unit+three+Modern+Reality

We have spent a lot of time over the last month or so exploring the roots of what it means to be an American. We have considered the following four perspectives during this time.


 * Thomas Jefferson - "The Declaration of Independence"
 * J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur - "What is an American?"
 * Ralph Waldo Emerson - "The American Scholar"
 * Henry David Thoreau - excerpt from //Walden//

In our final week of this semester (and into next semester), we will be looking at the other half of this essential question : **Are Jefferson/ Crevecoeur/ Emerson/ Thoreau's ideals still viable or possible in modern America? Consider our current social, economic, and political climate as well as the role of technology in our lives.**

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 * Your tasks to explore this question are as follows:**
 * Between now and the time you come to class on Thursday -- **find a modern source** that speaks directly to one of the main ideas presented in Jefferson, Crevecoeur, Emerson, or Thoreau. What modern perspective does your source offer? Your source may be a news article, an editorial, a cartoon, a fictional piece (like a novel excerpt, a short story, a poem), a film clip (less than 10 minutes), or a video interview (also less than 10 minutes).
 * On Thursday (and into Friday) - you will be asked to **present your source and facilitate a 5 to 10 minute discussion** of your source with the class. To prepare for this you will need to :
 * Be able to share your source visually -- either by projecting it on the board or by providing printed copies
 * Provide a brief summary of what perspective your source offers
 * Ask 2 to 3 questions of the class about the ideas your source presents
 * As a final step for Monday - you will write about your source and the ideas it presents in **your final blog post** for the semester.