Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Bobby Henderson's e-mail to the Kansas School Board is written in a form we'll explore in Unit 4: It identifies a problem and proposes a solution. It drew attention to the School Board's assault on evolution and helped generate widespread derision. The board members eventually were voted out of office.
A visit to Henderson's Web site is eye-opening. Years after he wrote the e-mail, he still gets hate mail.
After reading "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster" (Presence, pg. 348), tell us about a particularly effective bit of satire that you've read, heard, or seen (on television perhaps). What made it effective?
This response is due on Monday, Nov. 1.

"An Animal's Place"

Read "An Animal's Place" by Michael Pollan in Presence (page 204-221). Respond by listing one of the claims Pollan makes and a piece of evidence he uses to support it.

Vote for Candidate X! Post your race here!

The office responsible for running elections in Vermont is the secretary of state.
Click this link to go to the elections page of the secretary of state's website.
If you scroll down a bit, you'll find the following headline in the middle column:
FINAL General Election Candidate Listing.
Clicking PDF Format or Excel File will allow you to download a complete list of candidates running for public office across Vermont. If you see more than one candidate listed for one race, you've found a competitive race.
You may write your essay about candidates in a state other than Vermont; I knew about this link because I am using it in a journalism class.
Please choose the race you wish to write about and post it as a comment below. This assignment is due at the start of class on Wednesday, Oct. 13.

'Whole Lotta Cheatin'

For Monday, Oct. 11:
Please read Mark Clayton's piece, "A Whole Lot of Cheatin' Going On," in Presence (pg. 198) and join the debate.
Respond with your opinion and cite a fact Clayton brings up in his article.
The question we'll debate is this: Should LSC's student newspaper, The Critic, publish stories naming students who are disciplined for academic dishonesty at Lyndon State?
I'll go first:
Yes, The Critic should publish the names of cheaters. Academic dishonesty is the collegiate version of fraud. Our daily newspaper, the Caledonian-Record, frequently runs stories about people convicted of fraud. Publication serves two purposes: it informs readers about a matter of great public interest (crime), and it acts as a deterrent by letting potential fraudsters know they'll be shamed in public if they are caught. Publishing the names of academic cheaters would serve similar purposes. As Clayton points out (pg. 201), the student newspaper at the University of Southern California covers cheating cases. The Critic should, too.

Your turn!

Learn Statistics. Go Abroad.

Read K. Anthony Appiah's piece in Presence: "Learn Statistics. Go Abroad." Tell us in 200 words where you would wish to study if you could spend a semester abroad. What attracts you about that place?

Advice for Freshmen

Here's a link to a piece in the New York Times in which graduate teaching assistants give advice to new students.