Bearshorty's musings

I don’t normally sign petitions since I tend to be wary of them but today I did because this new internet “piracy” law is too ridiculous for words. I used the DW link and I’m glad I could do something. And it looks like all the internet protests have worked.

I really, really my classroom for the Global History class. It is in a small library of this house with books covering the walls and it feels pretty cozy. And the students seem friendly. The powerpoint screen is a bit small but it works. I have a good feeling about this class this semester. We’ll see where it goes.

I also booked my students the library session for their research papers and got “Luther” movie out of the library – the library stuff is very awesome and I want to commend them for making my day very easy.

It was another day full of photocopying and first class. But on the plus side I got some free books from the publishers and even a free World History calendar as a thank you for ordering a super expensive textbook from them. I do feel a little bad about the cost but it is a good book.

I forgot how much fun reading Laqueur is. My students get to read his “Orgasm, generation, and the politics of reproductive biology” article. One great thing about the article is clear examples of how gender and gendered language and sex are used in discourse and in political context as well. Laqueur wants to locate it in the 18th century and correlate the political change with the change from one sex body model to two sex model, which some historians argue with, but he does introduce really well the concept that we haven’t always thought about the body, sex or gender the same way. I think I will give my students some questions to guide their reading so hopefully, it would lead to discussion. But I will do it tomorrow since my brain is pretty much dead and I want to get to sleep early. I have to get up at 6am again tomorrow.

Happy First Night of Hanukkah!

Today was lighting our electric candles and listening to my Hanukkah play list on iTunes. Last year I discovered “Ocho Kandelikas” song and it is just perfect for the next eight days. And on to YouTube to listen to Adam Sandler’ Hanukkah songs. And most importantly making potato pancakes with Mama. I grated (my arm muscles got a workout) the potatoes and she mixed in flour, salt and eggs and fried them in lots of oil. With sour cream it was very delicious. One of my favorite foods ever! I’m linking my post from last year’s Hanukkah where I talk about my history with this holiday, just for fun.

Went to Local College today to meet with Professor S. She is teaching one section of the “Global Encounters to 1600” class, and I’m teaching two sections. So we decided to collaborate on this class and we talked about what we wanted to do and agreed to coordinate on the books. We also decided to have one five-page paper that will use El Cid and maybe Marco Polo. And five or so, small open-book response papers about the primary sources in class. And a movie/book small two page response paper on Marco Polo book and documentary. And a final exam. Here are the books we will request from the publisher to see if we want them:

1. Sanders ed., Encounters in World History: Sources and Themes from the Global Past, Volume One: To 1500
2. World Map book (either Rand McNally’s Historical Atlas of the World” or “Atlas of World History”, ed by Patrick O’Brian.)
3. El Cid
4. Travels of Marco Polo (Everyman edition)
5.. Silk Road in World History by Xinru Liu

We will also assign some articles in the online class website. I have a chapter from “The Columbian Exchange” that I want them to read – probably on syphilis. It was a really good meeting, I do like this part – figuring out my themes and the narrative of the class and picking books. Plus I got a copy of “El Cid” so that is what I will read now, in addition to my book of Highlander short stories that I want to finish.

Coldplay has a new single out called “Christmas Lights” so, of course, I had to buy it. I love them.

As I’m watching the first season of Six Feet Under, I realize that I probably won’t check out later season. I don’t like most of the characters, especially Billy and Brenda, and I don’t care about many storylines. I like David but it is not worth it to watch just for him. It is an ok show and I like some parts of it, like the opening of every episode but I’m just not feeling it. “True Blood” it isn’t.

I went to campus for the day and I find that I’d rather wake up at 6:30 and leave the house and be in a library than get up at 8 and work from home.

I stopped by my history office to pick up a few world history textbooks and my awesome packet of map transparencies. One of the things I love about teaching is that publishing companies send free textbooks and books. So I actually have several different world history textbooks even as I never taught world history. Now that the possibility of teaching this class is there, I figure I should brush up on early civilizations a bit. I took East Asian history in my first semester of undergrad and I don’t remember much and I really need to remind myself of trends and such. And I need to figure out what I want on my syllabus. I read the first chapter today about Neolithic Revolution and how and why agriculture and domestication of animals really changed human development. This is not really new stuff to me, but I did need a review. And my brain needs a bit of a shake up since it forgot that Neolithic just means New Stone Age (I do know some Greek roots, technically. Wake up, brain). It is nice to have pre-history chronology again in my head. Tomorrow – Mesopotamia and Egypt (I actually still remember learning about it in sixth grade).

I also wrote the next question for my writing class although I’m still not too sure about it. They will still work with Pollan and Kingsolver article and will have to talk about the rights of individual animals/plants vs the right of the species to survive. As I was grading more midterms today, I found that many had hard time with the midterm question, beyond the basic level. But at least the midterm helped me make a list of weak connections and stronger connections.

Warner Brothers released nine TV spots for Harry Potter movie so I thought I’d link them. I can’t wait.

Having a falafel and Wendy’s chili and for lunch was a great combination.

( House S7E5 )

In the evening, my neighbor asked me to proofread her nursing master’s program papers and then we had some tea. She invited me to come with her family to Shabbat dinner at a rabbi’s house on Friday. It should be interesting. I haven’t been to one for a long time.