Course Outline:
WELCOME TO GLOBAL ISSUES!
For some of you this will be your last year in high school before heading out into the “real world”. This course is designed to make you aware of some of the major issues facing society today. As Marshall McLuhan has said, the world is quickly becoming a “global village”. It’s my hope that after completing this course you will be able to have a better understanding of the world around you and the events that shape our daily lives.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Throughout the Global Issues course, you will conduct inquiry into the social, political, environmental and economic impact of a variety of contemporary and emerging issues in the world. Through inquiry, you will focus on questions of quality of life locally, nationally, and globally. This course is based on the principles of active democratic citizenship, ecological literacy, critical media literacy, and ethical decision-making, and consolidates learning across the disciplines to empower students as agents of change for a sustainable and equitable future.
AREAS OF INQUIRY
There are a total of 10 areas of inquiry suggested for this course. Given the amount of time we have, it will be next to impossible to dive deep into all areas. Throughout the course, however, most areas will be touched on in daily discussion about current affairs. It will then be up to you to conduct research into 2 of these areas. Inquiry projects are required components of the course and will have to be thoroughly researched and well documented and presented. The areas of inquiry suggested are:
TAKE ACTION PROJECT
A key component of the Global Issues course is the Take Action Project. The goal of this project is to move you from awareness through questioning, inquiry and dialogue, to critical consciousness and, ultimately, to engagement in informed reflective action for positive change. Successful projects will make a difference in your lives and the lives of our communities. Completion of a Take Action Project is a required component of the Global Issues course. More details will follow.
MUSIC PROJECT
You will be asked to choose one song or music video to share with the class. This song must contain content related to the themes looked at in this course. Once you have chosen your song, and it has been approved by me, you will then analyze the song content and present your findings in front of the class. Completion of the Music Project is a required component of the Global Issues course. More details will follow.
CLASS DISCUSSION
A key component of the Global Issues course is the study of current affairs. We will spend a lot of time discussing what is happening in the news; internationally, nationally, and locally. In a democracy, it is crucially important that we develop the skills necessary to have respectful discussions about issues that affect all of us. To that end, the Global Issues classroom is a safe space to work on these discussion skills, where you can offer your opinion and have meaningful and respectful dialogue. To do so, it is expected that students enrolled in the Global Issues course dedicate time outside of class to follow along with current affairs. Current affairs are accessible through many different forms of news media, whether it’s internet, radio, television, or others such as podcasts.
ASSESSMENT
In a continued effort to improve how I assess your learning, my assessment practices are constantly changing and adapting. It may feel very different from what you’re used to, and it will look completely different in your PowerSchool, so please be sure to talk to me if you have any questions or comments. In general, this course will focus on qualitative not quantitative assessment. While you will get a grade at mid-term and the end of the semester, I will not be grading individual assignments but rather asking questions and making comments that engage your work rather than simply evaluate it.
By its very nature, this course is really about how we, collectively, can work towards making this planet a more just and sustainable place to be. Though sometimes competition and individualism can prove to be beneficial, these forces can sometimes get in the way of collective efficacy we need to build this better world.
The Global Issues course centers around the two main concepts of “Citizenship” and “Sustainability”. Though we will explore both these themes thoroughly, the course itself is made up of ten different “Enduring Understandings” or “EUs”. Think of these EUs as the ten things that, at the end of the course, I want you to have understood. The ten EUs are:
Throughout this semester, you will be provided with 3 different ways to demonstrate your engagement with the EUs.
Day-to-Day Conversations About Global Issues
Four major assignments:
Term and Semester Reflection
For some of you this will be your last year in high school before heading out into the “real world”. This course is designed to make you aware of some of the major issues facing society today. As Marshall McLuhan has said, the world is quickly becoming a “global village”. It’s my hope that after completing this course you will be able to have a better understanding of the world around you and the events that shape our daily lives.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Throughout the Global Issues course, you will conduct inquiry into the social, political, environmental and economic impact of a variety of contemporary and emerging issues in the world. Through inquiry, you will focus on questions of quality of life locally, nationally, and globally. This course is based on the principles of active democratic citizenship, ecological literacy, critical media literacy, and ethical decision-making, and consolidates learning across the disciplines to empower students as agents of change for a sustainable and equitable future.
AREAS OF INQUIRY
There are a total of 10 areas of inquiry suggested for this course. Given the amount of time we have, it will be next to impossible to dive deep into all areas. Throughout the course, however, most areas will be touched on in daily discussion about current affairs. It will then be up to you to conduct research into 2 of these areas. Inquiry projects are required components of the course and will have to be thoroughly researched and well documented and presented. The areas of inquiry suggested are:
- Media
- Consumerism
- Environment
- Poverty, Wealth and Power
- Indigenous Peoples
- Peace and Conflict
- Oppression and Genocide
- Health and Biotechnology
- Gender Politics
- Social Justice and Human Rights
TAKE ACTION PROJECT
A key component of the Global Issues course is the Take Action Project. The goal of this project is to move you from awareness through questioning, inquiry and dialogue, to critical consciousness and, ultimately, to engagement in informed reflective action for positive change. Successful projects will make a difference in your lives and the lives of our communities. Completion of a Take Action Project is a required component of the Global Issues course. More details will follow.
MUSIC PROJECT
You will be asked to choose one song or music video to share with the class. This song must contain content related to the themes looked at in this course. Once you have chosen your song, and it has been approved by me, you will then analyze the song content and present your findings in front of the class. Completion of the Music Project is a required component of the Global Issues course. More details will follow.
CLASS DISCUSSION
A key component of the Global Issues course is the study of current affairs. We will spend a lot of time discussing what is happening in the news; internationally, nationally, and locally. In a democracy, it is crucially important that we develop the skills necessary to have respectful discussions about issues that affect all of us. To that end, the Global Issues classroom is a safe space to work on these discussion skills, where you can offer your opinion and have meaningful and respectful dialogue. To do so, it is expected that students enrolled in the Global Issues course dedicate time outside of class to follow along with current affairs. Current affairs are accessible through many different forms of news media, whether it’s internet, radio, television, or others such as podcasts.
ASSESSMENT
In a continued effort to improve how I assess your learning, my assessment practices are constantly changing and adapting. It may feel very different from what you’re used to, and it will look completely different in your PowerSchool, so please be sure to talk to me if you have any questions or comments. In general, this course will focus on qualitative not quantitative assessment. While you will get a grade at mid-term and the end of the semester, I will not be grading individual assignments but rather asking questions and making comments that engage your work rather than simply evaluate it.
By its very nature, this course is really about how we, collectively, can work towards making this planet a more just and sustainable place to be. Though sometimes competition and individualism can prove to be beneficial, these forces can sometimes get in the way of collective efficacy we need to build this better world.
The Global Issues course centers around the two main concepts of “Citizenship” and “Sustainability”. Though we will explore both these themes thoroughly, the course itself is made up of ten different “Enduring Understandings” or “EUs”. Think of these EUs as the ten things that, at the end of the course, I want you to have understood. The ten EUs are:
- Our ecological footprint is exceeding Earth’s capacity to sustain biodiversity and human life.
- Our decisions and actions matter; they have social, environmental, economic, and political consequences.
- Individuals, groups, governments, and corporations have the power to effect change and the responsibility to contribute to a sustainable future.
- The media do not provide neutral reflections of reality; they affect our decisions and actions.
- A global economic system that depends upon and perpetuates unrestrained consumerism is unsustainable.
- Economic and technological development has contributed greatly to society, but often with harmful human and environmental consequences.
- Indigenous knowledge and world views offer alternatives to prevailing assumptions about how to live with one another within the environment.
- Political systems distribute power, privilege, and wealth in different ways, some more justly than others.
- A just society respects human diversity and recognizes universal, equal, and inalienable human rights.
- There is no them or over there: we all belong to the human species, our concerns are interdependent, and we are part of the natural world.
Throughout this semester, you will be provided with 3 different ways to demonstrate your engagement with the EUs.
Day-to-Day Conversations About Global Issues
- At the beginning of almost every Global Issues class, events occurring in the news, be they global, national, or more local, will be discussed. The issues discussed will relate to the EUs and the themes of citizenship and sustainability.
- Students may engage in classroom discussions to provide evidence that they understand the issues and how they relate to the EUs
Four major assignments:
- Music in Global Issues
- Inquiry Project #1
- Inquiry Project #2
- Take-Action Project (TAP)
- Each one of these assignments is based on pass-fail criteria. Pass-fail assignments are marked for the meeting of the identified pass criteria (to be provided when each assignment is handed out). All pass criteria must be met to receive a pass for a pass-fail assignment.
- For every failed assignment, students can expect to lose 20% of their grade. Students will be given every opportunity to achieve a passing grade.
- At the end of each of these pass-fail assignments, you will be asked to provide a reflection of how you engaged with the themes of citizenship and sustainability as well as the ten EUs. Please note that this doesn’t mean each one of your projects needs to address all ten EUs.
- Also, at the end of each assignment, students will receive detailed feedback from me as to how well they’ve met the criteria and how well they have engaged with the themes of citizenship and sustainability and the ten EUs.
Term and Semester Reflection
- Prior to the term and semester-end report cards, students will be provided time to reflect on how well they have met each of the EUs of the course and provide what they think is a reasonable grade for each of them.
- At the same time, I will also provide a reflection on how well I believe you have met each of the EUs and will provide you with a reasonable grade.
- The term and semester mark will be based on the compilation of these two reflections made together during an student-teacher interview.