States is affected. I want serious news that pertains to the governmental issues.

5. This will be fun and give you a chance to work with some of your friends while also keeping up on current events.