Assignment task:
PURPOSE: To ensure that you have read and that you understand the Module
One reading assignments featuring Native American writers and Colonial explorers and writers. This discussion assignment challenges you to think about connections between the writers on the reading list, the era in which they lived and wrote, and the relevance of their work to the contemporary world.
TASK: Answer two of the following questions. NOTE: As part of the online class discussions, you will be required to read and respond to at least four other students' posts and/or your instructor's posts. However, you will not be able to see other students' posts until you have posted your own answers. Post early and often. At the end of the two-week posting period, you will not be able to post to this forum. Please refer to the Rubric for Online Discussions, contained in the Start Here Module, for information on how the discussions will be evaluated.
1. Choose ONE of the four explorers from Weeks One and Two (Columbus, de las Casas, Cabeza de Vaca, or Smith) and discuss his impressions of the native people he met when he came to the so-called "New World." Make sure your answer is based on the selections from our textbook.
2. The literature we're reading in Module One was written 400-500 years ago, during a time that feels remote and distant from our world. However, classic literature usually has lessons that can be applied to modern life. Pick one of the reading assignments from Module One and discuss how it is relevant to our 21st Century world.
3. What are your impressions of the Native American selections from Week One of our reading list? You may discuss all of them or focus on one or two as you answer this question.
4. Ask--and then answer--your own question about the readings from weeks one and two. hose readings include the introductory chapter, the Native American Stories, Christopher Columbus, Bartolome de las Casas, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, and John Smith.