Category Archives: admin only: Assignments

03/6/11

CLASS CANCELLED 3/7 and 3/9

I need to cancel class this week. There will be no class held on 3/7 and 3/9.

I will be in touch by next weekend to update you on the schedule for the following week.

As we have discussed in class, you are responsible for continuing to complete all readings and assignments by the normal class time. If you have questions at any point, please do not hesitate to email me. I may be slower than normal in responding, but I will do everything possible to get back to you with at least a short message.

03/2/11

Assignment due 3/7

Based on your reading of Foner or outside sources, identify one cause of World War I.  This can be a direct, short-term cause, or a more indirect, longer-term change that caused the war.  Do your best to identify a cause that has not yet been covered on the blog.  In 1-2 paragraphs, describe the importance of the cause and explain how things may have played out differently regarding that cause. Assuming you are the first to describe a particular cause, put your text in a post.  I encourage you to include an image representing the cause.  If you cannot find a new cause, write a 2 paragraph comment in response to another post further discussing the importance of that cause.

02/28/11

Assignment due 3/2

•Read Foner, Chapter 19
•Identify one important change that occurred (or began to occur) in the U.S. during World War I and has not yet been written about on the blog for this assignment.
•Include an image (political cartoon, photograph, painting, etc.) that represents the change.
•Write one paragraph critiquing Foners coverage of the topic.  How complete is his coverage of the change?  How does your image change or add to the history that Foner presents?
02/23/11

Assignment due 2/28

1) Choose at least two posts that have been written by your classmates for the 2/23 assignment.  Write at least one comment (at least 1-2 sentences long) adding your opinion or making a new connection between the image and your reading.  If a discussion has started, jump in an add something new.
2) Write a new post discussing one person, place, or event that Foner mentions in Chapter 18 that changed the role of government in people’s lives during the Progressive Era.  Include an image and at least 1 paragraph explaining the importance of the subject.  Choose a topic that has not yet been posted about.
02/16/11

Assignment due 2/23

1) Reading: Foner, Chapter 18
2) Post: Locate and insert into your post two photographs originally produced between 1890 and 1916 depicting some aspect of the immigrant experience.  Both images should be new to the blog.
Recommended sources for images: http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/aecontent.php?pid=88593
Write a one sentence caption for each indicating basic information such as date, photographer (if known), and the person, place, or event portrayed.
Write 1-2 paragraphs explaining differences between the images.  This can include the subjects portrayed, the style of image, the date of the image, etc.

02/14/11

Assignment due 2/16

1) Read Foner, Chapter 17
2) Read at least 2 posts written by a classmate showing a primary document (for the Feb. 14 assignment)
3) For each, write a brief (3-4 sentences max) comment explaining, in your opinion, the value of the primary document.  How does the context provided by the post author help you understand the document.  What other sources should the document be combined with in order to make the most sense of it?

02/9/11

Assignment due 2/14

1) Read Foner, chapter 16
2) Locate a UNIQUE (to the blog) primary document (text or image) online that relates to the reading of chapter 15 or 16.  Write a post describing the document.  Write 2-3 paragraphs explaining any information about the document that helps contextualize it (who, what, where, when).  For help finding primary documents online, I recommend consulting http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/content.php?pid=88593&sid=662703
3) Include an image if possible and a link to the document
4) If you haven’t already, add tags and categories on all previous posts
02/7/11

Assignment due 2/9

1) Read Foner, Chapter 15

2) Post an image that represents an important turning point in American history anytime between 1865 and the present.  It can represent a person, place, or event.  BUT, do not repeat a topic that is already covered.  This requires that you look through the posts already made.  If possible, find an image that is wider than it is tall so that it will serve well as a rotating header on our course blog.  Write a 1-2 sentence caption for your image explaining why it is important.

02/2/11

Assignment due 2/7

1) You are responsible for previous assignments, even if you are just joining the class.  See the “Assignments” tab on the course site for assignment details.

2) Read the book review at http://www.ericfoner.com/reviews/030401nytimes.html

3) Write a 1-2 paragraph post in response to the Eric Foner book review.  Give your post a unique title, and answer the following questions:
a) Does the David Blight book sound interesting to you?  Why or why not?  Who might benefit from reading it?
b) What does the book review tell you about the importance of historical memory?
c) Can you think of another example (in American or world history) of a shared experience that is remembered in many different ways?
d) Are the different memories politically motivated?

01/31/11

Assignment due 2/2

1) Log in as a blog author, by clicking “WRITE a post” in the upper-right hand corner of this blog.  Use the account information that was emailed to your Baruch email address at the end of last week.  Email me at  thomas.harbison at baruch.cuny.edu if you have trouble logging in.

2) If you haven’t already, update your profile and your avatar (picture).  After logging in, you should see a gray bar at the top containing a new menu particular to users of the Blogs@Baruch system. Update your profile by choosing “My Account” / “Profile” / “Edit Profile” from the top menu (gray bar) and follow the instructions.  Update your avatar by choosing from the same menu, “My Account” / “Profile” / “Change Avatar” and follow the instructions.

3a) Read this blog post on the topic of Twitter and history, http://cac.ophony.org/2010/04/16/archiving-tweets/, as well as the comments that follow it.  Feel free to add a comment.
3b) Read this post at History News Network: http://hnn.us/articles/134077.html

4) Write a post on our blog explaining how historical evidence is changing in our own time because of new technlogy.  To do so, click “WRITE a post” in the upper-right hand corner of the blog (as described above).  Give your post an exciting title.  In the body of your post, write 1-2 paragraphs speculating how historians of the future will use evidence from our own time.  Make reference to the posts on Twitter and WikiLeaks linked above.  Add at least three tags to your post in the “Post Tags” area on the right.