Exam Hours Start Friday!

Exams are upon us once again! Time flies when you are having...well, you can fill in the blank there. We will have extended hours beginning on Friday, December 3rd. The rest of exam week's hours can be found below:

FINAL EXAMS
Friday, December 3	7:45 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Saturday, December 4	8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 5	12:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, December 6-8	7:45 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Thursday, December 9	7:45 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

National Ideas Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds (WAMO)

Every generation leaves its mark on the National Mall in Washington, DC. WAMO encourages people of all ages and experience levels to submit creative ideas for making the area around the Monument more welcoming, educational, and effectively used by the public.
The registration deadline has been extended through November 30, 2010. The deadline for submissions is December 18th. Please register today and submit an idea on the WAMO website.

There is plenty of time to develop your submission! Kenneth Bowling, a member of the Competition Steering Committee and adjunct professor at George Washington University explained: "It took architect and civil engineer Peter L'Enfant only fourteen days from the time of his arrival in Georgetown in 1791 to complete the draft of his idea for the entire 6000 acre federal city."

The Competition is led by an independent Steering Committee of university professors, architects and designers, and civic leaders in partnership with The George Washington University. The jury is composed of distinguished individuals who are creative and forward thinkers and span a variety of careers and perspectives: architecture, community planning, design, academia (geography, history, American studies), civics, and theater arts.

Sponsors include LearningTimes, Albert H. Small, George Washington University, the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, Catholic University, American University, the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, the University of Delaware, the University of Texas, and other educational and professional organizations.

Veteran's Day Weekend Viewing

Looking for something to watch this Veteran's Day weekend? Here are some recommendations.

1. The Pacific (miniseries, HBO Productions)

What better way to remember our veterans by watching HBO's epic 10 part miniseries, The Pacific? Filmed over a year-long period at an estimated cost of $200 million, The Pacific chronicles the lives of three U.S. Marines during the bitter and vicious fighting across the vast battlefield of the Pacific Theater of Operations.

2. Letters from Iwo Jima (film, Warner Brothers/Dreamworks SKG, 2007)

The flip side of the Pacific War, is this Clint Eastwood-directed and Steven Spielberg-produced film from 2007. Told from the Japanese perspective (with subtitles), the film shows the defense of a tiny atoll near the home Japanese islands.

3. Ken Burns' Civil War (documentary, PBS, 1990/2002 DVD)

The classic documentary on the American Civil War, now available (for us) on DVD.

4. World War I: 1914-1918 (documentary, Films for the Humanities, VHS)

This hour-long documentary covers all the bases for the so-called "War to End All Wars."

5. March of the Bonus Army (documentary, PBS, streaming video)

The poor treatment of U.S. military veterans is nothing new, unfortunately. This important documentary examines the plight of the Bonus Army, World War I veterans that marched on Washington and camped outside of the White House.

We also have a lot of documentaries available on our history film database, American History in Film.

Real Education Book Discussion

Join Dr. Joseph Rubinstein for what will prove to be a very animated discussion of Charles Murray's 2008 book.

November 15, 2010

11:00am

Faculty Research Room - LITC 228

Light refreshments will be served

Watch a short video from BookTV.

From School Library Journal

Murray (Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950–1980; coauthor, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life) proposes four "simple truths"—ability varies, half of all children are below average, too many people are going to college, and America's future depends on how we educate the gifted—for parents, educators, and policymakers to confront. The current focus of the educational system, Murray contends, of educating all children to the same level and holding them to the same standards (i.e., No Child Left Behind) ignores these four truths and attempts to prepare most children to earn a B.A., though many of them are not suited for college and would be happier and more productive in different careers. He suggests that bachelor's degrees should be reserved for students with the ability and interest in careers requiring it and instead there should be a series of national certifications to show what a job candidate can actually do. Murray's argument is controversial but well researched. His book is highly recommended for public and academic libraries.—Mark Bay, Cumberland Coll. Lib., Williamsburg, KY

Read the review from the Chronicle of Higher Education.from Gale's Academic OneFile