Exam Policies and Procedures

Here they are: please read before taking Exam 1

Millennium Development Goals

Dear students: in 2000 the UN declared the 8 "Millennium Goals" to be achieved by 2015, in order for the world to be a better place.

Here is the video we showed in class.

You should be familiar with what these 8 goals are, for exam purposes. More importantly, they underscore the importance of a broader-than-money-only definition of development. While some degree of wealth is necessary for development to occur, it is not sufficient on its own.

Measuring Development

Dear students: we've focused on measuring economic growth and quality of life last week and will do more of that in Week 4. Here are some resources for you - not required reading per se but useful in a general sense or maybe for a paper you're writing in another class.

You can explore the CIA Factbook to get a quick profile (economic, political, geographic, and so forth) of any country in the world. Wikipedia, perhaps my Favorite Thing Ever, has a detailed discussion of GDP and the different ways it's measured. You can also click on the links on that page for sort-able lists of countries by different GDP measures.

Not using WebCT this semester

Dear students: some of you have asked about WebCT. I've used it in the past, but this semester I am not using it. So if you have other classes and have GEA2000 as an option, do NOT use it - those materials are from 2008 and do not apply to this class.
We are using this blog only, and the materials (syllabus, etc) posted here.

Book Quiz on Chapter One next week

Dear students: I hope the first week of classes is coming to a productive and exciting close, as you get back in the swing of things FIU.

One of the discussion section activities involves regular Book Quizzes on reading assigned for that week. You are assigned Chapter One for next week, and will have a Book Quiz on Chapter One in your discussion sections next week (the week of January 11).

Your only preparation is ... reading the assigned chapter. You do not need to bring anything other than a functioning writing instrument. The Book Quizzes are 10-question multiple choice affairs. They are easy-peasy and meant to help you manage your time with regard to assigned readings.

If you have friends who are enrolled in the course but not signed up to the blog yet, we appreciate your help in getting the word out. Any questions should go to your TA directly.

Study Skills & Strategies

Study skills ... you can't survive college without developing good ones that work for you! If you are having trouble concentrating, managing your time, reading the textbook, taking notes, or any other study-related area, be proactive and take the time to study up on studying! The sooner you do this the more these skills can help you out across your college years, and whatever you learn can be applied in all of your classes.

The Internet has a lot of fantastic resources. Here is a link to "The ten study habits of successful students," here is a link to "10 tips for getting good grades," if test anxiety bedevils you conquer it here, and Virginia Tech has a great resource library of study skills available here (see especially the SQ3R method for textbook reading).

I have done a lot of undergraduate student advising, and you may find discussing your specific study-related concerns with me to be helpful. Come see me during office hours for a consult. Or, see your TA ... studying is a full-time job for them; they are pros.

Recent research reveals that, despite the variety of technological devices designed to "make your life simpler," the #1 best way to retain information is still the age-old "read book (or notes), close book (or notes), and repeat key ideas" strategy. Taking notes on your reading also helps (versus just highlighting the textbook), particularly if you type these notes up afterward. Finally, group study sessions can be helpful, but make sure they don't devolve into chat-sessions, and make sure to study with people who will pull you up rather than bring you down learning-wise.

Just make sure not to end up on Jaywalking (or of course a Miss Teen USA contest!).

Here is a copy of the 2009 - 2010 FIU student handbook. We will abide by all FIU policies and procedures in this course.