Please complete the first two assignments by the start of class on Tuesday (2/11), the third one by the start of class on Thursday (2/13)
- Here are two websites, randomly selected from the students in this course. Go to the website and give feedback on the post about the “Introduction” (week 3).
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- If one of the website shown below is your own, or it is twice the same site, refresh the page, and you should get new sites; if there is no post for week 3, come back here and refresh to get a new site.
- Use the hypothes.is add-on in your browser to give feedback to the post in the group HST107. Remember the Architect’s model of giving feedback! Be kind, be specific, and provide concrete suggestions for improvement.
- Website 1:
- Website 2:
- You can provide feedback to as many websites/blogs as you like, of course!
- Don’t forget to check on your own posts what the comments are from the group HST107; you can rewrite your posts and improve them (adding links or pictures) anytime through the semester.
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- Writing exercise: apply what you learned to a hypothetical situation to demonstrate you mastered the concepts. Choose one of these two options, each 2 paragraphs in length:
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- Option 1: Five Phases and correlative cosmology in our world:
- Image what would happen if we had not quite developed science as we know it, but instead used Five Phases and Yin-Yang theory to explain strange occurrences? You are a journalist at a small local newspaper, and have just been told about a weird thing that happened: freak of nature, disaster,… Write a brief article to describe the phenomenon, and add an explanation that Gan Bao and his predecessors would be able to understand, using the theory of the balance between the five phases and yin-yang.
- Option 2: Survival guide for time travelers: Work out a small section in some detail, from the exercise we did in class. (Google drive link)
- Post your exercise to your website, in the category HST107, and include at the bottom the references to the texts you used to inspire you, in Chicago Notes+Bibliography style.
- Option 1: Five Phases and correlative cosmology in our world:
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- We are now four weeks into the semester, and I would like you to take the time to reflect on your learning in this course so far. Write a 500-800 word piece, engaging with at least two of the following sets of questions. Post on your blog by the start of class on Thursday.
- How have you engaged with the class materials? What would you like to improve in your class preparation? What are you doing well?
- How have you treated the weekly reflection? Do you use it to dig deeper, have you gained new insights or perspectives, or have you merely tried to get through it as fast as possible? When you look back on the reflections you have written so far, and compare your work with others’, what do you observe?
- What have you learned in this course so far, in contents and/or in historical skills? Do you see patterns emerge? What are some of the threads or overarching topics you are interested in?
- What grade would you give yourself for “thoughtful participation in the Learning Commons” so far? What does an “A” grade look like for this component, according to your interpretation of the syllabus description?
Please note that in question set 4 our opinions may differ, but we will use this as starting point to explore what grades ultimately mean to you, and to me.
This assignment is not graded, but you should complete it as part of the “Thoughtful participation”. These reflections help me understand how you learn, and how I can best support your learning. I also hope you use this as a moment to think about how you can push the reset button on your engagement with the course, and commit anew to the goals you set yourself for this course.
You will develop your metacognitive skills (knowing what you know) throughout the semester with a few of these reflections.
When you are ready with steps 1 and 2, head on over to Canvas and fill out the Declaration Quiz.
