Too good to not pass along

There was a wonderful post on ProfHacker yesterday about how to improve your day with 4 easy tips.

 http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/four-simple-ways-to-improve-your-day/52551?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

 I especially like the last one, though I think you can do it by any form of "making yourself big," ie. straighten up, lift your head, expand your chest.  (BTW, in my book we are all SUPER!)

(Picture Approved for Free Cultural Works from the Flickr stream of James Vaughn.)

GPC Forums

After working here for almost three years, I discovered something new--and potentially helpful to you and to our students.  The college hosts informal communication forums, some open to the public and some for GPC affiliates only. Check them out here: http://eapps.gpc.edu/elounge/

As would be expected the open forums are the most active.  (You must log in with your GPC credentials to see the restricted ones or to post to any of them.)  The most active seems to be a Book Exchange, where students can ask for and offer textbooks for sale.  Great idea, and one I'm happy to promote to you and to our students.  There is a small poster with tear-off tabs on the student information bulletin board for when students ask you if there's anyplace they can look for a price break on textbooks!

Trouble with GPC Databases

Hi Friends,

Because of a switch in IP range by OIT over the weekend, we have lost access to some of the databases provided by GPC.  Tech folk are trying to fix this, but it requires contacting vendors with new IP range info.  One of the affected databases is Ancient and Medieval History Online--just when we need it for the World History assignment.  Please remember that the students can use the Fordham University site to find Primary Documents and the print version of Milestone Documents in World History  in the Reference Collection as well as looking through other resources mentioned on this guide: http://guides.gpc.edu/content.php?pid=503657&sid=4144836

Sorry for the inconvenience.  Hopefully all will be well soon.

Pat

World History Assignment

Remember to look in the folder marked with golden paper for folders containing complicated and fun assignments.

Here's one that currently involves about 150 students:

Dr. Simson’s Hist 1111 Survey of World History to 1500

The task:

1.       Select a primary source from before 1500.

2.       Research at least 3 secondary sources (one of which is the textbook) to make clear the historical significance of the text you have chosen.

3. Final result is a paper documented using Chicago/Turabian Humanities style.

Primary sources MUST NOT be fictional literature (fables, plays, satires, etc.) but based on real historical persons or events.

Primary sources MUST NOT be on the excluded list on the syllabus.  (this includes over-used topics such as the works of Plato, the code of Hammurabi , or the Magna Carta PLUS no sacred scripture from the Judeo, Christian, Islamic traditions.  Other documents related to religion such as the works of the early church fathers, sayings of Confucius, etc. are OK.  Sorry that I do not have the entire list.)

He will accept primary sources written slightly after the actual historical event as long as the source was written before 1500. (Examples are accounts of the Crusades written by early historians who might not have been eyewitnesses and similar histories of the Roman era by Josphesus.)
 

See the LibGuide at guides.gpc.edu/hist1111simson for books, websites, and databases containing many primary and secondary sources.  Dr. Simson especially likes the Fordham University Ancient and Medieval History Sourcebooks.