Each week we will be looking at a set period from our past.  Although these are our ancestors, it will seem like we are studying a distant planet, inhabited by people with the strangest of habits.  Fortunately, these subjects of our observation give us abundant clues about who they are.  Their art, their writing, their technology, the way they do business, the way they govern 
themselves all feed into a picture we will attempt to paint for ourselves each week.  Understanding who they were will help us understand who we are.

Each week you will be given three or four questions pertaining to important topics covered in the materials provided in the question itself, the textbook, the lectures, the other materials provided, and my comments in my Live Session. You choose the one question you like and post a response of 125 words or more.  You also need to respond to another post from one of your fellow students.  This second post should be at least 60 or so words long and should not just agree with or repeat what has been said. 

Please always use an example that has not already been used in the discussion if possible.  

1. The Abolitionist movement gained a voice in the years before the Civil War.  The writings and publications of the Abolitionists helped to convince America that slavery was wrong.  The art of the time did so as well.  A new technology also added to the Abolitionist case against the inhumane nature of slavery, photography.  Choose a painting and painter who championed the Abolitionist cause and compare them to photography from the time.
2. After ten years of occupation by Federal troops, the South finally managed to throw off Federal control and to make sure that Reconstruction would fail.  That being said, the Federal reconstruction effort had some remarkable successes.  Explain one good thing that came from Reconstruction and then explain one way that the old Southern planter elite worked to make Reconstruction fail.
3. Painting, drawing, etching, and photography were all used to capture images of the American Civil War.  How did photography change the way the public experienced war?  Is painting/drawing/etching a better way to communicate what is happening in a war or is photography superior?  Why?  Who were these new photographers and how did they work?
4. American landscape painting began to show the world and Americans themselves what a beautiful and vast country we had.  Choose two landscapes from this period and tell us what they say about the America of the time.  What role do people play in these paintings?
5. Haussmann faced the same problem Louis XIV had faced…a capital city which could take control of the government.  He was tasked with creating a different solution.  What did he do?  What impact did his work have on the ability of a revolutionary force to take over the national government?  What impact did his work have on the different classes within French society?
6. We have discussed Europe's love of Chinese and Indian goods.  How did they react to what they found in Japan?  Use two examples to demonstrate  your point.   How and why did Japan "open up"?  

How to Improve Your Score with Discussion Boards

With the first week of Discussion Boards behind of us, it is a good time to pause and reflect before moving forward. If the score is the only thing you look at and moved on, you are doing yourself a disservice. Read the feedback and consider why you lost points, to prevent the same thing happening week after week.

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid:

• Not writing enough. This is a writing class. You are expected to read and listen to the materials, analyze and write an understandable response that covers the subject and answers the questions. Use complete sentences, as these are not short-answer questions. You might need to do a bit of extra research.
• Cite your sources at the end of the initial post. Never cut-and-paste materials from sources. We want to see your thoughts and not those of others. If you summarize someone else’s thoughts or you use a direct quote, cite them. With assignments of this length, do not use long quotes. A short phrase is the maximum.
• If your response to your classmates is “Great post!” “I agree with you!”  are all you write, then you will not get points. Read their posts and find something they say that you can comment on. You can agree or disagree but provide evidence to prove your claims. The length here is important as well. Say something interesting that relates to the subject. Again, if you use outside sources, cite them.
• Make sure your comments are organized, relate to the subject and make sense.
• Check grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. As a college student, mistakes in these areas should not be present in your writing. When they are present, go back and review and learn why you made the mistake, so that you will not make them next time.
• When you have completed your post, before you post it, re-read and edit it. You send your best work to be graded. Grading should not be an editing service, but a confirmation of your hard work. You are not done and should not post until you have edited your work for errors.

As a southerner, I often tell myself…Self, you cannot write the way you speak. Use your formal voice, with correct grammar and diction. To be honest, I was born a redneck, but I work hard to keep it under wraps in my writing. Writing well will become one of the greatest skills you can develop, but it takes constant work.

Try to check and respond to your classmates throughout the week. Read my responses to your classmates as well. You will find that the give and take of the responses will add much to your understanding.

Hopefully, these thoughts will help. Go through this process each week after grades are posted. It is always about continual improvement. I often say that for any of us, there is no finish line in writing. We will work to improve throughout our lives. Dr. Mike

The template has been moved to the Announcements. It is an optional way to make progress on Assignment 3 not a discussion question.  Sorry for any confusion