General Assignment Instructions (taken from syllabus)

Throughout the term, you will write and post three (3) blog entries of approximately 300 words in which you connect a concept, idea, or issue that we have discussed in class to an ongoing event or situation in the world today. Each post can deal with any course material we’ve covered since the previous post (or since the beginning of term for the first post), and will address a current event or issue of your own choosing. You will be evaluated based on how well you apply what you have learned to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the event or issue in question. So, in other words, don’t just summarize a news article you read and say it reminded you of something the prof said in lecture one time!

Each entry will be graded out of 5 and together these will count for 15% of your final grade. Blog entries can be posted on your Avenue to Learn blog or on an external blog you create using a tool like WordPress, Google Blogger, or Tumblr.

If you choose this second option, let your TA know and be sure to post a link to your external blog as an A2L blog entry to make it easily accessible. Before you get started, check out the links in the “Assignment Details” section of the A2L page for more information, including some tips on how to write good blog posts.

Instructions for Post #1

The first post is due at the end of Part I of the course, where we’ll be covering basis ideas relating to globalization and global citizenship. So, the first blog post is going to be about reflecting on, and sharing, some of your own experiences with the forces of globalization. To complete this assignment, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Building on our discussions in class, take a few minutes to think about what aspects of your day-to-day life are shaped by what we call “globalization”.
2. Choose an example of this, and take a photo that illustrates this experience of globalization (this can be a full-on “selfie”, or a photo that doesn’t show your identity if that’s what you’d prefer).
   • If you’re so inclined, you can use a social media app that lets you share photos (e.g. Instagram, Twitter) and post the picture along with the hashtag #Globe1A03 – this will let your fellow classmates and the professor search the tag to see what everyone has shared! This is not required, but it does add another dimension to the assignment!
3. Use your first blog post to write up a commentary on the photo – e.g. how it showcases your everyday experiences of globalization, why you chose this example, what it says about the broader social conditions enabled by the forces we associate with globalization, and so on. Make sure you embed the photo on your blog and/or link to the social media post where you shared it!

Instructions for Posts #2 and #3

The second and third blog posts will be more open-ended. As detailed in the general instructions, you should identify and comment on a connection between something we’ve been discussing in class and something that’s happening in the world. You can write about whatever you like, as long as it fulfils these basic requirements. If you are unsure whether and idea you have is appropriate, you can ask your TA or the prof – but usually, the more creative and original the topic the better!