Journal
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Journal

individual

worth grades

due September 26, October 31, and December 12, 2003

Assignment Description

You will be expected to write your thoughts and reactions to text readings, class discussions, guest speakers, and world events related to this course, on a regular basis.  

At least two times a week (for C level performance which is "satisfactory"; see Grading), there should be an entry* (see linked definition of an entry, below) in the journal.  In addition, you can use the journal to collect all the things you create, write, and do for this course.  The journal can be a blank book, an empty spiral notebook, a folder into which you place your writing, or you might try experimenting with the Microsoft Office Binder to collect and organize your various files if you are doing this assignment digitally.  If you do the journal digitally, do not make every single day's entry a separate file.  Group the entries together so that it is easy for me to work with them! 

Grading

In assigning a grade to your journal, I will look at the quality of the reactions, variety in your style of writing or presentation, and consistency in writing regularly.  

Generic ideas of things to do in your journal:
analysis of a specific idea of an author (quoted and properly referenced so I know of what you are writing!)
reaction to classmates' concept maps or presentation of your own personal concept map on a subtopic of this course (this might be a good way to help study these fairly complex readings!)
evaluation of, or graph to illustrate, data presented by an author (be sure to reference the source)
a poem or song expressing your reaction to or explanation of a class topic
your personal reaction to a class discussion or speaker discussion (include short description of the discussion or speaker to which you are reacting)
a description of something you have read that is not on the reading list (ex: a news commentary from the paper) and analysis of how it fits with what we are studying
listing of questions with which you are struggling based on something we've done
interview transcript (or digital recording) of a personal interview with family members or friends (this would be in addition to the one required for the course and could be a much shorter, less comprehensive, interview on a limited topic)
an original cartoon which expresses an irony or subtlety you've perceived along with discussion of your insight

* entry:  If you are writing every day (including days that are not class days!), then these entries might be relatively short, such as 1 or 2 paragraphs.  However, if you are writing only once or twice a week, the entries will have to be much longer in order to accomplish the purpose of the journalling exercise.   In that case, I would be looking for a couple pages each time you write. 

Journal Entry Ideas

If you have an idea for a journal entry about which you think other students would enjoy writing, please email it to me and I'll post it here.  JAG

Idea 1.  Your family demographics Idea 2.  What you know about poverty and being poor Idea 3.  Fables Idea 4.  Personal Economic Security Risk Analysis  
Idea 5.  Fairness Idea 6.  Intimate violence Idea 7.  Differing Religious Viewpoints about what is the Cause of Poverty Idea 8.  Mission
       
       

Idea 1.  Write about your family, expanding on some of the ideas from the class demographics questionnaire

Idea 2.  Answer the following 

  1. I come from . . . [Describe the sort of family and culture in which you grew up.   I.E., describe your genetic and environmental "endowments"]
  2. What do you know about poverty?
  3. What do you know about being poor?
  4. Are the two questions in b and c above different?
  5. Describe the worst "economic security crisis" you've ever experienced in your family or a friend or relative's family.
  6. How was the crisis resolved?  If it is on-going, why do you think it continues?

Idea 3.  (Idea generated from reading Prologue and Ch. 1 of TRUE)

The authors begin this discussion of social insurance with the story of the Three Little Pigs.  Is there a children's story, fable, song lyrics, classical tale, historical incident, philosopher's allegory, Bible story, that you think would make a good beginning for this course or for your journal?  If so, tell the story or print the song, and then discuss it.

Idea 4.  Personal Economic Security Risk Analysis (Idea generated from reading Ch. 1 of TRUE).  

  1. Think of all the kinds of risk you face (or your family) or what you anticipate in the future.  Make a list down the page in a column.  Don't forget to consider risks in the following areas:  physical damages, longevity, health, financial returns, career, transportation, housing, third party risks (ex:  failure of your bank, your shoe store, your food supply chain), political, economic, spiritual, social stability.
  2. Add a second column to record who you think should protect you against these risks (self, family, employer, government, God, etc.)
  3. Add a third column to record who you think should protect you against the FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES of these risks.
  4. In your mind, is there any difference between b and c above?
  5. What responsibility do you think that I (the professor) and my generation has to you and your generation in providing these protections to you?
  6. What responsibility do you think that you and your generation have to me (the professor) and my generation in providing these protections to us?

Idea 5.  (Idea generated from Ch. 3 of TRUE)

"Turnabout's fair play" What's fair is fair!" "Life is not fair.  Live with it!"
"Unsportsmanlike conduct" "I'll divide.  You choose" "There is no such thing as a free lunch"
"MOM!  Johnny's not playing fair!"    

You may be able to think of some more slogans, sayings, truisms about "fairness".  Add them.  Discuss specific ones or the general concept of fairness, using your own value system as a base.  Is "fair" the same as "right"?  As "ethical"?  As "just"?  Is "fair" the same in commerce as it is in government as it is in personal living?

Idea 6.  (Idea generated from a speaker on domestic violence)

Do you know someone who has been beaten or subject to sexual abuse?  What is your reaction?  How does this knowledge affect your relationship with that person?   If you were an employer, and knowing what you know, would you be willing to give this person (the victim) a job in your company?  Explain your answer.

Idea 7.  In a previous semester, the students used a theologically based analysis of poverty, written by a Protestant theologian.  Four diametrically opposed points of view were delineated.  Read the student summaries of the four points of view and discuss your own religion-based understanding of why people are poor. 

Idea 8.  Use the Creighton University or College of Business Administration Mission Statements to look at an issue.  Both of these mission statements are quoted in their entirety on the the home page of this website.