HAPPY WEEKEND! You have reached the end of Week 11! The Week 11 Read and Respond assignment (blog commenting) is available now, and the remaining Week 11 assignments are due on Friday or on Saturday or Sunday - please make sure you get started on those assignments soon (this is the next-to-last Storybook commenting assignment; Week 12 will be your last time to comment on Storybooks, so use your free choices accordingly!) Friday morning, until noon, is the grace period if you forgot to do any of the assignments that were due on Thursday.
Storybook Stack. I'm still working my way through the stack of Storybook assignments that people have turned in this week. If you want to check to make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here. Everyone who turned in a Week 10 assignment on time should have gotten that back from me; if you turned in a late Week 10 assignment or an early assignment for Week 11 or Week 12, I will get comments back to you on Friday. If you want comments back before the weekend, make sure you turn in your early Week 11 or Week 12 Storybook assignment by noon on Friday.
Mix and match points. (repeat announcement) Several people have written to me with questions about mix-and-match strategies, so I thought I should repeat this announcement. There is no special requirement about which assignments you choose to do or not do as the semster comes to a close, provided that you get the total points you need. You can focus on your Storybook, you can pick and choose which reading assignments and quizzes you want to do - it's really up to you. So, based on the assignments you enjoy most/least in the class, you can certainly skip some assignments, provided that you end up with the points you need at the end. My only recommendation is that you do this cautiously. You don't want to skip so many assignments that you end up not getting the points you need for your desired grade.
April 10: Good Friday. The Easter calendar of the western Christian Church varies from year to year. This year, Easter Sunday will be celebrated on April 12, and Friday, April 10, is known as Good Friday. In many countries, there are "Hot Cross Buns" which are eaten on Good Friday, decorated with the sign of the cross. Not surprisingly, there are various superstitious about this special holiday bread, and you can read more about that at Wikipedia. One of the beliefs about Hot Cross Buns is that if you share a Hot Cross Bun with someone on Good Friday, you will enjoy friendship with them all year long, provided that you say this charm: "Half for you and half for me / Between us two shall goodwill be."
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Thursday, April 9
Today is Thursday of WEEK 11 of the class. If you have not turned in your Week 10 Storybook assignment yet, you have UNTIL NOON today to that in for partial credit. For those of you in Myth-Folklore or World Lit, Thursday morning, until noon, is the grace period if you forgot to do any of the assignments that were due on Wednesday. (Indian Epics has no Wednesday assignments, so there is no Thursday morning grace period.)
Finishing the class early. One person in the Indian Epics class has reached 410 points so he is finished with a grade of A. Very exciting! You'll see that in the Gradebook there is an item marked "Final Grade." That is where I will record your grade for the class when you let me know you have completed the number of points you need: 410 for an A, 360 for a B, 320 for a C. It's entirely up to you what grade you want to finish with in the class. There is no need to apologize for stopping out with a grade of B or C. Whatever grade you decide to stop with is fine with me!
Storybook Stack. There are still quite a few Storybook assignments in the stack and I am making my way through them in the order that they were turned in. If you turned something in on Sunday, you should have comments back from me already. If you turned something in later than Sunday (on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday), it is probably still in the stack. If you want to check and make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here.
Mix and match points. Several people have written to me with questions about mix-and-match strategies, so I thought I should repeat this announcement. There is no special requirement about which assignments you choose to do or not do as the semster comes to a close, provided that you get the total points you need. You can focus on your Storybook, you can pick and choose which reading assignments and quizzes you want to do - it's really up to you. So, based on the assignments you enjoy most/least in the class, you can certainly skip some assignments, provided that you end up with the points you need at the end. My only recommendation is that you do this cautiously. You don't want to skip so many assignments that you end up not getting the points you need for your desired grade.
April 9: Birthday of Tom Lehrer. Today, April 9, is the birthday of Tom Lehrer, an American mathematician and composer of some very funny satirical songs. If you have never experienced the joy of Tom Lehrer's incredible sense of humor, I recommend checking out the many Tom Lehrer songs and videos at YouTube.com. One of his most famous songs, naming all the elements, is available as a great Flash animation here: Tom Lehrer's Elements song. In addition to math and science songs and some great political satire, Lehrer also wrote a mythology song about Oedipus Rex: "There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex. / You may have heard about his odd complex. / His name appears in Freud's index / 'cause he loved his mother..." HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOM LEHRER!
Finishing the class early. One person in the Indian Epics class has reached 410 points so he is finished with a grade of A. Very exciting! You'll see that in the Gradebook there is an item marked "Final Grade." That is where I will record your grade for the class when you let me know you have completed the number of points you need: 410 for an A, 360 for a B, 320 for a C. It's entirely up to you what grade you want to finish with in the class. There is no need to apologize for stopping out with a grade of B or C. Whatever grade you decide to stop with is fine with me!
Storybook Stack. There are still quite a few Storybook assignments in the stack and I am making my way through them in the order that they were turned in. If you turned something in on Sunday, you should have comments back from me already. If you turned something in later than Sunday (on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday), it is probably still in the stack. If you want to check and make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here.
Mix and match points. Several people have written to me with questions about mix-and-match strategies, so I thought I should repeat this announcement. There is no special requirement about which assignments you choose to do or not do as the semster comes to a close, provided that you get the total points you need. You can focus on your Storybook, you can pick and choose which reading assignments and quizzes you want to do - it's really up to you. So, based on the assignments you enjoy most/least in the class, you can certainly skip some assignments, provided that you end up with the points you need at the end. My only recommendation is that you do this cautiously. You don't want to skip so many assignments that you end up not getting the points you need for your desired grade.
April 9: Birthday of Tom Lehrer. Today, April 9, is the birthday of Tom Lehrer, an American mathematician and composer of some very funny satirical songs. If you have never experienced the joy of Tom Lehrer's incredible sense of humor, I recommend checking out the many Tom Lehrer songs and videos at YouTube.com. One of his most famous songs, naming all the elements, is available as a great Flash animation here: Tom Lehrer's Elements song. In addition to math and science songs and some great political satire, Lehrer also wrote a mythology song about Oedipus Rex: "There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex. / You may have heard about his odd complex. / His name appears in Freud's index / 'cause he loved his mother..." HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOM LEHRER!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 8
Today is Wednesday of WEEK 11 of the class. If you have not turned in your Week 10 Storybook assignment yet, you may still do that for partial credit. Wednesday morning, until noon, is the grace period if you forgot to do any of the assignments that were due on Tuesday.
Finishing your Storybook early. For those of you who have been working ahead on your Storybooks, I wanted to let you know that in addition to the Week 13 assignment, I have made the Week 14 and Week 15 Storybook assignment instructions available now, too. Also, if you want, you can choose to conclude your Storybook with just three stories, not four - skipping the Week 12 and Week 13 assignments and moving straight on from Week 11 directly to the Week 14 and Week 15 assignments (but if you do that, make sure you really are done with the Storybook; after you do the Week 14 assignment, you can't go back and add a new story afterwards).
Storybook Stack. There are still some Storybook assignments in the stack and I am making my way through them in the order that they were turned in. If you turned something in before 9PM on Sunday, you should have comments back from me already. If you turned something in later on Sunday, or on Monday or Tuesday, it is probably still in the stack. If you want to check and make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here.
My Wednesday schedule. I have some out-of-office appointments today which means I may be a bit more slow to respond to your emails today than on the other days of the week - but if you send me an email during the day today, I'll get back to you by the end of the day.
April 8: International Day of the Roma. Today, April 8, is an international holiday in honor of the traditions of the Roma people, who you may know by the name "Gypsy." You can read more about the Romani people in this Wikipedia article, and the Sacred Texts Archive has a section devoted to Roma folktales and traditions. If you have a free moment today, read a folktale in honor of the Roma! Here is an old photo of a Roma woman and her daughter in Yorkshire, England in 1916:
Finishing your Storybook early. For those of you who have been working ahead on your Storybooks, I wanted to let you know that in addition to the Week 13 assignment, I have made the Week 14 and Week 15 Storybook assignment instructions available now, too. Also, if you want, you can choose to conclude your Storybook with just three stories, not four - skipping the Week 12 and Week 13 assignments and moving straight on from Week 11 directly to the Week 14 and Week 15 assignments (but if you do that, make sure you really are done with the Storybook; after you do the Week 14 assignment, you can't go back and add a new story afterwards).
Storybook Stack. There are still some Storybook assignments in the stack and I am making my way through them in the order that they were turned in. If you turned something in before 9PM on Sunday, you should have comments back from me already. If you turned something in later on Sunday, or on Monday or Tuesday, it is probably still in the stack. If you want to check and make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here.
My Wednesday schedule. I have some out-of-office appointments today which means I may be a bit more slow to respond to your emails today than on the other days of the week - but if you send me an email during the day today, I'll get back to you by the end of the day.
April 8: International Day of the Roma. Today, April 8, is an international holiday in honor of the traditions of the Roma people, who you may know by the name "Gypsy." You can read more about the Romani people in this Wikipedia article, and the Sacred Texts Archive has a section devoted to Roma folktales and traditions. If you have a free moment today, read a folktale in honor of the Roma! Here is an old photo of a Roma woman and her daughter in Yorkshire, England in 1916:
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Tuesday, April 7
Today is Tuesday of WEEK 11 of the class. For those of you who are working ahead, Weeks 12 and 13 are also available! If you have not turned in your Week 10 Storybook assignment yet, you may still do that for partial credit.
Storybook stack. As often on Tuesday during a "new story" week, there is still a huge bunch of assignments in the Storybook stack. If you turned in a Storybook assignment on or before Sunday at noon, you should have comments back from me and points recorded in the Gradebook. If you turned something in after noon on Sunday or on Monday, it is probably still in the stack. You can check the contents of the stack to make sure I received your assignment. I will be reading and reply to the assignments in the order they were turned in.
Grading and the end of the semester. Please make sure you read Monday's announcements, if you have not done so already - you will find important information there about grading in this class, along with information about the end of the semester and also about "mixing and matching" to choose the assignments you want to do as you finish the semester.
Week 11 Internet assignment. The Week 11 Internet assignment is available now! The Week 11 assignment works jus tlike last week: you have only one assigned Storybook, and two free choices - one of those free choices should be a Storybook that is new to you, and the other free choice should be a repeat visit provided that you have a NEW story you can read at the Storybook you are revisiting. I hope you will enjoy getting the chance to go back and see how a Storybook you looked at earlier in the semester is coming along now!
April 7: Ravi Shankar. Today is the birthday of the amazing Indian musician, Ravi Shankar, one of the modern masters of the sitar. He also happens to be the father of the great singer Norah Jones. You can read about Ravi Shankar's life and career at his official website (with audio!) and in this Wikipedia article, which is the source for this photo of Ravi Shankar with George Harrison of the Beatles, back in 1967. You can also find some great Ravi Shankar videos at YouTube.com - such as this wonderful video of Shankar's appearance on the Dick Cavett show. Happy birthday, Ravi Shankar!
Storybook stack. As often on Tuesday during a "new story" week, there is still a huge bunch of assignments in the Storybook stack. If you turned in a Storybook assignment on or before Sunday at noon, you should have comments back from me and points recorded in the Gradebook. If you turned something in after noon on Sunday or on Monday, it is probably still in the stack. You can check the contents of the stack to make sure I received your assignment. I will be reading and reply to the assignments in the order they were turned in.
Grading and the end of the semester. Please make sure you read Monday's announcements, if you have not done so already - you will find important information there about grading in this class, along with information about the end of the semester and also about "mixing and matching" to choose the assignments you want to do as you finish the semester.
Week 11 Internet assignment. The Week 11 Internet assignment is available now! The Week 11 assignment works jus tlike last week: you have only one assigned Storybook, and two free choices - one of those free choices should be a Storybook that is new to you, and the other free choice should be a repeat visit provided that you have a NEW story you can read at the Storybook you are revisiting. I hope you will enjoy getting the chance to go back and see how a Storybook you looked at earlier in the semester is coming along now!
April 7: Ravi Shankar. Today is the birthday of the amazing Indian musician, Ravi Shankar, one of the modern masters of the sitar. He also happens to be the father of the great singer Norah Jones. You can read about Ravi Shankar's life and career at his official website (with audio!) and in this Wikipedia article, which is the source for this photo of Ravi Shankar with George Harrison of the Beatles, back in 1967. You can also find some great Ravi Shankar videos at YouTube.com - such as this wonderful video of Shankar's appearance on the Dick Cavett show. Happy birthday, Ravi Shankar!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Monday, April 6
Today is Monday. Week 10 of the class is now over. Monday morning, until noon, is the grace period if you forgot to do any of the assignments that were due on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Week 11 will begin tomorrow - and those assignments are available now if you want to get started. The Week 12 assignments are also available now, too! (Week 13 will be available starting tomorrow, on Tuesday.)
Grading and points. Quite a few people have been asking me about the points and grading, so let me refer you again to this Grading Information page. In short, you need 410 to get an A, 360 points to get a B, and 320 points to get a C. When you get the number of points you need, you are done! It is fine with me if you decide to stop doing work for the class whenever you have the grade you want to receive (many of you are taking this class for Gen. Ed. requirements, which means you just need a C to get graduation credit). My only request is that you please let me know when you are done so I can adjust the comment assignments accordingly!
Mix and match points. Now that there are just five weeks of the semester left, you might want to plan to do some "mix and match" in terms of just which assignments you want to complete this semester to get the points you need for the grade you want to get. So, based on the assignments you enjoy most/least in the class, you can certainly skip some assignments, provided that you end up with the points you need at the end. My only recommendation is that you do this cautiously. You don't want to skip so many assignments that you end up not getting the points you need for your desired grade.
Storybook stack. As always on Monday, I will have a huge bunch of assignments in the Storybook stack that were turned in over the weekend or on Monday morning. You can check the contents of the stack to make sure I received your assignment. As usual, I will be reading and replying to the assignments in the order they were turned in. Although you need to wait on my comments on your new stories before you do the Week 11 (revision) assignment, you can go ahead now to the Week 12 assignment (final new story) if you want to be working ahead.
April 6: Gustave Moreau. Today, April 16, marks the birthday of the great French painter, Gustave Moreau, in the year 1826. He is famous for his paintings on subjects taken from classical mythology, and you can read about his life and works in this Wikipedia article. One of his most famous paintings shows Oedipus and the Sphinx:
Grading and points. Quite a few people have been asking me about the points and grading, so let me refer you again to this Grading Information page. In short, you need 410 to get an A, 360 points to get a B, and 320 points to get a C. When you get the number of points you need, you are done! It is fine with me if you decide to stop doing work for the class whenever you have the grade you want to receive (many of you are taking this class for Gen. Ed. requirements, which means you just need a C to get graduation credit). My only request is that you please let me know when you are done so I can adjust the comment assignments accordingly!
Mix and match points. Now that there are just five weeks of the semester left, you might want to plan to do some "mix and match" in terms of just which assignments you want to complete this semester to get the points you need for the grade you want to get. So, based on the assignments you enjoy most/least in the class, you can certainly skip some assignments, provided that you end up with the points you need at the end. My only recommendation is that you do this cautiously. You don't want to skip so many assignments that you end up not getting the points you need for your desired grade.
Storybook stack. As always on Monday, I will have a huge bunch of assignments in the Storybook stack that were turned in over the weekend or on Monday morning. You can check the contents of the stack to make sure I received your assignment. As usual, I will be reading and replying to the assignments in the order they were turned in. Although you need to wait on my comments on your new stories before you do the Week 11 (revision) assignment, you can go ahead now to the Week 12 assignment (final new story) if you want to be working ahead.
April 6: Gustave Moreau. Today, April 16, marks the birthday of the great French painter, Gustave Moreau, in the year 1826. He is famous for his paintings on subjects taken from classical mythology, and you can read about his life and works in this Wikipedia article. One of his most famous paintings shows Oedipus and the Sphinx:
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