What's Your Prediction?

To respond to this post properly, you need to be watching television, reading the newpaper and preferably Maclean's magazine in order to give a complete response.

Your Task:

1. Respond to the following question. You must make specific references to newspaper articles, official websites, magazine articles, television commercials/interviews/debates, etc. You should be referencing your material. If you are citing something you saw on television, ensure that you provide the date, time and station. (20 marks thinking; 5 marks communication)

2. Engage a fellow classmate in a debate about something said that you do not agree with. Explain what your issue is with their point of view. (10 marks application; 5 marks communication)

The question: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR THE UP-COMING FEDERAL ELECTION?

That is, a Conservative majority? Conservative minority? Liberal majority? Liberal minority? Or are we going to be pleasantly surprised by a come-from-behind victory from another party?

This is a broad question and it has been purposely given to allow you freedom to approach your response from several different directions. Also, feel free to make additional comments about what your think about elections in Canada. We will be addressing this topic in class at a later date...

This assignment must be posted by Wednesday, September 24th. This will give you the opportunity to wait and see what your classmates say. Don't forget to respond to someone else's predictions. I am really looking forward to what you have to say!

Some Feedback So Far...

For those of you who are keeping up with the course work, congratulations on your first official posts - they were well-done! I do have a couple of suggestions that may assist in future assignments:

1. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE FROM WIKIPEDIA (OR ANYWHERE ELSE) AND CLAIM THE IDEAS FOR YOUR OWN!!!!! I have have been known to randomly "Google" the odd line or two from student assignments, just for kicks...

2. Do not be afraid to engage your classmates in an idea of theirs that you disagree with, for fear of being "rude". All postings were done cordially, and you can engage your fellow classmates in the same manner. It just heightens the quality of your response.

3. If you are being asked for your opinion or assessment, please do not provide a summary unless it is asked for. If you don't answer the question immediately, your mark is immediately affected.

That all said, I'm very pleased with the quality of work thus far!

Mrs. C

The Communist Manifesto

Your task:

1. (Communication/Thinking/Application)
Respond to the question. Be sure to include your name either at the top or the bottom of the posting. Your posting should be approximately 250 words. (20 marks)

2. (Communication/Thinking)
Respond to one of your classmates' postings. Remember to be respectful of divergent opinions... (5 marks)

What is your assessment of The Communist Manifesto? To answer this question, perform Google searches (or use other search engines) to quickly establish a context for the book. Was Marx a thinker ahead of his time or was he too much of an idealist? Could his ideas ever work.

Welcome!

I am so glad to have you all taking this course. I LOVE politics and I am so excited to be teaching this course for the first time at Brebeuf. The purpose of this blog is to review daily what was discussed in class and to list any homework or assignments. You are encouraged to visit this site regularly and to bookmark it or add it to your Favourites list. It is not, however, an online tutorial. Students are encouraged to add any comments or contribute to the discussion that was started in class. Ocassionally, you will be asked to respond to postings, for which you will be evaluated. You will be notified in class when an online response is due. The marking scheme will be included in the posting.

Welcome back to a new school year - your last one! Through this course, it is my intention to prepare you as best as I can for post-secondary studies. You are expected to be at the top of your game in this course. Of course, I'm here to help, so seek me out whenever you need me. Have a fantastic semester!

YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Figure out how this site works! Respond to this posting by looking for the "Comments" link in the lower right-hand corner of the posting. Click on it. Type "I figured it out!" plus your first and last name. To post, you will need a Google Account. This can be any email you currently use. The email is your Username and determine a password that you won't forget. Follow the prompts.