Use this space to develop your presentation, share ideas, and post your required research contributions.
Each member must post his two research contributions with MLA citations AND his six meaningful contributions to the presentation.
Hey guys, I had some possibilities for the final and I wanted to put them up on the blog so I can get your opinions. I really liked what Girgis was saying earlier about the topic he used for the midterm regarding The Art of War. I think if we go with this possibility, there will be enough information available for us to use and between the five of us, I think we could end off the year with a nice grade. Rather than discussing only one country as Andrew and Danny did for the midterm, we should take multiple quotes and ideas and implement them into modern societies of various countries. It will help us get a better understanding of the world we live in. We should also add visuals such as pictures and short videos to the presentation to make it appealing to our audience so they do not become bored. For the actual presentation, I thought we can take the themes from The Art of War and show how those ideas still exist eve in 2015. Definitely answer to my blog so we can come to an agreement of what we should do but here’s my input on it.
Yea, I'm liking the ideas your proposing. Art of War has a good number of themes so I think it would work out if we modernized them to compare them to the issues that are around us, and not just in one specific country (as Carlo said). And I also agree that we should use pictures and videos as visualization plays a large part in portraying a message to an audience.
I think the idea of using the Art of War has a lot of potential. There are loads of themes and teachings that are still very clearly seen in today's world. Using a variety of countries would really stress the extent to which his work is relatable and it would make the project more interesting. We can learn a lot of new lessons that we may not have got out of the original reading by doing research.
Whats going on, guys?? I really like the idea that Andrew Carlo proposed however, I do have another one just incase others don't want to go through with it. So i was thinking that since we all just came out of our "Bible is Lit" part of the curriculum, it might be a good idea to take our readings from there and then move forward with them. One thing we could do is modernize them and talk about how we can use their ideas in the modern world. A great example would be with Adam and Eve, we can use temptation and talk about how temptation is part of our daily life and how we face consequences for the things we do wrong. I like the whole idea of modernization and I would like to move forward with that idea as it brings the literature that we read (which may have been written a long time ago) to life in our world today. However, I am flexible so let me know what you think.
I like Girgis's idea but I think that it might be too vague and too challenging. The idea I was going by can involve more than one thing and various ways we research about it, plus you did this type of assignment for your midterm so it can serve as a guideline for us in case we stumble throughout the task. But between five of us, I think we could manage it but we need to hear from the others before we can finalize our decision.
Another idea concerning foreign countries as it was mentioned above is the idea of using Iron and Silk as a basis for researching other countries and learning from them. This book has showed us one man's many experiences in a foreign land, all of which were interesting be they good or bad. His experiences overall interested me more in foreign countries and it has inspired me to learn about other countries and travel to some of them myself if I am able to. If we used this as the book we would work around, we could perhaps research the experiences of others in foreign countries and link them together. There is much to learn about mostly unknown lands and the importance of staying informed about such places. As I have said, I am interested in the idea of foreign countries in general and I would like to learn more about them. There is much to be learned about the experiences of others and as a result we can learn much from the research we would have to do and impart this knowledge on others. Let me know what you think of my idea.
For our group presentation, we decided to switch our topic from the Art of War’s modern translation to informing the class about the Indian caste system. Our thesis discusses the effects the Indian caste system had on Hinduism and India. We divided the lesson into several parts by using a lesson plan. Dave will be discussing a person’s individuality according to the Indian caste system. Danny will be informing the class about the government of the Indian caste system. Andrew will be teaching the class about the economy of the Indian caste system as well as putting together a PowerPoint for the class. Anthony will be teaching about hospitality within the Indian caste system. Lastly, I will be discussing the food and traditions of the Indian caste system. Throughout our presentation, will intend to teach the class about what is mentioned as thoroughly as possible.
Hey guys, I thought for the project we could use role play for creativity. I would be the substitute teacher for the class and the four of you would be my interns. You can say the colleges you are attending as well as the major you are aiming for. I thought we could do this in the beginning of the class to make it different from the other groups we’ll be seeing. Let me know what you think about the idea.
This seems like a good idea to make our group and presentation stand out. Although we do not know what other groups have done in the other class and will do in our class I think this may be a unique approach by our group. It is little details like introducing our college and major and all that information that would help us stand out. We also have to be careful of seeming like it is just a speech or something like that. Little things like placing ourselves in different areas of the room and sort of contributing to what your main goal and ideas instead of just contributing our own somewhat separate topics.
Yea I like the idea, it's creative and like you said it will stand out. My only concern would be that we may not be able to get the class involved which is important. I agree with Danny, we do have to be careful with not making it seem like a regular speech. I think this could be a success.
For our project I wanted to introduce some of the TCM methods I use and somehow implement them into our project. For instance, when one of us is teaching, the others can overlook the classroom to see if everything is going the way we want. Another example is movement; we should walk around the classroom so the students are aware we are watching them and then they’ll make show they pay attention. Also, should have surveys for the students so they are involved. I also wanted to use the board to add creativity to the project and on Friday I spoke with Mrs. Patania and I asked her about using her podium for the lesson and she said it’s okay. These are just some things I’ve been thinking about. Let me know how you feel about it.
Those are some good ideas that will make our group stand out and that will make the class feel more involved. I have another idea on how to involve the class more efficiently. This idea includes having some students representing different groups in Indian society. This can range anywhere from the Brahmins to the Sudra including the groups in between. This is a good way to illustrate the extent to which the change with the caste system being eliminated was felt by various groups of India. Let me know what you think about this idea.
Great idea. Your training as a TCM teacher should help getting the class involved. However, we do need to get the class more involved with the presentation because having them just pay attention isn't enough. Danny has some good ideas.
I like your idea Danny. I also suggested we implement surveys or something like that to let the students feel active in the lesson so if you have any other ideas just add onto it so we can come to an agreement. If we have a number of things for the students to do, I think they'll be more cooperative in the lesson so let me know what you think.
One thing I was thinking about getting the class involved is when we introduce the caste system someone could ask what the students are good at, like their subjects of expertise. and then we can say like now you're this. you can't question it and you can't change it
I was thinking asking them what they may already know about the caste system and how it effected India. Maybe even their opinion on the caste system and at the end of the presentation, ask if they think it should still be in place or not. Just a way to get the class involved and keep them thinking. Let me know what you think.
Hey Guys, I am concerned that this plan is just informative, report style. The original recommendation was to explore how the practice of Hinduism has changed with the elimination of the caste system. This is more thesis driven. Consider this as your current plan is a bit too limited and elementary. Maybe, if you can explain how the caste system worked previously with the religion and culture and then show how things have changed and/or remained the same, you would be on better ground.
I agree with Mrs. Fotinatos that we strayed a little from our thesis. I myself am having a bit trouble on figuring out what we're doing. the thesis, as a reminder to the group, is how the elimination of the caste system has changed India.
The subtopics of the assignment will be: Economics: Girgis. He could reflect whether if jobs were harder to come by now that people weren't given them at birth. is the economy better or worse? etc. Government: Danny. he could explore whether there was a time of rejection for the Indian government now that they weren't born into being a king, or politician. was there any revolts that took place because of distrust for the government? etc. Person's Identity: me. I could research how people didn't question their identity before the caste system was eliminated. after the caste system was eliminated it is possible that people began to explore themselves. Whether parents pushed their children to strive for what they wanted. or if a parent now decides what the kid is to be in life like Chinese culture. Diet: Carlo. If there were any changes to how they prepared their food, what they ate, etc. hospitality: Sarra. I'm not too sure what he could do for this. we can always discuss it here. That could be what we're doing. Of course it will be a before and after for each so that we could learn. We could use examples of before with the Bagavita (not sure how to spell that.)
This is very helpful to me as I can narrow my search a little bit now. I hope that it is as helpful to everyone else as well. Although it is useful I feel it does not involve the before as much as it does the after. I have found some articles that could be useful for the before aspect of it. However, when it comes to government, the before is not as different and diverse as the after.
I like the idea you are heading in Dave. I was able to find much research about Indian hospitality after the caste system. During the caste system people wouldn't bother helping those at the bottom of the system.
Hey guys, I found a useful article for the presentation. The article mentions a few points but mainly focuses on the subtopic of dietary customs. Dietary customs within the Indian Caste System has changed overtime. In the past, the diet you ate helped identified you in the rankings of the Indian Caste System. Today, this is frowned upon because it shows discrimination towards others therefore; it is not stressed as it was in the past. In the past, people in one ranking associated themselves only with people of the same ranking. The dietary traditions helped maintain that custom. Nowadays, you are allowed to eat freely without worrying about the caste system and its restrictions. Each diet was different according to the rankings in the Indian Caste System. For example, the Brahman diet was a vegetarian diet mainly to ensure that they kept a pure body. Lower within the caste system, people ate animals which according to the Indian Caste System, that was the next thing to death. It was used to show who the lowest ranking was in the caste system. The article goes on further in detail but this was just a preview of it. I think it’s helpful and it has a lot of information for my part. Citation: (I tried to indent, but it would not let me)
This is good. you can definitely use this in the presentation. try to find stuff on what kind of foods did she they eat and how they prepared it. When Girgis makes the video slide we can use that during your section.
Hey, I found this article about the Indian caste system. If you read it it has a lot of the Indian caste system's history and what it was used for historically. the topics range from religion, diet, and how people even interacted with one another. It also explains the importance of the Indian caste system today which i believe will be essential for our final presentation.
Hey Dave, I read the article it's not bad it just didn't have anything for me but it could be useful to the others. I thought for the beginning of the presentation, after we introduce ourselves, we discuss what the caste system is in detail going into the different rankings and then we individually implement the subtopics. Lte me know what you think.
Coincidentally, I also found the same article but I wasn't sure if it would be a reliable source but I think it is. However, I'm also having trouble siting it. If i find out how to cite it, i'll let u know.
Hey guys I found a good article about the Indian Caste System. It includes diet, identity, rules, customs, and how it exists in the modern world. I liked it so read it, could be useful.
The second article I found discusses the diet customs within the Indian Caste System. It explains the roles of the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. It mentions what foods they ate and their place in society regarding the caste system. It discusses other factors about the caste system that might be useful to others. It mainly talks about what food was eaten, who eats it, and it even discusses the restrictions on certain foods and why. I found it helpful and it serves as a good source for the lesson. Citation: (I tried to indent, but it would not let me)
Hays, Jeffrey. "Hindu Caste System, Rules, Purity and Identity." 2009. Web. 11 May 2015
I think all this information will do well when it comes down to the presentation. Something I was concerned about though was the way we're presenting the information. For some reason i'm not too sure that the whole substitute thing will work out. are there any ideas that would move smoother? or any ideas that we can integrate into the substitute teacher idea so that the presentation runs smoothly? like who's going first, who's speaking and when.
Hey dave, I do agree with you. I am a little concerned about the setup of our presentations, but do not fret! I have an idea that you guys may like. I was thinking of kind of having a college setting...someone can be the professor while the rest of us are PAs (professor assistants). We can all teach and ask the students questions about their opinions on things (like i said before). Also, if you guys want, we can put together a quiz to give to the class during the last few minutes of the presentation to add in extra involvement by the students. Let me know what you think.
The quiz is a good idea. I was also considering the idea of giving the class a quick survery/quiz at the beginning of class and then having whoever is one of the first to speak collect them and gather the results together a few minutes later. Some sort of questionnaire involving what extent they think the caste system had an impact in the past and what extent does it still today in certain areas, questions like that. As for who speaks and how its divided Dave, I would like to use the subtopics to our topics to alternate more than just once and make it go more smoothly. However, I am not sure how possible it is as we all have fairly diverse topics and we would need a few things to link them together to signal the change from one to the other.
I like that idea because it gets people involved. I like the idea of just being professor assistants cause I feel that's what's more comfortable to some of us. Opposed to the substitute teacher idea
Another thing I would like to see is the format of the power point that we're going to put up. It should start with the introduction of the caste system and what it is. will this be when everybody is introduced as their profession? if so who will go first? perhaps tradition should go first, government and economics? or government, economics, then tradition and the other ones?
I was thinking that for the powerpoint we have first slide be an intro (like Dave said) and have one slide for every topic (tradition, gov, economics, diet, etc). It would add a nice flow and consistency to the presentation. I'll definitely have some pictures and animations on the slides to bring in a nice visual. Also, what do you guys think about possibly putting a video at the end?
I like the idea of putting a video at the end as long as it isn't too long and it is relevant. We can definitely have a slide per topic and those can be organized depending on who goes when and if we will alternate more often rather than just spending a decent amount of time on our one topic we would alternate and divide the talking more evenly. All of this we will discuss tomorrow. I was also thinking about the possibility of a concluding few statements to explain the extent to which the ending of the caste system has generally changed Hinduism.
I totally agree with the PowerPoint idea Girgus. I also agree with Danny that the video shouldn't be to long maybe at most 3:50 and not longer. Maybe we can find a video that explains the caste system and another that explains everything about India.
Hey guys, this is one of the articles I found. It's coincidentally the same one that Dave found. The stuff about the economics is on page 17. Carlo, I know this article wasn't for you but Damics and Sarra should check it out. And to Dave, I did the best i could siting it.. here you go:
Deshpande, Manali S. "History of the Caste System and It's Impact of India Today." Digitalcommons.calpoly.edu. California Polytechnic State University, 2010. Web. 12 May 2015.
Hey, I found this report online yesterday. It's pretty good but also really long so be patient reading it. If you want to make life easier, you can use control F to find what you're looking for haha. Also look through the other chapters of the report to see if there is anything there for you. I tried my best citing this thing but if anyone can do a better job please feel free, I'd appreciate it.
CASTE DISCRIMINATION:. Rep. no. IV. Human Rights Watch, Sept. 2001. Web. 11 May 2015.
Hey guys, I know there is a lot of confusion going on and not everyone has posted blogs at this point. I just wanted to explain that we should continue to use the teaching ideas for creativity even though everyone is not on board with it but, we can also implement questions into the presentation similar to what other groups did. Therefore, our project is a combination of an interview between us and teaching the class. By doing this, I think we can reach our goals and fulfill the requirements needed for the presentation. This is what I think, not sure if everyone agrees but, we do go tomorrow and time is running out so we need to seriously agree on something and move on otherwise we're going to regret it. Please take into consideration and respond quickly. Also, make sure everyone gets their citations done as soon as possible, Danny is in charge of arranging them in proper order so don't keep him waiting. Let me know what you guys think.
I'm cool with it. What do u think of my idea with the college setting and the PAs? We can do something like that but have each of us ask questions to one another and also the class then at the end possibly do a survey or a test or something that someone will be in charge in. But i agree, we do need to agree on something pronto.
Let's go with my idea about the teacher and intern scenario, prepare questions for each other to ask like we suggested, and have a survey/quiz/test for the class to do. I might make one up of my own but, don't count on it. I don't think it is going to benefit us so maybe we should make one survey/quiz/test.
I don't think you're getting anyone involved with the teacher and intern scenario. Unless ur saying that we're interning you (as future teachers) and you're teaching a class.
I found a very useful article that may help others as well. It had a decent amount of useful background information. It also had a large section that spoke of the changes that arose afterwards. There are some things concerning the government afterwards that would be useful to my part in the presentation. Citation: ( I had the same problem indenting)
Heitzman, James, and Worden, Robert L. editors. "India: A Country Study." Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1995. Web. 11 May 2015.
Since we are asking each other questions, everyone should come up with three to four questions about your own topic for the group to ask throughout the presentation. Put those questions on index cards if you can so it makes look better for project.
I was thinking that for the powerpoint we have first slide be an intro (like Dave said) and have one slide for every topic (tradition, gov, economics, diet, etc). It would add a nice flow and consistency to the presentation. I'll definitely have some pictures and animations on the slides to bring in a nice visual. Also, what do you guys think about possibly putting a video at the end?
Carlo, I already came up with 11 questions all together. These are the questions: 1. How has India changed today as the caste system isn't used as much? 2. What is their economic system like today? 3. Was the economic system thriving when they followed the caste system? 4. Is there a lot of poverty in India today? 5. What types of traditions do they still follow today? 6. What kind of foods do they enjoy eating? 7. What kind of foods don't they enjoy eating now? Why? 8. During the caste system did people help others? 9. Do they help others today? 10. What type of government do they have today? 11. Are the Indian people monotheistic or polytheistic
These questions are good because we can always shift them to be used for our own subtopics. Like, although we are doing subtopics we can each contribute to each other's ideas if we have something to say. For example, if Girgis doesn't include something then Sarra could say something or someone. We can use our research collectively if it contains other people's research.
Hey guys, I found this really cool article that shows Indian hospitality. It states how Indian hospitality "is legendary." It also states how "Each one is treated with the utmost consideration and each Indian extends more than a hand to a visitor, from the Indian man on the street, who when asked for directions accompanied his company to their destination." This shows how if you are looking for an area and you can't find it you can ask an Indian and he will not only tell you where to go he will take you their. www. Hadonfield.k12.nj.us The warmth of Indian hospitality
Hey guys, I also found this article about hospitality in the industries. It states "the hospitality industry in India is very strong even if you choose to stay at a hotel all care will be taken by management to make you feel at home." www.iloveindia.com
I found another article very relevant to my topic. It deals with India after they received their independence. It goes on to discuss the nature of the Indian government after independence along with the writing of their constitution. This is a good representation of how the Indian government sought to operate differently post independence. Citation:
"Post Independent India". India Netzone. Web. 12 May 2015.
Hey, guys I found a scholar on the Indian caste system. He is an Indian sociologist. He's done work on the past to help people understand the Hindu culture, the caste system, and India itself. I think you guys should look him up if you need anything.
"M. N. Srinivas, M. N. Srinivas Sociology, Indian Thinkers,Sociology Guide." M. N. Srinivas, M. N. Srinivas Sociology, Indian Thinkers,Sociology Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.
Dave, thanks for the article but i don't think this is going to help me with hospitality as it mainly might help with the economic side or your side of the system.
Interestingly I found out that the more rigorous cast system that we know today was made during the occupation of the British. prior to this the caste system wasn't as rigid. in fact, many people actually were able to go from being a merchant to a priest. However, it was more due to their personality rather than the tasks they did in order to elevate themselves. It was a common occurrence in fact for Indian's to achieve a higher role in life.
Hey guys I found another nice article talking about the economics and economic conditions in India under the caste system. Here's the link https://www.american.edu/cas/economics/ejournal/upload/Global_Majority_e_Journal_1-2_Rao.pdf
Rao, Jasmine. "The Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka." The Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka 1.2 (2010): 97-106. Web. 12 May 2015.
Hey I think another great idea to get the class involved would be to call on them to read the questions out loud this way they are forced to pay attention a little bit more. Let me know what you guys think.
Hey guys, I had some possibilities for the final and I wanted to put them up on the blog so I can get your opinions. I really liked what Girgis was saying earlier about the topic he used for the midterm regarding The Art of War. I think if we go with this possibility, there will be enough information available for us to use and between the five of us, I think we could end off the year with a nice grade. Rather than discussing only one country as Andrew and Danny did for the midterm, we should take multiple quotes and ideas and implement them into modern societies of various countries. It will help us get a better understanding of the world we live in. We should also add visuals such as pictures and short videos to the presentation to make it appealing to our audience so they do not become bored. For the actual presentation, I thought we can take the themes from The Art of War and show how those ideas still exist eve in 2015. Definitely answer to my blog so we can come to an agreement of what we should do but here’s my input on it.
ReplyDeleteYea, I'm liking the ideas your proposing. Art of War has a good number of themes so I think it would work out if we modernized them to compare them to the issues that are around us, and not just in one specific country (as Carlo said). And I also agree that we should use pictures and videos as visualization plays a large part in portraying a message to an audience.
DeleteI think the idea of using the Art of War has a lot of potential. There are loads of themes and teachings that are still very clearly seen in today's world. Using a variety of countries would really stress the extent to which his work is relatable and it would make the project more interesting. We can learn a lot of new lessons that we may not have got out of the original reading by doing research.
DeleteWhats going on, guys?? I really like the idea that Andrew Carlo proposed however, I do have another one just incase others don't want to go through with it. So i was thinking that since we all just came out of our "Bible is Lit" part of the curriculum, it might be a good idea to take our readings from there and then move forward with them. One thing we could do is modernize them and talk about how we can use their ideas in the modern world. A great example would be with Adam and Eve, we can use temptation and talk about how temptation is part of our daily life and how we face consequences for the things we do wrong. I like the whole idea of modernization and I would like to move forward with that idea as it brings the literature that we read (which may have been written a long time ago) to life in our world today. However, I am flexible so let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteI like Girgis's idea but I think that it might be too vague and too challenging. The idea I was going by can involve more than one thing and various ways we research about it, plus you did this type of assignment for your midterm so it can serve as a guideline for us in case we stumble throughout the task. But between five of us, I think we could manage it but we need to hear from the others before we can finalize our decision.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea concerning foreign countries as it was mentioned above is the idea of using Iron and Silk as a basis for researching other countries and learning from them. This book has showed us one man's many experiences in a foreign land, all of which were interesting be they good or bad. His experiences overall interested me more in foreign countries and it has inspired me to learn about other countries and travel to some of them myself if I am able to. If we used this as the book we would work around, we could perhaps research the experiences of others in foreign countries and link them together. There is much to learn about mostly unknown lands and the importance of staying informed about such places. As I have said, I am interested in the idea of foreign countries in general and I would like to learn more about them. There is much to be learned about the experiences of others and as a result we can learn much from the research we would have to do and impart this knowledge on others. Let me know what you think of my idea.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to talking to this group Thursday. It seems you have many ideas, but we should begin narrowing down a topic and delegating tasks.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor our group presentation, we decided to switch our topic from the Art of War’s modern translation to informing the class about the Indian caste system. Our thesis discusses the effects the Indian caste system had on Hinduism and India. We divided the lesson into several parts by using a lesson plan. Dave will be discussing a person’s individuality according to the Indian caste system. Danny will be informing the class about the government of the Indian caste system. Andrew will be teaching the class about the economy of the Indian caste system as well as putting together a PowerPoint for the class. Anthony will be teaching about hospitality within the Indian caste system. Lastly, I will be discussing the food and traditions of the Indian caste system. Throughout our presentation, will intend to teach the class about what is mentioned as thoroughly as possible.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, I thought for the project we could use role play for creativity. I would be the substitute teacher for the class and the four of you would be my interns. You can say the colleges you are attending as well as the major you are aiming for. I thought we could do this in the beginning of the class to make it different from the other groups we’ll be seeing. Let me know what you think about the idea.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a good idea to make our group and presentation stand out. Although we do not know what other groups have done in the other class and will do in our class I think this may be a unique approach by our group. It is little details like introducing our college and major and all that information that would help us stand out. We also have to be careful of seeming like it is just a speech or something like that. Little things like placing ourselves in different areas of the room and sort of contributing to what your main goal and ideas instead of just contributing our own somewhat separate topics.
DeleteYea I like the idea, it's creative and like you said it will stand out. My only concern would be that we may not be able to get the class involved which is important. I agree with Danny, we do have to be careful with not making it seem like a regular speech. I think this could be a success.
DeleteFor our project I wanted to introduce some of the TCM methods I use and somehow implement them into our project. For instance, when one of us is teaching, the others can overlook the classroom to see if everything is going the way we want. Another example is movement; we should walk around the classroom so the students are aware we are watching them and then they’ll make show they pay attention. Also, should have surveys for the students so they are involved. I also wanted to use the board to add creativity to the project and on Friday I spoke with Mrs. Patania and I asked her about using her podium for the lesson and she said it’s okay. These are just some things I’ve been thinking about. Let me know how you feel about it.
ReplyDeleteThose are some good ideas that will make our group stand out and that will make the class feel more involved. I have another idea on how to involve the class more efficiently. This idea includes having some students representing different groups in Indian society. This can range anywhere from the Brahmins to the Sudra including the groups in between. This is a good way to illustrate the extent to which the change with the caste system being eliminated was felt by various groups of India. Let me know what you think about this idea.
DeleteGreat idea. Your training as a TCM teacher should help getting the class involved. However, we do need to get the class more involved with the presentation because having them just pay attention isn't enough. Danny has some good ideas.
DeleteI like your idea Danny. I also suggested we implement surveys or something like that to let the students feel active in the lesson so if you have any other ideas just add onto it so we can come to an agreement. If we have a number of things for the students to do, I think they'll be more cooperative in the lesson so let me know what you think.
DeleteOne thing I was thinking about getting the class involved is when we introduce the caste system someone could ask what the students are good at, like their subjects of expertise. and then we can say like now you're this. you can't question it and you can't change it
DeleteI was thinking asking them what they may already know about the caste system and how it effected India. Maybe even their opinion on the caste system and at the end of the presentation, ask if they think it should still be in place or not. Just a way to get the class involved and keep them thinking. Let me know what you think.
Deleteyour TCM methods would be a big help as it will make it easier for you to speak to the class without messing up your confidence while speaking.
DeleteHey Guys, I am concerned that this plan is just informative, report style. The original recommendation was to explore how the practice of Hinduism has changed with the elimination of the caste system. This is more thesis driven. Consider this as your current plan is a bit too limited and elementary. Maybe, if you can explain how the caste system worked previously with the religion and culture and then show how things have changed and/or remained the same, you would be on better ground.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mrs. Fotinatos that we strayed a little from our thesis. I myself am having a bit trouble on figuring out what we're doing. the thesis, as a reminder to the group, is how the elimination of the caste system has changed India.
DeleteThe subtopics of the assignment will be:
ReplyDeleteEconomics: Girgis. He could reflect whether if jobs were harder to come by now that people weren't given them at birth. is the economy better or worse? etc.
Government: Danny. he could explore whether there was a time of rejection for the Indian government now that they weren't born into being a king, or politician. was there any revolts that took place because of distrust for the government? etc.
Person's Identity: me. I could research how people didn't question their identity before the caste system was eliminated. after the caste system was eliminated it is possible that people began to explore themselves. Whether parents pushed their children to strive for what they wanted. or if a parent now decides what the kid is to be in life like Chinese culture.
Diet: Carlo. If there were any changes to how they prepared their food, what they ate, etc.
hospitality: Sarra. I'm not too sure what he could do for this. we can always discuss it here.
That could be what we're doing. Of course it will be a before and after for each so that we could learn. We could use examples of before with the Bagavita (not sure how to spell that.)
This is very helpful to me as I can narrow my search a little bit now. I hope that it is as helpful to everyone else as well. Although it is useful I feel it does not involve the before as much as it does the after. I have found some articles that could be useful for the before aspect of it. However, when it comes to government, the before is not as different and diverse as the after.
DeleteI like the idea you are heading in Dave. I was able to find much research about Indian hospitality after the caste system. During the caste system people wouldn't bother helping those at the bottom of the system.
DeleteHey guys, I found a useful article for the presentation. The article mentions a few points but mainly focuses on the subtopic of dietary customs. Dietary customs within the Indian Caste System has changed overtime. In the past, the diet you ate helped identified you in the rankings of the Indian Caste System. Today, this is frowned upon because it shows discrimination towards others therefore; it is not stressed as it was in the past. In the past, people in one ranking associated themselves only with people of the same ranking. The dietary traditions helped maintain that custom. Nowadays, you are allowed to eat freely without worrying about the caste system and its restrictions. Each diet was different according to the rankings in the Indian Caste System. For example, the Brahman diet was a vegetarian diet mainly to ensure that they kept a pure body. Lower within the caste system, people ate animals which according to the Indian Caste System, that was the next thing to death. It was used to show who the lowest ranking was in the caste system. The article goes on further in detail but this was just a preview of it. I think it’s helpful and it has a lot of information for my part. Citation: (I tried to indent, but it would not let me)
ReplyDeleteGrygus, Andrew. “Hindu Dietary Customs.” Clove Garden. 2007. Web. 11 May 2015.
This is good. you can definitely use this in the presentation. try to find stuff on what kind of foods did she they eat and how they prepared it. When Girgis makes the video slide we can use that during your section.
DeleteI found a lot of info on diet and customs for the caste system, I'm just trying to condense it to make it better for the powerpoint.
Deletehttp://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=socssp
ReplyDeleteHey, I found this article about the Indian caste system. If you read it it has a lot of the Indian caste system's history and what it was used for historically. the topics range from religion, diet, and how people even interacted with one another. It also explains the importance of the Indian caste system today which i believe will be essential for our final presentation.
I tried to cite it, also, and it didn't work. so perhaps one of you guys could help out
DeleteHey Dave, I read the article it's not bad it just didn't have anything for me but it could be useful to the others. I thought for the beginning of the presentation, after we introduce ourselves, we discuss what the caste system is in detail going into the different rankings and then we individually implement the subtopics. Lte me know what you think.
DeleteCoincidentally, I also found the same article but I wasn't sure if it would be a reliable source but I think it is. However, I'm also having trouble siting it. If i find out how to cite it, i'll let u know.
Deletehttp://factsanddetails.com/asian/cat64/sub413/item2626.html
ReplyDeleteHey guys I found a good article about the Indian Caste System. It includes diet, identity, rules, customs, and how it exists in the modern world. I liked it so read it, could be useful.
The second article I found discusses the diet customs within the Indian Caste System. It explains the roles of the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. It mentions what foods they ate and their place in society regarding the caste system. It discusses other factors about the caste system that might be useful to others. It mainly talks about what food was eaten, who eats it, and it even discusses the restrictions on certain foods and why. I found it helpful and it serves as a good source for the lesson. Citation: (I tried to indent, but it would not let me)
ReplyDeleteHays, Jeffrey. "Hindu Caste System, Rules, Purity and Identity." 2009. Web. 11 May 2015
I think all this information will do well when it comes down to the presentation. Something I was concerned about though was the way we're presenting the information. For some reason i'm not too sure that the whole substitute thing will work out. are there any ideas that would move smoother? or any ideas that we can integrate into the substitute teacher idea so that the presentation runs smoothly? like who's going first, who's speaking and when.
ReplyDeleteHey dave, I do agree with you. I am a little concerned about the setup of our presentations, but do not fret! I have an idea that you guys may like. I was thinking of kind of having a college setting...someone can be the professor while the rest of us are PAs (professor assistants). We can all teach and ask the students questions about their opinions on things (like i said before). Also, if you guys want, we can put together a quiz to give to the class during the last few minutes of the presentation to add in extra involvement by the students. Let me know what you think.
DeleteThe quiz is a good idea. I was also considering the idea of giving the class a quick survery/quiz at the beginning of class and then having whoever is one of the first to speak collect them and gather the results together a few minutes later. Some sort of questionnaire involving what extent they think the caste system had an impact in the past and what extent does it still today in certain areas, questions like that. As for who speaks and how its divided Dave, I would like to use the subtopics to our topics to alternate more than just once and make it go more smoothly. However, I am not sure how possible it is as we all have fairly diverse topics and we would need a few things to link them together to signal the change from one to the other.
DeleteI like that idea because it gets people involved. I like the idea of just being professor assistants cause I feel that's what's more comfortable to some of us. Opposed to the substitute teacher idea
DeleteI agree with Dave. Assistants would make more sense because saying we are substitutes just doesn't fithe well with me because who are we substituting
DeleteAnother thing I would like to see is the format of the power point that we're going to put up. It should start with the introduction of the caste system and what it is. will this be when everybody is introduced as their profession? if so who will go first? perhaps tradition should go first, government and economics? or government, economics, then tradition and the other ones?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that for the powerpoint we have first slide be an intro (like Dave said) and have one slide for every topic (tradition, gov, economics, diet, etc). It would add a nice flow and consistency to the presentation. I'll definitely have some pictures and animations on the slides to bring in a nice visual. Also, what do you guys think about possibly putting a video at the end?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of putting a video at the end as long as it isn't too long and it is relevant. We can definitely have a slide per topic and those can be organized depending on who goes when and if we will alternate more often rather than just spending a decent amount of time on our one topic we would alternate and divide the talking more evenly. All of this we will discuss tomorrow. I was also thinking about the possibility of a concluding few statements to explain the extent to which the ending of the caste system has generally changed Hinduism.
DeleteI totally agree with the PowerPoint idea Girgus. I also agree with Danny that the video shouldn't be to long maybe at most 3:50 and not longer. Maybe we can find a video that explains the caste system and another that explains everything about India.
DeleteAnyone know where Sarra is? haha
ReplyDeleteHey guys, this is one of the articles I found. It's coincidentally the same one that Dave found. The stuff about the economics is on page 17. Carlo, I know this article wasn't for you but Damics and Sarra should check it out. And to Dave, I did the best i could siting it.. here you go:
ReplyDeleteDeshpande, Manali S. "History of the Caste System and It's Impact of India Today." Digitalcommons.calpoly.edu. California Polytechnic State University, 2010. Web. 12 May 2015.
P.S I tried indenting but it won't work.
Hey, I found this report online yesterday. It's pretty good but also really long so be patient reading it. If you want to make life easier, you can use control F to find what you're looking for haha. Also look through the other chapters of the report to see if there is anything there for you. I tried my best citing this thing but if anyone can do a better job please feel free, I'd appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteCASTE DISCRIMINATION:. Rep. no. IV. Human Rights Watch, Sept. 2001. Web. 11 May 2015.
Hey guys, I know there is a lot of confusion going on and not everyone has posted blogs at this point. I just wanted to explain that we should continue to use the teaching ideas for creativity even though everyone is not on board with it but, we can also implement questions into the presentation similar to what other groups did. Therefore, our project is a combination of an interview between us and teaching the class. By doing this, I think we can reach our goals and fulfill the requirements needed for the presentation. This is what I think, not sure if everyone agrees but, we do go tomorrow and time is running out so we need to seriously agree on something and move on otherwise we're going to regret it. Please take into consideration and respond quickly. Also, make sure everyone gets their citations done as soon as possible, Danny is in charge of arranging them in proper order so don't keep him waiting. Let me know what you guys think.
ReplyDeleteI'm cool with it. What do u think of my idea with the college setting and the PAs? We can do something like that but have each of us ask questions to one another and also the class then at the end possibly do a survey or a test or something that someone will be in charge in. But i agree, we do need to agree on something pronto.
DeleteLet's go with my idea about the teacher and intern scenario, prepare questions for each other to ask like we suggested, and have a survey/quiz/test for the class to do. I might make one up of my own but, don't count on it. I don't think it is going to benefit us so maybe we should make one survey/quiz/test.
DeleteI don't think you're getting anyone involved with the teacher and intern scenario. Unless ur saying that we're interning you (as future teachers) and you're teaching a class.
DeleteI'm cool with the combination of an interview/teaching method. Let's not get to crazy and focus on one thing.
DeleteAlso, please let me know what you think about my powerpoint idea so i can get started on it A.S.A.P....got a lot to do today. Thanks boys
ReplyDeleteI found a very useful article that may help others as well. It had a decent amount of useful background information. It also had a large section that spoke of the changes that arose afterwards. There are some things concerning the government afterwards that would be useful to my part in the presentation.
ReplyDeleteCitation: ( I had the same problem indenting)
Heitzman, James, and Worden, Robert L. editors. "India: A Country Study." Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1995. Web. 11 May 2015.
Since we are asking each other questions, everyone should come up with three to four questions about your own topic for the group to ask throughout the presentation. Put those questions on index cards if you can so it makes look better for project.
ReplyDeletewhat do u think of my powerpoint idea?
Deletewhat was your idea again?
DeleteI was thinking that for the powerpoint we have first slide be an intro (like Dave said) and have one slide for every topic (tradition, gov, economics, diet, etc). It would add a nice flow and consistency to the presentation. I'll definitely have some pictures and animations on the slides to bring in a nice visual. Also, what do you guys think about possibly putting a video at the end?
Deletethat was copied and pasted from original blog post^
DeleteCarlo, I already came up with 11 questions all together. These are the questions:
Delete1. How has India changed today as the caste system isn't used as much?
2. What is their economic system like today?
3. Was the economic system thriving when they followed the caste system?
4. Is there a lot of poverty in India today?
5. What types of traditions do they still follow today?
6. What kind of foods do they enjoy eating?
7. What kind of foods don't they enjoy eating now? Why?
8. During the caste system did people help others?
9. Do they help others today?
10. What type of government do they have today?
11. Are the Indian people monotheistic or polytheistic
These questions are good because we can always shift them to be used for our own subtopics. Like, although we are doing subtopics we can each contribute to each other's ideas if we have something to say. For example, if Girgis doesn't include something then Sarra could say something or someone. We can use our research collectively if it contains other people's research.
DeleteHey guys, I found this really cool article that shows Indian hospitality. It states how Indian hospitality "is legendary." It also states how "Each one is treated with the utmost consideration and each Indian extends more than a hand to a visitor, from the Indian man on the street, who when asked for directions accompanied his company to their destination." This shows how if you are looking for an area and you can't find it you can ask an Indian and he will not only tell you where to go he will take you their.
ReplyDeletewww. Hadonfield.k12.nj.us The warmth of Indian hospitality
Hey guys, I also found this article about hospitality in the industries. It states "the hospitality industry in India is very strong even if you choose to stay at a hotel all care will be taken by management to make you feel at home."
ReplyDeletewww.iloveindia.com
I found another article very relevant to my topic. It deals with India after they received their independence. It goes on to discuss the nature of the Indian government after independence along with the writing of their constitution. This is a good representation of how the Indian government sought to operate differently post independence.
ReplyDeleteCitation:
"Post Independent India". India Netzone. Web. 12 May 2015.
Hey, guys I found a scholar on the Indian caste system. He is an Indian sociologist. He's done work on the past to help people understand the Hindu culture, the caste system, and India itself. I think you guys should look him up if you need anything.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sociologyguide.com/indian-thinkers/m-n-srinivas.php
"M. N. Srinivas, M. N. Srinivas Sociology, Indian Thinkers,Sociology Guide." M. N. Srinivas, M. N. Srinivas Sociology, Indian Thinkers,Sociology Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.
Dave, thanks for the article but i don't think this is going to help me with hospitality as it mainly might help with the economic side or your side of the system.
DeleteInterestingly I found out that the more rigorous cast system that we know today was made during the occupation of the British. prior to this the caste system wasn't as rigid. in fact, many people actually were able to go from being a merchant to a priest. However, it was more due to their personality rather than the tasks they did in order to elevate themselves. It was a common occurrence in fact for Indian's to achieve a higher role in life.
ReplyDeleteHey guys I found another nice article talking about the economics and economic conditions in India under the caste system. Here's the link https://www.american.edu/cas/economics/ejournal/upload/Global_Majority_e_Journal_1-2_Rao.pdf
ReplyDeleteRao, Jasmine. "The Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka." The Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka 1.2 (2010): 97-106. Web. 12 May 2015.
Hey I think another great idea to get the class involved would be to call on them to read the questions out loud this way they are forced to pay attention a little bit more. Let me know what you guys think.
ReplyDeleteSee you guys out on the field tomorrow
ReplyDelete