Wednesday, Feb 10th

8:22 p.m. — I can’t imagine Mason being open on Wed., given that Metro will only be operating below ground, and the federal government is closed yet again. Also, Georgetown University is closed, and they do that less often than Mason. Mason will probably make an announcement after the game.

Meanwhile, please remember to head over to the discussions on Blackboard, so that we can at least make some progress. The reading will come as a shock, if you wait to do it until Mason is back in session. I understand that this is impossible for some of you off campus with power issues, but a lot of you are on campus and have what you need to make progress in between your ventures out into the snow.

9:49 p.m. — Game now won, Mason found time to announce the closure tomorrow. By the sound of things on twitter, I can’t say I blame them for watching the game first. This announcement also mentions the possibility of making up missed classes (decision still to be made), so I’ll hold off on adding new discussion topics to Blackboard. There are enough there to bring us up to date through Monday, in any case. Do please do those.

Mason Closed Tuesday

Connect2Mason is reporting that Mason is closed on Tues., Feb. 9th. That doesn’t affect our class, but it means more chaos for your work. Please keep reading on schedule for Hist 100-09 and see the information below about Blackboard discussions.

Blackboard Discussion on Overseas Encounters

The Blackboard discussion for “Overseas Encounters” is now available. For my expectations about your participation in this required virtual class, see “Snow Closure and Blackboard” on this blog.

More discussion topics will be available on Blackboard soon.

Update: It should be obvious, but the discussions are available via a discussion tab on the left when viewing the course Blackboard. I’m also cross-referencing them in the Class Materials folder, so you can find them in relation to the rest of the course material.

Second Update: Here are the discussion threads now available:

• Overseas Encounters [readings scheduled for 2/5]
• “Formation of States” and “Dyanstic Struggles” [readings scheduled for 2/5]
• Protestant and Catholic Reformations [readings scheduled for 2/8]

Wintry DC

There are some nice pictures at the Washington Post and Time. If you know of others, please share your links in comments here.

Snow Closure and Blackboard

So Mason is now officially closed on Monday, February 8. I still need to work out the implications of this closure for the content of our classroom activities, but I will be setting up a discussion on Blackboard later today. In this area you can answer questions I pose, react to other students’ ideas, and ask your own questions. I plan to keep the discussion open all week, so that students living off campus and without power can participate too, and also so that people can enjoy the snow or football or both.

My concrete expectation for the Blackboard discussion is this: spend at least 50 minutes there total for each class that is cancelled or that you had to miss because of the snow. Do not do this all at once, but return throughout the coming days to reply to what is new or add your own ideas. When you do this, your reading time is *not* part of the fifty minutes per class, since you do that outside of class anyway.

The goal in all of this is to keep the class close to our reading and exam schedule, because their is no wiggle room for those dates. Keep reading as if the normal syllabus were in effect.

On a different note, if you missed class because of snow last Friday, you should have already got in touch with me. If not, you need to correct that. Those of you who were expecting to meet me on Monday should plan on doing so later in the week. I’ll contact you individually once we know things are back to normal. If I forget to contact you, then it is your responsibility to contact me.

Update, 2:30 p.m. — I am unable to access Blackboard, so it might take a little time to get our discussions going, since I doubt there is anyone able to address the issue on campus. I’ll put a note up here when they’re up and running, and I’ll drop everyone an email too.

Schedule Clarification

Regardless of where we are in class, it is important to keep up with the reading schedule in the syllabus. I will assume you are doing so when I give reading quizzes or leave a topic uncovered in class.

Snow Update

8:49 a.m. — I am not confident that DC and Northern Virginia will have things cleaned up enough to be able to get to class tomorrow, but I might be pleasantly surprised. Please check back this evening or tomorrow morning for an update. While I intend to follow whatever George Mason University decides, I must also bow to the realities of Metro’s rail and bus services tomorrow morning. (I live in a neighborhood that will not be plowed anytime soon, but I am close to a main road that will see bus service sooner.)

If classes are cancelled, I am going to need the class to “meet” on Blackboard for a virtual discussion in the coming days, as stated at the beginning of the course schedule in the syllabus. Look for details here, if that happens.

Helpful links:

• Mason’s homepage will have an announcement if classes are cancelled. You can also call their main number, 703-993-1000, to hear a message.
• NBC 4’s school closings list includes any announcements regarding area universities and the federal government.
• Metro posts updates on its service, but you also need to check on individual busses and trains, which you can with their real time bus and train arrival information.

Update, 12:42 p.m. — Another useful local new source is the Washington Post’s breaking news blog, which includes information about what is open, where DC snow fights are, cyclo-cross, and more.

Dining Halls in the Storm

In case you were wondering what it has taken to keep the dining halls running for so many snow-bound students, check out Connect2Mason’s new article.

Friday, 2/5/2010

I’m on campus, and there will be class. Mason doesn’t close until 12:30.

Student Wikipedia Group

Here’s an interesting story, though I wish it contained more details: “Students at McGill U. Band Together to Promote Wikipedia.”

Related Post: Wikipedia