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.