Recently in Unit #8 Category

Q4 - Lesson #41 - Unit #8 "Two-Minute" Reviews

Mike Vergin

on June 2, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We'll spend our last day together reviewing the material from this unit. If you want to post anything to the blog, you can do it on this entry.

Congratulations on surviving two years.

UNIT 8: Perspectives on the Present

Chapter 33: Restructuring the Postwar World (1945 - Present)
    1    Cold War: Superpowers Face Off
    2    Communists Take Power in China
    3    Wars in Korea and Vietnam
    4    The Cold War Divides the World
    5    The Cold War Thaws

Chapter 34: The Colonies Become New Nations (1945 - Present)
    1    The Indian Subcontinent Achieves Freedom
    2    Southeast Asian Nations Gain Independence
    3    New Nations in Africa
    4    Conflicts in the Middle East
    5    Central Asia Struggles

Chapter 35: Struggles for Democracy (1945 - Present)
    1    Democracy
    2    The Challenge of Democracy in Africa
    3    The Collapse of the Soviet Union
    4    Changes in Central and Eastern Europe
    5    China: Reform and Reaction

Chapter 36: Global Interdependence (1960 - Present)
    1    The Impact of Science and Technology
    2    Global Economic Development
    3    Global Security Issues
    4    Terrorism
    5    Cultures Blend in a Global Age

HOMEWORK for the end of the year...

Your packet of Chapter 36 quizzes should be turned in by now.

Remember that you write the Unit #8 Essay out of class, and they are due no later than upon your arrival to the Final Exam on Thursday.

The Extra Credit - World History Film option, should you choose to do it, is due no later than Wednesday, June 3rd.

Q4 - Lesson #40 - China After Tiananmen (6/4/89)

Mike Vergin

on June 1, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink

This is it. It's your last "regular" lesson in World History 9/10. We will take a look at the events in China in the midst of 1989, the same year the Berlin Wall fell in Germany and European communism was on the retreat. In China, the outcome will be different.

A reminder that your final reading quiz is today, and your final batch of Current Events are due as well.

China: Tiananmen Square and After

Let's take a quick look at some of the events leading up to Tiananmen Square.

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." - Deng Xiaoping
"Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious." - Deng Xiaoping
"Reform is China's second revolution." - Deng Xiaoping

To try and make sense of the events surrounding Tiananmen Square, let's try and answer these questions.

What led the students to gather in Tiananmen Square?
What options did the government have in dealing with the protesters?
What happened in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989?
What was the reaction of the world to these events?
Why did events unfold in this manner in China?

"Massacre in Tiananmen Square" - BBC on This Day (June 4, 1989) This is the actual story that appeared on BBC News.

Here is a set of documents about Tiananmen Square released from the National Security Archives of the United States. They make for interesting browsing.

Here is the website for the documentary film, "Tiananmen: The Gate of Heavenly Peace."

China After Tiananmen: Twenty years have passed since the events of 1989, and China has certainly undergone rapid change since then. We can briefly discuss the general direction of those changes, and there are some links below in which you may be interested.

"Chinese learned to live with reform" - This BBC story looks at the legacy of Deng's reforms thirty years after they were put in place.

"Taiwan Flashpoint" - Check this out if you're interested in learning more about China's position on Taiwan and the potential threat posed in the region.

"Where next for post-Games China?" - This takes a look at China's options following the end of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Any remaining time is yours to work on whatever needs working on...

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Tuesday, June 2nd

Your packet of Chapter 36 quizzes should be turned in tomorrow. Yes, you are free to use your book as you complete them.

Remember that you write the Unit #8 Essay out of class, and they are due no later than upon your arrival to the Final Exam on Thursday, June 4th.

The Extra Credit - World History Film option, should you choose to do it, is due no later than the end of Wednesday, June 3rd.

Q4 - Lesson #39 - Communism's Fall in Europe

Mike Vergin

on May 29, 2009 10:01 AM | Permalink

We'll check in on changes in Eastern and Central Europe today, before wrapping things up with a look at events from Tiananmen Square forward in China on Monday. We'll also aim to get you some working time and a chance to hit the highlights from Chapter 36 before Tuesday's final "Two-Minute" Review.

Any questions on these? Unit #8 Exam - Identifications and Essay Questions

Just to clarify:

Essay: Due by the time you arrive at the Final Exam.
Identifications: You do this at the Final Exam.
DBQs: You do this at the Final Exam.
Multiple Choice: You do this at the Final Exam.

Remember, no computers are used during the Final Exam, so any note sheet for the IDs needs to be printed out in advance.

Here's a link to the Extra Credit - World History Film opportunity...

Changes in Central and Eastern Europe:

You are several others will be assigned a country. Your job is to prepare us a "travel guide" of sorts for that country. However, we won't be asking questions like, "Where should we stay?" and "What should we eat?" Instead, focus on the following:

If at all, how did the fading of communism affect your country?
How did the country reassert its independence after the decline of the Soviet Union?
What have been some of the key challenges facing your country?
Who are the people, groups and/or events we absolutely should know?

These are the countries which we will be "touring" together today:

Poland
Hungary
Germany
Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Romania
Yugoslavia (see below)

By the way, in an attempt to minimize confusion, here's the current status of the former Yugoslavia. These countries have been created: Bosnia and Herzogovina, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but its status is still in dispute. (The United States does recognize its independence.)

HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, June 1st

Please do the final "regular" reading assignment of your World History career by reading Chapter 35, Section 5, "China: Reform and Reaction." (pp. 1059-1063) The quiz will be matching.

Your Current Events are due on Monday, June 1st. You can find copies of the template on previous lessons.

Your packet of Chapter 36 quizzes should be turned in by Tuesday, June 2nd. Yes, you are free to use your book as you complete them.

Remember that you write the Unit #8 Essay out of class, and they are due no later than upon your arrival to the Final Exam on Thursday, June 4th.

Q4 - Lesson #38 - The Collapse of the Soviet Union

Mike Vergin

on May 28, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink

Since we went right up to the end of class time yesterday, we can backtrack and take any questions or comments on apartheid and/or AIDS. We'll also go back and pick up those last few events from Latin America.

The Collapse of the Soviet Union and the Fall of Communism - Our focus shifts today to an event that, had you asked me about it two years earlier when I was about your age, I never would have expected to see happen. The fall of the Soviet Union both significantly changed the world's political outlook, but it also dealt a fatal blow to communism's chances of competing with capitalist and democratic systems. We'll try and make sense of these events today...

Before we go too far, I want you to put yourselves in the position of a Soviet citizen, say a member of the Communist Party, in 1985. Pair up with those around you and brainstorm a list of complaints and criticisms you have about your lives. (Consider this your 9.5 Theses, if you will...) It might help to think in terms of social, economic and political issues. Think about both the Soviet Union in particular and communism in general.

Let's take a few minutes now to browse a set of Gorbachev notes that I've used when teaching this topic in other classes. (It will download as a Microsoft Word document, and you're free to use it to take some notes if that would be helpful... That's a hint.)

Here are some events I believe you need to understand to make sense of all this...

Gorbachev and Reform

glasnost

Chernobyl

perestroika
demokratizatsiya

ethnic tensions in the republics

rise of Boris Yeltsin

August Coup - 1991

December 25, 1991 - end of the Soviet Union

Commonwealth of Independent States

I'm interested in your opinions on these questions...

Which factors were more important in the ending of the Soviet Union? Internal or external?
Should Gorbachev be remembered as a hero or a failure?
Is Russia better off without communism?
Is the world safer now than during the era of the Cold War?
Should communism be, in the words of Reagan, left on the "ash heap of history?"

Here's what Time had to say when it named Gorbachev one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century.

Here's a local professor's essay recalling Gorbachev's 1990 visit to Minnesota.

Gorbachev remains active as head of the Gorbachev Foundation.

Russia since 1991 - We've talked about Putin a number of times these past two years. Let's talk briefly about some of the issues that Russia has faced since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Boris Yeltsin (1991 - 1999)
rise of the oligarchs
economic transitions

Chechnya (1991 - 2002) - insurgency continues

Moscow theater hostage crisis (2002)
Beslan school hostage crisis (2004)

Vladimir Putin (President 2000 - 2008) (Prime Minister 2008 - )
Dmitry Medvedev (President 2008 - )

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, May 29th

Please continue your reading in Chapter 35 with Section 4, "Changes in Central and Eastern Europe." (pp. 1052-1058) The quiz will be true / false.

Remember that your final batch of Current Events are due on Monday, June 1st. You can download this template for your Final Set of Current Events. (Remember, you are picking stories from particular areas, not according to the AP History themes we had been using.)

Q4 - Unit #8 Exam - Identifications and Essay Questions

Mike Vergin

on May 27, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink

Unit #8 Identifications: During the Social Studies Final Exam on Thursday, June 4th, you will write on your choice of 5 of the 8 identifications that appear on the ID portion chosen from the list below. You may bring 10 words of "notes" for each of the 15 possible identifications to the exam. (Printed out, as you will not be able to use your computer.) You will need to turn in these notes, and I reserve the right to count symbols, acronyms, etc. as one or more words. Each of the five identifications is worth 5 points.

A good identification is typically in the range of 4 to 6 sentences in length. (You do need to write in complete sentences.) You should demonstrate both an understanding of just who / what the ID "is" and place it in the appropriate historical context. In addition, you need to explain the significance of the ID. In other words, answer the "So what?" question.

containment
Marshall Plan
Cultural Revolution
Khmer Rouge
Fidel Castro
Ayatollah Khomeini
Nikita Khrushchev
Partition of India
intifada
Six-Day War
Taliban
PRI
apartheid
glasnost
Tiananmen Square

Unit #8 Essay Exam - Questions and Format - You'll write an essay as part of the Final (Unit #8) Exam. This essay should be turned in no later than at your arrival to the Social Studies Final Exam on Thursday, June 4th. Below you can find both the questions from which you will choose and the format for the essay portion on the Unit #8 Exam. The essay will be evaluated on the usual 30 point scale, and that score is doubled in PowerSchool.

Format: The actual essay will be written by hand or word-processed. You should prepare for a five-paragraph essay. That means that you should include an introduction (with a clear thesis statement), three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. (Note that the questions lend themselves to such a format. That is on purpose.)

Remember that the questions are not designed for you to tell us everything you have learned. Focus on what the question is requiring you to do.

* I want them printed out. (Double spaced, please.) Printing double-sided is fine.

A. Identify and explain the significance of the three specific events that you feel best represent the overall nature of the Cold War. Is the world of today more or less safe than the Cold War world? Why?

B. During the Cold War lessons, you were introduced to the "Doomsday Clock." (Here's the timeline. It is currently set for five minutes to midnight.) Identify and explain the significance of three factors/issues that you think should be considered foremost in deciding where to set the clock in the near future. Two years from now, what time do you think the Doomsday Clock should read? Why?

C. Imagine that you have been given complete control of the Middle East peace process. Explain your recommendation or position on each of these three issues: the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the future of the Old City of Jerusalem, and the status of the security barrier built by Israel along the West Bank. Five years from now, will the Palestinian / Israeli situation be more or less peaceful than it is today?

D. To many, the Cold War is the dominant theme of the post-World War II world. Setting aside events that took place between the superpowers, identify and explain the significance of the three world events that you believe will come to be recognized by historians as the most important of the last half of the 20th century. Which specific individual do you believe best epitomizes the post-World War II world?

Q4 - Lesson #37 - South Africa Before and After Apartheid

Mike Vergin

on May 27, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink

Before we return to Africa one more time, we need to finish up some pieces from our "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America" activity. Let's try to do that quickly.

Your reading for today focused on the challenges of democracy in Africa. We can touch base on the Nigeria story, but the country of South Africa will be our focus for today. In particular, we'll examine the system of apartheid that was in place for decades. After that, we'll consider the threat AIDS is posing in many areas of the world by considering the case study of sub-Saharan Africa.

Apartheid in South Africa - When we last left South Africa, it had become an independent member of the British Commonwealth between the world wars. In 1948, the Afrikaner-led Nationalist Party came to power advocating a system of apartheid. For more than four decades, this become one of the most notorious governmental systems in the world.

How did apartheid work?
What was the damage done by apartheid?
How was apartheid opposed? (Internally? Externally?)
How was the system of apartheid dismantled?

Timeline of Apartheid -

1948 - National Party institutes apartheid
1950 - race classification, Group Areas Act passed, ANC banned
1960 - Sharpeville Massacre
1964 - Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment
1976 - Soweto Uprising - 600 killed
1977 - Stephen Biko killed in police custody
1980s - international pressure increases
1986 - state of emergency
1989 - F.W. de Klerk becomes president
1990 - Mandela released, ANC unbanned
1994 - Mandela elected president in free elections

The colored areas on the map show the "homelands" or Bantustans where the black African population of South Africa was forced to live during the apartheid decades.

AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: While certainly a worldwide crisis, AIDS has struck most severely in Sub-Saharan Africa. We'll take a look at the extent of the crisis using a set of overheads that look at the "numbers" behind the crisis. (These particular overheads are from 2000, so the specific numbers are no longer accurate. However, they certainly make certain points effectively. You can find updated information below.)

Some questions for us to consider:

Why has AIDS hit Sub-Saharan Africa so heavily?
What might be done to slow the epidemic?
Should (or how should) the outside world help in dealing with the effects of the epidemic?

Here are some additional resources on AIDS:

"Death Stalks a Continent" - Time, (2001) - As the front page says, "This is a story about AIDS in Africa. Look at the pictures. Read the words. And then try not to care."

If you want some straight-forward information, the Global Issues - AIDS in Africa site is a good one to use.

"Worldwide AIDS epidemic slowing, says UN" - The Guardian, July 29, 2008. This is one of many articles suggesting that the epidemic may be slowing. (Don't confuse that with being cured.)

"FRONTLINE: The Age of AIDS" - This 2006 PBS site looks at the worldwide aspects. The timeline and map features are both interesting.

If you are interested in the most recent evidence on AIDS in Africa, check out this video from Hans Rosling on HIV. He's really good.

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 28th

Please continue your reading in Chapter 35 with Section 3, "The Collapse of the Soviet Union." (pp. 1046-1051) The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.

Q4 - "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America"

Mike Vergin

on May 26, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Here's the place to post your comment/write-up on your topic... These should be posted before the start of class on Wednesday.

Q4 - Lesson #36 - Checking in with Central Asia and Latin America

Mike Vergin

on May 26, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink

That may be the strangest lesson title yet... These two areas have relatively little in common, except that one closed Chapter 34, and the other began Chapter 35. We'll check in on some key events in both regions.

Before anything else, we can debrief a bit about Friday's Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference. In particular, I am interested in home this activity changed or reinforced your attitude toward the Middle East and/or any of the particular sides. As I mentioned, I intend to offer you a choice of essay questions (take home) that includes one on the Middle East.

Remember that you have a batch of Current Events due on Monday, June 1st. (I will be out that day, so you can expect that it will be largely a work day.) You'll know all the Unit #8 Identifications and Essay Questions tomorrow.

Central Asia - As you read in Chapter 34, a number of the nations of Central Asia were created in the aftermath of the breakup of the Soviet Union. We can check in very briefly with both the Transcaucasian and Central Asian states, but then we'll focus a little bit more on Afghanistan.

Latin America - I'll be honest when I tell you that the period from the end of World War II to the 1980s in Latin America is hardly one of my specialties. However, we'll do an activity below that should hit many of the most salient and important specifics from that period up to today in Latin America.

First, I think it is interesting to take a minute and consider what the book establishes as four key practices in a democracy.

free elections
citizen participation
majority rule, minority rights
constitutional government

Whether you are looking at Latin America or elsewhere, consider the factors conditions that might both foster and threaten these practices. Let's hear some of your ideas.

Facebook comes to Latin America... I think I've told you that I have never seen either Facebook or MySpace. That doesn't mean that I've been living in a cave and haven't heard about the "25 Random Things about Me" fad. In that spirit, we're going to try and introduce you to "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America" as a quick assignment.

You will select one of the "things" below, and there are two components to the assignment.

First, you will have one minute (no more) to explain your thing, and its significance to the class. We will try and get as many of those in today as we can, hopefully starting with 25 minutes left in class.

Second, you will be expected to make a blog posting of 100-150 words or so regarding your topic. Give us the basic facts and significance of your item. If you want to include a link to something useful, feel free to do that. (These blog postings should be made on the entries provided, and they are due before class time tomorrow.)

Here's the Facebook-inspired list of "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America":

Juan and Evita Peron - Argentina
"Dirty War" - Argentina
"Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" - Argentina

Evo Morales - Bolivia

"Lula" da Silva - Brazil

Salvador Allende - Chile
Augusto Pinochet - Chile
Isabel Allende - Chile

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Colombia
FARC - Colombia
Plan Colombia - Colombia

Fidel Castro - Cuba
Guantanamo Bay - Cuba

"Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier - Haiti
Tonton Macoute - Haiti

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) - Mexico
Frida Kahlo - Mexico
Tlatelolco Massacre - Mexico
Chiapas - Mexico
NAFTA - Mexico
Vicente Fox - Mexico
Zapatista Army of National Liberation - Mexico

Manuel Noriega - Panama

Operation Condor - "Southern Cone" dictatorships

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Remember that we looked at some of the Cold War events in Central America already, so that's why terms like Contra and Sandinista are not on the list...

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 27th

Please continue your reading in Chapter 35 with Section 2, "The Challenge of Democracy in Africa" (pp. 1040-1045) The quiz will be multiple choice.

Your contribution to the "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America" blog posting is due before the start of class time tomorrow. My expectation is somewhere between 100 to 150 words, and no credit will be given if it is not expressed in your own words. (You can go up to 250 or so words if you are really interested in your topic, but more than that is probably overkill.)

For Chapter 36, you received a packet of the five quizzes on Friday, and you can complete them on your own as assignments between now and next Tuesday's final day of class.

Q4 - Lesson #35 - Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference

Mike Vergin

on May 22, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to today's "Jerusalem 2009 Peach Conference." We have gathered in the shadow of the Temple Mount / Noble Sanctuary in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. Our goal is to make meaningful progress toward a peaceful resolution of the crisis between Israelis and Palestinians.

Here is the format: - We'll allow groups five minutes to meet to plan strategy and discuss issues of importance. After that, we will return to the large group. Members of "The Quartet" will assist in moving through the agenda.

Remember to strive to be consistent with your role. You do not need to turn only to your "leaders" to speak. Everyone here should have a voice, but "agreements" need only be agreed to by the respective leaders.

Agenda for the Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference:

Strategy Planning (5 minutes)

Opening Statements:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Immediate Issues:

How can the current tension between Israel and the Palestinians be lessened?
Should the security barrier/ wall on the West Bank be removed?
What should be done to improve conditions in Gaza?
What can be done to increase the safety of the citizens of Israel?

Longer Term Issues:

Should an independent Palestinian state be created? If so, where?
What should be done with the status of Jerusalem?
What should be the fate of Jewish settlements on the West Bank?
Should Palestinian refugees receive the "right of return?"
How can the prospect of terrorism be reduced?
How do we guarantee all have access to water and needed resources?

Announcement of Treaties / Agreements

Closing Remarks / Press Statements

Here's a reminder of who is present at our conference today...

Representatives of Israel

Israel - Tzipi Livni (Opposition Leader - Kadima)
Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister - Likud)
Israel - President Shimon Peres
Israel - Avigdor Lieberman (Foreign Minister - Yisraeli Beiteinu)
Israel - Ehud Barak (Defense Minister - Labour)
Israel - soldier serving of Gaza border
Israel - settler living on West Bank
Israel - mother of three (Jerusalem)

Representatives of the Palestinians

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah)
Palestinian -PNA Prime Minister Ismail Haniya (Gaza - Hamas)
Palestinian - PNA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (West Bank - Fatah)
Hassan Nasrallah - Hezbollah leader (based in Lebanon)
Palestinian - member of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade (in Gaza)
Palestinian - resident of Hebron (West Bank)
Palestinian - resident of Jericho (West Bank)
Palestinian - mother of three (Gaza)

Representatives of "The Quartet"

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
European Union - High Representative Javier Solana
Special Mideast Envoy Tony Blair

Here are the links from the BBC News Special Reports site, Middle East Crisis: Israel and the Palestinians:

Israeli Election: Where they stand

Q & A: Israel's General Election

Who are Hamas?

Q & A: Gaza Conflict

Here are the "Obstacles to Peace" they identified:

Here are thumbnail links to all the maps I used last time. They might again be useful.

HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, March 26th

Please begin your reading in Chapter 35 with Section 1, "Democracy" (pp. 1033-1039) The quiz will be matching.

Q4 - Lesson #34 - The Arab/Israeli Conflict

Mike Vergin

on May 21, 2009 8:00 AM | Permalink

Today, we head back to the Middle East and bring the country of Israel into the picture of the post-World War II years. We'll set you up to participate in the Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference at our next meeting as you'll attempt to resolve decades/centuries/millennia of conflict in this region.

We'll first draw roles for our conference, then we'll do a quick overview of the major events leading up to the current situation in the region.

The "Modern" Middle East Crisis

Here's an Arab/Israeli Note-Taking Guide for these events if you'd like one...

Zionism v. anti-Semitism

World War I - collapse of the Ottoman Empire

Balfour Declaration - 1917

World War II - Holocaust

United Nations created - 1945
Takes up "Jewish Question"

Israel created - May 14, 1948

UN Partition of Palestine
1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Palestinan exodus - al Nakba

Suez Crisis - 1956

Six-Day War - 1967

Palestinian Liberation Organization formed - 1967

Yom Kippur War - 1973

Black September - 1973

Camp David Accords signed - 1979

PLO begins intifada against Israel - 1987

Intifada II sparked in Jerusalem - 2000

Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference: You will receive one of the roles below to represent at tomorrow's conference. You won't be expected to give individual introductions, but you should come ready to represent your role from a relatively accurate position. You can expect some of these "big questions" to be on the table.

Should an independent Palestinian state be created? If so, where?
What should be done with the status of Jerusalem?
Should the security barrier/ wall on the West Bank be removed?
What should be done to improve conditions in Gaza?
What role, if any, does the outside world play in these negotiations?
Should Palestinian refugees receive the "right of return?"
What can be done to increase the safety of the citizens of Israel?

Representatives of Israel

Israel - Tzipi Livni (leader of Kadima)
Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister - Likud)
Israel - President Shimon Peres
Israel - Avigdor Lieberman (leader of Yisraeli Beiteinu)
Israel - Ehud Barak (leader of Labour)
Israel - soldier serving of Gaza border
Israel - settler living on West Bank
Israel - mother of three (Jerusalem)

Representatives of the Palestinians

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah)
Palestinian -PNA Prime Minister Ismail Haniya (Gaza - Hamas)
Palestinian - PNA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (West Bank - Fatah)
Hassan Nasrallah - Hezbollah leader (based in Lebanon)
Palestinian - member of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade (in Gaza)
Palestinian - resident of Hebron (West Bank)
Palestinian - resident of Jericho (West Bank)
Palestinian - mother of three (Gaza)

Representatives of "The Quartet"

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
European Union - High Representative Javier Solana
Special Mideast Envoy Tony Blair

You can certainly do much, if not all, of your preparation at the BBC News Special Reports site, Middle East Crisis: Israel and the Palestinians. Here are some specific recommendations for you to check out.

Israeli Election: Where they stand - must reading for all Israeli politicians

Q & A: Israel's General Election - Confused about the recent election? Read this.

Who are Hamas? - explains the history of this Palestinian group.

Q & A: Gaza Conflict - explains the recent Israeli advance into the Gaza Strip

They identify some "Obstacles to Peace": Browsing these would help everyone.

Here are maps of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.