Author Bio: The author of "The Cartographer's Mirror," Arthur Jay Klinghoffer, make a point throughout the document that maps are biased. He says repeatedly that the way a map looks depends on its creator, and that there is no exact science to cartography.
Data/Context: This document fits into our understanding of history and culture because it gives a history of maps, which lets us know how much early people knew about the world. The first cartographers drew only Europe, parts of Asia, and parts of Africa because that was all that they knew. As exploration increased, so did their knowledge, and so did the land that was shown on the maps. Because many people hadn't been to the new world, cartographers' understanding of it was uncertain at first, so the maps were vague.
Summary: Generally speaking, the document "The Cartographer's Mirror" by Arthur Jay Klinghoffer gives a history of maps and provides insight about mapmakers' thoughts. Greeks were the first ones to make advancements in cartography, such as calculating the circumference of the earth, while other things progressed slowly, such as the creation of the magnetic compass. Maps may seem objective, but are in fact very subjective. Cartographers use as much information as they have to create maps, but they use their imagination, too. More often then not, mapmakers create maps of places they've never seen, which means that country borders, landmarks, and the physical parts of the land could all be inaccurate. Geography can also change over time. Also, cartographers could purposely make a country's border larger or smaller on a map to try and benefit that country. In short, maps can be very unreliable, and an essential part to comprehending them is to know what the cartographer wants the reader to see.
Key Quotation: "Discerning the cartographer's vision is therefore the key to analyzing maps."
Friday, February 10, 2017
PDP1 - Why Study History?
Author Bio: The authors name is William H. McNeil and at the time had a PhD from Cornell and was an esteemed historian. He was elected the American Historical Association president the same year he wrote this essay. McNeil had the perspective of a highly educated and intelligent history buff who sees the faults in the American history system as well as seeing a emerging pattern in history repeating itself. For the author, the very core of his profession is at stake as children are less and less informed on the past. As well, I feel that he believes that the US should reference past events in making war-room decisions. The author is without a doubt credible and reliable as he attended a competitive school and is the president of the leading organization in history.
Data/ Context: This document was created to convince and make a case for studying history to understand the future. It was written in the United States of America in 1985, during the height of the Cold War where nuclear attacks were an omnipresent threat in American life. It slots into a place where the education system was becoming fractured with the massive variety of history courses available and a dramatic refocusing was necessary.
Summary: McNeil's essay can be summarized to one sentence; history is necessary and important in creating worthy and intelligent citizens who can contribute to a positive future. He supports his argument by associating history with personal memories and the importance of having them to be a person. In addition, he also claims that experts should not be the only way of relaying history to the people and the lawmakers. This shows that at the time, there was limited public knowledge of history in America and the interest was also decreasing. This is document elaborates on secondary sources which do not provide the same insight and view of McNeil.
Key Quotation: "History, our collective memory, carefully codified and critically revised, makes us social, sharing ideas and ideals with others so as to form all sorts of different human groups. Each such group acts as it does largely because of shared ideas and beliefs about the past and about what the past, as understood and interpreted by the group in question, tells about the present and probable future".
Thursday, February 9, 2017
PDP1 - History's Unmarked Grave of Discarded Lies, September 20, 2001
PDP1 - History's Unmarked Grave of Discarded Lies, September 20, 2001
Date/Context: This announcement was spoken to the country of the United States by George W. Bush on September 20, 2001. This speech included the thanks as well as the condolences to the country's citizens for sticking together through the rough times. Also, it includes the expectations and goals of the United States' Homeland Security.
Summary: George W. Bush speaks about Al Qaeda and his goals for the United States to go into Afghanistan and put a stop to this terrorist group and anyone who supports it no matter what it takes. He also mentions the grief that the United States was going through together with the helping hand of Great Britain's Prime Minister and other world leaders. The President reiterates the terms, "Freedom and fear" towards the end of the speech to express how they coincide in the sense that a person can only possess either freedom or fear.Key Quotation: "Perhaps the NATO charter reflects best the attitude of the world: an attack on one is an attack on all. The civilized world is rallying to America's side."
PDP1 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights
PDP1 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Author Bio: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted by the UN General Assembly of 1948, including Eleanor Roosevelt (US), Charles Dukes (UK), Rene Cassin (France), and representatives from the USSR, Lebanon, Australia, China, Chile, and Canada. A recently-widowed Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee for the drafting of the declaration.
Date/Context: The United Nations was formed after World War II to prevent another conflict on such a large scale with the atrocities seen in the second World War. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted on December 10, 1948. The final draft was handed to the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva and the draft sent out to all UN members was called the Geneva Draft. This is now used as the basis for the human rights to be protected in all countries.
Summary: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a collection of 30 articles that lay out the rights of "all members of the human family." The articles lay out the rights of individuals to be a part of a community, a right to education, employment, leisure, freedom of religion, freedom to leave and re-enter your country, the injustices of slavery and forced marriages.
Key Quotation: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." (Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights.)
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Format for PDP & SJS
Format for Primary Document Posts (PDPs)
The TITLE for each PDP must include the unit # and the title of the source. See the sample below:
Each post should be set up in the following format (including labels):
Author Bio: Provide a brief biography of the author focusing on his/her bias.
Date/Context: Describe the socio-historical, geopolitical, and cultural context of the document. (I.e. Where/how does this document fit into our understanding of history & culture?)
Summary: Summarize the document. Be sure to identify the main idea and supporting details in your summary.
Key Quotation: Select one phrase, sentence, or statement that epitomizes the document.
Format for Scholarly Journal Summaries (SJSs)
The TITLE for each SJS must include the unit # and the title of the article. See the sample below:
Source: Provide a citation of your journal article. The citation must include: Author. "Article Title." Journal Title Vol. #: Issue #. Date. Page #s.
Author Credentials: Explain why this author is qualified to discuss this issue.
Summary: A concise but thorough summary of the author's argument. The summary should include key vocabulary terms from the course and explain the socio-historical, geo-political, and/or cultural context.
Analysis: Does the author make a strong argument? Does the author provide sufficient evidence to support his/her argument? Does the author distinguish between fact and opinion? Is the author a reliable source?
The TITLE for each PDP must include the unit # and the title of the source. See the sample below:
PDP1 - Yalta Conference
Each post should be set up in the following format (including labels):
Author Bio: Provide a brief biography of the author focusing on his/her bias.
Date/Context: Describe the socio-historical, geopolitical, and cultural context of the document. (I.e. Where/how does this document fit into our understanding of history & culture?)
Summary: Summarize the document. Be sure to identify the main idea and supporting details in your summary.
Key Quotation: Select one phrase, sentence, or statement that epitomizes the document.
Format for Scholarly Journal Summaries (SJSs)
The TITLE for each SJS must include the unit # and the title of the article. See the sample below:
SJS1 - "History Upside Down"
Source: Provide a citation of your journal article. The citation must include: Author. "Article Title." Journal Title Vol. #: Issue #. Date. Page #s.
Author Credentials: Explain why this author is qualified to discuss this issue.
Summary: A concise but thorough summary of the author's argument. The summary should include key vocabulary terms from the course and explain the socio-historical, geo-political, and/or cultural context.
Analysis: Does the author make a strong argument? Does the author provide sufficient evidence to support his/her argument? Does the author distinguish between fact and opinion? Is the author a reliable source?
Monday, January 30, 2017
FI Question #49 - "Current History" Article Summary
To complete question #49 on the "Foundations Investigation," select an article from a PRINT issue of Current History. Your comment should include the following:
- Cultural Region (Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, or Latin America)
- MLA Citation
- Concise (no more than 5 sentences) summary with a clear thesis statement
FI Question #48 - "History Today" Article Summary
To complete question #48 on the "Foundations Investigation," select an article from the PRINT issue of History Today. Your comment should include the following:
- Cultural Region (Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, or Latin America)
- MLA Citation
- Concise (no more than 5 sentences) summary that includes a clear thesis statement
Monday, January 16, 2017
Current Events Hints
Wow! It has been a very busy few months for current events. Even with the punditry surrounding American politics, there have been many important national and international news stories since November 1, 2016. Below is a list of some major news stories that you may have forgotten or missed:
If you believe I've missed any important points, please add the topic and a link as a comment to this post.
Finally, if you bring a current events "journal" on the first day of class, you'll be permitted to use your notes on the current events quiz. The notes/journal must be on paper BEFORE you come to class - you will not be allowed to reference GoogleDrive or print once you've arrived to class.
- Presidential impeachments in South Korea and Brazil
- Politics in Europe
- UN Security Council Resolution 2334
- US elections
- Elections in Gambia, Ghana, & DRC
- Peace in Columbia?
- Prison riots in Brazil
- Russian hacking
- Terrorist attacks in Germany and Istanbul
- Mosul & Aleppo
- Ayatollah's death in Iran
- North Korea nuclear capabilities
- Assassination of Russian ambassador
- Native American protests
- China - Hong Kong relations
- Politics in South Africa
- Samsung
- Death of Fidel Castro
- Migrant deaths in Mediterranean
- OPEC
- Natural disasters in New Zealand
- Wild fires in Southeast
- Plane crash - Brazilian soccer team
- Flint, Michigan
If you believe I've missed any important points, please add the topic and a link as a comment to this post.
Finally, if you bring a current events "journal" on the first day of class, you'll be permitted to use your notes on the current events quiz. The notes/journal must be on paper BEFORE you come to class - you will not be allowed to reference GoogleDrive or print once you've arrived to class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)