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IMPORTANT LINKS |
are in reverse chronological order--You should go through all announcements since your last visit, as simple common sense would suggest! NOTE: excuses such as "I did not know this was available via the class homepage," or "I did not have time to go to the class home page," and so on, will not be tolerated. In this class, intellectual laziness has its price: a poor grade. |
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[[]] Materials for Class Assignments
[[]] Class Films List
[[]] Course Assignments Schedule
[[]] Learning Outcomes
[[]] Course Clarifications for Online Courses
[[]] Racism/Ethnicism: An Overview
[[]] Academic Honesty--School Policy
[[]] Educational Success Packet
[[]] Grades Do Matter
[[]] U.B. Student Calendar
[[]] U.B. Undergraduate Catalog [[]] Making America Great: A Timeline [[]] Institutional versus Interpersonal Racism [[]] Term Paper Project Instructions [[]] Income Inequality [[]] Extra-Credit/Make-Ups Instructions . |
![]() SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE TO THE END to see all the announcements you have missed.
Man, do I really have to tell you this?
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 11
Posted 12/28/2020
People,
your final test scores have now been posted via the link on the left.
Note: your course grades are available via the HUB portal.
Good bye.
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 10
Posted 12/9/2020 [UPDATED: 12/11/2020; 12/13/2020]
Folks, please go through this announcement super carefully:
1) Ignore your test scores on Blackboard; instead, look up your scores via the link on the left.
2) Final course grades will not be available until the end of this month. 3) You can calculate your grade yourself by using the formula on the main test scores page (which reflects what is stated in the syllabus). 4) As per course syllabus, there are no incompletes in this course. 5) Text of the e-mail I sent you today is here. 6) To those of you who did not vote: someone still got elected and your life will be impacted as a result in one way or another. To those of you who voted for Trump, get over it. It's over for now; your chance will come again in four years time when he runs for a second time. To those of you who voted for Biden, a celebration is premature. Biden's presidency is going to be a lame-duck presidency (unless you vote again in Congressional elections in two years' time--2022--and help to win enough Senate seats to tilt the balance in Biden's favor). The Senate is still in Republican hands, which means there is very little meaningful that the Biden presidency will achieve (it is going to be a replay of what happened during the Obama presidency). Plus don't forget Trump, who will still control the Senate, like the way a puppeteer does, from his palace in Florida. 7) Instructions for extra-credit and make-ups are available via the link on the left. Please make sure you go through them super-carefully. UPDATE (12/11/2020):
8)
Folks, the Extra-Credit/Make-Up Test No. 1 has been available since
yesterday. It will be available until December 22 (2020) 11:45 pm.
Reminder: ignore the scores on UBLearns; instead, check your test scores
via this page.
9) Test 8 scores have now been posted.
UPDATE (12/13/2020):
10)
Folks, all Make-Up/Extra-Credit Tests are now available. They will be
available until December 22 (2020) 11:45 pm. To help you plan, find out
how many questions each test has. WARNING: Please do not wait until the
last minute to do the tests. Reminder: ignore the scores on
UBLearns; instead, check your test scores via your class home page at
elegantbrain.comQuestion: How many teachers would give you an opportunity like this one to improve your grade. Please show your gratitude by doing well on them, so you can improve your GPA. ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 9 Posted 11/30/2020 [UPDATED: 12/1/2020; 12/7/2020] People, please go through this announcement super carefully:
(1)
Test No. 7 is now available. It will be available until 11:45 pm tonight.
[UPDATES (12/1/2020):
(2)
Test 8 will be available across two days--from the scheduled day to the following day. (Reminder: Test 8 will
also cover item on the left titled "Institutional versus Interpersonal
Racism.")
(3) Final Test 6 and Test 7 scores are now available. ]
[UPDATES (12/7/2020):
(4)
Test 8 is available. It will be available until tomorrow Tuesday (12/8)
11:45 pm. Reminder: as indicated umpteen times, ignore the scores on
UBLearns; instead check your test scores via this page--link in the left
column.
(5) Instructions concerning make-ups and extra-credit will be posted on Wednesday on this page.]
.ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 8 Posted 11/19/2020 [UPDATED: 11/23/2020] Guys, please go through this announcement super carefully:
(1) Your final adjusted test scores (which are different from your Blackboard scores) for Test 5 are now available via the link in the left margin. (2) Test 6 is coming up really soon. See update in the next announcement below. NOTE: Reading RG-32 is available in Packet 2 and Packet 3, and here.
(3) Instructions for the optional
Term Paper Project are in the left margin. Failure to follow the
instructions will carry a heavy penalty. (See also item no. 5 in
Announcement No. 6 below.)
(4) Study the slide image above.
UPDATE: Test 6 is now available.
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 7 Posted 11/11/2020 [UPDATED: 11/18/2020] People, please go through this announcement super carefully:
(1)
Some of you did not sit for Test 5 for various reasons (legitimate, as
well as non-legitimate). Since this test counts for 20% of your grade, I
will be posting tomorrow a make-up for this test for ANYONE who wishes
to take it--including those who have already taken it.
(2) Yes, anyone, including those who already took it, can re-take the test. However, a reminder, the questions will not necessarily be the same as those on the previous test. (3) Question: Is this test open-book? See the Course Clarifications Page --link in the left column.
(4) To those who still want to do the term paper, please read ALL the instructions in the next announcement below. You will notice that you still have to do Test 5 because the score for test 5 will be averaged in with your score for the term paper. (When you study for Test 5, you will understand why.) (5) Given my other school-related commitments, as well as the fact that I am teaching a large number of students this semester with no TA help, this is a lot of extra work for me. (I am really getting tired of all kinds of weak excuses I have been getting from some of you.) (6) Reminder: e-mail days, as per syllabus, are Mondays and Thursdays--how come some of you still do not know this? Additionally, if you want a response to your e-mails make sure it is in the format indicated in the syllabus. (7) This test will be called "Test 5-Make-up." It will be available from tomorrow morning (Thursday November 12) at 7:00 am until Friday (November 13) at 11:45 pm. (I am being really generous here--so please, no more excuses.) (8) Question: Will there be an opportunity for extra-credit work? Short answer is, yes. For the long answer, see the Course Clarifications page. (9)
Reminder: as the syllabus states, there are no incompletes in this
course. The last day to resign from this course is this Friday (November
13).
(10) Do you know when Test 6 will take place, and what it will cover? [UPDATE:
Test 6, as per e-mail sent to you, has been postponed to Monday,
November 23 (7:00 am to 11:45 pm) to give you more time to study the
assigned material.]
(11)
Many of you are getting test scores ranging from B's to A's and above
(see scores via the link in the left column). How come the rest of you
are not doing well?
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 6
Posted 10/29/2020 [UPDATED 11/9/2020] Folks, please go through this announcement super carefully:
(1) Your final adjusted test scores (which are different from your Blackboard scores) for Test 4 are now available via the link in the left margin. (2) Do NOT send me e-mails that are not in the format specified in the syllabus; you may not get a response. <--Read this sentence again. Reminder, as per syllabus: e-mail days are Mondays and Thursdays. (3) As per course syllabus, incompletes will not be available in this course. If you need to resign this class, then the deadline is available via the school's student calendar. Link in the left margin. (4) Those of you who have been doing the homework as directed appear to be doing well, judging by the many B's to A's on the tests. For those who have poor scores: can you still pass this course or is it too late? No, it is not too late, PROVIDED you have the time and willingness to work really hard on the remaining tests--including Test 5 which is worth 20% of your final grade. See next point. (5) About the term paper:
(6) About incompletes in this course: see item no. 6 in Announcement No. 5 below.
(7) Study these (downloadable) slide images.
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 5 Posted 10/15/2020 [UPDATE: 10/28/2020] People, please note: (1) Your final test scores (which are different from your Blackboard scores) are now available via the link in the left margin (2) I am getting too many claims about failing to complete tests because of some supposed glitch on Blackboard (from mainly students who did not do their homework, or tried to do it at last minute). I am suspicious. Be that as it may, please go through Course Clarifications page regarding this issue and the steps that must be taken. (3) If you are not doing well in this course see the Course Clarifications page for pointers. (4) Do NOT send e-mails that are not in the format specified in the syllabus; you may not get a response. (5) Test 4 date and what it will cover: see the Course Assignments Schedule--link in the left margin. Time of test: see next announcement below. [UPDATE: Test is now available on Blackboard] (6)
As per course syllabus, incompletes will not be available in this
course. If you need to resign this class, then the deadline is available
via the school's student calendar. Link in the left margin.
(7) Study these (downloadable) slide images.
Study these slide images by clicking on them.ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 4 Posted 10/2/2020 [UPDATED: 10/14/2020] Folks: Please note: (1)
Your FINAL scores for Test 2 are available via the update of the test scores page (link in the left column).
(2) Test 3--see Announcement No. 3 below--will be available from 7:00 am (yes, this is a slight change) to 11:45 pm on the date specified in the Course Assignments Schedule (link in the left column). [UPDATE:
Test 3 is now available on Blackboard. Do you know when Test 4 is
coming up? Check the Class Assignment Schedule. Reminder all FINAL
scores for each test you take will be posted via the link in the left
margin. The score you get on Blackboard after completing a test is
only your preliminary score.]
(3) From now on tests will always be available from 7:00 am to 11:45 pm on the days the tests are scheduled, unless for an unexpected reason a change to the
time/date is necessary, in which case an update announcement will be
posted on this page.
(4) Study the (downloadable) slide images below.
(5) Please go through the academic honesty page (link in the left column).
(6) Homework for Weeks 7 and 8 and Test date: See the Course Assignments Schedule.
(7) FYI: UB's Alternative Break Programs--registration deadline extended to October 15.
(8) To those of you who did the homework in relation to the film The 13th
and remember the scene of those two African American soldiers talking
to President Abraham Lincoln, where one of them hopes for the right to
vote in about a hundred years; well it's been about 160 years since, and
we have a historic first: a vice-presidential debate this
evening--available live via YouTube--between an extreme right wing
conservative white male and a liberal woman of African American/South
Asian descent. Things do change; but not at the speed you would like
(especially when you don't practice civic engagement). Note that this debate, at the sub-textual level, will involve issues of race, gender, and ideology.
Study these slide images by clicking on them.
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 3 Posted 9/23/2020 (UPDATE: 10/1/2020) Guys: Please note: (1)
Your FINAL scores for Test 1 (both parts) are now available via the
link in the left column. (You will notice that your scores have improved
a little.) If you did both parts of the test, and you did poorly, then
note: compared to your other classes, this is a super easy class.
However, not doing your homework at all in this class, OR doing it at
the last minute is just not a good idea; you have been warned about this
quite a few times now. Moreover, the amount of work you are being
assigned in this class PER WEEK is relatively little; but if you wait to
do it until the last minute you will find that it is too much. You will
be overwhelmed!
You can also become a poll worker (yes you get paid). For more information, click here.
(3) Go through the links in the left margin, if you have not already done so.
(4) Homework for weeks 5 and 6 and Test 3: See the Course Assignments Schedule (link in the left margin of this page).
(5)
Some of you (not all) are not doing the homework as directed. This is
not good. How do I know this? Because, as the rules for quiz/tests exams
tells you, I can access statistics that tell
me who is downloading the films, when they downloaded them; who is
streaming, when they streamed, how often they streamed, and who didn't
do the homework at all. Warning: Regardless of which race you believe
you belong to, please do NOT racialize the epistemology on which this
course rests. What does this mean in practice? The view that since this
course deals with knowledge about black people it is not important
enough to require diligence. <-- What does this word mean?
(6) Test 2 is coming up next week: see the Course Assignments Schedule (or the next announcement below). Note: Because the tests are online, when studying assigned homework, do not
prioritize information that you can easily look up on the internet (for
very obvious reasons). Tests will be constructed with this point in
mind. Additionally, tests are constructed on the basis of the "lazy
student student rule." (See the Rules for Quizzes/Tests/Exams.)
[UPDATE: Test will begin at 11:45 am and end at 11:45 pm. Note:
As has been the case with previous tests, tests will always begin at
11:45 am and end at 11:45 pm on the days the tests are scheduled (see
the course schedule), unless for an unexpected reason a change to the
time/date is necessary, in which case an update announcement will be
posted on this page.]
(7) Before you send me any e-mail, always check the Course Clarifications page first. (See link in the left margin). Two specific days per week have been designated as e-mail days. Please see the syllabus as to which days they are.
(8) For a small number
of you, after downloading a file, it may not play on your particular
machine because of the file format (HEVC encoded). For solutions click here.
Study these slide images by clicking on them.
ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 2 Posted 9/7/2020 (Updated 9/10/2020; 9/17/2020) People, Folks, Guys: Please note: (1)
Test no. 1 is coming up next Thursday (see Item no. 4 in Announcement No. 1, below).
(2)
Always, always, always download the homework right away because
sometimes you may not be able to access the material when you need it,
especially if too many people are trying to get to it at the last
minute! (Reminder: I am teaching about 180 students across both my classes together!)
(3) Homework for Week Three, beginning September 14, DOWNLOAD, and view/study twice
(without any kind of distractions) these three items:
(4) Homework for Week Four, beginning September 21, DOWNLOAD, and view/study twice (without any kind of distractions) these three items: (i) Film: Rosewood (class version)--available via a link on the page here.
(5) For a small number
of you, after downloading a file, it may not play on your particular
machine because of the file format (HEVC encoded). For solutions click here. (6) Test No. 2: date: Thursday, October 1 (covers homework for weeks 3 and 4 only) (7) Go through Announcement no. 1 again, below. [UPDATE 1: See 5 above.] Study these slide images by clicking on them. ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 1
Posted 8/31/2020 (updated 9/4/2020) People, Folks, Guys: Welcome to your class home page, which you are required to visit regularly (at least once a week).
From this page you will be able to access everything related to this
class, except tests/quizzes (which you will take on Blackboard--aka
UBLearns). Please go through the following announcements carefully:
1) This page will be redesigned slightly in the next few days.
2) The class schedule will be available soon (via this page); in the mean time, please do the following homework:
(a) For this week (Week One, beginning August 31), DOWNLOAD, and view and study (without any kind of distractions) these three items: 3) For a small number of you, after downloading your file, it may not play on your particular machine because of the file format (HEVC encoded). For solutions click here. 4) The first Test will be on Thursday, September 17. Additional instructions
about the test will be posted as part of an announcement on this page. 5) The course syllabus is available here. Please go through it carefully.
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