As we wound down for the spring break, we had an informal discussion in class of current events related to Iraq, the Sudan, and the conflict in Israel/Palestine. We did a recap of the EPIIC/Inquiry conference at Tufts which, last......more.

We began today by listening to the words of Harry Truman and others who were either responsible for the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan or were responding to that act. Working in pairs,......more.

Today was a bit of a grab bag of a day. In all classes, we discussed any last-minute questions folks traveling to Eastern Europe had. We then looked at a new weapon offered to the Bush (II) Defense Department. Role-playing......more.

The final project in this course is to create a memorial/monument to anything we have studied or touched on in the course. Today we discussed the nature of that assignment and considered examples of monuments/memorials--some conventional, some more abstract--as possible......more.

After writing thank you notes to Ms. Finder, Mr. Spielberg, and statements on why this field trip was valuable, we discussed questions about the film. Many classes had questions about the little girl in the red coat as well as......more.

All classes trooped over to Coolidge Corner Cinema to watch a large-screen showing of Schindler's List, arranged thanks to the generosity of Steven Spielberg and the folks at Coolidge Corner. After the film, Rena Finder, a survivor of the Holocaust......more.

A key theme in the material we've been looking at in the past few weeks has been the issue of bombing and the elevation of war to an entirely new level post the second World War. After reading two excerpts......more.

With Ms. Freeman's return to school today, we did a general recap of what we've been doing over the past two weeks, trying to weave together a sense of what we've learned about Rwanda (through Claude Kaitare and the various......more.

In today's class (Mr. Aversa's last! Thank you Mr. Aversa!), we concluded our screening of Last Good Man.......more.

Many of you saw General Dallaire in person last week at Harvard. Still more of you spotted him in both PBS films about Rwanda. Now we take a close up look at what happened to Mr. Dallaire during the Rwandan......more.

We resumed our look at Fred Leuchter in Mr. Death. Also, all students are to watch tonight the documentary on PBS (Channel 2): The Ghosts of Rwanda. Post: The Ghosts of Rwanda (due Sun., Apr. 4) Handout: The National Security......more.

Once again, we are shifting gears to look at the issue of Holocaust denial through the particular case of Fred Leuchter. To do this, we are screening Errol Morris' groundbreaking film: Mr. Death. Student interviews with people over age 74......more.

Our discussions today revolved around a series of key questions regarding the comfort women. Most specifically, we focused on the issue of crimes against women and what sort of laws and punishments ought to be established in response to them.......more.

We return briefly to our look at the war in East Asia by focusing on the comfort women, specifically the comfort women in Korea. Comfort women were females forced into enslavement by the Japanese military during World War II. This......more.

Today's classes had the extraordinary privilege of hearing Claude Kitare, a young survivor of the Rwandan genocide who is now a student at Clark University in Worcester. Claude's remarks were prefaced by a clip from the PBS film, Valentina's Nightmare.......more.

Today's classes completed their viewing of The Triumph of Evil. Assignment: Rwanda: What Can We Do Differently? (due Wed., Mar. 31)......more.

We are leapfrogging a bit in the course to get to the Rwandan genocide, an event that took place in 1994 (so we have shifted dramatically in time from where we were yesterday). Next week is the tenth anniversary of......more.

Due to Ms. Freeman's absence, the Facing History classes will be looking at a series of films (and discussing them with Mr. Aversa) that are related to what is coming up in the course. Today classes screened a sizable portion......more.

Mr. Aversa took over Ms. Freeman's class today and will be covering for her until she returns. Thank you Mr. Aversa!......more.

Today we began looking at the rape of Nanking, an expression aptly used by Iris Chang in her book of the same title. We read (in progression in the class) a series of excerpted testimonies by survivors and/or witnesses of......more.

Why did we go to war in East Asia? Why did a world war erupt there? In order to answer these questions, we retraced the history of Japan and its engagement with its East Asian neighbors prior to 1931. We......more.

All students had a test in class today, enabling them to synthesize their understandings about the rise of the Nazis and the Holocaust. Happy evacuation day tomorrow.......more.

We continued our examination of questions of forgiveness confronted in Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower. All classes examined the writings of other figures--both prominent and less so--who weighed in on Simon's dilemma. We discussed what sort of forgiveness is possible, who......more.

After distributing the assignment to interview folks over the age of 73 about what they knew of the atrocities of the Holocaust and the Japanese takeover of East Asia, we turned to the question of forgiveness. Our case study was......more.

Ironically, we in fact talk very little about World War II as a war, with battles and the like, in this course. Today, we devoted a bit of time to talking about the war as it played out in the......more.

"They went like sheep led to slaughter." So it's been said about many of the targeted groups--notably most often about the Jews--during the Holocaust. Is this a myth? Surely it is clear that many of the people targeted by the......more.

Today we wrapped up our look at various targeted populations during the Holocaust by focusing on the homosexuals.......more.

In today's classes, we looked at the complex situations faced by artists, writers, and musicians who were personally persecuted and their work targeted during the Holocaust.......more.

In Ms. Freeman's absence (she was at a conference on Transitional Justice at the International Center for Transitional Justice in New York City), we watched the remainder of the film, America and the Holocaust, and learned how the Treasury Department......more.

Today we had illuminating presentations offered in all classes on the Roma and the Sinti.......more.

Today, groups shared their research into the experience of Afro-Germans/European Africans, a group only recently receiving considerable scholarly attention, with all classes.......more.

Today's classes had indepth presentations on the fate of the disabled in Nazi occupied Europe.......more.

In all classes, groups presented their research on the experience of the Jehovah's Witnesses during the Nazi era and the Holocaust. Ms. Freeman also distributed permission slips for our trip to Schindler's List and to hear Rena Finder on Thursday,......more.

Because we had the visiting Prague students in all classes today, we took the opportunity to have a roundtable discussion of headlines/world events that are capturing our attention these days. Items ranged from the US elections to Haiti to events......more.

We began with a clip from America and the Holocaust in which we saw several key events highlighted: * Ben Hecht's efforts to raise American awareness of the issue of the desperate need for Jewish emigration out of Europe through......more.

Today's class was dedicated to research and group work on the targeted populations projects, due beginning next Monday. Students worked with the books and materials on reserve in the library OR on the computers in 307.......more.

As the Nazis solidified power, the United States reacted variously. Antisemitism in this nation was high and there were internal pressures within the US government to severely limit Jewish and Eastern European immigration to this country. The makeup of the......more.

Many logistics to review in class today regarding the upcoming targeted population projects, passes to the library to use the reserve materials for those projects, the allocation of all classes Wednesday to work in the library or on computers on......more.

It would simply be unacceptable in a Facing History class for us not to look at the history that is literally unfolding around us. Gay marriage is the issue of the day in Massachusetts; just down the street, the State......more.

All classes today were relocated to the Keefe Library, where we researched the experience of six targeted populations during the Holocaust. The targeted populations are: Jehovah's Witnesses the disabled the Afro-Germans/Afro-Europeans artists, writers, and musicians Roma/Sinti (gypsies) homosexuals Students, working......more.

Today we took a day to synthesize some of what we saw in Washington, answering the innumerable questions that were raised by our day at the Holocaust Museum. We then turned to the question of Maus, looking at how Vladek......more.

How did the Nazis get from the actions of the mobile killing squads--the Einsatzgruppen--to murdering millions of people in gas chambers? To understand this, we zoomed in on the Wannsee conference in November 1941. We discussed the attendees at this......more.

How did the Nazis get from the actions of the mobile killing squads--the Einsatzgruppen--to murdering millions of people in gas chambers? To understand this, we zoomed in on the Wannsee conference in November 1941. We discussed the attendees at this......more.

Today, classes were too exhausted (as was the teacher!), so we talked generally about the trip to Washington. Homework tonight: write 6 individual thank you letters on white unlined typing paper to: * All chaperones (including any note within it......more.

What we learned during the trip to Washington will be incorporated into our work next week and during the weeks to follow, but for the sake of this log, here is an excerpt from our itinerary: Friday, February 6 10:00......more.

Before leaving for Washington today, we plunged into the nature of death camps in Nazi Germany by screening Night and Fog, a controversial but useful way to broach the subject. This is a highly disturbing film for most people, and......more.

Several classes did not meet today, due to the National Honor Society ceremonies. In those that did: we discussed the Einsatzgruppen article by Chris Browning and the first book of Maus. In the classes that would not meet tomorrow, we......more.

Today, despite an astonishing degree of Patriot flu (I wonder if it's related to the PATRIOT Act), leading to a more than 50% absentee rate (though kudos to section 11, with the most folks in school!), we did accomplish something......more.

After distributing copies of Maus to the class and discussing the background of Art Spiegelman and his account of his parents, Anja and Vladek, in Poland in the 1930s and 1940s, we turned to a rapid-fire sweep through Nazi Germany......more.

Friday's class was dedicated in its entirety, alas, to the logistics, rules/regulations, and questions about our trip to Washington this Friday. There were three handouts--if you were absent, make sure you get them!......more.

We resumed our look at Triumph of the Will. We focused our attention on what Riefenstahl was trying to convey in the way in which she filmed the various rallies that were part of the Congress. We looked at the......more.

The filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, who died this fall at the age of 101, reflected on her 1934 film, Triumph of the Will, that "“It casts such a shadow over my life that death will be a blessed release." Triumph of......more.

We began today's class by reseating, arranged according to the groups for the targeted populations projects. We reviewed what that project is all about, where the resources are, and what the outcome is to be. We completed our look at......more.

Today we focused largely on 1933. After completing descriptions of what each student did on their respective human rights projects and discussing upcoming plans for screening The Fog of War Friday night (and a visit by Errol Morris in May),......more.

We wrapped up our study of Hitler's Mein Kampf with a review of his references to biology, religion, etc. and then turned to how Hitler came to power. We then turned to the most prominent of Nazi symbols--the swastika--and parsed......more.

We dedicated much of today to parsing the text of Mein Kampf. We shared what we found that seemed rational and irrational, how Hitler touches on issues of biology and disease, religion and God, women, the Treaty of Versailles, history,......more.

After the litany of so-called "theories" about Hitler, we turned to the information we have about his life. We began with his upbringing in Austria, his frustration as an aspiring artist, his exposure to various ideas in Vienna, including a......more.

We began class by looking at 8 slides of paintings by an unidentified artist(s). Students evaluated each picture on its own merits and shared their evaluations of the images with the class. We then learned that all 8 pictures were......more.

Today we had a test on everything we've studied from eugenics to the Weimar Republic. At day's end, it was announced that there would be no school tomorrow due to the record-breaking cold temperatures (-20 F with the wind-chill).......more.

Living in Weimar Germany was like living on a roller coaster. Particularly in its first phase--from 1919-1924--Weimar was an economy spiraling out of control. Both the marriage rate and the birth rate plummeted between 1919 and 1924. With little control......more.

If you were any sort of progressive artist, writer, musician, filmmaker, photographer, or director, Berlin during the Weimar Republic was the place to be. In many ways, the arts were a mirror of the eagerness of Germans to survive, despite......more.

In the shadow of the war, a new nation was essentially born in Germany. The Kaiser abdicates once he is persuaded that his Generals cannot protect him, revolutions break out in the streets of virtually all major German cities, there......more.

Much material to cover today...and so little time! We addressed three key questions today in class: * why did the United States get into World War I? For the answer, we looked at the interference on the high seas (Atlantic)......more.

We left the Armenian genocide for the moment and turned our attention to the emergence of a Russian revolution, the end of Russia and the beginning of the Soviet Union. To begin with, we drew Communism. Many of the drawings......more.

We kicked off class today by doing a cascading chronology--a descending staircase chronology--on the Armenian genocide. The patterns evident in this genocide will reappear in other genocides. Why the Turks imposed certain restrictions was of particular note? We then moved......more.

World War I was supposed to be one of those quick wars--in/out, over in a few months. Yes, yes--all those alliances kicked into gear, but it wasn't supposed to last. When 1914 gave way to 1915 and folks were still......more.

After taking the "NO SENIORITIS" pledge, we picked up with the causes of World War I. We identified the rise of modern Germany as a national entity, the role of Kaiser Wilhelm I and II, the particular powers of Otto......more.

In class today (all classes except section 31), we concluded our look at life in 1900 and then segued to the outbreak of World War I. We absorbed the devastating story of that war, the unfathomable number of casualties, and......more.

Today's class was divided between two key topics. The first was an exploration of the genocide of the Herero people in the German colony of Southwest Africa (today's Namibia) in the first decade of the twentieth century. There is little......more.

After reading excerpts from Adam Hochschild's powerful book, King Leopold's Ghost, students examined the issue of how colonization was conducted in Africa. We examined how an extractive economy ruined a nation and how Leopold's efforts to suck all the natural......more.

Today we turned to the topic of Africa and--frankly--the level of ignorance in the United States about what's where and what happened there. We began by mapping Africa--or better yet, trying. Presented with a blank map of Africa, students were......more.

Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," from his Ring cycle, kicked off our class. We assessed the qualities and character of Wagner's music and his position within the 19th century European world of music. We learned about Wagner's issues with......more.

We moved into the modern era in our look at antisemitism by identifying the beginnings of Zionism--a movement to create a safe and secure place for Jews who had been and might continue to be persecuted to live. This might......more.

Today we transitioned from our understanding of the world in which Christianity emerged, eventually becoming a major world faith, to how that affected minority populations and faiths (in this case, Judaism). As we looked at the first century after Jesus'......more.

Today we continued our exploration of the texts of the four gospels as they document four perspectives on Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. We looked at several key questions: * who said what about who brought Jesus to the Roman authorities......more.

While Ms. Freeman was absent (due to a horrible cough and flu!), students met with their human rights groups and charted how they would tackle the project and its first phase, due in early January.......more.

Boston Latin alum Ben Naimark-Rowse '99 came by today to talk to all classes about his work with the Open Justice Initiative of the Open Society Initiative at the Soros Foundation in New York. Ben, whose considerable experience with human......more.

After basking in the glow of the phenomenal success of our fundraiser with the hypnotist extraordinaire--and only we could have scheduled that so that it emptied out into the biggest snowstorm of the year!--we got back to work. First, we......more.

On the heels of Hilary Krieger's visit yesterday, many students had questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All students were urged to take a look at "749's" posting in section 51. We began to outline the origins and chronology of the......more.

Hilary Krieger '94 visited all classes today and shared her experiences and perceptions as a journalist working for The Jerusalem Post, one of two major newspapers in Israel today. She had much to say about living in Jerusalem, fear, and......more.

Religions are clubs, sort of. People join them. Some are more active than others. Some religions believe that your mother (Jews) or your father (Muslims) determine what your faith is. Still others (Christians, in some denominations) ask that you profess......more.

Following a review of the stereotypes in The Family Guy and a quick look at pop culture images (from the recent exhibition Too Jewish?) depicting Barbra Streisand, the alleged "Jewish nose," and the practice of changing names to a more......more.

Welcome back from the Thanksgiving break. Today we embarked on a look at the stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding Jews. We looked at an array of artifacts, from Harvey Megillah to the "Oy to the World" menorah, from the LP for......more.

We changed gears a bit and focused on what is perhaps one of the key episodes in our Facing History journey. Today we looked at an experiment, ostensibly said to be about "learning and memory" that was in fact about......more.

We kicked off all classes with a brief discussion of the outstanding production of The Laramie Project this weekend. (Note: the few students who were unable to attend should plan to attend the screening of the film version of the......more.

Beginning with a reminder that folks should post on their responses to The Laramie Project (see the assignment handout, below), in most classes we either completed our look at the stats of eugenics, followed by a brief look at the......more.

Today, depending on your class, we continued to look at the rationales for the drastic step of sterilization in the eugenics data from Vermont and elsewhere. We lookd at graphs of the feebleminded, we looked at army accounts of the......more.

After Ms. Freeman admitted that she had misrepresented the research about head circumference and its correlation to intelligence, we began looking in some classes at the interest in tracing intelligence (and "feeblemindedness," with its sub-categories of "idiot," "imbecile," and "moron")......more.

We began by sharing our findings in our marriage study. Many students who interviewed individuals married in the United States found that they were having blood tests done before marriage. After surveying "why" they thought that they were having the......more.

We began class today by collecting the take-home essays related to last week's test. Ms. Freeman also reminded everyone that the essay paper related to our study of discrimination, racism, and stereotypes--the essay devoted to othering--is due on Friday. (See......more.

Today we had an in-class test to close out our look at racism, discrimination, and stereotyping. There is a take-home essay with this test which is due by class time on Monday.......more.

In all classes except section 11, we took a look today at what is perhaps the last bastion of caricature stereotyping: the case of Native Americans. Throughout this nation, major sports teams bear the names--and caricatures--that reference Native Americans. We......more.

We began by talking briefly about our fundraiser in December and collected forms and funds for the Washington trip. Ms. Freeman then shared with us what students witnessed during their weekend trip to Amsterdam and The Hague. The principal focus......more.

While Ms. Freeman escorted ten Facing History students to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, all classes watched the first 40 minutes of the award-winning documentary, The Celluloid Closet.......more.

We began with a close examination of the text in Genesis 19: the story of Lot and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Comparing different versions of the text, we raised questions about what sort of iniquity was practiced there......more.

After a series of critical reminders: (1) permission slip (signed by both parents and teachers), rooming form, and check for the Washington DC trip are due on Wed., Nov 12, though I am happy to take them earlier (if you......more.

After distributing forms related to hosting Prague students when they come to Boston in February, getting a brief sense of how people reacted to Three Weeks after Paradise, and hearing about the experience of several students who attending Rock the......more.

Class today surveyed various issues that are part of current debates regarding homosexuality. We looked at the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the controversy over the challenge to the Boy Scouts of America position regarding gay scoutmasters, the issue......more.

After debriefing on Hate.com (thank you Mr. Grant!), we turned to our own sexual identity. We each completed a "heterosexual questionnaire," and then discussed our responses. Where does heterosexuality come from? What does the fact that homosexuality was the sexual......more.

In Ms. Freeman's absence (she was in Washington, speaking at the gathering of Holocaust survivors there), you screened a disturbing movie, Hate.com: Hate on the Internet. This movie was no doubt troubling for most of you who were unfamiliar that......more.

In class today, we played the legislative shuffle, a "game" that introduced you to the legacy of legislation regarding race, civil rights, immigration, and citizenship in this nation. You were divided into teams and asked to put the following documents......more.

We started with a cartoon on immigration: http://www.immigrationcontrol.com/immigration_crisis.htm and from this, we began to discuss the pros and cons of open immigration. Is it sustainable? What do we want our country to be? An increasingly tossed salad? More of a......more.

So surprise, surprise--more stereotypes, this time with respect to the folks in this country--always growing in numbers: Hispanic-Americans. What to call Hispanics: Hispanics? Hispanic-Americans? Chicanos (for Mexican-Americans)? Latinos? What's with all those terms. To see how Hispanics are seen in......more.

After we recapped the weekend's alumni activities, from the school makeover for Saturday night's gala to Richard Clarke's extremely insightful talk Saturday morning, we returned to the subject of busing. Many students recounted stories they had heard from families and......more.

When Louise Day Hicks' obituary appeared in the paper on Wednesday, it was a sign that we should indeed be facing our own history--that is to say, the legacy we've inherited of mandated busing of schoolchildren in Boston. We considered......more.

But for section 11, in which we closely examined the lynching postcards, all other classes focused on black stereotypes in the media and in popular culture. After examining several artifacts which Ms. Freeman circulated through the class (e.g.--sheet music, advertisements,......more.

Billie Holliday's rendition of Abel Meeropol's haunting song, Strange Fruit, is a deeply felt song on the horrors of lynching. We listened to a reflection on the song that is featured on a clip from the PBS series by Ken......more.

We wrapped up our look at Asian-Americans in this country (we looked at the Gallop polls regarding American attitudes toward the Chinese and Japanese, taken in this country in 1942 and 1966). Then we turned to African-Americans. First, working in......more.

Today we took a panoramic look at the history of the representation of and attitudes toward Asian-Americans in the United States. We began with the arrival of a significant number of Chinese immigrants in the 1840s, to coincide with the......more.

How could any Facing History class begin on the Friday following game 7 of the American League competition without discussing the latest Red Sox loss? In various places, we acknowledged our loss, discussed it, analyzed it, restrained from scapegoating anyone......more.

In most classes, we dealt with the administrative details of our February trip to Washington, D.C. However, in two classes, we succeeded in beginning our look at prejudice toward and discrimination against Asians, beginning with more recent examples and then......more.

When we looked at stereotypes, students generally tiptoed around stereotypes associated with Arabs and/or Muslims. In part, isn't that a manifestation of our post-9/11 sensitivities? Take care not to generalize about Arabs and Muslims, we heard; the dangers of stereotyping......more.

After looking at the stereotypes that we generally are familiar with, we turned to one of the groups most often stereotyped: the Irish. We immediately examined the stereotype of the drunken, fighting Irish (thanks to a clip from Saturday Night......more.

In our postmortem discussion of Ignatiev and the nature of racism in the US today, we focused on his analysis of the experience of "whites" and "blacks" in this country. We looked at how waves of immigration affected these experiences--how......more.

Today in all classes except section 51, Noel Ignatiev, author of one of last night's readings and professor at Massachusetts College of Art, came in to talk about his views. His presentation was met with numerous questions and generated considerable......more.

Building from the question of whether the "shopping lady" was changed or learned anything by the end of The Lunch Date, we explored the question of whether she was prejudging--prejudiced--or discriminating--differentiating between (in this case) people. To what degree were......more.

Today was a bit of a wrapup, pulling together the disparate strands of our discussion on Friday on race categories, culminating with the reporting of absence statistics by racial grouping, as well as the material considered in class yesterday (Rush......more.

Because Ms Freeman was out for the Yom Kippur religious holiday, a substitute showed a program from a recent Nightline (ABC, 11:30 p.m.). The program presented the current situation facing Rush Limbaugh, a widely heard radio commentator who of late......more.

We reviewed in class the findings you collected on what patterns are present in the Boston Latin dining hall. In various classes, issues of race, gender, and neighborhood emerged as patterns over the six grades present. We talked about isolated......more.

Facing History moved today to an art room in the Arts Wing (thanks Mr. Pitts!) so that we could paint. Quite simply, we painted one another, trying to capture the skin color of our partner's in tempera paint. We mixed......more.

We began class by developing a working definition of a stereotype--a generalization made about a group or place or thing that originates in facts or experiences with a member(s) of that group or that place or thing. We can't eradicate......more.

Today, after discussing our forthcoming investigation of the dynamics of who sits where and why in the school's "Dining Hall," we turned to Ms. Freeman's 6 peppers. All beautiful orange peppers, we were nevertheless asked to decide which pepper of......more.

During R1 today, all students had an opportunity to hear writer and comedian Al Franken discuss the government, media, and propaganda. Mr. Franken spoke for nearly an hour, offering remarks and then fielding questions from the audience. In all classes,......more.

Our look at our individual identities concluded with today's identity test.......more.

Today Ms Freeman distributed permission slips for Al Franken's talk on Monday (Day 1, R1). We have reached our final day of identity box presentations! In several classes, Ms. Freeman presented her identity box and that of the International School......more.

Ms. Freeman was at a conference at Brown University today, so we interrupted our identity box presentations to screen a short video, "Toward a More Perfect Union." Following the video, we worked either as a class (section 51) or in......more.

Today we nearly wrapped up our identity boxes. section 11: Aaron, Ben, Elizabeth, Carolina, Dan section 31: Moc Lan, Alix, Courtney section 41: Steve, Meredith, Ivan, Laura, Jill section 51: Shawn, Jimmy, Lisa, Chelsea section 71: Liz G., Katherine, Fang......more.

Today we began the final round of identity box presentations. Section 11: Bronson, Stephanie, Aquila (Kiki), Aaron (to finish tomorrow) Section 31: Alice, Norianne, Amira section 41: Connie, Nilda, David, Tracey section 51: Sylvia, Thanh section 71: Megan, Hannah, Frankie,......more.

We marched onward with identity boxes today: section 11: Anna, Noah, Tisha, Casey section 31: Catie section 41: Molly, Carolyn section 51: Brittany C., Marie section 71: Jora, Henrique, Kassa, Roberson Also, students are to reflect on Samantha Power's reading:......more.

After some debriefing on yesterday's speakers, we returned to the presentation of our identity boxes: section 11: Marielle, Janelle section 31: Carl, Lydia, Mandy, Leigh section 41: Ana, Alexandra, Hannah, section 51: Tiara, Brittany C, Rori, section 71: Lily, Hang,......more.

In all sections except for (poor) section 31, we had a guest speaker, Bart van der Steene. Bart has been active in the anti-Iraq war movement in Europe as well as in anti-racist efforts on the European continent and workers/socialist......more.

After a brief discussion about the need for concise and pointed posts, with clear paragraphs and the use of punctuation, we returned to the identity box presentations. We heard from an array of folks, as follows: section 11: Trude, Katherine,......more.

Today in class, we did a rapid fire history of how the United States shifted from the events of 9/11/2001 to the situation we face today, with war in Iraq, troops in Afghanistan, threats from North Korea, instability and violence......more.

We don't even need to say "2001," because the 9/11 speaks for itself. (Interesting to speculate on why we use that shorthand, as opposed to "the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon.) In class today, we recalled that day......more.

So we continued with identity boxes, learning more about Rashad's jokes, Muching's banana, Dennis' Irish step dancing, Emilia's plans for her wedding, Nadine's ambitions for the Air Force, Caitlin's triumph over adversity, Bryan's special relationship with his robot, and much,......more.

We continued our look at identity boxes in class today. Some astonishing presentations and boxes surfaced. section 11: Currivan, Liz O'D section 31: Nate, Andrew, Nicholas, and Meghan section 41: Chris A., Maggie section 51: Caroline, Leah, Jessica, Emily section......more.

Today was the first day on which we presented our identity boxes. Brave souls in each class kicked off the presentations: in section 11: John, Joe in section 31: Liz, Katie, Wayne in section 41: Taphath, Jose, Rob, Kerry in......more.

After looking at the class log and learning how to use it, and reviewing the course policy on late assignments/projects, etc., we turned to the substance of the course. We began with the case of David Cash, whose actions during......more.

In class today, we discussed how to use the learntoquestion website, how to post, how to check the log and find any documents for the course. Tonight's assignment is to do a test posting on the site (see assignment below).......more.

During the first day of classes, students arranged themselves alphabetically by first names for seating, completed an information form, and chose their usernames. Ms. Freeman distributed a series of forms and papers. These included: * course expectations * the scope......more.