Final exam study guide

The final exam study guide is located here.

In class/homework: Final paper outline

Date assigned
Monday, May 20


Assignment
Write an outline for your final paper (which is due on Friday, May 31).  You have all of class on Monday, May 20 to work on your outline, and it is due on Friday, May 24.


Due date
Friday, May 24, beginning of class

In class: Red Line poster

Date assigned
Friday, May 10


Assignment
Directions located here.  We did step 1 in an earlier assignment.  Do steps 2, 3, and 4.


Due date
Friday, May 10, end of class

FINAL PROJECT: Changing America

Changing America

While wandering through Forest Park on a sunny Saturday, you stumble across a battered antique oil lamp.  To your surprise, upon picking it up a genie springs forth, all thunder and lightning and smoke and what have you.  After the hullabaloo has subsided, the genie informs you that you get exactly one wish, and it’s a strictly structured one at that: the country of the United States, from here on out, will follow whatever changes you want to make.  Changes to our system of government, changes to our culture, changes to our way of life.  You design it, and it will stick.  You have a number of options:

1)       Keep the pre-existing system – We’ve looked at how the US government functions.  Executive, legislative, and judicial.  Two-party system where third parties don’t matter.  Lobbying, gerrymandering, and the filibuster.  We’ve also looked at the country as a whole: guns, health care, private prisons, the drug war, climate change, and military bases overseas.  Keep the whole system intact if you want – but you have to be able to justify it.

2)       Stitch a quilt – You can pick and choose aspects from any country in the world.  A piece of European democratic socialism here, a chunk of Chinese authoritarianism there, a dash of Japanese gun control and cuisine, a pinch of German solar energy – it’s up to you.

3)       Complete fabrication – You can concoct a system of government and a culture entirely of your own.

Now, there’s one catch to all of this – you have to write me a 4-5 page paper (typed, double spaced, 12 point font) justifying your decision.

For example: “One of the huge (no pun intended) benefits of the United States adopting a vegetarian diet nationwide would be the drastic reduction in obesity levels.  Americans eat an unhealthy amount of corn-fed beef, and as a result are the fattest people in the world.  Vegetarians, however, are generally healthier because of their lower levels of saturated fat consumption.  This would reduce the amount of money the country has to spend on our health care industry, as the population would be much healthier overall.  Additionally, the end of factory farming in America would be good for the environment, with a reduction in the amount of methane gas being released into the atmosphere in the form of cow farts.”

Another example: “Lobbying has got to go.  This form of legal bribery has corrupted our political system to the point that the processed food industry convinced Congress to declare pizza a vegetable.  They’ve even got pizza being used as the primary example in economics textbooks.  Part of my genie wish will ban corporations from donating money to political campaigns, as well as prohibiting corporations from creating political advertisements of any kind.  Private citizens will be limited to donations of $100 per candidate per year.  The time has come for publicly financed campaigns in America – I’m tired of the candidate who raises the most money winning 90% of elections.”

I expect creativity.  I expect thoughtfulness.  I do not necessarily expect humor, though it’s always welcome.

Due Friday, May 31 – Enjoy the rest of your lives, seniors

In class: Red line rankings

Date assigned
Wednesday, May 8


Assignment
Read the list of Country X's actions and US responses (link here).  Rank Country X's actions from #1 (the thing the US should care the most about) to #24 (the thing the US should care the least about).  Draw a red line for each US response.


Due date
Wednesday, May 8, end of class

In class/homework: Syrian Civil War

Date assigned
Monday, May 6


Assignment
Read "Syria: To oppose or not to oppose?" (link here).  Answer the following questions (1 page typed, 1.5 pages handwritten):

1) Should the United States intervene in the Syrian Civil War?  If not, why  not?  If yes, should they support the rebels or the Assad government?  How should the US intervene - supplies and money only?  Weapons?  Airstrikes?  Explain your answer.

2) If Israel and Syria go to war over the Israeli airstrikes from May 3 and May 5, should the United States get involved?  Why or why not?  On which side?  To what extent - supplies, money, weapons, airstrikes, troops on the ground?  Explain your answer.

3) The US agrees that Israel should be allowed to attack Syria if Syria is supplying weapons to Hezbollah.  Obviously the US would be upset if Syria conducted airstrikes against US military installations because of US aid to the Syrian rebels.  So why is it okay for the US and its allies to do it, but not okay for other countries?  What makes it acceptable for certain members of the international community to commit acts of aggression, but not acceptable for others?


We have a guest speaker coming on Tuesday, May 7 to my freshman history classes.  Leila Piazza is the Syrian mother of Joey Piazza, and you are welcome to come listen to her speak with my freshmen during periods 2, 3, and 4.


Due date
Wednesday, May 8

In class/extra credit: Climate of Doubt

The PBS Frontline episode about climate change denial can be found here.

You can take notes for extra credit.

In class/homework: Global Warming's Terrifying New Math

Date assigned
Wednesday, May 1


Assignment
Read Bill McKibben's July 2012 piece from Rolling Stone, "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math" (link here).  In at least 2 handwritten pages, answer the following questions:

1) What is McKibben's thesis?

2) What arguments does he use to support his thesis?

3) Are his arguments persuasive?  Why or why not?  Do you agree with him?  Why or why not?

4) What are McKibben's proposed solutions?  Do you think they are likely/realistic/feasible?

5) What does the US government need to do to combat climate change?

6) What can you do to combat climate change?


Due date
Monday, May 6