Condorcet's Progress of the Human Mind (extra credit)

I summarized for you Condorcet's Progress of the Human Mind in class.  You will get a somewhat better feel for Condorcet is you read the essay for yourself.  Please read through this abridged version.  What do you see here that adds to or modifies the impressions of Condorcet you got from lecture? 

Rousseau's Ribbon Story (Extra Credit)

As part of my introduction to Rousseau, I retell his "ribbon story."  I have to shorten things up quite a bit, and my cartoon version may be a bit misleading.  Please read the original version of the ribbon story and
compare it to the version of the story I told in class.  How does reading the original version of the story add to your impressions of Rousseau?  Do you find yourself more sympathetic to him or less sympathetic to him?  Does the version of the story I told you in class seem close enough to the original, or do you think that students definitely should read the original version and draw their own conclusions?

The French Encyclopedia (Extra Credit)

Reading the articles in Diderot's Encyclopedia is one of the best ways to understand the French Enlightenment. It shows the attitudes of the philosophes toward everything from Islam to Women to Intolerance to History. While the online translation of the Encyclopedia articles does not include the wonderful illustrations of the original, you will probably still find much of interest.

Browse to an article on a topic of interest to you. Comment on what you found particularly interesting in that article.

Get Involved--Faculty Recital

If you are at all a fan of serious music, I encourage you to attend the faculty recital on Monday, September 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Krikac recital hall. NSU has an amazing music faculty, and, for music lovers, getting a chance to hear them perform is an opportunity not to be missed.

To get your extra credit points, just click on the comment button below and share your impressions of the recital. What did you particularly enjoy? 
 

Get Involved--Senior Recitals.

Emily Davis will be holding her senior recital on Thursday, September 10, at 7:30 in Krikac Auditorium.  She'll be singing works by Robert Schumann and Eric Satie, both of whom I may talk about briefly later in the course.  If you are a fan of serious vocal music, you'll love this recital.  Emily has a wonderful voice.

 If you like, you can earn a couple of "get involved" points for commenting on this or any other senior recitals given this semester. For each recital you attend, just note here which piece you liked best or found particularly interesting or unusual.

Horrible Histories (extra credit)

"Horrible Histories" was a show that ran on British television from 2009-2013.  The series is based on a series of books directed at (it seems) middle school age kids.  A few clips that amuse me and are at least sort of relevant to what we are doing in class.  For extra credit, view two or three of these clips and add a comment.  Which clips did you watch?  What did you think of this approach to history?  Would you recommend them to another student?

[For some reason, YouTube isn't working for me today, and I haven't been able to preview the links.  I hope they work--and that they're what I want!]

• Gunpowder Plot 
• Henry VIII News Report
• Tudor Currency 
• Elizabeth I Portrait/Shakespeare Game Show
• English Civil War News Report
• Tudor's Song
• Divorced, Beheaded, Died
• Henry VII Song
• Execution of Anne Bolyn
• Mary Tudor song