I Teach

So this is what I did for my last class. I just walked into class and said to them "Okay, what did we learn this semester?" They looked at me with blank faces until they realized I was serious. We spent the rest of the class period just having them call out the things they learned and me writing them up on the board while they explained what the concepts were all about. At the end of the class we had this board completely covered with words, diagrams, arrows, etc. It turned out to be this really cool way for them to see everything they had learned and experienced in the semester just in my class. It's also a way for us to make the connections and build an intellectual map that you would hope they had been building all semester but you know deep down that they haven't been. Additionally, it was a good way to review and set up their final paper which is about the movie "Crash" (see instructions below). Anyway, I think they liked it, and it was good for me to know that they had learned something in the class. I pasted the list that I had made prior to class in order to make sure that they mentioned at least the things that I thought were important. So feel free to make sure that I covered all the things you think would be essential for a Social Problems class.

Thanks again for a great semester. One last thing to do…

Your final paper assignment is below. The paper needs to be 2500 (10 pages)-3000 (12 pages) words long. Keep the standard font and margin size. The paper is due by 11:00 AM on Thursday, December 15^th. I cannot stress to you enough how firm this deadline is. I leave for Christmas break the next day, and I will be turning your grades in on the morning of the 16^th. You can put your papers in my box in the Sociology department office in Garland Hall. No electronic submissions will be accepted. Feel free to turn in your paper early.

For your final you will need to watch the movie “Crash.” After you watch the film, you need to answer the following questions:

1. What are your reactions to the film? (1 page)

2. What message is Haggis trying to communicate? (2-3 pages)

3. Use at least 4 concepts from this class and explain where/how Haggis got it wrong in trying to achieve his goals (that you identify above in part 2), and how you would change the film to more accurately reflect what we know about the various social problems identified in the movie. As you’re critiquing the various scenes and concepts in the movie don’t forget to also think about what is left out of the movie that you think should be in there in order to communicate the desired message.

As you are writing this paper, feel free to use stuff you have already written for this class. I don’t mind reading the same words twice in one semester. However, make sure that the style and content are both consistent with this paper. Make sure you are following the assignment directions as written above.

You will need to include a reference page and cite your sources in a consistent way (APA or something similar). It will be very difficult for you to earn a good grade on this paper without making use of the readings we have done throughout the semester.

I will be holding extended office hours during the next week. I will be available from 9:30-12:00 on Thursday, December 8^th, 10:00-Noon on Saturday, December 10^th, and 9:30-11:30 on Tuesday, December 13^th. This should give you plenty of opportunity to meet with me if you have any questions. Additionally, I will be available over email.

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