« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
October 30, 2007
Wednesday - Thursday, Oct. 31 - Nov. 1: Imagine...
Imagine
We will use a song by John Lennon to begin today's class. We will hand you a copy of the lyrics and have you listen to the song. Be prepared to discuss your opinions on Lennon's ideas.
Helping Africa
Many people have imagined a better world for Africa. Below, I have linked you to a multitude of different charities, movements and organizations that are designed to aid Africa. Take a look at five of these charities' sites. It doesn't matter which five you pick. As you look at the sites, answer the questions on the chart you received in class. Think about whether you agree or disagree with these efforts, what you like and dislike about the different plans and what you think isn't being done that needs to be done.
Mr. Edmundson's Work in Tanzania and the Peace Corps in Africa (Click on a country to find more information.)
DATA - Bono's Organization
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
White Man's Burden
We will return to the concept of White Man's Burden and ask ourselves if this idea exists even today.
Posted by kmurr at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2007
Wednesday - Tuesday, Oct. 24 - 30: Disease in Africa
A Tale of Two Diseases
We will focus on two different diseases, AIDS and Ebola. These two diseases are quite different, both in the scope of their impact and in how they impact the human body. The study of these two diseases will help you to understand the many different problems facing African countries when it comes to disease. To begin our study, you will take some notes on the two diseases. On the second day of our study, you will use a series of maps and statistics to draw some conclusions about why AIDS is ravaging sub-Saharan Africa.
Homework
Continue to work on your rough drafts. A day students' drafts are due on November 2nd and B day students' drafts are due on November 1st.
Posted by kmurr at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2007
Monday - Tuesday, Oct. 22 - 23: Writing and Politics
Outline to Rough Draft
The next step in our Africa paper project is to turn your outline into a rough draft. Mr. Cooke will talk about how to do this. Remember that your rough draft is due on November 1 (B) or November 2 (A). This is your only homework over the next couple of weeks.
What are you?
Are you a Republican? Are you a Democrat? Are you an independent? What are you? You will get asked these types of questions a lot as you get older. We will try to help you answer these questions today. You will take a little political quiz and then you will use your answers to place yourself on a political spectrum. I will also post the questions and directions below so that you can give the quiz to your parents.
1. Would you favor or oppose a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between a man and a woman, thus barring marriages between gay or lesbian couples?
Source: Gallup Poll, March 5-7, 2004; national sample of 1,005 adults.
Favor an amendment banning gay marriage (Move right)
Oppose an amendment banning gay marriage (Move left)
2. Some people think that government in Washington ought to reduce the income differences between the rich and the poor, perhaps by raising the taxes of wealthy families or by giving income assistance to the poor. Others think that the government should not concern itself with reducing this income difference between the rich and the poor. What do you think?
Source: NORC, General Social Survey 2002; national sample of 912 adults
The government should raise taxes on the wealthy and/or provide more income assistance to the poor (Move left)
The government should not be concerned with reducing the income difference between the rich and the poor (Move right)
3. Which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder: the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole?
Source: ABC News/Washington Post Poll, April 20-24, 2001; national sample of 1,003 adults.
Death Penalty (Move right)
Life in Prison (Move left)
4. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: "We have gone too far in pushing equal rights in this country."
Source: Pew Research Center, July 14- Aug. 5, 2003; national sample of 1,284 adults.
We have gone too far (Move right)
I agree with most of our efforts (Move left)
5. Would you support a significant troop withdrawal from Iraq in the next six months?
Support a withdrawal (Move left)
Oppose a Withdrawal (Move right)
6. In general, do you feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?
Source: The Gallup Poll, Oct. 11-14, 2004. sample of 1,012 adults nationwide
More strict (Move left)
Less strict (Stay)
Kept as they are (Move right)
7. In general, some people think that it is the responsibility of the government in Washington to see to it that people have help in paying for doctor and hospital bills. Others think that this is not the responsibility of the federal government and that people should take care of these things themselves. Which approach [A or B] do you prefer?
Source: NORC, General Social Survey 2002; national sample of 912 adults.
The government is responsible (Move left)
The government is not responsible (Move right)
8. Do you think the CIA should be able to torture terrorist suspects in order to obtain information to prevent a terrorist attack?
Should be able to (Move right)
Should not be able to (Move left)
9. Do you think the possession of small amounts of marijuana should or should not be treated as a criminal offense?
Source: Pew Research Center, Feb. 14-19, 2001; national sample of 1,513 adults.
Should be illegal (Move right)
Should not be illegal (Move left)
10. Should government restrict violence and sexual content that appears on cable TV, or should government not impose restrictions?
Source: Chicago Tribune Poll, June 23-27, 2004; national sample of 1,000 adults.
The government should restrict content (Move right)
The government should not restrict content (Move left)
11. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that no state or local government may require the reading of the Lord's Prayer or Bible verses in public schools. What are your views on this--do you approve or disapprove of the court ruling?
Source: NORC, General Social Survey 2002; national sample of 908 adults.
Support required prayer (Move right)
Oppose required prayer (Move left)
12. With respect to the abortion issue, would you consider yourself to be pro-choice or pro-life?
Source: Gallup Poll, May 2-4, 2004, national sample of 1,000 adults.
Pro-Choice (Move left)
Pro-Life (Move right)
Homework
Work on your rough draft. These are due on November 1 (B) or November 2 (A).
Posted by kmurr at 1:46 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2007
Monday - Tuesday, October 15 - 16: The U.S. on Trial
Negligence Trial
We will put the United States on trial today. We have charged the United States with negligence when it comes to its dealings with Rwanda in 1994. We will allow some time for the prosecution and the defense to prepare before the trial begins. Everyone will be required to make at least two comments during the debate.
Homework
You have NO homework over the long weekend. Have a nice break!
Posted by kmurr at 9:26 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2007
Thursday - Friday: Rwanda
I will complete the lecture on Rwanda. You will have to do more listening than note-taking today.
HOmework
Your homework has two different parts. First, you need to prepare for the Rwanda debate. On Monday and Tuesday, the United States will be on trial for negligence. Remember, negligence has two parts. The prosecution will need to prove that the United States had a responsibility to act and that it did not follow through on that responsibility. All of you will need to turn in a list of arguments for your side and your highlighted article/piece of evidence.
The second part of your homework is to complete your outline. Remember, you need to follow the outline format we gave you in class (see previous posts). The more detailed and complete your outline is, the better our feedback can be.
Posted by kmurr at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)
October 9, 2007
Tuesday - Wednesday, Oct. 9 - 10: Rwanda
Project Step Two
Your proof of research is due today. While I am grading that part of the assignment, Mr. Cooke will use a series of activities to explain how to write an outline. He will provide you with some generic directions about how to write an outline and with an example outline for this project. Feel free to ask questions so that you can be prepared to do the next part of the assignment.
Rwanda: Anatomy of a Genocide
You will take a few notes on the buildup to the Rwandan genocide. You will use this information during next week's debate.
Homework
The next step in the project is to write your outline. Use the research that you have done or that you are finishing to follow the outline Mr. Cooke went over today in class. Feel free to ask questions over the next couple of days as you are working on this. The outline is due next week.
Posted by kmurr at 7:42 PM | Comments (1)
October 7, 2007
Friday - Monday, Oct. 5 - 8: Ambush in Mogadishu Continued
Today in class we will finish our discussion of the ambush in Mogadishu. Then, we will analyze an excerpt of Presidential Decision Directive 25. This presidential order was put into place during the Clinton administration and many analysts believe that it was a direct response to the Blackhawk Down incident. We will try to determine whether or not this claim is true and we will try to determine how PDD 25 could impact future foreign policy decisions.
Homework
You should focus on researching your assigned country. Remember that your proof of research is due next week. For proof, you need to have found and printed four to five articles about your country, in addition to those that you were handed in class. You also should have read and highlighted/underlined/taken notes on five to six articles. We will ask to see all of this on either Tuesday (B) or Wednesday (A) in class.
Posted by kmurr at 7:56 PM | Comments (0)
October 4, 2007
Wednesday - Thursday, Oct. 3-4: Ambush in Mogadishu
We will watch a video for the entire hour today. We will stop and start the video a lot so that you can answer a series of questions that I will hand to you. This information is complicated and alarming, but I think it is very important for you to understand the set of events that led to the "ambush in Mogadishu" and to consider to the impacts of that ambush.
Homework
You should focus on researching your assigned country. Remember that your proof of research is due next week. For proof, you need to have found and printed four to five articles about your country, in addition to those that you were handed in class. You also should have read and highlighted/underlined/taken notes on five to six articles. We will ask to see all of this on either Tuesday (B) or Wednesday (A) in class.
Posted by kmurr at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)