Taking notes in class

Reading through the blog posts and thinking about a conversation I had after the noon class today, I'd like people to (re)consider whether you're taking notes in class. So far most people are clearly not doing so (they don't even have paper out), which is fine if that's what works for you. But it's also clear that, for example, the people that did take notes in anticipation of writing discussion summaries got quite a bit more detail and depth out of the discussion in part because of their notes.

I've also had conversations with a few people that haven't been speaking up much in class, and a common thread was "By the time there's some space in the conversation, I forget what I was going to say". Taking some (brief) notes on questions/comments/ideas you'd like to share can help ensure that you're ready with an idea when there is some dead space (which always happens now and then) and it tends to make you look more organized and focussed. And if you don't actually get to bring it up in class, then you can always use it as the basis for a blog post when you're next at a computer.

First blog and discussion summaries

We now have all four blog/discussion summaries posted, with some perceptive observations and pointers to some of the very nice writing that you folks have been doing, so definitely go check them out!

• Culture Jammer's discussion summary
  
• The Little Rabbit's discussion summary
  
• Kat's blog summary
• Steph's blog summary

Thanks to these four for getting us off to a good start!

Also, the question came up of how to post notices of these summaries. I'd like everyone who writes a summary to post it here, and I've sent everyone an invitation that (when you accept it) will allow you to post here. The invitation takes the form of an e-mail from Blogger/Google, so check your mail spool for that.

Reminders that the next blog summarizers (the whole list is here) are Kelsey and Adrienne, and the next discussion summarizers are Dan and Jennifer L.

Some thoughts on our discussion of Gov. Blanco's speech

First, let me say that I'm generally very pleased with the level of in-class discussion. Almost everyone has contributed in both sections, and we've gotten into some significant and interesting issues. If we keep that up, we'll be in great shape for the rest of the semester. (I am, however, less impressed with the blogging. While there have been a few people that have done some nice writing, in general there's been very little beyond the initial assignment.)

So, all that said, I keep thinking about our discussions Thursday of Gov. Blanco's speech. It was, again, a good discussion with broad participation, but the discussion in both sections ended up being (to my ears) much more about her presentation style and general choice of topic than about the actual content of her speech. We can debate all day whether she should have said more or less or whatever about Katrina, her life, blah, blah, but the fact is that she gave that speech and said those things, and our discussion (and the few blog posts on the subject) didn't really address her statements with much depth.

There were quite a few things that I thought might warrant discussion, most of which never came up. At the very beginning, for example, she said "Life is simply not fair". Is everyone comfortable/happy with that sort of blanket assertion? If so, do we just accept it, or do we work to change it? You were told to "Put yourself in a position to make a difference... No one is going to do this for you.". Do you agree with this exhortation? Why is this important (or not)? What are you doing (or not) to put yourself in such a position, and why?

Some other lines I found noteworthy:

• "Don't let stereotypes shut you out of any career."
• "You don't have to know everything, but you have to be willing to learn."
• "Ignore the false prophets - be true to yourself."
• "Stereotypes can be broken if we all work to defy expectations."
• "Focus on the value of diversity."

Lastly, what did she mean by "Be open to committed living"? What does that imply for you here at UMM? For you in this class?

Thoughts?

Thanks for coming over last night

I'd like to thank the 10 or so FYS students that came over for the movie night last night. It was a nice excuse to watch O brother, where art thou? again, and you folks were wonderful guests. Thanks for making the time to join us!

John Hanson (the former FYS student that came a bit late and sat towards the back) stayed for quite a while after the movie while we listened to music and chatted. One of the things we talked about was the way they set up the two gubernatorial candidates. Pappy (the incumbent) might not be the "bad guy" at the beginning, but he's hardly the "good guy" and the reform candidate comes across pretty well (esp. if you ignore the slightly disturbing bit with the midget). Yet by the end we learn that the reform candidate is clearly major creepy bad news and that Pappy, while perhaps more opportunist than idealist, is a whole row better than his opponent. (I still remember how surprised I was when I first saw it and got to the part where we discover how awful the reform candidate truly is.)

One of the things I really love about that movie is the amazing breadth of the music they've included. There are lots of movies featuring lost of blues, or country, or gospel, etc., but the Coen brothers and T-Bone Burnett pulled together a really wonderfully broad collection of great music here. Great stuff!

It's also worth pointing out that the places they mention in the movie are real, and many of those cities/towns will pass by in our readings now and then. Tommy Johnson (the name of the African-American guitarist) was a real blues guitarist who (along with people like Robert Johnson) did claim some sort of deal with the devil. And watching Pappy dancing and then leading everyone in song at the end may have seemed far-fetched, but there were in fact more than one southern governor that had a significant music career either before or after being governor.

It would be good to post about Blanco on your blog

I would encourage everyone to post some sort of (thoughtful) response on their blog to Blanco's presentation last night.

Note that I didn't say "I require everyone...". You are adults, and ultimately you have to make your own decisions about how to get the most of your life here at UMM. I can make suggestions, but I can't (and won't and shouldn't) follow you around making sure you do everything I suggest. I think you ought to attend events, take notes, reflect and discuss things with the people around you, and post to your blog as part of a larger discussion. What you do, however, is ultimately up to you :-).

Reminder: Blanco chats today

A reminder that Governor Blanco is available to talk with FYS students (you!) today from 10-noon in the Science Atrium and 2-4pm in the LaFave house. For those who don't know where the LaFave house is (which is probably most everybody), it's the building marked 65 on the bottom left of this map. To get there go out the main entrance (4th Street), hang a left on College Avenue (the first street), and go about one block down. It's the house with all the U of M colored flags out front. (It looks just like a normal house, because that's what it was until a few years ago. Don't get confused - you are in the right place.)

I hope to see you there!

Opportunities to meet with Governor Blanco

As part of her visit to UMM next week, Governor Blanco has agreed to arrange several times where she will be available to meet with (FYS) students, answer questions, and discuss issues. None of these times are while our class actually meets, so I can't require you to attend any of them, but I think this is a pretty excellent and rare opportunity, and as intelligent, enthusiastic (new) members of a community of ideas, I would hope you would take advantage it.

The schedule as I understand it gives you the following opportunities (and you may attend any or all):

• A punch/cookies reception at 8:30pm in the Student Center just after her convocation talk on Tuesday.
• From 10am-noon on Wednesday in the Science Atrium (the big open space one floor up from the bookstore).
• From 2-4pm, also on Wednesday. The location for this has not yet been finalized.
  

If you can come to one of these, you'll probably get more out of it if you have a question or two worked out in advance. You may never get to ask it, but if there aren't many people there everyone (including you and the Governor) will appreciate a question or two to get things going. (Long awkward silences aren't lots of fun for anyone.)

I've added all these to the calendar at the bottom left, but remember that the darn times are still Pacific, so you need to add two hours :-( !

Listen to the first listening list

In class today we'll go over the whole business of coming into the classroom in the evenings and weekends to listen to music via iTunes on the computer there. Our first listening assignment is a collection of cajun and zydeco music, ranging from early recordings from the 1920's to fairly contemporary pieces.

As an assignment, write down three questions that this listening list raises for you and bring them to class Thursday, 31 Sep. These can be factual questions (if so, try to answer them as well - you can still use the question even if you find the answer) or more open ended questions that might be good discussion questions in class. Note that this works best if you can come to the classroom sometime between today's class and Thursday's class, so make sure you schedule a slot for that.

The playlist:

• Amede Ardoin and Dennis McGee - "Madame Atchen"
  
• Ardoin was a creole accordion player and McGee was a white fiddle player. Against the racial/social odds, they played together and made several recordings together in the late 1920's and 1930's. It's likely that Adroin was severely beaten (or killed - the stories differ quite a lot and the records are very spotty), perhaps for having the audacity to accept the offer white woman's handkerchief to wipe his face during a performance. This is from the excellent 4 CD collection American Roots Music, the companion set to a fine PBS series of the same name.
  
• Cleoma Breaux and Joe Falcon - "La Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme"
  
• A great husband and wife team; these early recordings of theirs were extremely popular. This is from the great Anthology of American Folk Music edited by Harry Smith.
  
• Iry LeJeune with the Oklahoma Tornadoes - "Evangeline Special"
  
• Shows the development of the cajun style in the 40's and 50's, and it's just a ton of fun! His whoops and singing blow out the mic now and then, but we'll all cope.
  
• Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy, and D. L. Menard - "J'ai Passé Devant Ta Porte"
  
• Dewey Balfa comes from a giant musical family in the cajun universe, and the Balfas were vital in the surge of national interest in cajun music and culture in the 1960's. Marc Savoy also comes from a long line of cajun musicians and is a master at both playing and building accordions. (I'd love one of his accordions, but they're a little too expensive for my wallet.) D. L. Menard is often called the Hank Williams of cajun music. The three of them recording together is just pretty darn cool.
  
• Beausoleil - "Hey Baby, Quoi Ca Dit?"
  
• A contemporary cajun band led by Michael Doucet. I saw these guys play at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans back in the late 80's and people were dancing inside and all up and down the sidewalk; it was enormous fun. I love the amalgam of languages in this song, and only wish I could play accordion like this.
  
• Michael Doucet and Cajun Brew - "Wooly bully"
  
• There's a long tradition of cajun musicians covering popular (non-cajun) songs, and this is just another link in that chain.
  
• Clifton Chenier (the "King of the Zydeco") - "Zydeco cha cha"
  
• Truly one of the greats. His accordion playing, etc., really defined much of what we now call zydeco music, and it's just too much fun. I love the little crawfish bit at the end, so listen up!.
  
• Buckwheat Zydeco - "Think It Over One More Time"
  
• Played in Clifton's band for quite a while, and then went on to a very successful solo career. Here he combines his driving accordion with a seriously funky groove.
• The Flatlanders - "Jole Blon"
• This is actually a bunch of (non-cajun) guys from west Texas who were exploring "traditional" country in the late 60's/early 70's as a response to the increasingly smooth and heavily produced "Nashville sound" that dominated country music at the time. Here they're covering one of the classics of the cajun repertoire (Note their use of a saw in place of an accordion.) I've got a zillion other recordings of that song
  

Some (limited) biographical info on Gov. Blanco

Our convocation speaker this year is Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor of Louisiana. She was actually scheduled to come this time last year, but Hurricane Katrina rolled in and she (quite understandably) felt she needed to remain in Louisiana. Her convocation is 7pm, Tuesday, 5 September, in Edson Auditorium. Attendance is required for all FYS students.

Her life history is very interesting and quite unusual for someone at that level in any field. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years, and then a high school teacher. To quote the Governor's official bio

Governor Blanco began her career as a public servant in 1984, when she became the first woman ever elected to represent the people of Lafayette in the state Legislature. Five years later she was elected to the Public Service Commission, where she became the first woman to serve as a Commissioner and, later, as the first woman to chair the Commission (1993-94).

She then served two terms as Lieutenant Governor and was elected Governor in 2004.

The official bio doesn't say much beyond what I've said here, but it's also worth noting (especially in the context of our course topic) her cajun heritage, giving us that nice segue into some cajun music to start the course with.

For an alternative bio, check out her entry in Wikipedia. Note the announcement at the top that "The neutrality of this article is disputed." Going to the "talk page" for the entry reveals an interesting (if sometimes tedious and mudslinging) discussion that raises some important points about what it means to be neutral in this sort of writing. While that discussion isn't always at the highest level, it does provide a nice example of a careful, critical reading of a text, and spending some time reading both the entry and the discussion would be worthwhile.