I have visited all the missions in California and others elsewhere.

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  The California Experience

I have visited all the missions in California and others elsewhere.  Spain established missions throughout its empire in the settlement phase and in occupation.  We may have a misconception or two about them.

Assignment

This is a bit of contrast coming 100 years after Pueblo Revolt and out west in California.  What were the conditions like for native peoples on the missions and how did the acculturation practices of the Spaniards impact the neophyte's lives and how do those practices explain the reason for the rebellions? 

mission la purisima (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

 

assignment 2

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           Perspective

This nation was founded on the principle of religious liberty:  freedom of conscience.  William Tyndale, Martin Luther and others believed that the believer should have a translated bible, in their own language, available to study.  Yet persecution was the norm even in the thirteen colonies.

Assignment

Discuss the diversity of faiths in the British colonies and why religious freedom remains an important cornerstone in our nation.  View this link for insights:

assignment 3

1111 unread replies.1111 replies.

Poverty in the United States

Chapter 2 in the textbook covers the topic of poverty. Studying poverty and the effects of poverty on individuals and groups of people is a major area of interest and topic for many people studying sociology. For this first discussion assignment, students will learn about how the U.S. Census measures poverty by learning about the different measures and by analyzing some census data. Students will also learn about solutions to poverty.

Before beginning this assignment, make sure to read Chapter 2, especially the section where the author describes Official Poverty and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which is located at the start of the chapter.

First: Read the U.S. Census document Measuring America (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., which details both the Official Poverty Measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure. Answer these two questions:

(1) After reviewing the U.S. Census description on how they measure poverty, is one measure better than another? (2) Do you think either of these measures (Official Poverty Measure or Supplemental Poverty Measure) adequately captures the everyday realities of people living poverty?

Second:  For this section of the assignment, you will compare poverty data in two California counties (click here (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for a link to the different counties).

(1) Choose two counties that you are interested in learning more about. I imagine that many students will choose Alameda county, and that's fine.

(2) You will now compare poverty data in the two counties you chose. To locate these data, click on American FactFinder (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. provided by the U.S. Census and type in a county under the box "community facts". Type in the counties (one at a time) and then choose "poverty" located on a gray tab on the left. You will see a percentage of "Individuals below poverty level. Also, look at some of the other tables that are listed in the section on poverty (this can include data from 2016 American Community Survey or the 2000 Census.  

Answer the following questions: What are the poverty levels for the two counties that you chose? Are they similar or different to each other?  From the other tables you analyzed, write about two interesting facts about each of the counties you chose (four facts in total).

Third: Go online and research an organization whose main focus is to help people in poverty in one of the counties that you chose to analyze. Describe what kind of organization they are, who they serve, and how they are helping individuals/families who are living in poverty. Make sure to provide a link to their website.

Requirements for this Discussion:

-Complete all three parts of the assignment and make sure your post is at least 300 words in length.

-You will need to reply to two students, each reply post should be at least 150 words.