For this assignment, you must select one theme, event, or concept from this lesson’s lectures (NOT the textbook readings and NOT the Crash Course history videos).  You will then compare your selection to an ongoing social, political, cultural, or economic issue in the United States today, explaining how events and phenomena from the past influence or shape the present.  Whereas the quizzes are designed to test your empirical knowledge of U.S. history, this discussion post is designed to evaluate your ability to make broader, analytical connections from the past to contemporary events.  Your discussion post should reflect your critical analysis of the past and present.

Directions:

1. Watch the lecture and read the scholarly article in their entirety.  Select one of the materials which interests you the most.

2. From one of those materials, determine what the main argument is.  In other words, all academic lectures and articles have a key point that is being supported by evidence, which is what we call the argument.  Figure out what that key point is.

3. In your discussion post, explain the argument by analyzing the evidence. As you are explaining the argument, you should discuss how that argument is significant for U.S. history.  In other words, tell me why this topic is important for U.S. history.

4. Next, make a connection between the topic and any political, social, or cultural issue that we face today in the United States.  You should explain how and in what ways the past informs or have shaped the present.

5. Your discussion post should reflect how you interpret the past and connect it to present events.

6. Please, be creative; be bold!  There is no right or wrong answer! I will evaluate you based upon the quality of your analysis.

Guidelines and Requirements: 

1. A minimum of 350 words. By all means, feel free to write more.

2. Use formal, well-written English.  You will be penalized points if your discussion post is sloppy and incomprehensible.

. Working with your media lens of Plato’s cave allegory, reflect on a time when you’ve witnessed people around you treating a new technology as if it were the

‘sun’ from Plato’s cave allegory. What did you notice initially? A few months or

years later?

2. Reflect on any line, probe, phrases from the excerpt you read in the Gutenberg Galaxy.

3. Reflect on ways that you see digital technology changing what is often considered a print-dominant culture or how you see new manifestations of orality and literacy manifesting in the ‘global village.’ Or…if you want to critique McLuhan’s idea of the global village, that is an option as well!

4. Reflect on the image posted of American media conglomerates. What stands out to you? 

5. Choose a few lines from the Understanding Media reading for this week and write your reflection in response to those lines. Paste them on the top of your page and write about why they stood out to you, what it makes you think about, etc. They could be representing an idea you really like, something that confused you or something you disagreed with. It really doesn’t matter- as long as you are engaging with the ideas represented in the lines you choose.

Overview: Research and write on an author from the last half of the semester. Relate the themes in his/her work to modern-day American beliefs related to freedom and equality, individuality, spirituality, the role of government, race relations, etc. Demonstrate a close reading of one of the authors from the second textbook. Explore the largest, most timeless issues of early American as well as modern American society.

Research what other scholars have written on your chosen author to help you dive into the academic conversations that surround these classic works.

• Douglass – Freedom, Abolition of slavery, Cross-racial understanding, Horrors of slavery on both the slave and the owner

Process

1. Choose an author who particularly interests you from the list above.

2. Choose a topic based on that work from the list above.

3. Write a thesis supported with evidence from one author on one topic in relation to American ideals.

• Example: Henry David Thoreau demonstrates the American ideal of rejecting unjust laws in his essay “Civil Disobedience,” an idea that sparked a movement of peaceful resistance which still resonates in American culture today.

4. Find Research from the literary analysis databases in the NOVA library or a book discussing your chosen author or work.

• Consult at least 6 sources, 4 research articles, 2 works of the author’s literature from our textbook. Find research sources published within the past decade.

5. Create an Annotated Bibliography in MLA format, listing your sources with summary and evaluation of each source. Submit your annotated bibliography a few weeks in advance for my approval. Include 6 sources: 4 from research and 2 from the textbook.

6. Write your essay with an introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs including quotes from the literature and your research. Revise your draft. Proofread for errors and submit your Final Essay using the blue link above.

CITATIONS: Use the MLA documentation style. Include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. Use the Owl Purdue website to find all MLA formatting requirements.

MLA FORMAT: Double space, 1 inch margins, page numbers (preceded by the student’s last name) in top right corner of every page. Heading in the top left corner: Full name, Date, Assignment name. Write a creative title to center above the first paragraph, not bold, not underlined, same font.

ASSIGNMENT LENGTH: 4 – 6 pages (not including a works cited page)

PLAGIARISM: Failure to document sources, submitting someone else’s writing, copying and pasting from the internet, and any other form of submitting non-original work will result in an F on the assignment and a rewrite.

Grading = 100 points for the essay + 50 points for the Annotated Bibliography

Write about 3-4 pages of what you learn in statical analytics and How did your practicum experience change and/or reinforce your views and assumptions about the course material relative to application and process? What have you learned during your practicum (on the job)? How have your abilities in this area changed? What more, if anything, to you want to learn?  What benefits have you gained from your practicum in terms of your career and/or personal goals?  Please describe any other elements of your practicum experience you would like to reflect upon.

In first paragraph please include my work responsibilities. I work as Project coordinator in cognizant with the client Fresenius Medical Care. My primary responsibility is to coordinate offshore and onshore teams. In my daily work, I need to see how I can improve the technology used in Fresenius. As a project coordinator, I manage my workforce team to meet Fresenius Medical Care needs by ensuring that resources and information are appropriately managed by arranging and scheduling project activities and meetings. I also train my staff to have specific knowledge and skills in a specific area, like the IT department to interface responsibilities and duties in the workplace successfully.