Hello students,

I want to welcome you to the course and congratulate you on receiving this email. It means that you were indeed able to complete the 10 step/click process (on your syllabus) to get registered on the class email list. Unfortunately, we do NOT have a 100% completion rate at this time, but I hope all students will read the syllabus carefully and thoroughly, and that those students who are not signed up (and who won't be getting this email) will do so soon.

I'm happy to see that some of you have already started using this listserv to discuss some of the class material.  For those of you who weren't at the orientation, you missed my warning that Campbell and the course material might be uncomfortable or even offensive to those of you with a Western Judeo-Christian religious upbringing.  It will be up to each individual to accept, synthesize, or reject Campbell's claims.  I know that each of you will approach the material from a scholarly perspective and with an open mind.  This does NOT mean that you must accept everything presented in this course, but my hope is that your horizons might be expanded, and even that your own convictions might be strengthened.  Besides, each week brings a new topic for you to evaluate.  You'll find some of these discussions more meaningful and/or interesting than others.

It's the end of the second week of the term.  Start thinking about your 1st written assignment, due Friday, October 25, 2002 at 5:00pm .

My next official email to you will probably be the midterm study guide, which you will probably receive that same Friday, October 25.

Finally, one last important announcement.  Since your exams will be taken on computer, I thought I'd put a VERY simple practice test on the internet for you to try (for procedural reasons only, not for content).  On the class homepage:
http://teach.lanecc.edu/escobarj
You will find a link called Practice Test.  Click it, enter you full ID# (9 digits, no spaces), and check it out.  The purpose of this practice quiz is to familiarize yourself with how the exams will look and work when you come to campus to take your real exams.  You can skip questions, scroll up and down, go back and change your answers, etc., all BEFORE clicking the SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSES button at the bottom.  This practice quiz, unlike the real exam, will give you immediate feedback, correct and incorrect answers.  (To get feedback after your midterm and final exams, you will need to return to your test AFTER the exam deadline day and time.)

That's all for now,
Joe

P.S. Please excuse my "test 1" and "test 2" email messages I inadvertently sent to the class last evening.  I was simply testing the listserv software.