Questions? Contact me directly anytime (well, almost)....

If you have a question about something that has happened or will happen in class, need clarification on an assignment, or have a great idea to share with me, please contact me anytime!

email: flo.brown@gmail.com
(I check it several times a day)

phone: I don't want to list my phone number here, but you can find it on the TNS list of names & numbers. Feel free to call anytime between 7am and 10pm.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Assignment for Class Today

THREE THINGS TO DO TODAY.... while I am sick at home :(

1.  Watch this Tim Wise clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VuA_wXi02I
(The other day we watched part 3 of his speech; today you are watching part 5)  (Towards the beginning of this clip, he is referring to the two teens who did the shootings at Columbine H.S. in '99.)

2. Working alone, go back to the list of statements giving examples of "White Privilege."  It is cut & paste below.  Out of the 17 statements, pick 3 of them that you feel are true about your life.  For each one, write some notes about how it applies to your life.  Write about why this statement might NOT be true for a person of color.  Examples are great!  I will ask for your writing from you on Thursday.

3. On Thursday, Emma Bouthilette, a reporter with the Portland Press Herald, is coming to speak to us about what it's like to interview people as a journalist.  Working alone OR with a partner, please come up with THREE (or more) questions you'd like to ask her about what it's like to be a reporter.  

Have a great class and I'll see you soon!  flora

UNDERSTANDING WHITE PRIVILEGE
1. I can arrange to be in the company of people of my own ethnic group most of the time.
2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have
learned to mistrust my kind or me.
3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing a dwelling in an area
that I can afford and in which I would want to live.
4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.
5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or
harassed.
6. I can turn on the television or read the front page of the newspaper and see people of my
ethnic group widely represented.
7. When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people
of my color made it what it is.
8. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been
singled out because of my skin color.
9. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.
10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of
my ethnic group.
11. Whether I use checks, credit card, or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work
against the appearance of financial responsibility.
12. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own
protection.
13. I can be pretty sure my children will be well liked by their teachers, if they are obedient
children. My chief worries about them do not concern societal attitudes about their ethnic
group.
14. I can swear, or dress in secondhand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people
attribute these choices to the bad morals, poverty, or illiteracy of my ethnic group.
15. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my ethnic group.
16. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to the “person in charge” I will be facing a person of
my own ethnic group.
17. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less
match my skin color.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Why is Maine So White? First assignment.

Our class has now morphed into WHY IS MAINE SO WHITE?

Here is your first assignment.  It may be challenging reading for you but it is sooo worth it! :)
First assignment – due Thursday, December 9.  Bring in your notes to class.

(1) Read this “Overview” of Ethnicity: http://anthro.palomar.edu/ethnicity/ethnic_1.htm   THIS IS COLLEGE-LEVEL READING.  You will want to read it through twice, probably even three times! 

(2) The first time you read, try to get a general understanding of the material.  The second time through, make notes as you go along, jotting down the ideas and terms that you think are the most important.  Also note anything that you have questions about or need defined, or is just confusing!

(3) Take the Practice Quiz which is linked at the bottom. 

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Terms to Know - for Monday GAME!

gubernatorial
governor
Congress
Senate
House of Representatives
constituent
Clean Elections
candidate
Baldacci
P. LePage
E. Cutler
L. Mitchell
S. Moody
K. Scott
C. Pingree
D. Scontras
M. Michaud
J. Levesque
Ed Legg
bond
Oxford Hills
campaign
PAC (political action committee)
phone bank
mudslinging
glittering generality
polls
absentee vote
liberal
conservative
moderate
libertarian
totalitarian
Republican
Democrat
independent
unenrolled
Maine Congressional District #1
Maine Congressional District #2
Augusta
Washington, D.C.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Final Project topics

Why do people vote?  Why do some people not vote?  DILLON

Who may be running for President in 2012?  ZACH

How did Mainers vote on Nov. 2, 2010?  SARA

Who is Paul LePage?  CHARLOTTE

How does impeachment work?  NOAH

What makes a good campaign ad?  MATT

How does a Presidential election (and the Electoral College) work?  TIMMY

What are some differences between Congressional Districts #1 and #2?  COALTON