What to expect here

A broad discussion of trade amongst the countries of the world, and the role that transportation plays in it. We will particularly focus on one fascinating aspect of international trade and transportation: how the shipping container has revolutionized freight transportation, and has immensely facilitated international trade itself.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Using the Monday holiday as a learning opportunity


Monday, January 18th, is a holiday in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. 


Typically, I would use a few minutes of class-time the following Tuesday or Wednesday to talk about MLK, and to listen to a part of his “I have been to the mountain top” speech and engage in discussions. 
Of the few speeches of MLK that I have listened to, I rank this “I have been to the mountain top” speech even higher than his “I have a dream” and the “Beyond Vietnam” speeches, primarily because it was his final one, delivered the night before he was assassinated.

But, in this online class, we won't be able to listen to this together at the same time, and then share our thoughts on the speech, MLK, ...

So, your task is to:
  1. Locate an audio file of that talk by searching for it on the web.  If you do not want to search, well, here is one.  You will also be able to read the transcript of the speech; listening to him without being distracted might be the best experience.
    For this assignment, you do not have to listen to the entire speech; it is more than 40-minutes long.  You can choose to do like how I would play the audio file in my classes
Almost the first seven minutes, up until MLK says “the cry is always the same—“I want to be free”. 
Then I would fast-forward to about 34 minutes into his speech, when he starts with “That’s the question before you tonight.” And then all the way until the end. 

  1. After you have listened to these 16+ minutes, think about his message for a while, and write down your thoughts as they relate to the speech and MLK’s idea(l)s.
  2. Email the class your thoughts before 9:00 am on Tuesday
    1. This is a non-credit assignment, which means there will be no implications for the course grade if you do not participate in it.  
    2. In order to encourage you to do this, how about if I made this an extra-credit assignment? Yes, that is what this is :-)
    3. Keep in mind that you cannot merely respond to a fellow student's posting; it needs your original contribution.
      1. Yes, of course, you may certainly engage us in discussions--but, only after you email us your thoughts.

My next tasks are to:
  • Email you the Discussion Question #2, and
  • Follow-up on your responses to DQ#1

BTW, are we all doing ok?  Any logistical issues to address?
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