Scholarship opportunity

If you're planning to go to a 4 year university and will be done with high school by August, this scholarship is really, really easy. 

Final Thoughts

Thank you all for participating in my class.  I, for one, enjoyed the bejeezus out of it.  Well, if one can be said to "enjoy" exploring all the gory realities of this modern world... still, exploring it with you has been amazing. 

A few things to note:

• Email me if you wish to know your grade in the class, or if you'd like your graded final paper. 
• Keep your notebook if you're taking Government next quarter; it will play a similar role.
• Reply to this post with any links or general tips (or even your final) on how to take individual action.   

MAJOR NOTE: the finals I've read so far do not have any kind of proof of action.  Email me by Sunday morning for full credit (10 points! More than a letter grade!).  By "proof," I mean a screen shot of a volunteer registration form (if you're volunteering) or a forwarded confirmation of registration (that would be an email) or a picture of a receipt or label (texting that is just fine, too) or a picture of you doing something (like Tommy's). 

Homework for 3-22

Summarize your paper into a 2 minute talk.  Bring 1 visual; this may be a picture of what you do or intend to do, or a cartoon about what you hope to affect the most, or a piece of music, or a few power point slides; feel free to be as creative as you wish. 

The idea of the talk is to show your classmates what you’re doing and why – so that they can also choose to make simple choices about everyday living, or sign a petition, or write to their representatives in Congress, or volunteer for some particular organization.  There is, after all, much more power in numbers, even in a globalized world with superempowered individuals. 

This short presentation will be 10% of your grade on the final. 

6% - explaining concisely what you did and why 

4% - having a visual that helps explain or illustrate

FINALLY:
Save a tree.  Make sure you EMAIL YOUR FINAL by class time Thursday. 

Homework for FRIDAY 3/16 and 3/20

First: anyone revamping their final proposal needs to post it or email it to me by midnight Friday. 

Second: email me one source you’ll use in your final OR your proof of planning to do something OR a draft (1 full page of preliminary writing) or outline of the paper (a full page) OR something else that shows me you’re working on the final.  This assignment is worth 10 points, but it’s possible to get up to 15 – 5 whole extra credit! – for doing more than the bare minimum.  That can mean coming up with not just a source, but a summary of what you’ll be using from it, or a detailed outline (one that includes your research), or at least 1.5 full pages of preliminary writing. 

Also, here's an optimistic look at the Kony 2012 phenomenon.  This isn't homework, but it's another perspective. 

Final rubric and partial list of terms and concepts

Blargh	Meh	WOO!	Score
No proof or plan of action		Proof of action or plan	/10
Paper makes no attempt to use terms, concepts, and key players from the quarter to discuss institutions	Paper makes some attempt to use terms and concepts, and might misrepresent some of them	Paper relates at least 2-3 key terms and concepts to the institutions relevant to their action	/20
Paper makes no attempt to use terms, concepts, and key players from the quarter to discuss infrastructure	Paper makes some attempt to use terms and concepts, and might misrepresent some of them	Paper relates at least 2-3 key terms and concepts to the infrastructure relevant to their action	/20
Makes no attempt to discuss government’s role	Makes some attempt to discuss governmental role, or misrepresents it	Addresses how the government is or is not (or should be?) involved in the action	/10
Uses no outside research	Refers to some outside research, but mostly Wikipedia or less reputable sources	Cites extensive outside research.  EXTRA CREDIT for primary sources or less immediately available research (information you needed to call or write in order to acquire)	/20

List of key terms and concepts

·         Economic globalization

o   WTO

o   IMF

o   World Bank

o   Supermarket

o   Offshoring

o   Urbanization

o   Consumerism

·         Social globalization

o   Super-empowered individual

o   Social media

o   Viral memes

o   The spread of “the American Dream”

·         Immigration issues

o   Urbanization

o   Exploitation

o   Assimilation

o   Citizenship and naturalization

·         The Middle East

o   “Petrol States”

o   The war on terror

o   Arab-Israeli relations

o   Connections between oil and power

o   Theocracy, Islamism, or similar

·         Infrastructure

o   The internet

§  Fiber optic cables

§  Satellites

o   Electricity

o   Water

o   Food

§  Water-food relationship

§  Food disparities worldwide

o   Roads, buildings, etc

·         Nuclear proliferation

·         The armed forces abroad

·         Anything else you found interesting or compelling

                                               

Homework for 3/15, plus the final

1)    Reflect on the movie.  What surprised you?  Shocked you?  Disappointed you? 

Also: write out what you think the primary causes of the situation in Mexico.  Is it a problem of government?  If so, America’s or Mexico’s?  And what part of it – law enforcement, or specific laws on one or the other side of the border (drug laws, gun laws)?  Is it a problem of economics – poverty in Mexico, demand in the US?  A social problem – that Americans feel the need for that level of drug use, or that Mexicans are willing to supply that much drug? 

Or am I completely off in the limited options I’ve set forth in those questions?  Is it something else entirely?

Write your answers in your notebook.  You’ll be turning them in on Thursday. 

ALSO!

2)    Post as a reply a short proposal for your final; the assignment is below.  The idea of posting your proposal is that you can help others brainstorm; help your classmates out by posting early if you have an idea.  Remember: if you have an idea that deviates from the assignment, you may propose it.  Rubric to follow, but remember: you will be graded on your ability to connect your actions to concepts we’ve discussed in class.  There will be some mandatory and some bonus points for extra research cited within your work. 

Current World Issues Final

Your final is to take action on some issue we have discussed in class, and to explain that action in light of the class material.  You will do something on the world stage, and you will explain to me why you did it, and how it will affect the world, all in terms you have learned in this class. 

What, exactly, you do is your decision.  You might volunteer for a local environmental organization or political campaign, you can write a local or national elected representative on some issue you care about, you could even simply change –or maintain! – your spending habits in light of something you have learned in this class.  You can figure out some tangible way to support the troops we have stationed abroad, or advocate for their return, or canvass your friends to raise awareness of some local or international issue. 

The part you will be graded on: your justification for your actions, and a write-up of the likely and hoped-for results.  You will write 2-5 pages (typed, double-spaced, usual margins, 10 or 12 point Calibri or Times New Roman font) on why you have taken this particular action and how you expect it to affect the world – in however minor a way.  You will also explain what national and international institutions and infrastructure you used to accomplish your action.  The infrastructure could include the internet, roads, our local water system, or even the paper your report is printed upon; the institutions might include, say, a political party you volunteer for, or a church, or an NGO, or the corporations you bought from. 

Homework for 3-13

Watch this video.  Analyze it carefully:

1.       How do 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the “flattening of the world” (Friedman’s way of referring to globalization) bring about a recognition of the need for “green” solutions?

2.       Infer – why wouldn’t China and India be motivated to develop clean power? 

3.       What’s government’s role?  How does Friedman envision government and business cooperating to bring about an energy solution? 

4.       How are these environmental issues related to freedom and democracy in the Middle East? 

You may have to do your own research to answer the questions effectively.  You can use old articles of Friedman’s – they’re here for free.  Bring your answers to class and we’ll discuss them and perhaps watch the full documentary.  The writing here is worth your grade. 

Then read this blog post – there are also two short clips to watch – and respond critically: are the Fox News people right in the first clip, or in the second (or both or neither)?  Can politicians affect the price of gas, or can’t they?  Again bring your response to class.  You should be prepared to discuss; your grade will be discussion in class. 

For a scoatch of extra credit (enough to turn a tardy day into an on-time day) – analyze the bias of both Tom Friedman and Fox News as presented in the blog post.  What are each of their motivations?  What are each of them trying to accomplish by saying what they’re saying in their respective manners?  Post your answers as a reply here on the page. 

Homework for 3-8

Freshwater footprint calculator.

Post your score as a comment.

Read this article and prepare for a classroom debate: how can we better solve the environmental crisis?  Will it be through:

1. private businesses, making decisions that will maximize their profits in the short and long terms? [Friedman seems to think this is at least part of the solution]
2. governments, using either carrots (incentives) or sticks (punishments) to make individuals, businesses, and potentially other countries fix their problems?  [Gore is proposing that this is the main part of the solution]
3. something else, like individuals making choices based on philosophy, character, or belief, that eventually leads to collective action?  [see below]

OH MY!  You'll be doing this in groups, and you'll have class time (an hour) to prepare for a discussion/debate. 

If your last name begins with a letter between (and including) A-G, your argument should be primarily based on choice 1 - private businesses. 

If your last name begins with the letters H-R or Salmeron, you must argue primarily choice 2 - government. 

If your last name is toward the end of the alphabet - S-Z - argue choice 3.  You have the biggest challenge in front of you; research environmental nonprofits that primarily use their own funds to accomplish goals that are not legislative, that focus on changing individual behavior, or similar.  You can also look into Christian environmentalism, Buddhism, eco-feminism, or any similar philosophy.  You can even try the stranger political groups: collectivists, libertarian environmentalists, or anarchists. 

Here's the rest of the Al Gore talk.  It includes a short interview at the end.  I'd be happy to hear any of your thoughts. 

Homework for 3-6

Recall that in the lead-up to the Iraq War of 2003, the Bush administration and allies in the UK, Spain, and other countries justified the war with several arguments:

1. Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)
2. Iraq was tied to terrorists groups that could, therefore, use those WMDs to carry out an attack more horrifying than 9/11
3. Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator in a potentially democracy-loving country; the Iraqi people would welcome us as liberators and set up a democratic government that would set an example for the rest of the Middle East

Read the following articles.  Annotate the articles (writing and highlighting) or answer the following questions on paper so that you can bring your answers to class and discuss them.  Keep in mind that the questions can apply to any or all of the articles.

• Article 1 link. 
• Article 2 link. 
• Article 3 link. 

1. What parallels do you see to the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War?
2. How is Iran acting similarly or differently than Iraq did? 
3. How concerned should we be about these developments? 

REMEMBER: the quiztest will cover the basic Islam/Islamism terms, the basic roles in terrorism and the contemporary world of each of the Middle East countries we covered, and some very basic information about nuclear weapons.  Study your notes from the power points, clarify them in writing, and bring them to class so you can use them on your test. 

Grades and dates

I know I made it sound like a headache to give you a progress report on your grade (it is), but that should not discourage you from asking for your grade if you want to know it.  FYI, as a class, you've fallen into a normal statistical curve (meaning there are a couple of people doing badly, a couple of people doing very well, and everyone else is distributed through the middle), and that freaks me out a little. 

If you're doing very badly, you've been informed.  If you haven't received a progress report, you have at least a middling C - in the 75% range.

Also - I've gotten lax on due dates.  Here is what can be made up: any homework assignment that does not have a specific time/date due time; journal entries; responses to media and your fellow students.  Here is what cannot be made up: check-ins, attendance, time-sensitive homework (your DEBATE PREPARATION is an excellent example), and other in-class participation points.

Reminders:

• You will be graded Thursday (3/1) on: your participation in the debate, your annotated article, your ability to work well within the group (your groupmates will grade you), and your aptitude in the debate itself (graded by the other group).  If there is a clear winner, I will give that group extra credit on the quiz.  Which segues to: 
• You have a quiz on Tuesday, 3/6, regarding nuclear weapons, the vocabulary surrounding Islam and terrorism, and your classmates' presentations.  It will be multiple choice, matching, and maybe a little short answer. 

Homework for 3-1, including in-class work

Prepare for a debate on Thursday.  You will be debating two things: whether the 2003 Iraq war was justified when it began, and whether it has since been justified.  By “justified,” here, I mean: was there, in 2003, sufficient evidence of WMD or lack of cooperation that might indicate Hussein was hiding something?  To address events since 2003: have events showed that Iraq specifically or the Middle East generally is better off (in terms of democracy, government accountability, social or economic stability) because of some aspect of the Iraq War? 

For those of you preparing for the run-up to the 2003 war, consider:

·         9/11 and how it changed the American outlook

·         The information source, codename: curveball

·         The first Gulf War – what kind of international support there was, what the extend of the invasion was, and why

·         Saddam’s actions during the 1990s regarding Bush Sr., weapons inspections, and anything else

·         Our actions during the 1990s, including inspections and sanctions

·         Saddam’s actions, particularly with weapons inspections, between 9/11/2001 and the invasion

·         Anti-war demonstrations and civic action

For those of you preparing for the aftermath of the war, consider:

·         Insurgency groups and their motivations (this will be complicated; I’m just looking for foreign or domestic, sectarian or nationalist)

·         Resultant global terrorism

·         Looting of museums and other cultural landmarks

·         US casualties

·         Allied casualties

·         Global perceptions of the US

·         The Arab Spring?

Here are some extremely useful links:

·         Timeline of events, with references to useful articles from many sources; you’ll want to use the article names they quote to search.

·         BBC’s summary of armed groups in Iraq.

·         NYT’s timeline of events, with pictures and links to relevant stories.

For class Thursday, 3/1, bring at least two annotated sources to class with you to share with your group.  Annotated means you’ve got quotable statistics and quotes highlighted or underlined and bulleted points that support your side.

Don't forget your journal or your homework. 

Homework for 2-28

Read this article, then watch this clip from the speech mentioned [it should be Archive: Colin Powell's UN Presentation on Iraq WMD pt 8, and you should watch it from time signature 3:57].  Feel free to watch the entire speech, or skim through it, or read the transcript alongside the clip.  Then, find one article (you can find more!) expressing an opinion about the run-up to the Iraq War of 2003 and read it – consider its arguments.  Try going to any newspaper’s archive of the Op/Ed pages from January-March 2003. 

YOUR TASK (part 1): take yourself back 9 years and imagine you were hearing this speech only a year and a half after 9/11.  Would you be convinced by it?  For the duration of your assignment, try to forget what you’ve learned about Iraq in the last 9 years.  Write a paragraph expressing whether you would favor going to war in Iraq at that time, given the information you’ve just gotten. 

Email or post that paragraph and the link(s) to the article(s) you read. 

Then watch this clip from three years later.  We'll discuss in class.

DO NOT FORGET to email me both your powerpoint presentation and your sources WITH bias analyses.   

Homework for 2-23

Work really hard on your presentations. 

Also, I will accept your Islam vocabulary organizers and answers for the movie Persepolis on Thursday (2/24) if you bring them or email them.  Try to show me that you actually watched the movie and paid attention to the discussion on the latter. 

AND!  Remember to do your analysis of each source's bias!

Nuclear Weapon Proliferation

Nuclear Weapons

[A brief history]

First nuclear weapons

·         Developed by the US during WWII

·         Germany was also working on them

·         Codenamed the Manhattan Project

·         Led by Robert Oppenheimer

·         Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

·         Video!

Specs and figures

·         Each bomb weighed about 5 tons

·         Explosion equivalent to 50-75 million sticks of dynamite

·         Deaths: 90,000-166,000 in Hiroshima

·         60,000-80,000 in Nagasaki

·         Sigh.

Cold War

·         Ideological battle between Communism (sort of) and Capitalism (kind of)

·         Diplomatic tension between USSR and US

·         Leads to innumerable proxy wars, military interventions, and covert operations

·         Also leads to arms race

The Arms Race

·         Race to develop both bigger, scarier bombs and the systems to deliver them or prevent them from launching

·         Dear lord.

Figures

1. Fat man: 22,500 tons
2. Castle Bravo 15,000,000 tons
3. Tsar Bomba 50,000,000 tons

Terms

·         Deterrence

·         Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

·         Containment

·         Detente

Other countries with nukes

Homework for 2-21

Homework for 2-21 (Presentations postponed til 2-23)

CLARIFICATION: I understand that the consensus is, I've been vague about the directions for the project.  Here's some better direction:

SAUDI ARABIA: What has the country done to encourage terrorism?  Address population, particularly the number and satisfaction of young men (do they have education?  opportunities to utilize it?), and their feelings toward the US given the US relationship with other parts of the Middle East.  Also consider Wahhabism, funding, and whether they have in any way discouraged terrorism.

ISRAEL: What has the rest of the Middle East thought about Israel since it became a country in 1948?  What have they done about it?  Said about it?  How has Israeli treatment of Palestinians changed those feelings (or not)?  To address that question, discuss the separation wall, water rights, and settlements.  At the same time, how have Israelis experienced terrorism?  How have terrorists used Israel to justify their actions? 

AFGHANISTAN: What was the US's involvement in the Soviet conflict in the 1980s?  Why was the Taliban able to take control of Afghanistan?  What have they done there while they were in control?  Why do you think Bin Laden chose the country as his hideout?  Why has rebuilding the country since our invasion been so difficult?  Why am I asking about opium? 

IRAQ: What has our relationship been to Iraq since WWII?  What was it during the Iraq-Iran war?  What did Saddam Hussein do to Iran and his own people in that time, and the 90s?  What was the justification for the 2003 war?  Why has rebuilding the country since our invasion been so difficult?  Has our invasion caused terrorism? 

IRAN: What has our relationship been to Iran since WWII?  Why did the Revolution of 1979 happen, and who won it?  [Persepolis will help you understand!] What was the US relationship to Iran during the Iraq-Iran war?  What has Iran's stance been toward the US and Israel since Ahmedinajad took power? 

OTHER: Pick some organizations: Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, for example.  Discuss who perpetrated the London bombings, the Madrdid bombings, and any other acts of terrorism (perhaps even within any of the other countries in this list), and why they said they did so.  Is the organization Shi'ite or Sunni?  Who supports the organization?  Where are they based?  Why do they say they exist and do what they do?  Do they accomplish anything that's not terrorism - do they, for example, act as a legitimate political party, or provider of social services?

1. Get some popcorn, and watch this movie.  Just in case there’s any confusion (there’s a historical city called Persepolis, and it’s possible to find documentaries on it instead), it’s the 2007 movie based on Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel.  You don’t have to watch it on youtube; it’s definitely available through Netflix and most movie rental places.  Here are the questions you need to answer (read them all BEFORE you watch the movie, and bring the answers to class with you):

1.       According to the characters, why does the 1979 revolution happen? 

a.       What competing parties or ideologies are involved?

b.      How do the Islamists take control?

                                                               i.      What does the Satrapi family think of them?

                                                             ii.      Why do the Satrapis stay in Iran?

c.       What strikes you most about the portrayal of the Islamist regime?  Or, what other regimes (fictional or not) does it remind you of? 

2.       What elements of globalization did you notice? 

a.       In particular, both our exploration of immigration and the article on the causes of 9/11 discussed alienation, particularly alienation among young Muslims.  How does the main character deal with that alienation?  How does that differ from the way the 9/11 attackers or other terrorists coming from Europe must have? 

3.       What elements of imperialism did you notice? 

a.       What role does it play in Marjane’s family’s life? 

4.       Did anything else strike you about the movie?  If so, note when in the movie it occurred so we can bring it up on screen in class if we want. 

2. Your organizer for the Islam lecture is due. 

If you missed class 2-9 or 2-14, you should know that we watched a documentary.  I’ve made your response to that documentary (simply whether you responded) a graded notebook assignment. 

If you missed today, you need to email me so that I can reply with the presentation and assignment. 

Below is the overall (group) grade rubric.  You will also receive a group evaluation to grade one another. 

Research Presentation Rubric

Name: __________________________________

Topic: ________________________________________________________________

	Needs Work	Meh	Meets Standards	Awesome
Main idea [5]	-Does not present a position -Lacks focus and direction	-Implies or understates a main point	-Main point or generalization present -Located in the introduction	-Contains a nuanced main idea about subject’s involvement with terrorism -Located in the introduction
Score
Organization [5]	-Lacks a beginning or an ending -Lacks transitions	-Often off-topic -Establishes brief introduction and conclusion	-Has introduction and conclusion -Attempts transitions -Most slides relate to thesis	-Has introduction and conclusion -Each slide connects to the main idea -Makes transitions between and within ideas
Score
Evidence [20]	-Has no specific facts (statistics, dates, or otherwise pertinent information) from any text	-Has two or less inappropriate and improperly cited facts per slide -Significance of facts poorly explained	-Has at least two well-chosen facts per slide -Significance of facts adequately explained	-Has at least two well-chosen facts from the text per slide (verbal or written) -Significance of facts insightfully explained
Score
Context/ Relevance [20]	-Does not attempt to describe the context or relevance of the topic	-Inadequately describes the context or relevance of the  topic	-Mostly describes the context or relevance of the topic	-Describes the context or relevance of the topic
Score
Sentence Structure And Word Choice [10]	-Sentences to not vary in length -Sentences are incomplete -Sentences are not parallel -Words are general and repetitive	-Few sentences vary in length -Sentences are complete -Some strong words are used, but the majority are general and repetitive	-Sentence lengths are varied -Sentences are complete -Uses precise and varied word choice -Some weak words are commonly used	-Sentence lengths are varied -Sentences are clear and complete -Presenter uses precise and varied word choice -Very few, if any, weak words are used.
Score
Sources [10]	-Wikipedia only source	-Inappropriate sources used	-3-4 good sources used	-5 appropriate, timely sources used
Score
			TOTAL: