Strategies to Help With Learning

Drake Baer, 7 Memory Skills That Will Make You Smarter, Business Insider, 6-18-14

http://www.businessinsider.com/learning-hacks-that-will-maximize-your-memory-2014-6

Drake Baer, 4 Strategies For Remembering Everything You Learn, Business Insider, 8-18-14

http://www.businessinsider.com/strategies-for-remembering-everything-you-learn-2014-8

News - Environment, War

Joel Achenbach, Scientists: Human activity has pushed Earth beyond four of nine 'planetary boundaries, The Washington Post, 1-15-15

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-human-activity-has-pushed-earth-beyond-four-of-nine-planetary-boundaries/2015/01/15/f52b61b6-9b5e-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html?msource=MAG10&auid=15121174

Chris Hedges, Killing Ragheads For Jesus, Truthdig.com, 1-25-2015

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/killing_ragheads_for_jesus_20150125

Exemplar Blog Post: Session 2 - What Is Politics?

"Man is by nature a political animal." - Aristotle

Does Aristotle's bold claim hold water? Can one divorce politics from anything? Or is everything in life indeed political?

There is some merit to Aristotle's claim that man is by nature a political animal, but it is not an indisputable fact.

From the moment we are born to the end of our lives, we are caught in a complex web of interdependence and relationships. Within each of our relationships - regardless of how intimate - there exists a power dynamic. This power dynamic can be construed as political. For example, as a child we are entirely dependent on our parents. Our parents exercise power and control over us, which is an overt political act. This pattern continues to exist for the duration of our lives, from school to work to starting our own families. Power dynamics perpetually self-replicate and cannot be extricated from these relationships. Power is at the heart of politics, which is why Aristotle's claim has some merit.

But defining the nature of man is a contentious issue. Different political philosophers have varied in their perspectives on human nature. Hobbes argued that in a state of nature man is perpetually insecure and lives in state of war against all. Rousseau argued that in a state of nature human beings are innately good, while Locke argued that human beings are a blank slate and are melded by their external environment. Ultimately, we cannot return to an Archimedean point by which to judge human nature and therefore all attempts to do so are subjective.

So while there is merit to Aristotle's claim, it is impossible to claim with certainty that man is by nature a political animal.

How to Blog

Welcome to our class blog! The expectations for the blog are as follows:

1. Provide a post on a topic that sparked your interest from the class readings every session before the beginning of class. Ideally, this should be done early so that your classmates can also see your response.

2. Each post must be a MINIMUM of 150 words. There is no maximum word limit.

3. In addition to a post, you must also respond to a post from at least 1 of your classmates. You should respond to a different classmate each session. These responses must also be submitted before the beginning of class.

4. Write in standard academic language. Come up with a unique title for each post, but ensure that you start by labeling its with what session you are responding to (e.g. "Session 2 - What is Politics?).

5. Responses should not be a summary of the readings. Instead, they should demonstrate critical engagement with the reading. Be as creative as you'd like.

In order to make this process more manageable for you all, I've decided to make it mandatory that you submit 20 total blog posts and respond to 20 people's blog posts over the course of the semester. You will not be able to submit more than one blog post per session and only one comment per session will be counted towards your required comment total (but please comment as much as you like, as it can spark good discussions). The TAs will be keeping track of the number or posts you make, but it would also be helpful if you kept track as well.

By having you submit 20 total blog posts, this will give you some leeway in case you are unable to blog one session. Basically I'm giving you a break for a few posts over the course of the semester in order to alleviate any pressure from blogging. However, once a deadline has passed (for example we've passed the session 2/3 deadline), you can no longer submit on that topic. Finally, the last date to submit blog posts will be May 1, 2015. 

As a general organizational note, I will be posting news items of interest that you all can read if you'd like. The next post that I will make will be an exemplar of how to blog. Although I recognize that my piece will be at a more advanced level, I expect you all to still try your best to hone and develop a writing voice. I'm looking for critical engagement because being an effective communicator in multiple mediums will provide dividends for your entire life.

And a quick note on academic integrity: don't plagiarize. Just don't.

If there are any additional questions or concerns, please note them with a comment.