Deals with my lifestyle

I would personally like to spend time with "How to End the War in Afghanistan". The major reason for my choice is because I am a Marine and I would just like to know about this topic for obvious reasons; I will probably end up very close to it some time before it is over. Another reason is because I have buddies over there, and a few who just came back safely. We all know the dangers of what we do but it is still in the back of your mind, that thought of "what if", what if that friend does not make it back. That is basically it, this article could have very useful information and it is pretty close to home.

The last New York Review of Books i've read had an arcitle that interested me, it was "The Underground War for Shanghai." The article itself talks about the conection of government to crime. That really interests me, i've always likes keeping up with the news and i'm sure everyone will agree with the fact that government does have connection with crime. Most politics say that they will make the world a better place right? What do they do instead? They fill up their pockets with money that should of gone to let's say rebuilding roads, or fixing up schools. How do you think someone can get to being a politician? I'm pretty sure going to college or being in the military are not the only ways... What about being high up in ranks with "real" criminals? If you have power than nothing is impossible so why not get to the very top and controll the government. The thing is that people believe in "right" but in reality the world is build on "i come before anything". So yes, i do believe that government is connected with crime and i do believe that there isnt much "right" left and that you either, quote; "Die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain..."

One More Time

A little late, here's that last blog prompt I promised you. I want you to grab the latest issue of The New York Review of Books somewhere on campus, skim through it, and tell me one article you would like to spend time with and why.

Fin

This is your last chance to get a blog post/comment in for the semester. Use it to tell me what literary text you would like to have taught in BENG 102. Keep in mind that it should be a text that gives students a way to talk about various literary devices (e.g. setting, characterization, theme, symbol, tone) and has thematic content that would facilitate interesting discussion and that people could successfully write about. Give me ideas and explain why you choose them.

The very first semester i had english was fun but the teacher really didnt teach us much... I'm not trying to say that the teacher was bad or that i slacked off, it's just that the course itself wasnt much of a challenge, nor fun. All we did pretty much was read "New York Review of Books" and read little stories from books hwich we were quizzed on later on. We had class discussions but i just felt like i was back in first grade... BENG102 actually feels like a college level class. Professor is more alive, more entertaining, and definitely keeps me busy. Not as far as giving us a lot of work but in class i'm not distracted or falling asleep, i'm actually7 partivipating and paying attention. Even though there are some hard contests to learn and i'm not doing the best i can, i trully think the class is worth my time, There were some books i didnt like and not going to lie, some that i barely red because i thought they were boring, but some things were interesting. I love class discussions and the fact that we get separated in to groups and analyze what ever the assignment is together. I like things that are challenging and not things like tests or long homeworks, but stuff like reading out loud in class and than having to anylyze and discuss the reading. The only thing that i missed having in 102 is movies! I believe we watched two movies in 101, maybe just one that we watched several days, but i think watching a movie in class that is interesting and has something to do with what we are learning is very entertaining and fun. I dont like the blog post assignments... Not because i think it's bad or anything but because i just forget about the online blogs during the weekends, it just totally fly's out of my head. Unfortunately it is a grade so i have to do it but i'd rather not have anything like online homewor's or papers that i have to do for a grade. Other than that i think 102 is way more fun and i definitely learned a lot more in here that i did in my 101 class. Just need to add a couple of movies, less papers, no online blog and more class discussions! Class is pretty chill though i'm looking forward to my 103, if i happend to take it...

Curriculum Reflection

As we get close to the end of another semester (it's really the best thing about semester, that they have a beginning, a middle, and an end), I always like to encourage students to think about the progress of the semester and to try to itemize the things they have learned from their coursework. For this post, I'm asking you to try to think about the skills you are learning in BENG 102 and compare them to the skills you learned in BENG 101. Do they seem like differently focused classes to you (not just in terms of content, but also in terms of method and goals)? Do they feel progressive or repetitive? Is this class providing ways for you to track your progress between the two?

As always, there is no right answer here that I am looking for, and I am definitely not interested in just reading that the class is great and you are learning so much. I am genuinely curious about your experience with these components of the curriculum.

USCB's history

This is a big year for USCB, the jubilee year, which marks 50 yrs in the area. In some ways the celebration culminates on Tuesday with a medallion ceremony at which the president of the University of South Carolina system presents our chancellor, Jane Upshaw, with an official medallion with the school's seal. It is kind of a big deal.

I always wonder the extent to which this sort of thing - not the ceremony explicitly, but the awareness of the school's history and its relationship to the community - matters to the student body. I wonder this particularly when it has to do with a school like USCB, which understands its education mission and goals as rooted to explicitly in the needs and strengths of the local community. If it is your week to post, I'd like you to reflect on what, if anything, the school's history means to you, or if you think there is some value in being aware of that history and/or relationship to the community. If you think there is some value, tell me what it is explicitly. I don't need you to fake thinking this is important if you never think about it, I am just genuinely curious about what these things mean from the students' point of view.