Final Exams

At $2,380 per head, Ibiza’s Sublimotion is often called the most expensive restaurant in the world.

Final Exams:

Sec. 18 Final exam—Wed 12.8 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.) 

Zoom: ID- 878 3792 8637 / PW- 432201

Sec. 44 Final exam—Fri 12.10 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.) 

Zoom: ID- 893 3703 5359 / PW-370298

Week 16: Tue 11.30/Thu 12.2

According to shopping platform Lyst, in Q3 2021, Balenciaga overtook Gucci as the hottest apparel brand in the world.

Week 16: Tue 11.30/Thu 12.2*
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT)

*Last regular class meeting of the semester 

Upcoming:

Final Exams:

Sec. 18 Final exam—Wed 12.8 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Sec. 44 Final exam—Fri 12.10 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Week 15: Tue 11.23/Thu 11.25 (No class—Thanksgiving)

According Forbes, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are among the 156 billionaires who, despite reaching record levels of wealth during the pandemic in 2020, gave less than 1% of their wealth to charity.

Week 15: Tue 11.23/Thu 11.25 (No class—Thanksgiving)
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1) 

Upcoming:

Week 16: Tue 11.30/Thu 12.2*
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT)

*Last regular class meeting of the semester

Final Exams:

Sec. 18 Final exam—Wed 12.8 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Sec. 44 Final exam—Fri 12.10 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Infographic

Inspired by the late '90s political debate over welfare reform, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich decided to investigate just how far federal minimum wage (at the time $6-7/hour) went for millions of American workers. This led her to pose as a “low-skill” worker in three states. Though she took supplemental jobs to make ends meet, her primary endeavors were to wait tables in Florida, clean hotel rooms in Maine, and work retail at a Wal-Mart in Minnesota.

By way of an infographic, you will visually summarize one of Ehrenreich’s primary work experiences. Cite specific evidence from either the Florida, Main, or Minnesota sections of Nickle and Dimed only.

Guidelines:

• Use the subheading to state your thesis (which, in turn, is supported by the contents of your infographic)
• Space will be limited, so be thoughtful about which aspects of her job to highlight
• The particular job you are highlighting should dictate your infographic’s design and style
• Stay within the parameters of Nickel and Dimed
  

Infographics are most easily utilized in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote (or a comparable program, such as Canva). Online infographic makers are also an option, but those often cost money. Additionally, if you are experienced in them, you may also use Photoshop or Illustrator, though it is by no means required.

Due: 

• Tue 11.23 (Have Draft 1 ready to share in class)
• Thu 12.2 (Closing date; Submit via Canvas)

Week 14: Tue 11.16/Thu 11.18

With 159 million units sold, Sony's PlayStation 2 is the best-selling gaming console in history.

Week 14: Tue 11.16/Thu 11.18
Read: NICKEL—Three: Selling in Minnesota
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“The Self-Reflection Essay and ePortfolio: A How-To”

Upcoming:

Week 15: Tue 11.23/Thu 11.25 (No class—Thanksgiving)
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1) 

Week 16: Tue 11.30/Thu 12.2*
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT)

*Last regular class meeting of the semester

Final Exams:

Sec. 18 Final exam—Wed 12.8 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Sec. 44 Final exam—Fri 12.10 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Money News (International Edition) 11.13

• PORTUGAL: New law says bosses can't email or text employees outside of work hours (BBC News)
• MEXICO: President Orbador calls on world's billionaires, companies to fund $1 trillion program to fight poverty (TheHill)
• EGYPT: Egypt joins other Gulf states in banning Marvel's Eternals over LGBTQ content (Egypt Today)
• CHINA: Chinese Gen Z workers are transforming traditional workplaces (South China Morning News)
  
• 
  
• ITALY: Supreme Court rules that businesses are not liable for coffee-break-related injuries (Washington Post)
  

Week 13: Tue 11.9/Thu 11.11 (No class—Veterans Day)

Pop superstar Mariah Carey earns between $600,000 to $1 million annually in royalties from her iconic 1994 holiday hit, "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Week 13: Tue 11.9/Thu 11.11 (No class—Veterans Day)
Read: NICKEL—Two: Scrubbing in Maine
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 5

Upcoming:

Week 14: Tue 11.16/Thu 11.18
Read: NICKEL—Three: Selling in Minnesota
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“The Self-Reflection Essay and ePortfolio: A How-To”

Week 15: Tue 11.23/Thu 11.25 (No class—Thanksgiving)
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1) 

Week 16: Tue 11.30/Thu 12.2*
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT)

*Last regular class meeting of the semester

Final Exams:

Sec. 18 Final exam—Wed 12.8 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Sec. 44 Final exam—Fri 12.10 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (Details TBD)
Due: SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY AND ePORTFOLIO (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 6 P.M.)

Money News 11.6

• House passes historic infrastructure bill; President Biden to sign (CNBC)
• Nintendo: Don't expect a Switch follow-up for years (Dark Horizons)
• Former Rivian VP accuses company of "toxic bro culture: (TheVerge)
• Demands that Prince Harry cancel his lucrative Netflix deal over The Crown's portrayal of his mother (Daily Mail)
• Here's what'd you have if you invested $1,000 in Tesla one, five, and ten years ago (CNBC)
  

 

Reflection 5: We're in the Money—On the Realities of Winning the Lottery

It's the ultimate "it could happen to me" fantasy: choosing just the right combination of numbers to unlock a massive fortune. Though the odds are staggeringly against winning, according to a 2016 survey, nearly half of all Americans played the lottery in the past year. Why? Is the lure purely the money? What else does winning the lottery conjure in hopeful players? And have you ever fantasized about winning? What would you do with a multi-million dollar haul?

Include at least two of the following in your reflection:

• "He Won Powerball’s $314 Million Jackpot. It Ruined His Life." (Washington Post)
• "Thirteen Things Lotto Winners Won’t Tell You: Life After Winning the Lottery" (Reader's Digest)
• "What To Do If You Win the Lottery" (MoneyCrashers)
• "The Lottery: Is It Ever Worth Playing" (Investopedia)
• "Mega Millions Jackpot Reaches $530 Million—Here’s What Kevin O’Leary, Suze Orman and Other Experts Say to do if You Win" (CNBC)

Required:

• Approximately 2 pages
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
  

 

Due: Thu 11.11-Tue 11.16 (via Canvas)

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4

With earnings of $57 million, Scarlett Johansson is Forbes' highest paid actress of 2021.

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4
Read: NICKEL—Introduction: Getting Ready - One: Serving in Florida
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Close Reads: An Introduction”
Due: REFLECTION 4

Upcoming:

Week 13: Tue 11.9/Thu 11.11 (No class—Veterans Day)
Read: NICKEL—Two: Scrubbing in Maine
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 5

Reflection 4: Take This Job and Shove It—What's Going on with American Workers?

Despite the September 2021 US unemployment dropping to 4.8%, an October jobs survey revealed that half of US companies still report a skilled labor shortage. So far this autumn, the so-called "Great Resignation" has shown no signs on waning. As the country slowly emerges from the pandemic, American workers are feeling emboldened. From workplace safety conditions to remote work options to pay raises and equity, both white and blue collar workers are seeking unprecedented employer remediation. Even typically reliable service sector workers are calling it quits, fed up with low wages and increasingly rude customers. Republican-led states, hoping the curb the shortage of workers, even cut off additional federal unemployment benefits for their citizens this summer—to little or no effect. Meanwhile, the fast-growing subreddit on Reddit the past few weeks has been r/antiwork, where workers of all stripes are sharing their employment gripes. Where will this all end? Is this a case of US workers, as some contend, feeling greedy (or lazy), or is this a backlash attempting to correct an exploitative system? If you currently work, have you noticed a shift in your mood or in the mood of your co-workers? Finally, what could and should employers do to better treat their employees?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion: 

• "Workers Press for Power in Rare Advance for US Labor Movement" (Bloomberg/Business Week)
• "Why American Workers are Quitting in Record Numbers" (Yahoo! News)
• "Why are Workers Really Quitting? You Can Boil It Down to One Simple Reason" (Inc.) 
• "It’s Not a ‘Labor
  Shortage.’ It’s a Great Reassessment of Work in America" (Washington Post)
  
• "Smoothie King on worker shortage: 'Hire them right. Train them right. Treat them right.'" (Yahoo! Finance)

Required:

• Approximately 2 pages
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
  

Due: Thu 11.4-Tue 11.9 (via Canvas)

Expository

Prior to his 2019 guilty plea on federal charges (including money laundering, racketeering, and obstruction of justice), Edge College & Career CEO Rick Singer routinely pitched his unique approach to college admissions: “There is a ‘front door’ getting in where a student just does it on their own; and then there’s a ‘back door’ where people go to institutional advancement and they make large donations, but they are not guaranteed in; and then I created a ‘side door’ that guaranteed families to get in.” What his initial pitch often failed to mention was that his guaranteed “side door” admission relied on a number of illegal tactics. 

For this assignment, you will illustrate three of these “side door” tactics (from separate cases), highlighting why they run afoul of not only standard “front door” admission practices, but the law.

You will not submit this as a finished, 750-word essay. Instead, you will submit only an outline of the essay. Despite only representing the “skeleton” of your essay, it should still be as detailed as possible, including a solid thesis. Use any outline form you like (e.g. Roman numerals, bullet points, graphic organizer), but it must include all the quotes (and citations) that would’ve been included in a fully-composed essay. Remember to cite only from Unacceptable to support your thesis.

 Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited page
  

Due: Thu 10.28-Thu 11.4 (via Canvas)

Week 11: Tue 10.26/Thu 10.28

According to a 2021 Brankrate survey, 51% of Americans have less than three months of emergency savings. Additionally, 25% of survey respondents indicated they have no emergency savings at all.

Week 11: Tue 10.26/Thu 10.28
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: EXPOSITORY

Upcoming:

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4
Read: NICKEL—Introduction: Getting Ready - One: Serving in Florida
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Close Reads: An Introduction”
Due: REFLECTION 4