Feb 14, 2012
Posts by Zara Elizabeth Ricks
Feb 14, 2012
Understanding Iran’s Oil Exports
Each morning on my way to work I listen to NPR. It seems most days, there is at least one news story about oil, sanctions, and Iran. Yesterday, I stumbled across this great data set from The Guardian‘s Datablog that breaks down the whos, whats, and wheres of Iran’s oil exports. I found it very helpful and even discovered that Canada has the third largest proven oil reserve in the world. (Did you know that?) I also love bits like this from The Guardian‘s Datablog because you can download the data sets. So, whether you’re a stats lover or a student trying to understand all the fuss over Iran’s oil, check it out!
Feb 1, 2012
APSA’s Teaching and Learning Conference
It’s time again for APSA’s Teaching and Learning Conference! This year, TLC is being held in Washington, D.C., from February 17-19th. We adore this conference because all the attendees are passionate about teaching political science, thus the tracks and workshops are chock full of amazing stories, experiences, tips, and great links for teaching.
Mary Jane and Zara will be tweeting from the panels and finding great stuff to feature in future blog posts, while Maureen will be at the Soomo Publishing booth getting courses set up and providing demos. For those of you attending the conference, we have set up a handy reference page about TLC and the D.C. area here. And make sure to stop by the booth and say hi!
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Jan 31, 2012
Spotlight: California Budget Challenge
We are pleased to announce the publication of a new assignment for Americans Governing titled California Budget Challenge. The new assignment, authored by Dr. Tressa Tabares of American River College, includes a link to an online budget simulation by the nonpartisan group, Next 10. The simulation requires students to decide how much to spend on schools, prisons, the environment, and other state programs, as well as how to pay for them. Email the Polisci desk to have it added to your course!
Jan 31, 2012
This American Life Takes on the Euro
I want to give a shout out to NPR’s program, This American Life, for their “Continental Breakup” story that aired a couple of weeks ago. The program focuses on the Euro and the implications of the current financial crisis in Europe. My boyfriend, who knows very little about politics or the economic policies of the EU, was absolutely riveted, so I thought students might be similarly taken with it. Listen to “Continental Breakup“ on their site or download it for 99 cents. (Please note, if you are viewing this in Google Chrome the player below may not appear. In that case, visit the site to take a listen!)
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Jan 25, 2012
State of the Union Wordle
Yesterday in the office, a few of us were guessing what the key topics of Obama’s State of the Union address might be. So, this morning, we plugged the transcript into our favorite word-jumbler tool, Wordle, to see which topics were featured most prominently. Here’s what Wordle showed us! (You can also visit our published version here.)
For those of you who missed last night’s State of the Union address, here’s an interesting “enhanced” version from whitehouse.gov. It features a split screen that displays President Obama on the left side and additional information graphics on the right side.
Tell us, what’s important for students to know about Obama’s State of the Union address? Read More
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