Saturday, October 30, 2010

Ancient Greece Test Review (Part 1)



Chapter 3 Section 3:

-You should now that the Minoan civilization served as a base for the development of later Greek Civilization

-How was it that they influenced later Greek culture?

-About Minoan myths, in particular, their most famous mythological creature.

-The importance of sports in Minoan culture, which sport was widely practiced?

-The importance of women in Minoan culture.

-About Minoan religious sacrifices.

-About Phoenician achievements, both technological and cultural. (Navigation, written language, cultural diffusion, etc.)

Chapter 5 Section 1:

-How Greek geography, topography, and climate influenced the development of Greek culture.

-Greek agriculture, or lack thereof.

-The Mycenaeans conquer the Minoans and in the process are influenced by them in which ways?

-The Mycenaeans, along with the rest of the military forces of Greece were said to have attacked the ancient city of Troy (in what is now Turkey) in what is known as the Trojan War. You must know what evidence is thought to point to the existence of the city of Troy and the possibility of the war itself.

-Who Homer was, what an epic is, what his famous works were.

-Who were the Dorians? Why is so little known about their time period?

Chapter 5 Section 2:

-What were the three types of government in Ancient Greece?

-Details about Spartan education and military training.

-You should be able to compare Spartan culture to Athenian culture.


If you have any questions feel free to email me at cdimas.asj@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

World Cultures Final Essay Instructions

World Cultures Students,

Remember that your final essay on the Middle Eastern countries will be due no later than Monday, October 11th and will be worth a total of fifty (50) points.

Upon analyzing the following quote:

"The category of the Other is as primordial as consciousness itself. In the most primitive societies, in the most ancient mythologies, one finds the expression of a duality – that of the Self and the Other...Otherness is a fundamental category of human thought...
Thus it is that no group ever sets itself up as the One without at once setting up the Other over against itself. If three travellers chance to occupy the same compartment, that is enough to make vaguely hostile ‘others’ out of all the rest of the passengers on the train. In small-town eyes all persons not belonging to the village are ‘strangers’ and suspect; to the native of a country all who inhabit other countries are ‘foreigners’; Jews are ‘different’ for the anti-Semite, Negroes are ‘inferior’ for American racists, aborigines are ‘natives’ for colonists, proletarians are the ‘lower class’ for the privileged...
No subject will readily volunteer to become the object, the inessential; it is not the Other who, in defining himself as the Other, establishes the One. The Other is posed as such by the One in defining himself as the One." (Simone de Beauvoir)

What do you understand by the concept of the "Other"? Do you think Middle Eastern countries/citizens have been or are considered the "Other? How, why, when? Give examples. Do you really believe that the concept of "Otherness is fundamental to the category of human thought"? Or do you think it can be overcome? Do you personally believe that before you studied about the countries of the Middle East you might have designated them and their citizens as a type of "Other"? If so, how?

I realize this is a complex assignment. As I said in class, it is much more in tune with the type of assignment frequently given in college. Therefore, I expect excellent essays that should be superior to the level you have already achieved in class. After all, ASJ is a college prep school :) Remember that all the MLA guidelines apply to the essay and the maximum limit is two (2) pages. YOU DO NOT NEED TO INCLUDE THE FULL QUOTE, BUT YOU MAY INCLUDE PARTS OF IT.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at any time. I am also including links to MLA format websites:

http://citationonline.net/CitationHelp/images/mlaformat-firstpage.gif

http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/3mla.pdf

Esercizi d'italiano: Le Preposizioni

Completate le frasi con le preposizioni:

1. Vengo spesso _________ Italia __________ vacanza.

2. Aldo viene ______ Napoli ogni fine settimana.

3. Non vengo _______ solo, vengo con Giogio e Valerio.

4. Ezio arriva oggi _______ Venezia ________ in aereo.

5. Stasera veniamo tutti _______ casa tua.

6. Vengo ________ treno e non in macchina.

7. Oggi arriva un amico ________ Londra.

8. Penso ________ venire _________ autobus.

Buona fortuna a tutte, se avete dei dubiti, mi potete scrivere al email. Ciao!
Signorina Dimas

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Chapter 3 Test Review

World History Students,

Sorry it took so long to post this up, I've been a lot busier than I thought I would be during the weekend and haven't had the chance to log on. However, as always, the test is only on the material we have discussed in class, you can email me any questions you might have on the material, and I am including a detailed review of what you should be familiar with for the test. Here goes:

1. You should know who the Indo-Europeans and the Indo-Aryans were and where they migrated to.

2. The fact that there is a type "mother language" from which all European languages stem from and that it was spoken by one of the above-mentioned peoples.

3. How the Indo-Aryans (or Aryans) reacted towards the native population of India.

4. What the "Caste System" is and what it is based on.

5. You should be able to compare and contrast the Hindu and the Buddhist religions, in what ways are they similar? How are they different? Refer to what was written on the board in class as well as the information in your textbooks.

6. General biographical knowledge of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

7. How the belief in karma influenced the caste system in India

8. Why Buddhism would appeal more to a certain class of people.

9. What the terms karma, moksha, Enlightenment, nirvana, and reincarnation mean (among others). How is reincarnation in Hinduism different from reincarnation in Buddhism?

10. That Judaism was the first monotheistic religion in the world and that their God is also shared by Christians and Muslims, so it is a founding religion for all of these.

11. Who the "father" of the Hebrew people was.

12. What is a covenant and what between who were the first and second covenants? What was promised?

13. That Hebrew law is based on the Ten Commandments.

14. What the concept of "ethical monotheism" means and how it influences all three mayor monotheistic religions.

15. What the Torah is.

16. Who the Israeli Kings were and what were their mayor achievements.