Topic outline
Unit: First Words
A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. -Frank Herbert's Dune
This isn't just the beginning of this course. We'll be looking at some of the earliest texts ever written by humans. They are thousands of years old and can provide insight into the thoughts and actions of people today.
Unit: Search Engines vs Electronic Databases
"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...because I always back up my rage with facts and documented sources." -The Credible Hulk
Unit: The Written Word
For most of human history things were not written down. Now they are.
Unit: It's Greek to Me
Know thyself. Nothing in excess. -Carved into the temple at Delphi
Unit: Read This Book!
Frankenstein, it is not the name of the monster...or is it?
“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me man? Did I solicit thee
From Darkness to promote me?”-Paradise Lost [x.743-45]
Unit: That Couldn't Really Happen
“Survival is the ability to swim in strange water.” ― Frank Herbert, Dune
Unit: Shakespeare Again?!
Thou hast forced me to sink to this level.
Unit: Norse Myth
The fairest lives do those men live
Whose wisdom wide has grown.Unit: Current Events
"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know." -Donald Rumsfeld when asked how he was so sure that Iraq has attempted to or is willing to supply terrorists with weapons of mass destruction.
Unit: Blogging
“Blogs are whatever we make them. Defining ‘Blog’ is a fool’s errand.” -Michael Conniff
Unit: The Future of Communication
"The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy." -Abraham Lincoln, 1864
Unit: Problem/Solution
"A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution." -Russell L. Ackoff (1956) The development of operations research as a science
- 03 - Assignment: Research Paper
Odell Education Materials
Understanding Close Reading Documents
Questioning Texts
Analyzing Details