Review of Five Classmates' Posts

Mary Jean chose "Emotion and Imagination" by Adam Morton.  There was only one author, and it was printed by Polity Press in both the UK and USA.  It was published in 2013.  She chose this book because psychology interests her.  Mary Jean's library book review.

Jasmin Sainju chose "Life Lessons" by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler.  It was published by Scribner and printed in 2000.  She chose this book because it teaches about the mystery of life in regards to death and dying. Jasmin's library book review.

Grant Schow chose "Acts of Recovery" by Jeffrey Hart.  It was printed by the University Press of New England in Hanover and London in 1989.  He chose it because the economy and how everything works interests him. Grant's library book review

Yipeng Liu chose "Culture Shock! China Sinclair" by Kevin Sinclair and Iris Wong Po-yee, which was printed by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company in Singapore in 1990.  It has been reprinted three times with the latest date in 1999.  It was published with Times Editions Pte Ltd.  She chose it because she is Chinese and does not want to lose her culture as she is learning about American culture and the English language.  Yipeng's library book review

Adam Block chose "Minotaur" by Joseph Alexander Macgillivray.  It was published in 2000 by Hill and Wang in New York.  He chose this book because Greek mythology interests him, and he has some previous knowledge from a class he took in high school.  Adam's library book review

Library Book

The Birth of Christianity by Maurice Goguel

Step One:

1.  Why did I chose this book?
Initially, with all of the books I had, it was difficult to chose one.  I chose this book because I am a Christian and love to learn more about my faith and its impact in different places.  I am interested in developing more knowledge about both Christianity and the church being wholly centered on the belief in the risen and glorified Jesus.  I am interested in what this author has to say about the Christian faith and the impact its introduction to others has made.

2.  How many authors does it have?
There is one author.  His name is Maurice Goguel.

3.  What is the title?
The title is The Birth of Christianity.

4.  Who printed the book?
It was printed in Great Britian at the University Press Aberdeen.

5.  What city was it printed in and when?  Also, what edition is it?
It was printed in London in 1953.  This is the first edition of this book.  1st edition 1953

Step Two:

Maurice Goguel is the creator The Birth of Christianity.  He was born in 1880 and died in 1955.  He was the Dean of the Faculty of Protestant Theology, which is why he wrote about Christianity.  The reason this book intrigues me is because of the Christian emphasis.  He also explains how Christianity ". . . Is not concerned with the life of a holy man or a hero who serves as an example for those who follow him but with a series of historical facts, which are interpreted as revealing redemptive acts of God" (Goguel 5).  This was printed in London, Great Britian at the University Press Aberdeen in 1953.  This is the first edition.  This was published by George Allen & Unwin in London in 1953.

Research Tips and Tutorials

Research Tips and Tutorials~

Valerie Mattson

All of these links are really helpful for researching and studying!  In “Library 101”, students can go onto Saint Cloud State’s library website and find journal articles, cite their sources, and finding books by following the directions on how to navigate through this webpage.  Under “Research Tips and Tutorials”, students can assist in choosing a topic and get more information.  The “Information Cycle” helps to show students what resources they should use depending on what they want to be included in the content of this resource and also includes what articles to utilize to include all of the needed information.  For graduate students, there are links to provide research assistance.  There are also primary sources available that include historical newspapers and other online sources.  There are also primary sources available for students working on History Day projects.

            There is also help with finding resources.  There are links to help locate scholarly articles.  The website can help students to see the difference between scholarly journals and popular magazine articles and also the difference between scholarly and popular materials guide.  For students with iPhones, iPads, and Androids, they are able to download apps for academic research.  These apps are located in the link, “Apps and Mobile Connections for Academic Research at SCSU”.  Internet search tools are also available to show how to use different search engines and to help evaluate the credibility of websites. 

             Help with evaluating information includes assessing the credibility of online sources, journal articles, books, webpages, and websites. 

            With the information students find, there are also links to help show how to cite, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian.  Students are also able to see how to make an account with RefWorks Basics that helps to manage citations and create bibliographies.

            The link, “Research Tips and Tutorials” is helpful with learning how to efficiently utilize the library, choose and research a topic, planning research, identify scholarly articles, citing sources, and determining the credibility of a source.

Group Chapter One Summary and Analysis

Chapter One:
Valerie Mattson,
Almoutasem Aljahdli,
mohammed asiri
abdulhakeem alabbad

• Orphanage
• Food
• Hospital
• Child trafficker, Golkka

Summary:

     The entire reason Conor Grennan begins his volunteering adventure in Nepal at an orphanage is to impress friends, family, and women in bars.  He does not realize there actually is a war going on because he assumes the brochure, from which he learns of this opportunity, is exaggerating.  He had previously worked in Prague for eight years but wanted to do something both challenging and impressive as an excuse to travel the world.  The first place he goes to in Nepal is Thamel, which is a tourist region.  The first night is spent with a host family.  The little daughter, Susmita, teaches Conor a little bit of Nepali.  He spends his first night outside gazing at the stars.  This is the moment he realizes Nepal is going to be a completely different experience from anything he had ever encountered.  He then travels to the Little Princes home in Godawari, which was founded by Sandra.  By spending time with these children, he gains new insight into Nepali culture. 

     He learns how once a person has touched his or her food, it is considered “juto”, or unclean.  Also, trash and environmental concerns are difficult topics to understand and consider in third world countries because they are primarily concerned with the welfare of the people themselves.  He learns it is a custom to call older males “brother” as a sign of respect.  He also discovers the people of Nepal consider time differently than citizens of the United States do.  This is because no one punches in a clock for work, nor do they attempt to impress others by working through lunch. 

     One day, as Conor is trying to help the children get ready for school, the Maoists instigate a strike, which is known as a “bandha”.  During this time, everything, even school, closes.  There are people desperate enough for money they drive taxis anyway, even though they could be physically assaulted for not respecting the “bandha”.  As a result of production being forced to stop, there are food and kerosene shortages, which is dangerous for an already impoverished nation.  In Nepal, children actually enjoy school; however, teachers are not paid a lot by the government, so it is common for them not to come to work, which results in school often being closed.  Conor realizes the school system is flawed when he sees the answers to Anish’s homework is wrong, but the teacher does not mention it as being incorrect.  Education is not the only flawed system. 

     When he takes Santosh to the hospital, he realizes how unsanitary all of the beds and medical equipment are.  After this event, he meets Golkka, who is a child trafficker from the poor region of Humla.  Humla is also the home of the children of Little Princes.  Golkka commits this terrible act because he is able to receive a cheap source of labor from these children, which is otherwise difficult to accomplish in the poverty struck nation of Nepal.  As Conor rides a bus through Nepal, he notices a dark-skinned man on the side of the road.  This man lives in horrible conditions because he is at the end of the economic scale.  In Nepal, they consider the Caste System to be in control of economic affairs; therefore, if people are dark skinned, they are considered to be at the bottom and are untouchable.  They are often born into this judgment.  When Conor returns, Sandra decides to go on a hike.  She is captured by Maoists and forced to return, which makes her realize how powerful these rebels are.  Before leaving Little Princes, Conor Grennan tells all of the children he will return in one year.

Analysis:

     Conor Grennan begins his journey to Nepal because he feels he needs to do something challenging to impress all to whom he speaks.  Initially, he does not want to go to Nepal to actually help these children.  He just wanted to do something adventurous because he feels his routine has become boring.  Volunteering at an orphanage does not sound selfish and is the perfect excuse to travel the world and use his money in less responsible ways than he could be.  He does not realize how much this journey would impact him.  Right away, he realizes Nepal is a completely different country than the United States.  This impacts him because he has never realized how wasteful he is.  When the volunteers at the orphanage take the children out to bathe, Conor accidentally gives a child too much shampoo.  In the United States, this is about the amount most people use every day.  The child acts crazily with hysteria and excitement because he has received a lot more than he normally does.  After this moment, Conor realizes how resourceful the children are because they are able to do a lot with just a little amount. 

     When they are eating dinner, Conor becomes full and does not want to finish all of the food that is on his plate.  He is unable to give it to the children, however, because he knows how once food is touched by someone, it is considered untouchable.  He begins to think about all of the times he threw away trays of food back in the United States.  The more he spends time with these children, the more he realizes how wasteful and ungrateful his and other people’s behavior in the United States.  Although a lot of the behavior is flawed in the United States, there is a custom in Nepal that Conor finds disturbing.  This is the caste system.  Conor finds it disgusting how a person can be born into a never-ending cycle of poverty and cannot do anything about it.  This is something about Nepal he has never been able to forget. 

     At one point during his time spent at Little Princes, he tries to commit a kind and charitable deed by purchasing toys for the children; however, the toys brake, and the children continue playing with toys Conor did not consider to be in good condition, but the children love them because these toys are considered to be their personal possessions.  He learns a lot about these children and shows how he is like a father when he says, ". . . We took enormous pleasure in recounting something a particular child had done, at how predictable they were and yet how they could continue to surprise us.  It made each day completely different, and, at the same time, exactly the same" (36).

     These children teach Conor to become a better person, and he develops a loving relationship with them which then results with him promising to return to Nepal.  The ultimate meaning behind all of this is Conor realizes how American culture is more wasteful; however, there are many problems with a poorer culture, such as trash.  Ultimately, Conor will learn more about himself and become a better person through this experience with the children at Little Princes.

Grennan, Conor. Little princes: one man's promise to bring home the lost children of Nepal. New York: William Morrow & Co., 2010. Print.

Group 4

Group Four: Questions about Quotations and Paraphrases :
Valerie Mattson, Adam Block, and Sajjad Rabaan

Summary: Quotations and paraphrases are used in writing in order to enhance a point made by the writor with evidence stated by others to support any points made.  Factual information can also be taken away from these quotations; however, it is essential to utilize them correctly.  The information below is necessary to prevent plagarism.

Quotations:
1. Direct Quotations: By using quotation marks and parenthetical documentation, one restates what another has already said.
"They must be copied exactly . . . General rule: 1 direct quote every 3 pages"**

2. Indirect Quotations: Restatement, otherwise known as paraphrasing.

Try to limit the use of quotations.  Only use them when they will strongly support an argument.  Do not use a quotation if it is common sense.  Also, it is important to describe the source of information and the speaker. 
*For example,  In The Coming of Age, Simone de Beavoir contends that the decrepitude accompanying old age is "in complete conflict with the manly or womanly ideal cherished by the young and fully grown" (65).
As shown in this example, it is okay to also combine paraphrasing in addition to quoting.

If a quotation is less than four lines, enclose them with quotation marks.

If a quotation is more than four lines, use a complete sentence followed by a colon, indent ten spaces, double space the lines, and do not use quotation marks.  Do not indent unless it begins a new paragraph. 
*An example of a long quotation:
Robert Hastrow sums up the process in the following passage,
where he compares rays of light to a ball thrown up from the earth and
returning because of the pull of gravity:

The tug of that enormous force prevents the ray of light from leaving
the surface of the star; like the ball thrown upward from the earth, they
are pulled back and cannot escape to space. All the light within the star
is now trapped by gravity. From this moment on, the star is invisible. It
is a black hole in space (65).

To clarify a quotation, use square brackets.  For example: "They [the doctors] have created a new medicine"

Commas/Period:
If there is a parenthetical reference, place it on the outside.  *For example, "Animals have a variety of emotions similar to human's" (Erikson 990).  If there is no parenthetical reference, place the period on the inside of the quotation marks.  For example, the supervisor said, "There is no excuse for aggressive behavior."  Unlike the period, a colon and semicolon go outside the quotation mark.

Use an ellipse in order to leave out part of a quotation.  *"in respect for woman . . . and a bright sunny day"

Use slash marks to seperate lines of poetry.  For example, "There was a man from Peru/Who dreamed of eating his shoe"

If the quotation is a question, place the question mark inside of the quotation marks.  If the quotation is NOT a question, place the question mark outside of the quotation marks.

Paraphrasing is when the writer uses his or her own interpretation.  Use a "free" style when paraphrasing.  This is when you borrow the main idea but use say it in a different way.  Make sure if the ideas are not common sense, they are cited.

Citations:

*Examples used from the LEO website
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/ Visited on 9/10/13

**users.wowway.com/~marycay910/quotes.ppt /Visited on 9/10/13

My impresions of Little Princes

              Before reading this novel, I had only heard of child trafficking in Nepal.  I had no idea what was actually involved in it.  Then, I read this novel.  Not only did I get to educate myself on the global issues of child trafficking in countries, such as Nepal, but I felt as if I were actually seeing it for myself.  Conor Grennan's descriptive language allows me to visualize Nepal and also experience the same feelings he has for these children.  My first impression, when I had started reading this novel, was thinking this book was going to be just about Conor trying to make himself appear to be the hero in a Nepalese crisis, so he would be able to brag about this event in his life to others.  His descriptions of the children, however, have convinced me otherwise.  He had developed a father like relationship with all of the children and became commited to helping these 'orphans'.  When he discovered they are not 'orphans' but are victims of child trafficking, he became obsessed with helping these children find their families and educating Nepalese families of the brutal conditions and experiences that can result from what they think is helping the lives of their children.  Many of the international volunteers in Nepal never return to these children's homes because of the expences, time commitment, and danger from the Maoist rebels.  Conor is unique from these volunteers because he maked it a personal goal to help these children reconnect with their families.  He even hiked across various regions of Nepal looking for these families to show them their children are healthy and well.  He feels rewarded simply by proving to these families their children are not harmed; however, he still has to talk about painful topics to these families involving what the children had endured with the child traffickers and what worse events could have resulted had they not been saved by the children's home.  He not only returned to Nepal a second time, which is very unusual for volunteers, but he also founded the organization Next Generation Nepal.  He is willing to dedicate both his earnings and time to help these children. 

              My impressions of Little Princes, as a responce to all of the events listed, is this book not only documents the journey of a hero who wants to save the lives of children in Nepal, but it creates awareness in all of its readers.  Had I not read this book, I would not have known all of these events that occur in Nepal on a daily basis.  This novel not only generates awareness to a now educated audience, but it also contributes to the foundation by stating on the back cover how "a portion of the proceeds from this book will go to Next Generation Nepal". 

              Another personal impression I received from this novel is feeling amazed at what the power of love can do to help others.  All of this is possible because of the love Conor feels for the children of Nepal.  I was unable to find pictures on his webpage; however, I did look through the pictures inside of the novel.  Because I am able to look at these pictures, I can visual more of what is happening in Nepal.  For example, I can see how much happier Amita is being taken care of by Farid and Conor than she is being held by the wife of the child trafficker.  Also, I am able to see how Leena is so much happier in these homes.  The caption of the picture in the novel says, "Leena, the girl who didn't speak for five months, sitting in Dhaulagiri House, happy at last".  There are many other pictures which allow the reader to see how much Conor and his organization have impacted the lives of these children.  I definitely recommend others to read this novel, so they can learn about the child trafficking crisis in Nepal and can see what a powerful impact love can make in the world.

Conor's reasons for traveling to Nepal

1) Pages 6 and 7:

Conor Grennan, initially, wanted to do something drastically different in his life. He was bored of routine and wanted to travel around the world. He realized, however, how incredibly selfish that was. Even his carefree friends did not think it was a good idea, so he decided he should do something that was not selfish sounding, such as volunteering at an orphanage, so he would not feel as guilty and reckless when he is asked why he is traveling. Volunteering at an orphanege is the perfect excuse to travel the world, do something crazy with his life, yet appear as if he were a saint.

2) Pages 53-55:

When Conor Grennan initially came to Nepal, he did it essentially to brag. He did not expect to develop such a strong and intimate relationship with the children. He never considered becoming a parent in the near future, yet he had essentially developed a father and child relationship with all of the children. This time when he returned to Nepal, he was going to do it because he had become so emotionally attached to the children, not because he wanted to recklessly do something different and interesting with his life. He finally understands what it is like to have a family whom he never wants to leave. The reason Connor is going to return to Nepal is because he feels he finally has a sense of belonging and a home. He feels he has a family.

3) A comparison of initial and later reasons:

Conor has always loved traveling and participating in exciting events in his life.  Whether it be working in Prague, biking through Asia, or partying with his friends.  When he first went to Nepal, he wanted to do something drastically different with his life.  He was bored of the same routine he had developed in Prague and in other aspects of his life.  In order to gain support from others in this life changing event, he needed to do something that sounded worthwhile and would impact the lives of others.  Volunteering in an orphanege is the perfect oppotunity not to only travel around the world, but to also gain support from others by performing this selfless and worthwhile deed.  Although this selfless deed, when in reality was completely selfish, started with a reckless and carefee attitude, it developed into a sense of desire to impact the lives of the children in Nepal.  He no longer feels the need to do something to entertain himself and to ease the boredom of a routine lifestyle.  He has found a family whom he feels he cannot leave and abandon.  His sole desire and focus is to help this family and to stay in Nepal, so he can impact the children's lives.  What had initially started as a selfish act had turned into a selfless act.  He no longer cares about how being a volunteer in an orphanege will impress all to whom he speaks.  All that matters to him is helping all of the children of Nepal. 

The names of the top three posts were:
Adam M. Block
Grant J. Schow
Jasmin Sainju

All of the above writers have received a 10 because they had few errors, wrote with clarity, were intellectually engaging, and were very well written.  They all seemed to have taken the time and effort that is required in order to enhance writing.

Grades.
-Here it is