Race Matters

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream in 1963...his Dream was that "race" would no longer play a major role in determining a person's chances in life.

Although we know that "race" is a social construct, rather than a biological fact, it IS part of a social reality that we all operate within.  Does "race" still matter in determining the chances a person in the USA will face in life?  Do all people have the same opportunities for success, happiness, etc., regardless of race?

Your job:
1) find a current statistic (health, education, economic, social, etc.) that has data based on "race" -- include the title of the statistic and the numbers.
2) cite your source (URL).
3) explain whether your statistic shows that MLK, Jr's Dream has come true or not.
4) give your two cents about whether the Dream is now, or will ever be in the future, a reality -- read other peoples' comments to help you decide.
5) include your name (first name, last initial), and class period.

Make sure your statistic is unique (no one else has chosen it).

Sample comment:
1) Distribution of Household Income by Race -- Year 2010 Households Below $14,999 Income
White 11.1%
Black 25.8%
Hispanic origin 17.4%
2) http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104552.html
3) This statistic shows a much higher percentage of households of color living on very low household incomes. Society is not yet equal in terms of household income, so MLK, Jr.'s Dream does not yet appear to be a reality.  In fact, the numbers for prior years show a smaller discrepancy between "race," so things appear to have gotten worse lately.  This may be due to the recent economic downturn that had greater negative impacts on black and hispanic households than on white households.
4) The Dream has not yet come true due to the current impacts of historical practices and attitudes designed to keep the people in power on top of the system.  It may come true some day, as the racial/ethnic makeup of the country changes, but it will be a difficult task to convince the people on top that helping those on the bottom get up is good for everyone -- "a rising tide lifts all boats."  Education is power, so to empower all people, we need more and better education for all for the Dream to have a chance.
5) Mr. H., 2 and 3 Period

This is a 5 point assignment due by 11:59pm on 5/21/15...Good Luck!

Your Favorite Food

1) Choose your favorite food item or the major ingredient of your favorite food item.

2) Explain where it came from all the way back to its original agricultural hearth.

3) Find out who (what country) is the biggest producer of that food item or ingredient in the world today and how much do they produce.

4) Find out how much of that food or major ingredient is consumed in the USA each year.

5) Include your reliable source(s) of info (URL address).

Include your first name, last initial, and class period in your comment, with 1-5 above, by 11:59pm on 4/30/15.

Culture Then and Now

First -- Read/skim 1 or all of the links below to get an idea of the culture of the USA about 100 years ago:
Zero Hedge
Rense
About
US News
Twitter
Daily Mail

Second -- choose one aspect of  USA culture that has changed in the last 100 or so years that you think has been the biggest positive change.  Write it down, and explain why you feel this cultural change has been so positive.

Third -- choose one aspect of  USA culture that has changed in the last 100 or so years that you think has been the biggest negative change.  Write it down, and explain why you feel this cultural change has been so negative.

Fourth -- choose one aspect of  USA culture currently that you think will change in the next 50 or so years.  Write it down, and explain why you feel this cultural change will happen.

Put your first name, last initial, and class period in the comments to this post.  This is a 5 point assignment due by 11:59pm on 4/21/15.

Primates...Your Favorite and the Challenges it Faces

1) Choose your favorite primate (try this site if you can't remember any).
2) Why do you like this primate?
3) Where is it (what is its current range)?
4) How many are there?
5) What are the top 2 challenges/problems facing this primate?
6) What do you think should be done to help this primate?
7) What is an organization in the real world that is designed to help this type of primate, or is designed to help animals in general and might be helping this primate?

Post your comment with your first name and last initial.  Keep trying until you see it post.  This is a 5 point assignment due by 11:59pm on Friday 3/20/15.

Good luck!

Humans and Non-Humans...According to Scientists...Blog Homework

Your Job:

First, think about life on planet Earth...choose an organism (people, plant, or animal).  Then, write the following in your comment to this post.

1) Ask a question about your organism that relates to evolution -- choose from one of the stems below:
a. when (years) do scientists think X (your organism) diverged from Y (a closely related organism)?
b. when (years) do scientists think trait X evolved in your organism?
c. what is organism X's nearest living relative, and how much genetic similarity to the two share?

2) Explain why you are interested in the answer to your question.

3) Give the answer(s) to your question.

4) Give 2 sources (just the URLs) for your answer(s).

5) Explain the significance of your answer(s) to your life, to humanity in general, or to our understanding of the world.

Good luck!

This is due by 11:59pm on Wednesday 3/4/15.  It is a 5 point assignment. Make sure you see it post immediately...if not try again!  No comment posted = no points earned.

This is Anthropology...and your future!

You've done some research, now it's time to think about your future and anthropology!  Will taking some anthropology courses (and the skills that go with them) in college, be helpful in your future career?

This is a 5 point assignment due by 2/11/15 @ 11:59pm:
1) put your first name, last initial, and class period
2) give your potential career choice
3) explain how taking some anthropology courses in college will, or will not, be helpful in your potential career...be specific in your explanation
4) if you could study anthropology anywhere in the world, where would you do it, and why there?
Good luck!

When you successfully complete this assignment, you will see your comment posted right away...if you don't see it posted, try again!  Keep trying...one of the greatest predictors of your future success in life is your ability to stick with it and figure things out!

Your First Assignment

Post a comment to this blog post that has the following:
1) your first name, last initial, and class period
2) an explanation of one thing you want to learn more about humans and/or the field of anthropology this semester 

This is a 5 point assignment due by 11:59pm on Friday 1/23/15; make sure you go through the word verification process (you should see your comments post immediately -- if not, let me know before the due date so we can find out what is going wrong)...

Good luck!

Welcome to the Anthropology Hoffblog!