More Matt

Wow, wish you guys were as enthused about the newspaper articles as you are by the Dancing Matt video! Anyway, here is a discussion from My Favorite Source Ever ... Wikipedia ... on Matt Harding's journeys, sponsors, and so forth. You can spend a lot of time checking out his appearances and videos ... after the exam.

Matt Dancing Across the Globe

Dear students: here's a wee break in your exam studying. Thanks to Jessica W. for forwarding this link. Matt must have been a Geography major ...

Exam Policies and Procedures

Here they are: please read before taking Exam 1

Extra Credit Opportunity

Dear students: on Thursday February 25, 5:00 - 6:30 PM in MARC Pavillion, there will be a Keynote Address by Michael D. Kennedy (Brown University). He will speak on Cultural Formations of the European Union. How relevant to our class! Here is the flyer. The extra credit event is for Thursday's keynote only.

I will give you one extra credit point for attending the entire session. In order to get the credit you must sign in and sign out with David Suarez (our Friday TA). He will have a sheet for that purpose. It is your responsibility to find him and do this: if you don't you won't be awarded credit. You must be present for the entire lecture to receive credit (hence sign in at the beginning, sign out at the end: no late sign-ins or early sign-outs).

What's Up (or, Rather, Down) with the Euro?

This week we will look at the Euro - the European Union's common currency - as an example of how a bloc of countries has attempted to integrate economically, politically, and militarily. However, the road to unity is rarely a smooth one, as evidenced by Greece's recent economic troubles affecting the price and stability of the Euro. Read this Wall Street Journal article as your supplemental reading for the week.

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Final Exam Schedule

Dear students: the University has (finally) released the exam schedule for the final week of the semester.

Our Exam #2 is scheduled for Friday, April 23, at 9:45.

There are no early exams. Because this is a M/W/F course, the Friday exam slot is just how the chips fell in our case. Make your travel plans accordingly.

Tracking Trends in Low Fertility Countries: An Uptick in Europe? - Population Reference Bureau

A more in-depth look at what's happening in low fertility countries. Several of you asked what such countries are doing to encourage births. Here's the word from the Population Reference Bureau, which is a great and reliable source for all things population.

Tracking Trends in Low Fertility Countries: An Uptick in Europe? - Population Reference Bureau

China's Only Child

Dear students: next week we'll be looking at China's One Child Policy. Here is a recent NYT article on the demographic imbalance caused by this policy. And from The Guardian (a UK newspaper), this story of other unintended consequences of this policy.