Quick survey of the evolving uses of the term “socialism” October 15, 2009
Posted by jdresner in doing history, hist 102 (Fall 2009), not homework, resources.add a comment
At HNN, Walter Moss has a nice survey of some of the fuzzy language used by and about socialists, socialism, progressivism, etc.
Comments on Book Summaries October 12, 2009
Posted by jdresner in Schedule Change, hist 102 (Fall 2009), homework.add a comment
I’ll be handing back the book summaries today. Many of them are actually inadequate as summaries — too short, too confused or too much of your thoughts and not enough of the book’s content. If I’ve included “Try Again” or “revise and hand in again” in the comments on your summary, then I will be expecting to see a more complete — or clearer, or more focused, etc. — summary handed in with your statements of the book’s thesis.
In order to make it easier, I’ve moved the Thesis statement due date back to Monday the 19th, giving you most of an extra week. The Thesis statement should be just that, by the way: a sentence or short paragraph clearly stating what the author’s purpose is in writing the book, what they hope to prove by the evidence and argument they provide. Sometimes that thesis will be explicitly laid out by the author in a form you can quote; sometimes (especially with autobiographical writings or seemingly straightforward surveys of major events) it is more work for you to figure it out.
Finally, a note on form: I don’t insist that you all use the Chicago Manual of Style footnote method for history papers, but if you quote something, then I expect to see a citation including a page number. It can be in parentheses, footnote or endnote, but a quotation without a specific source, including a page number, is a grave error.
History Club Meeting October 7, 2009
Posted by jdresner in doing history, not homework.add a comment
Not for extra credit — though the History Club events usually qualify — but a good group:
Greetings from the History Club here at PSU!
If you are a history major, minor, or are simply a student who is interested in learning more about history and participating in fun activities to that end, please come to our club meeting on Oct. 21st at 3pm in the History computer lab (306J Russ Hall).
We would love to see you all there! Please feel free to come and enjoy free food and drinks, as well as getting to know some of us in the club. We will be talking about upcoming events, as well as those that we would like to plan for the future.
See you on the 21st!
Also, I just got a flyer for the Pitt State Women’s Studies Club — all students welcome! — meeting Monday, October 12, 4:30pm in Grubbs 422. Again, not an extra credit opportunity in itself, but for interested folks.
Extra Credit Opportunity: Darfur and Sudan Today October 5, 2009
Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09).add a comment
Tilford LectureTuesday October 6, 3 pmBalkans Room – OSCDarfur, Sudan TodayDon’t miss a talk by Rev. Daniel Kuot, one of the ‘lost boys of Sudan,’ who’s village was attacked, his family killed and he was shot and fled to Ethiopia. Like many of the survivors of the genocide of Darfur, Daniel has immigrated to the United States after many years as a refugee in Ethiopia.Today he spends all of his time working to help those who are still in Sudan. He is building a school in his village of Paloi. He has just started a micro-credit program to help farmers create enterprises to support their families. And he supports several orphans at a school in Kenya. Come and hear Daniel’s amazing story and hear what is happening in Sudan today.Daniel will be speaking at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, October 6, in the Balkans Room at the Overman Student Center. This talk is sponsored by the Tilford Group at PSU. For information about Daniel’s talk or other times to hear him contact Dan Ferguson, HHPR, ferguson@pittstate.edu or 235-4911.
Test #1 Results October 5, 2009
Posted by jdresner in administrative, grading, hist 102 (Fall 2009), study terms, textbook.add a comment
The most popular term, by far, was “Columbian Exchange” followed by “Martin Luther,” “Abolition” and “The Bill of Rights.”
As with the pop quizzes, I scored each answer on a 4-point scale, then added up the results. The high score in the class was 42 out of a possible 48 (before extra credit), which I used as the 100% mark (which raised everyone’s grades a lot). The median score was a B or B-. Here’s how the grade scale worked out:
| Grade | minimum points | distribution |
| A+ | 42 | |
| A | 39.8 | 15% |
| A- | 37.8 | |
| B+ | 34.8 | |
| B | 30.3 | 45% |
| B- | 27.3 | |
| C+ | 24.3 | |
| C | 19.8 | 20% |
| C- | 16.8 | |
| D+ | 13.8 | |
| D | 9.3 | 20% |
| D- | 6.3 | |
| F | 0 |
This looks pretty good, but remember two things. The extra credits were a very helpful: most people got both right, and each grade scale was only three points or a bit more. The top score is very likely to go up in later tests, which means that everyone has to improve just to stay even.
Finally, I was, as I noted, very disappointed by the number of answers which parroted back the textbook’s sidebar definitions. Here are a few examples of how those definitions compare to answers which actually got good scores (3.5 or 4 out of 4) below the fold. My favorite example is the last one: notice how the textbook sidebar definition almost entirely fails to mention what makes Cornwallis important in this chapter, but the student definition ignores all the irrelevant stuff and goes right to significance? Note that the student definitions aren’t perfect but they very clearly cover the context, often mention and define related terms, and are especially good on significance, why the term/person/etc. mattered:
Study List for Test #1 September 25, 2009
Posted by jdresner in administrative, hist 102 (Fall 2009), homework, study terms.add a comment
Here is the collected list of terms from the chapters to be covered by Test #1. As I said previously, I will give you a few terms from each chapter and you will answer twelve, including at least one from each chapter.
| Chapter 15 Altepetl Chapter 16 Catholic Reformation Chapter 17 Abbas I |
Chapter 18 Carolina Chapter 19 Abolitionist Chapter 20 Aurangzeb |
Extra Credit Opportunity: SEK Symphony Benefit September 23, 2009
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The Southeast Kansas Symphony Orchestra is pleased to present its first concert of the 2009-2010 concert season. ‘Symphony at Sunset’ is an outdoor benefit celebration for the orchestra will be held Sunday, September 27 at 6:00 p.m. at the West 20th St. Mined Land Wildlife Area (the old ‘Quail Farm’ on the way to the Humane Society).Tickets for this benefit concert are $25.00 enjoy music, poetry and nature while supporting the SEK Symphony! Bring a folding/outdoor chair and wear comfortable shoes. A beverage will be provided with your ticket purchase.
In case of rain, the concert will be moved to Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. Contact Stella Hastings at 235-4469 for questions.
Specific information regarding the concert can be found at www.seksymphony.org.
They’ve got a Dvorak concert scheduled for November, as well, and that one is free to PSU students with ID.
Extra Credit Opportunity: Hispanic Heritage Month Movie Week September 23, 2009
Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09), hist 102 (Fall 2009).add a comment
You only need to attend one to get extra credit, but you are welcome to attend more. All movies are in the Student Center; screenings begin at 7pm.
- Monday, September 28 – El Norte: After the Guatemalan army destroys their village of San Pedro, two teenage Quiche Mayan Indian siblings journey north through Mexico to the United States to start a new life.
- Tuesday, September 29 – Piñero: Tells the story of the explosive life of a Latino icon, the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero.
- Wednesday, September 30 – Mambo Kings: In the early 1950s, two Cuban brothers must flee Havana after getting into a violent dispute with the mobster owners of a club where they performed. Eventually ending up in New York, they work at menial jobs while attempting to revive their musical careers.
- Thursday, October 1 – Mi Familia: Traces over three generations an immigrant family’s trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs.
Miscellaneous announcements: Guest Lectures, Test, Fun September 22, 2009
Posted by jdresner in Napoleon, Schedule Change, administrative, extra credit (F09), grading, hist 102 (Spring 2009), homework, military, not homework, resources.1 comment so far
We’ll have two guest lectures from PSU Grad student, military historian and WWII reenactor Dustin Strong: “Napoleon and his Wars” on October 9 and “WWII” on November 16. Mr. Strong’s lectures, like my own, are required, and I will expect to see his presentation reflected in your test answers and essays where appropriate. Mr. Strong has also announced two WWII reenactments open to the public as extra credit opportunities: Sept. 26-27 at Bristow Jones Memorial Airport (Bristow, OK) and Nov. 7 at Forest Park (Ottawa, KS). For the extra credit, include in your summary/reaction paper a description of the battle, and those of you doing WWII topics for your book review are strongly encouraged to talk to members of one of the units, as they are usually very well-informed on the equipment and history of the units they portray.
My apologies to the 2pm section for missing Monday: I have put the lecture outline online, so that anyone who missed class due to the weather or illness can review it. Those of you were there for the 11am class are welcome to look at it as well, obviously.
Regarding the Test on Monday, covering chapters 15 through 20, inclusive, and the lectures, the format will be very much like the pop quizzes: I will choose four or five (or six) terms from each chapter — the terms in the “Key Terms” lists, of course — to put on the test. From those, you will pick twelve (12) to answer: at least one from each of the six chapters, and the rest from any of the remaining terms. I will supply the test and paper; you bring something to write with and everything you can remember about the last month’s readings and lectures.
Finally, for fun, here’s pre-Revolutionary satires on French aristocratic hairstyles, including a recreation of the Battle of Bunker Hill [mildly adult content]. The one that made me laugh was the one with the hairdresser using a nautical navigational tool — the sextant — to arrange the hairstyle.
A rough calculation of African Slave Trade September 18, 2009
Posted by jdresner in doing history, resources.add a comment
| Atlantic trade volume | Middle Passage mortality rate | Islamic Trade | |
| 15c-16c | ~2k/yr | ~50% | ~10k/yr |
| 17c | rising to 20k/yr | ~10k/yr | |
| 18c | 55k/yr | ~10k/yr | |
| 19c | 33k/yr (peaking early) | ~5% | ~10k/yr |
| total | 14M | ~25% | ~5M |
Sources include Bentley&Ziegler, Traditions and Transformations, McKay, et. al, and others
