2014 Congressional Elections MOOC
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course interested in creating or hosting MOOC courses go to their website: mooc.org
This website was created for a MOOC online course that would cover a wide variety of topics related to the 2014 Congressional Elections (both the U.S. House and U. S. Senate). The content below was taken from its archived pages.
If you "attended" this particular 2014 Congressional Elections MOOC course this shouold be a nostalic trip as you read the content below. I thoroughly enjoyed the particular course since the 2014 Congressional elections critically impacted Obamam's second term. During one of the modules I was intently following the lecture when my two cats decided that my desk where I had my IMAC set up was the perfect location to play a rough game of "Catch Me If You Can" resulting in a large mug of black coffee falling off the table and spilling its entire content on the oriental carpet under the table. I freaked out since coffee stains. I opened a new window on the computer and did a quick search for oriental area rug cleaning nyc and lucked out. The Agara rug cleaning company that I used was prompt in arriving that afternoon to inspect the rug. I had cleaned up the mess as much as I could. Haim, one of the principals in this family run business assured me that the stain could be removed without damaging the rug. He also suggested that they could retore the fringe, after cleaning the rug, if I so desired. I agreed and the rug was removed. A week later, it arrived back without any trace of the coffee spill and great looking fringe. Meanwhile I was still enjoying the 2014 Congressional Elections MOOC course sans cats from the room with my computer. I couldn't and wouldn't give up my coffee, but the cats could play elsewhere in the apartment.
Now onward to the 2014 Congressional Elections MOOC course information.
What Will We Be Doing?
This MOOC will begin on March 3 and feature three modules per week for the next eight weeks ending the week of April 21st. It will be offered on Blackboard’s Coursesites and is completely free. The first 500 completing the course will receive a non-degree certificate. You can sign up for the course by using a direct link which will be provided in a few days.
This MOOC is for those who wish to understand the 2014 Congressional elections and their impact. More is at stake than which party will control the House and the Senate! These elections will have an impact on the future policy choices the country will pursue, will help determine the success or failure of various programs supported by President Obama, and the 2014 elections will help set the stage for the 2016 presidential elections.
Each module will provide you with the information you need to better understand these elections. Presentations will include interviews and descriptions of actual campaign tactics and plans. The emphasis is on understanding the realities of a campaign and what is to be expected. You can suggest course topics and content by accessing our blog by February 22, 2014.
The MOOC is designed for those wanting an unbiased and objective analysis of the important elections. So please join us if you want to learn more about these elections and their potential impact on American public policy.
This MOOC offers no academic course credit, but it will provide you with the equivalent information taught in my credit bearing course. There are no tests or papers required. You will be asked to answer several takeaway questions at the end of each module. There will not be required readings but each MOOC lecture will include some suggested readings and other resources you will find helpful.
This MOOC is possible due to a Thinkfinity grant Professor Caputo received from Pace University. This grant was part of a series of grants made possible by a grant to Pace University by the Verizon Foundation. In addition Professor Caputo received an undergraduate research grant with Enxhi Brahja from Pace University. Enxhi has assisted in all phases of the project as part of the undergraduate research grant. We want to thank Pace's Office of the Provost and the Verizon Foundation for their support. We also want to thank Tobias Laforest who assisted us with the instructional technology. We will be acknowledging the others who have assisted at specific points as we proceed with the MOOC.
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Meet the Team
David A. Caputo
David A. Caputo received his BA from Miami University and his graduate degrees from Yale University. He has been involved with congressional and presidential elections since 1970 including teaching various election courses, serving as a consultant to various election reporting organizations and as an on-air commentator for ABC Radio, CNN and Fox News. He also has worked closely with C-SPAN as it developed its extensive video archives. He currently is President Emeritus and Professor of Political Science at Pace University in New York City where he is teaching a Congressional Elections Course. He has published numerous books and scholarly articles
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Enxhi Brahja
Enxhi Brahja is a sophomore at Pace University. She is currently studying Political Science/Economics and is planning on attending Law School upon graduation. Enxhi was selected to do undergraduate research with Dr. Caputo this academic year. She is an avid Wall Street Journal reader and enjoys traveling around the world. She has been involved in both the Federal Reserve Challenge and the Up to Us Competition.
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Tobias Laforest
Tobias Laforest is a senior at Pace University. He majors in Business Economics with a minor in Digital Art. Tobias has become increasingly involved at his school, leading the Economics Society and the Up to Us campaign. Most recently he has been brought on by the Student Government Association and the Roteract club to manage their marketing teams. Upon graduation Tobias hopes to work in the NYC startup scene developing real solutions for tomorrow. He was brought onto the project to manage the website and develop innovative tools to promote the MOOC.