October 18

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Step Right Up" by Tom Waits; "Mercy" by The Shys]

Terms such as values and common sense can take on different meanings (how can something you define as common sense confuse me--isn't common sense the sense we share in common?) Cultural anthropologists and social psychologists describe values as learned, enduring, epistemologically grounded moral conceptualizations that assist us in making judgments and in preparing us to act. What values do you see in Hamlet? In Facebook/contemporary American culture? How do the characters in the former and executives in the latter use values to inform and justify their decisions and behavior?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss Facebook article/intro to the Internet
3. Discuss Shakespeare article/context of Shakespeare's plays
4. Finish discussing Hamlet: Act III

HW:
1. Post to your blog under the title, "To Facebook or Not to Facebook?" Write about your initial impressions of Facebook, the benefits and risks associated with using Facebook, and an explanation of how reading the article and discussing in class informed your thinking.
2. Post to your blog under the title, "Who Was Shakespeare?" Do a quick search (remember to document search engine, terms, URLs and links followed) and see if you can piece together who Shakespeare was. What do we know about him, and what are we left to wonder? Write about how Shakespeare is perceived by students-- the name alone inspires strong feelings-- and how you have progressed in your understanding of his work over the years. What do you "get" now that you didn't before? What still causes you to struggle?
3. Post to your blog under the title, "Notes on Hamlet." Explain how your thinking about the play has evolved from the time we began reading to the end of Act III. Has anything changed your mind about the plot or characters since the ghost showed up at midnight? Where do you see things going from here?