I enjoyed the class and the discussions that went along with it...Thank You

Yep, I hope you all have a great holiday and, mostly, that the class was a helpful experience in some way. I dropped my laptop today and had to struggle to resurrect it. Never fear, my trusty Tetsuo came back to life. Your grades are safe and sound and I've since backed them up to my server. All is well. Ciao!

BTW, The quote: "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid" is supposedly by Goethe (as referenced in the movie, Almost Famous). But it's also an old Jewish proverb. It doesn't come from LOTR.

I hope everyone did well on heir final...Have a restful holliday break...I enjoyed the class, thanks Miguel!

In answer to some questions about the final: Don't read too much into the questions. They're pretty straight forward.

For the first question, you'll have to be sure to read (and understand) the two articles (Barber and Fukuyama). Make a brief outline of each article (for yourself, not for me). Ask yourself two questions: 1) what is this author saying? 2) do I agree with the author. If you do that as preparation, you'll be ready for the exam. The question (if you look at it) basically just asks if you agree w/ one author or not (or if you disagree w/ both). I've already essentially summarized each article in the question itself. Fukuyama argues that liberalism has defeated all other ideologies. Barber argues that the future world is shaped by two different forces (are these ideologies?). BTW, Barber is not a liberal and suggests that liberal capitalism is a danger to democracy (but what is this "jihad" that opposes it?).

For the third question, be sure to pick an author you can easily place into one of the four basic ideologies. If you've picked an author that you're not sure about, find another. Don't give me a summary of the article. I'm asking for some critical thinking on your part. Just ask yourself two basic questions: 1) what ideology does this author most clearly fit into? 2) why? (in other words, give evidence).

The second question is the easy one. For the others, I'm asking you to think for yourself. This is the "freebie" question that just tests to see if you can retain knowledge and memorize information from the book.

okay... still studying and i've come to the conclusion that I hate question number one... i dont understand nor like the articles.. too intense... anybody willing to give me the cliff note verson? help... please.... phone number 616 344 2067 or 734 754 1684 or post.. please

Hey Renee... I'm thinking the question is pretty versatile... does the author argue for the rights of individuals or from some other ideological point of view or a combination of them, I would imagine one way or another it fits into one of the ideologies-- just use evidence from the article to argue your point either way. I hope that helps. :) Happy Studying!

Okay friends - I have a couple thoughts... working on the questions for the final and was hoping for a little confidence. Just finished thoughts on number three.. The application of authors to ideologies... well, I have decided to use the author and article: Homosexuality: Nature and Harm by John Coruino [side note.. interesting and short if you haven’t decided on an author yet]. Well, the author disputes arguments made against homosexuality... what I was wondering is: the tone of the article states why the arguments are not liberal as opposed to why the author is liberal... is it okay to write my essay from that standpoint too? Or do I have to change things around to prove why my author is liberal? Or can I keep it as the agurments made are not liberal therefor the author is liberal? Does this question make sense? In my head I know what I'm trying to ask however I'm afraid I’m not asking it all that well. Input would be great if you have a minute. Also, anybody have thoughts on question one?