7th period research papers have been graded!

Judaism Mini-Harkness Discussions (50 points exam category)

For our final unit of the fall quarter, we are exploring foundational sources and varied interpretations of Judaism and the ancient Israelites.  We will look to a variety of visual, primary and secondary sources, including the Greenstein text you purchased for the class.  On your final date of class during “End of Fall Quarter Week,” students will be broken into four smaller groups for four smaller discussions of assigned texts.  Your goal is to answer the question of "what is Judaism and how does its history affect its followers and its message?"  In preparing you may find it useful to post your own ideas toward the discussion on the Schoology discussion page I created.  This could include raising interesting evidence you run across in the readings (cite quote, author, and page number), creating a word collage of your interpretation, and/or providing your input on the variety of "LENS" or "definitions” to understand Judaism.  Schoology participation will be taken into account by Ms. Gerst in calculating scores.

GROUP A 

You will focus on the Michael Fishbane source, juxtaposing its perspective with the other primary and secondary sources. 

7th period	8th period
Molly  Jonny Nicholas   Lea Neal	Anne Avery Sam  Eli H Orion

GROUP B 

You will focus on the Kertzer/Hoffman source, juxtaposing its perspective with the other primary and secondary sources. 

7th period	8th period
Nikhil  Ben E Jamison  Isabel  Ross	Paul Charlie Annie Soundjata  Caroline

GROUP C 

You will focus on the Martin Buber source, juxtaposing its perspective with the other primary and secondary sources.

7th period	8th period
John  Adrian  Carson  Katerina  Zain	* Nolan * Saige * Stanley  *Daniel  * Eli G *Neha

GROUP D

You will focus on the Greenstein source, juxtaposing its perspective with the other primary and secondary sources. 

7th period	8th period
Ben R  Henrik  Kathy  Mayher	* Alex  * Isabella * Ody * Kaley * Chauson

You will work in small groups to prepare for the mini-Harkness discussion. Each group will develop interesting evidence from the readings to examine which focuses on their assigned source, juxtaposed with the other primary and secondary sources. 

Unit 4: Judaism Begins

From Public Broadcasting Company (NOVA). http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/bibles-buried-secrets.html

8th period research papers have been graded!

Mentuhotep Super-Thesis Reflection

QUESTION: In the period known as the "Middle Kingdom," why was Mentuhotep able to reunify and consolidate power in ancient Egypt?

DIRECTIONS:  Good job getting the specific organization of the body paragraphs from the Mentuhotep article into your group super-thesis. Let's extend our skills of argumentation now.  First, think about what makes any statement descriptive, rather than argumentative.  In other words, what are the qualities of an argument that distinguish it from a description or a factual statement?  Order the below class examples from the least argumentative (1) to the most argumentative (7).  Second, how could we transform the more descriptive theses into argumentative ones?  For example, could we make judgments about the relative importance of Mentuhotep's various policies that debate one another?  

GROUP A: By invading the North but continuing to gain their loyalty using feudalism, Mentuhotep II reunited the country of Egypt by adding power to the south and bringing everyone together through his militaristic and economic expansions.

GROUP B: King Mentuhotep II was able to reunify ancient Egypt in the Middle Kingdom by combining his great knowledge of both military tactics and political powers.

GROUP C:  Mentuhotep was able to unify Egypt by using methods including military invasion, granting fair job opportunities to those from different parts of Egypt, as well as both furthering the economy and enriching the culture.  Although he had to use forceful tactics to unify the rebellious people of Egypt, Mentuhotep's persistent military action as well as creating large building projects were necessary for creating a unified nation.

GROUP D: Mentuhotep II was able to reconsolidate Egypt  under common rule, first by gaining control of Egyptian government with the help of militaristic obsession, then by unifying the people of Egypt with a common, structured form of government, and finally by creating a stable and long-lasting government by investing heavily in Egyptian economy.

GROUP E: Mentuhotep was able to unify Egypt during the Middle Kingdom due to internal power struggles in Northern Egypt, the installation of a feudalistic system, and the expansion of the Egyptian economy.

GROUP F: Mentuhotep II was able to unify and consolidate ancient Egypt in the Middle Kingdom through decisive victories, purchasing loyalty from nobles, and expanding the economy to keep his subjects complacent.

GERST: Although Mentuhotep II's militarism is often credited for his (re)unification of upper and lower Egypt, his cultivation of conquered nobles as well as economic expansion glorifying his rule were equally important in retaining such unity.