Final Exam Today

As you know, the final exam is today, Thursday, December 18. It will be available on E-Learning until 7:00 p.m.

Several students have already noticed there was a formatting problem with one question, such that the correct answer was already indicated, and you are not able to select an answer. It’s an unfortunate error on our part, but the good news is that you will all receive credit for that question.

If you encounter any technical problems, please call the UF Computing Help Desk (392-HELP). You can also leave a comment here on the blog — we’ll monitor it throughout the day.

Good luck!

Readings for this week

Several students and TAs noted a discrepancy between the PDF and HTML versions of the course schedule. Until a few moments ago, the version of the schedule here did not list a set of required articles available through ARES. These readings are fair game for the final exam, so please take time to read them.

Sexual violence in the Congo

In class today, we viewed the first 30 minutes of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, a 76-minute documentary that debuted earlier this year. See my blog post from last semester for links to more information about the film and the filmmaker, Lisa Jackson.

As I noted in class, this film is important because it pulls together several themes of the course and connects us in a personal way to the suffering of rape victims in the DRC. It also draws attention to the ongoing conflict in the DRC, which has only begun to catch the attention of the mainstream media in the U.S. during the last few weeks.

I invite you to share your thoughts on the excerpt of the film we viewed today. How did you react to the stories of the men and women featured in the film? What differences and similarities did you observe between the people in the film and the filmmaker or other victims of sexual violence in the U.S.? What responsibility, if any, do you feel for the situation in the DRC? Do you think about your cell phone differently now? Do you think most Americans know enough about the war in the Congo or its causes and consequences? How does the film relate to our earlier discussion of structural violence and global health? Other thoughts?

Taking the final exam from afar

Several students have written to ask whether it will be possible to take the final exam from off-campus. In short, the answer is yes (but read on).

The final exam will be administered on E-Learning, as the first two exams were. That means that you are free to take the final exam from anywhere you have an Internet connection. But beware that some students have had technical problems with exams when using their own computers, and if you’re not in Gainesville, there will be a limit to what we can do to help you. My advice is to take the practice exam on our course’s E-Learning site on the same computer you plan to use for the final exam. If there’s a problem with your computer’s configuration, it’s better to find out now and try to deal with it ahead of time. If you detect a problem, please contact the UF Computing Help Desk (392-HELP) — the sooner, the better.

If you have any questions or concerns, leave a comment to let us know.

Update (12/4): A couple of students have asked via email about the format of the final exam. Like the previous two exams, it will consist of 60 questions, and you will have 50 minutes to complete it. The exam will be available on E-Learning from 7:00 a.m – 7:00 p.m. on December 18.