Version:
1/18/12

picture of the week

thought-bite of the week:

"I reckoned that it was my duty… to record all the data obtained from reliable sources.… The further man is from civilization, the more he enjoys astonishing people…. He says he has seen what he imagines may have been seen by others."
(Humboldt, "Personal Narrative", from Jaguars and Electric Eels, ed. & trans. Wilson, pp. 19 & 46)

mini-text of the week (start):

"At midday we stopped at a deserted spot called Algodonal.… I walked along the beach to observe a group of crocodiles asleep in the sun.… [M]y stroll almost cost me my life.… "

Humboldt, "Personal Narrative", from Jaguars and Electric Eels, ed. & trans. Wilson, p. 74 (read more)

<< Humboldt's canoe (source: Botting, Humboldt and the Cosmos, p. 103 [0027])
click on image to see full-size graphic

(X') = anticipated time in minutes (total=75)

(0001) etc.=item in Humboldt Project document collection

Key to notes added AFTER the class meets:

√ = topic / activity that was adequately dealt with during the class

+ = topic that was started but needs more attention & will be resumed at next / subsequent meeting(s)

- = a topic / activity that was proposed though not begun, but will be taken up later

Struckthrough text like this = a topic / activity that was proposed but not included is not going to be taken up after all

Italic bold green text like this = comments after the meeting

√

(5') Thought-bite of the week (from week 1, actually): What do you and others mean by "unity of nature"? "Nature" - what does it mean? Where do you and others "find out" about "nature' and that unity? How does this relate to sustainability?

√

(10') Review & expansion of Prof. Fuller's background presentation at meeting #2: What / Whom did he talk about (or not talk about)? Kant; Romanticism; Enlightenment; Marx(ism); Darwin; Frederick the Great; Louis XIV / XVI; Beethoven; Greece; Locke; Goethe; Mozart; Napoleon; Austria; Neptunism / Vulcanism; American Revolution; industrialization; ??

√

(20') Beliefs and facts about 1800: group poll, with online fact-checking; we didn't do the online fact-checking

√

(30') The Weitsch portrait of Humboldt; some other portraits; informal scoring guide for the writing reflection about the portrait

√

(20') More about scoring guides, with an example in detail; But note that the linked scoring guide would be used for a writing assignment that allowed much more time and perhaps some background research

-

(5') Importance of teamwork and, whether during group or individual work, recognizing and then bringing forth your individual experiences and skills. Short example: You think you may have taken a course that relates to our course. Find someone else who has taken that or a similar course; report back.

+

(5') So what was I doing in Hawaii? Link to Lyon Arboretum; (details Thursday)

(5') Preview of mentor workshops and next class meeting. We'll probably do this occasionally.