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Student E-mail
Hi Joe,
Sorry i was unable to make it to the last discussion on Friday. I have been fighting ammonia, fun right? but i was wondering if you could send me a copy of what is going to be on the final. Thanks!
-[Student]
My reply:
[Student],
Ammonia stinks. Unfortunately, I don't have any electronic copies of the review sheet. If you come to my office ( Read more... ) -
When Students Attack!!
Welcome to the latest installment of When Students Attack!!, the blog that brings you the best in crappy student work.
Once again, the rules are that we give ordinary college students a study guide that contains the exact terms and essay questions that will be asked on the Ancient World History examination in advance, lead them through prep sessions ( Read more... ) -
I've graded two papers so far!
Already, one of them has amused me with its incompetence. Good work, pupils!
"He then commanded Noah to build an arch so that the Lord would create a flood and save each species of animal to start over."
Obviously, the neatest thing about this quote is that Noah's Arch still stands today, in St. Louis, MO.
The less obvious thing that's wrong with ( Read more... ) -
Student Quizzes
I gave a quiz last week. It was what I described afterward to my students as "an asshole quiz." The quiz was to copy out the first sentence on page 15 of their primary source reader. The entire point was to make sure that they'd brought their textbooks and to reinforce that they'd fail Discussion if they didn't bring their books. I encouraged ( Read more... ) -
no household appliances were harmed in the writing of this blog
I just finished performing an annual ritual of the Davies Household: the Removal of the Air Conditioner. This year, I chose to spice up this tradition by performing it in a manner different from previous years. This year, I removed my air conditioner successfully. This tradition was accompanied by a few others. The annual Straining of the Back ( Read more... ) -
Las Vegas / Star Trek
I got back from Las Vegas on Tuesday. What, you might ask, does a prudish, half-broke teetotaler who doesn't gamble do in Las Vegas? He goes to the annual Star Trek convention. If you're into Star Trek and affiliated sci-fi things, then the following list of people that I got to see live is pretty impressive: Scott Bakula, Leonard Nimoy, Avery ( Read more... ) -
History Dept. News
Doug Howland is out as chair "for personal reasons," being replaced (probably permanently) by Neal Pease.
Losing Martha and Doug in exchange for Joe Austin and Neal in the same semester is over 90% awesome. -
Worst. Exam. Ever.
Question #1
Explain the main causes of the First World War.
There are many main causes of the first world war. The first main cause is nationalism. The Three League Nation was made up of German, Austria-Hungary, and Belgium. The Three League Nation was when Germany and Austria-Hungary were trying to defeat Poland. Belgium was trying to defeat ( Read more... ) -
When Students Attack
Just as a reminder, the way this works is that you take one hundred college students, give them all four possible test questions two weeks in advance, review and outline possible answers with them the week before the test, and then watch them come in and fall flat on their faces. All spelling errors and confusing formatting choices are theirs.
1. ( Read more... ) -
When Students Attack - Question One
For the record, we gave them the four possible test questions two weeks in advance. This essay should include Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama, and the Columbian Exchange.
Trace and explain the development of European overseas expansion from the 1400s through the 16th century. (Consult Ch. 15 and lecture notes from January 30)
The overseas ( Read more... )