Monthly Archives: October 2013

Muslim Spain (HUM510)

Clearly the documentary we screened on Thursday was inadequate, but I don’t think watching it was a total loss because it can prompt us to think about what a truly informative, insightful, and interesting account of al-Andalus might look like. If we were the makers of this film what content would we include and how would we present it? Would we want talking-head interviews? A thorough treatment of Moorish architecture? Excerpts from Andalusian histories or chronicles read by actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company? Dramatic re-enactments of the surrender of Granada?

Sources/ Turnitin (HUM303/415/510)

In case you missed it:

1. In addition to the primary source(s) and any of the assigned readings you might use, you’re required to consult 3 secondary sources. If you do not place these sources on your Works Cited page then put them on a Works Consulted page.

2. Here’s the difference between primary and secondary sources:

http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html

3. Papers should be turned in at the beginning of class on Thursday Oct. 17 (hard copy) and uploaded to turnitin.com by 5 pm the same day (e-copy).

Send any questions to this post.

Bullshit on Demand

An interesting article on the SAT essay section from Slate:

“What they are actually testing,” he says, “is the ability to bullshit on demand. There is no other writing situation in the world where people have to write on a topic that they’ve never thought about, on demand, in 25 minutes. Lots of times we have to write on demand very quickly, but it’s about things we’ve thought about. What they are really measuring is the ability to spew forth as many words as possible in as short a time as possible. It seems like it is training students to become politicians.”