Map of Sub-Saharan Africa

The Griots: Learning Style

I believe that everyone has their own preference when it comes to learning any type of information. Some people may be visual or auditory learners, but others may be different! Honestly for me, I believe that the style of learning that the Griots conducted in would be not very useful to me for history. I'm a visual learner and not an auditory learner; I just cannot listen to someone orally tell me something and hope to memorize it. I need to be able to look at the words or whatever I'm learning and memorize that way. Especially the history I'm currently learning in class would require a great deal of memorizing and I just need time to visually understand it.

Essay Reflection: Part 2

I believe that the shape which defines the progress of history up to this point is circle. I believe history is a circle because it is perpetual when it comes to mistakes. Since a circle keeps flowing 360 degrees perpetually, I think it symbolizes how people over the course of history keep repeating the disasters that befell other civilizations; they are not learning. However, in this circle, there are certain points when leaders show determination to fix mistakes and improve their empire/kingdom/country. Even if rulers somehow are able to improve the status of their controlled areas, there will be a time when some bozo (bad) ruler will reign and neglect the important issues, thus leading their territory to decline and eventually collapsing. In conclusion, all these events with the bozo and good rulers all fall within that circle of history and will always repeat itself unendingly. 

Essay Reflection: Part 1

https://docs.google.com/a/bps121.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aoe8edAVb2X8dFkyUHhWTTZJSVhyVWoyRnFER2E2eGc#gid=0

Honestly, the progress with my essays over the past couple months have been the constantly low. It seems that I do well in organizing my essay getting a good opening thesis up, but I fail to explain my answers. I may have a good argument, but I cannot back it up with proper evidence. I think that a good approach to this problem is getting a good general idea of the region i'm discussing in whatever time period it is in. When I can get a good idea of each theme from that region, then I can start looking at in depth information. My problem was that I developed a superficial understanding of the region at hand and never fully interpreted it, I jumped into the deep information to quickly. I believe knowing this will give my essay more accuracy and help solve most of the problems.

The Mongol Trial - Near The End

Not much happened today, just Mike and Nikhil saying their concluding statements, which were excellent. Other than that, we just had a discussion about the overall nature of the trial and the Mongols.

The Mongol Trial - Work Content

Today (1/14), was the prosecutions turn to attack us and I wasn't called up to be interrogated by them. There really isn't much to work on now because all that's left in the trial is the closing statements. Overall, I believe my team (Defense) did very well.

The Mongol Trial - Work Content

Today (1/13), was the second day of the trial. Today I was called up as a witness and explained my story. Now, I'm getting ready for tomorrow just in case of being called up by the prosecution.