What I've Learned This Semester

This semester has been considerably easier than the last one, but *OMG*, the amount of homework has been astounding.  It's hard to keep up with, yet if I don't, it'd be easy to fall behind and difficult to catch back up.

This week is spring break, so I've been enjoying having the time off from work and school.  It's not gonna be much of a break between homework, running errands and catching up on housework.  I'll definitely make time to blog this week, and visit all my bloggy friends though!

Once a semester I like to share my wealth of knowledge with you all, and this is what I've learned so far:

Math 025:  Pre-algebra

-6y - 4 = 4 (y - 2)   Answer:  y = -6

Sociology 101:  Intro to Sociology

Social Structure:  Enduring patterns of behavior that were in place before we were born and will remain when we die.  We create, maintain and reproduce them, but everyone can identify with them.  Because we create them, we can also change them.  Examples:  Marriage, political parties, churches, social class, prison system, gender roles, etc.

Anthropology 103:  Archaeology

Ethnoarchaeological research has found that many potters smear beeswax on the inside of a pot that's still warm from the kiln in order to season it.

Political Science 401:  Political Party, Public Opinion and Interest Groups (PIGPO)

The 3 models of democracy regarding public opinion:

Participatory democracy -   A theory of democracy that emphasizes the importance of political participation by the public, and believes the public to be capable of meaningful participation.  This is direct participation.

Elite democracy - Viewing frequent competitive elections as the primary mechanism by which citizens preferences are expressed.  This is indirect participation.

Pluralism - A theory of democracy that emphasizes the essential role performed by groups, as intermediaries between the public and the elites, in representative democracies.  This is also indirect participation.

Political Science 406:  Legislative Behavior

What constitutes an equipopulous district?  

Congressional districts within a state must have virtually the same number of people in a district.  Historically, states are afforded some leeway in population between state legislative districts (up to 10% variation).