Monday, November 29, 2010

November 29


You wrote your Unit 2 WRA II today in the Blenheim Room, which took all of today's period.


You handed in your Unit 2 Research Projects today. If you did a Prezi, you must e-mail me the link to your Prezi, please send it to my CBE e-mail account. We split into groups of 3-4 people to do a peer edit of the 1st paragraph assignment that I gave you on Friday. You should have had 2 people read and edit your paragraph and offer you some constructive criticism. I will be reading these paragraphs over tonight and doing the same thing. Hopefully, I'll be able to give them back to you tomorrow. I will be giving you your Unit 2 Essay Question Sheets tomorrow, and I will offer some advice and warnings about both text-based sources that you will be facing (Period 3 and Period 4 students will not be writing on the same source). Your Unit 2 WRA II (Essay) is on Thursday. Your Unit 2 Final Exam is on Monday, December 6th, please see the study guide here. We started looking at Unit 3 material today, with an organizational web of Unit 3 topics, and a opinion survey on internationalism (one the main concepts of Unit 3).

1. Study the following PowerPoint presentations from Unit 2:

  • The Causes of World War I
  • Total War-Allied Victory in WWI-Paris Peace Conference
  • Ultranationalism in WWII: Italy, Japan, Germany
  • The Internment of Japanese-Canadians in WWII
  • The Holocaust
  • Eight Stages of Genocide (from the Genocide Watch website)
  • Contemporary Examples of Genocide

2. Know the following key concepts:

  • national interest
  • domestic policy
  • foreign policy
  • Triple Alliance
  • Triple Entente
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • Big Four (Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, Vittorio Orlando)
  • appeasement
  • ultranationalism
  • propaganda
  • conscription crisis
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Nazis
  • Hirohito
  • Tojo
  • Kristallnacht
  • The Way of Subjects
  • League of Nations
  • total war
  • internment
  • War Measures Act
  • Great Depression
  • the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
  • irredentism
  • genocide
  • crimes against humanity
  • war crimes
  • Holocaust
  • ethnic cleansing
  • lebensraum
  • Weimar Republic
  • Final Solution
  • decolonization
  • successor state
  • self-determination

3. Make sure that you review the following broad topics in your review of Unit 2 (and make sure that you can answer ALL of the questions on the Unit 2 Worksheet):

  • World War I (don't concern yourself with memorizing battles though)
  • Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles
  • The Interwar Years
  • Rise of ultranationalism in Germany, Japan, and Italy
  • Causes of World War II and key events (turning points in the war)
  • The Holocaust
  • Contemporary examples of genocide (review case studies that were emphasized in class and in the textbook, review your notes for "Scream Bloody Murder", "Shake Hands with the Devil")
  • Decolonization and self-determination (quick review of "Gandhi" film study booklet, what are successor states? What is self-determination? Kosovo case study)

Friday, November 26, 2010

November 26


As a class we brainstormed arguments and evidence related to Monday's Unit 2 WRA II. Please go directly to the Blenheim Room on Monday to write the essay. Click here to see the Oreo Cookies video that I was talking about today in class



You wrote your Chapter 7-8 Test today, which took the entire class period. Please remember that your Unit 2 Research Project is due on Monday. If you are doing a Prezi, please send me the link to your Prezi to my e-mail account, and make sure that your hand in your typed reference list to me. Your Unit 2 Final Exam is on Monday, December 6th, please see the study guide below. Please make sure that you write your 1st paragraph for an essay based on the following source and question:

"No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others. We all share responsibility for each other's security, and only by working to make each other secure can we hope to achieve lasting security for ourselves."

-Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General

To what extent should we embrace the perspective(s) in the source?

In class on Monday, you'll be moved into small groups for peer editing and constructive criticism, and you will also be handing in this 1st paragraph to me for comments. This is NOT for marks! The purpose of this activity is to be able to give you feedback on how you are writing your essays prior to Thursday's class when you write your Unit 2 WRA II. The text-based source quote will be different for Thursday's essay, and you will ge that essay question sheet on Tuesday.




1. Study the following PowerPoint presentations from Unit 2:
  • The Causes of World War I
  • Total War-Allied Victory in WWI-Paris Peace Conference
  • Ultranationalism in WWII: Italy, Japan, Germany
  • The Internment of Japanese-Canadians in WWII
  • The Holocaust
  • Eight Stages of Genocide (from the Genocide Watch website)
  • Contemporary Examples of Genocide

2. Know the following key concepts:
  • national interest
  • domestic policy
  • foreign policy
  • Triple Alliance
  • Triple Entente
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • Big Four (Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, Vittorio Orlando)
  • appeasement
  • ultranationalism
  • propaganda
  • conscription crisis
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Nazis
  • Hirohito
  • Tojo
  • Kristallnacht
  • The Way of Subjects
  • League of Nations
  • total war
  • internment
  • War Measures Act
  • Great Depression
  • the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
  • irredentism
  • genocide
  • crimes against humanity
  • war crimes
  • Holocaust
  • ethnic cleansing
  • lebensraum
  • Weimar Republic
  • Final Solution
  • decolonization
  • successor state
  • self-determination

3. Make sure that you review the following broad topics in your review of Unit 2 (and make sure that you can answer ALL of the questions on the Unit 2 Worksheet):


  • World War I (don't concern yourself with memorizing battles though)
  • Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles
  • The Interwar Years
  • Rise of ultranationalism in Germany, Japan, and Italy
  • Causes of World War II and key events (turning points in the war)
  • The Holocaust
  • Contemporary examples of genocide (review case studies that were emphasized in class and in the textbook, review your notes for "Scream Bloody Murder", "Shake Hands with the Devil")
  • Decolonization and self-determination (quick review of "Gandhi" film study booklet, what are successor states? What is self-determination? Kosovo case study)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

November 25


We spent almost the entire period discussing the "recipe for success" on writing WRA II essays. I will be sending you the handouts that I gave you in class today. You do have a homework assignment for Monday, please write a 1st paragraph based on the following source and essay question:

"No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others. We all share responsibility for each other's security, and only by working to make each other secure can we hope to achieve lasting security for ourselves."

-Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General

To what extent should we embrace the perspective(s) in the source?
On Monday, we will be doing peer edits of your 1st paragraph for this essay. I will then take it in to add some comments and constructive criticism. This is NOT for marks! I want to go through potential problems prior to you actually writing your Unit 2 WRA II on Thursday of next week. I think it is better to know in advance that you are doing the analysis of the source incorrectly BEFORE you write your essays on Thursday. Incidentally, this is NOT the text-based source that you will facing on Thursday's essay. You will get the essay question sheet on Tuesday. Please remember that you have your Chapter 7-8 Test tomorrow, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Your Unit 2 Research Project is due on Monday as well. Your Unit 2 Final Exam is on Monday, December 6th, I'll be posting the study guide soon enough.


You handed in your Chapter 10 Key Terms and Questions today. I went through the structure of the Canadian political system today, and I introduced the concepts of first past the post and proportional representation. I also gave you your essay question sheets for Monday's Unit 2 WRA II. Please check your e-mail!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

November 24


We looked at the issue of national self-determination by looking at the controversy surrounding the declaration of independence of Kosovo. We watched a video from the CBC News in Review series from April 2008. While you were watching this video you were to answer the video study questions that came from this booklet. I also did a homework check on the "Gandhi" Film Study questions and the Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions today as well. I also announced the date of Part A of your Final Exam, it is on Wednesday, January 5th. During this class period you will write an essay that will count for 10% of your mark in Social 20-1. Please remember that your Chapter 7-8 Test is on Friday, November 26th, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Also, have a look at the upcoming important dates.

  • Chapter 7-8 Test is on Friday, November 26th
  • Unit 2 Research Project is due on Monday, November 29th
  • Unit 2 WRA II (Essay) is on Thursday, December 2nd
  • Unit 2 Final Exam is on Monday, December 6th
  • Social 20-1 Final Exam Part A is on Wednesday, January 5th


We finished looking at the Types of Democratic Systems handout that I gave you yesterday. We did some paperwork to request a computer for your Diploma Exam in January. You also got the results back from the Unit 2 Final Exam. Your Chapter 10 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow, please check your e-mail if you weren't in class today because I'll be sending this worksheet out to you.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

November 23


You wrote your Unit 2 Final Exam today, and the results will be revealed tomorrow. Please remember that you have your Unit 2 WRA II (Essay) on Monday, November 29th. You will be getting the essay question sheet later this week.


We finished our film study of "Gandhi" today, and the questions (content questions 1-17) and the thought questions are due tomorrow. Please check your e-mail for the PowerPoint presentation on plagiarism (especially if you are in Social 20-1 Period 3, we didn't finish it). Your Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow as well. Your Chapter 7-8 Test is on Friday, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Your Unit 2 Research Projects are due on Monday, November 29th.


This test is on Friday, November 26th. It will consist of 20-24 key terms in a matching section, and 3-4 short answer questions. Please study the following PowerPoint presentations:

Please study the following notes packages/film study packages:

  • 36 Questions About The Holocaust
  • Turning Points in History: The Atomic Bomb (film notes)
  • White Light/Black Rain (film notes)
  • Shake Hands with the Devil (film notes + package)
  • Unit 2 Worksheet (chapter questions for Chapter 7 and 8)
  • make sure that you have read Chapters 7 and 8!


1. Please study the following key concepts/key people/key events:

  • genocide
  • crimes against humanity
  • war crimes
  • the Holocaust
  • ethnic cleansing
  • lebensraum
  • Weimar Republic
  • Final Solution
  • decolonization
  • successor state
  • self-determination
  • Wansee Conference
  • Nuremberg Trials
  • Mahatma Gandhi
  • Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Mohammed Ali Jinnah
  • home rule
  • Hutu
  • Tutsi
  • Romeo Dallaire
  • Manhattan Project
  • Hiroshima
  • Nagasaki
  • Robert Oppenheimer
  • FDR
  • Harry Truman
  • Potsdam Conference
  • Slobodan Milosevic

2. You should be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 2 worksheet from Chapter 7 and 8.

Monday, November 22, 2010

November 22


I gave you a few handouts today on "The Language of Government" and "Types of Democratic Systems". If you missed class today, you'll have to get the handouts and the notes that I had students add to these handouts. We'll finish looking at the two main types of democratic systems that we'll look at in Unit 3 on Wednesday. Please remember that you have your Unit 2 Final Exam tomorrow, please see the study guide below.


It will be a 75 multiple choice question test. In your textbook, this is material from Chapters 3-8. Please look at the studying hints below:

  • study "The Development of Classical Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "Responding to Classical Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Evolution of Modern Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Techniques of Dictatorship" (ppt)
  • study "20th Century Rejections of Modern Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Origins of the Cold War" (ppt)
  • study the key concepts from the Chapters 3-8 worksheets
  • please see the summary notes from the Ideologies textbook: Chapter 7 (Private Enterprise)
  • supply-side economics
  • boom and bust cycle/business cycle
  • laws of supply and demand, Adam Smith, invisible hand, market forces
    self-interest, consumer sovereignty, competition, private ownership, profit motive
  • basic economic problems/questions
  • advantages/disadvantages of the market economy
  • causes of the Great Depression
  • FDR and the New Deal
  • please see summary notes from the Ideologies textbook on the Mixed Economy Case Studies #14 (Sweden) and #15 (Canada), #16 (Japan), #17 (Fascism and Nazism)
  • also see the Democratic Socialism booklet on Sweden (indicative planning, "cradle to the grave" economics)
  • characteristics of a mixed economy
  • nationalization
  • privatization
  • democratic socialism
  • welfare capitalism
  • Keynesian economics
  • the business cycle and fiscal and monetary policies (study all of the notes I gave you and the booklet that I gave you)
  • demand-side economics
  • neo-conservatives
  • monetarism
  • trickle down economics
  • supply-side economics
  • Thatcherism and Reaganomics
  • Milton Friedman
  • Friedrich Hayek
  • how Keynesian economics deals with a recession (remember "the percolator": increase circulation of money reducing taxes, increase government spending on "make work" projects, and reduce interest rates, which according to Keynesian economics is going increase demand for goods and services and lead to more money circulating in the economy)
  • how supply-side economics deals with a recession (remember "trickle down coffee maker": government should stimulate the goods and services sector of the economy by reducing corporate and personal taxes, eventually benefits will "trickle down" to the middle class and working class, make connections between supply-side economics and laissez faire economics/classical liberalism)
  • advantages and disadvantages of a mixed economy
  • neo-conservative criticism of government intervention
  • characteristics of a centrally planned economy
  • advantages and disadvantages of a centrally planned economy
  • Marx notes (sent by e-mail)
  • Lenin notes (sent by e-mail)
  • establishment of the Soviet Union
  • Soviet economic system (top-down decision-making process)
  • Lenin's War Communism and the New Economic Policy
  • "Stalin and the Modernization of Russia" (see film notes)
  • Stalin notes (sent by e-mail)
  • "Changes to Soviet Society After Stalin" notes (this bridges the gap between Stalin and Gorbachev)
  • Gorbachev to Collapse Notes
  • Economic Planning in the USSR booklet
  • techniques of dictatorships (USSR and Nazi Germany case studies)
  • modern liberalism
  • features of the Nazi state
  • Hitler's rise to power
  • Characteristics of Democracy
  • Characteristics of Dictatorship
  • Democratic Systems notes
  • Non-Democratic Systems notes
  • Types of Dictatorships notes (includes Techniques of Dictatorships as well)
  • A Comparison of Communism and Fascism notes
  • Totalitarianism notes
  • Fascism/Nazism booklet (has techniques of dictatorship in Nazi Germany and USSR)
  • do a brief review of the political spectrum and economic spectrum and the quadrant model


We continued our film study of "Gandhi". We will finish this film tomorrow. The film study will be due on Wednesday. Your Unit 2 Research Projects are due next Monday, hopefully you got a lot finished off on the weekend. I collected your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions today and handed back your background information on India. Your Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday. Please remember that your Chapter 7-8 Test is on Friday, November 26th. Please see the study guide below.


This test is on Friday, November 26th. It will consist of 20-24 key terms in a matching section, and 3-4 short answer questions. Please study the following PowerPoint presentations:

Please study the following notes packages/film study packages:


  • 36 Questions About The Holocaust
  • Turning Points in History: The Atomic Bomb (film notes)
  • White Light/Black Rain (film notes)
  • Shake Hands with the Devil (film notes + package)
  • Unit 2 Worksheet (chapter questions for Chapter 7 and 8)
  • make sure that you have read Chapters 7 and 8!


1. Please study the following key concepts/key people/key events:
genocide:


  • crimes against humanity
  • war crimes
  • the Holocaust
  • ethnic cleansing
  • lebensraum
  • Weimar Republic
  • Final Solution
  • decolonization
  • successor state
  • self-determination
  • Wansee Conference
  • Nuremberg Trials
  • Mahatma Gandhi
  • Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Mohammed Ali Jinnah
  • home rule
  • Hutu
  • Tutsi
  • Romeo Dallaire
  • Manhattan Project
  • Hiroshima
  • Nagasaki
  • Robert Oppenheimer
  • FDR
  • Harry Truman
  • Potsdam Conference
  • Slobodan Milosevic

2. You should be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 2 worksheet from Chapter 7 and 8.

Friday, November 19, 2010

November 19


We started looking at Unit 3 material today. If you missed today's class you will have to get these notes from a classmate. We also watched a video from BBC World called "10 Questions About Democracy" (here is a link to the companion website if you'd like to hear what people had to say again). You are responsible for finishing the entire film study that went along with this video for tomorrow's class (I'll be doing a homework check on it, and in all likelihood, we'll be able to discuss some of the questions in the video). You have another homework assignment tonight: please go to the following website-Political Compass, complete the political survey (from the left-hand navigation menu, click on "Take the test"), print off where you fall in the economic-political grid and bring it to class on Monday. We'll be able to talk about this on Monday. Please remember that you have your Unit 2 Final Exam on Tuesday, please see the study guide below. I also gave back the results of your Chapter 7 Test as well today. Please check your e-mail today because I will be sending you a copy of the "10 Questions About Democracy" video study and I will also be sending you a handout that looks at positive and negative freedoms (I'm trying to clear up some confusion about this concept; this relates to material in Chapter 8).


It will be a 75 multiple choice question test. In your textbook, this is material from Chapters 3-8. Please look at the studying hints below:


  • study "The Development of Classical Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "Responding to Classical Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Evolution of Modern Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Techniques of Dictatorship" (ppt)
  • study "20th Century Rejections of Modern Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Origins of the Cold War" (ppt)
  • study the key concepts from the Chapters 3-8 worksheets
  • please see the summary notes from the Ideologies textbook: Chapter 7 (Private Enterprise)
  • supply-side economics
  • boom and bust cycle/business cycle
  • laws of supply and demand, Adam Smith, invisible hand, market forces
  • self-interest, consumer sovereignty, competition, private ownership, profit motive
  • basic economic problems/questions
  • advantages/disadvantages of the market economy
  • causes of the Great Depression
  • FDR and the New Deal
  • please see summary notes from the Ideologies textbook on the Mixed Economy Case Studies #14 (Sweden) and #15 (Canada), #16 (Japan), #17 (Fascism and Nazism)
    also see the Democratic Socialism booklet on Sweden (indicative planning, "cradle to the grave" economics)
  • characteristics of a mixed economy
  • nationalization
  • privatization
  • democratic socialism
  • welfare capitalism
  • Keynesian economics
  • the business cycle and fiscal and monetary policies (study all of the notes I gave you and the booklet that I gave you)
  • demand-side economics
  • neo-conservatives
  • monetarism
  • trickle down economics
  • supply-side economics
  • Thatcherism and Reaganomics
  • Milton Friedman
  • Friedrich Hayek
  • how Keynesian economics deals with a recession (remember "the percolator": increase circulation of money reducing taxes, increase government spending on "make work" projects, and reduce interest rates, which according to Keynesian economics is going increase demand for goods and services and lead to more money circulating in the economy)
  • how supply-side economics deals with a recession (remember "trickle down coffee maker": government should stimulate the goods and services sector of the economy by reducing corporate and personal taxes, eventually benefits will "trickle down" to the middle class and working class, make connections between supply-side economics and laissez faire economics/classical liberalism)
  • advantages and disadvantages of a mixed economy
  • neo-conservative criticism of government intervention
  • characteristics of a centrally planned economy
  • advantages and disadvantages of a centrally planned economy
  • Marx notes (sent by e-mail)
  • Lenin notes (sent by e-mail)
  • establishment of the Soviet Union
  • Soviet economic system (top-down decision-making process)
  • Lenin's War Communism and the New Economic Policy
  • "Stalin and the Modernization of Russia" (see film notes)
  • Stalin notes (sent by e-mail)
  • "Changes to Soviet Society After Stalin" notes (this bridges the gap between Stalin and Gorbachev)
  • Gorbachev to Collapse Notes
  • Economic Planning in the USSR booklet
  • techniques of dictatorships (USSR and Nazi Germany case studies)
  • modern liberalism
  • features of the Nazi state
  • Hitler's rise to power
  • Democratic Systems notes
  • Non-Democratic Systems notes
  • Types of Dictatorships notes (includes Techniques of Dictatorships as well)
  • A Comparison of Communism and Fascism notes
  • Totalitarianism notes
  • Fascism/Nazism booklet (has techniques of dictatorship in Nazi Germany and USSR)
  • do a brief review of the political spectrum and economic spectrum and the quadrant model


We started our film study of "Gandhi" today. Before I started the film, I took in Part 1 of your case study (the background information) on India. Please remember that your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday. Your Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday. Your Chapter 7-8 Test is next Friday, please see the study guide below.


This test is on Friday, November 26th. It will consist of 20-24 key terms in a matching section, and 3-4 short answer questions. Please study the following PowerPoint presentations:

Please study the following notes packages/film study packages:


  • 36 Questions About The Holocaust
  • Turning Points in History: The Atomic Bomb (film notes)
  • White Light/Black Rain (film notes)
  • Shake Hands with the Devil (film notes + package)
  • Unit 2 Worksheet (chapter questions for Chapter 7 and 8)
  • make sure that you have read Chapters 7 and 8!


1. Please study the following key concepts/key people/key events:
genocide:


  • crimes against humanity
  • war crimes
  • the Holocaust
  • ethnic cleansing
  • lebensraum
  • Weimar Republic
  • Final Solution
  • decolonization
  • successor state
  • self-determination
  • Wansee Conference
  • Nuremberg Trials
  • Mahatma Gandhi
  • Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Mohammed Ali Jinnah
  • home rule
  • Hutu
  • Tutsi
  • Romeo Dallaire
  • Manhattan Project
  • Hiroshima
  • Nagasaki
  • Robert Oppenheimer
  • FDR
  • Harry Truman
  • Potsdam Conference
  • Slobodan Milosevic

2. You should be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 2 worksheet from Chapter 7 and 8.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

November 18


Today was a work period for you to learn as much as possible about background information on India, in preparation for our film study of "Gandhi". We will start our film study tomorrow. Please remember that the "Part 1: Background and Colonial Period for India" questions (all of questions 1-4) are due tomorrow for homework check marks. Also, your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday, and your Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday.



You wrote your Cold War Exam today, which took most of the period. Your "Good Night, and Good Night" Film Study questions are due tomorrow. Your Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow as well. Please remember that your Unit 2 Final Exam is on Tuesday, November 23rd (please see the study guide here, scroll down to find it). Also, your Unit 2 WRA II (Essay) is on Monday, November 29th.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

November 17

I went through a PowerPoint presentation today called "Contemporary Examples of Genocide" and I also gave you a reading package on many of the same genocides of the 20th century. I will be sending this presentation to you this afternoon. It is still recommended that you print these PowerPoint presentations off (4-6 slides per page) and add them to your notes. I also gave you reading by Samantha Power, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, the reading that I gave you was called "Never Again: The World's Most Unfulfilled Promise". Tomorrow we'll begin to look at background information on India in preparation for our film study of Gandhi. I gave you some class time to read over this booklet. Please remember the following upcoming important dates:

  • Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday, November 22nd
  • Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday, November 24th
  • Unit 2 Research Project is due on Monday, November 29th



We finished watching "Good Night, and Good Luck" today in class. This film explores a lot of issues that are relevant to today. You also have to understand the political climate at the time in the United States to fully understand the movie. Many Americans were drawn to communism in the 1930s due to the effects of the Great Depression, especially academics and those in the labour fields. In the movie they made reference to friends and spouses that had attended meetings long ago. The "Red Scare" caused a huge backlash against those sympathetic to communism or the USSR. Remember, during WWII the Soviet Union was an ally, and many people may have attended meetings out of curiosity. The junior Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy in 1950 charged there were communist sympathizers in the U.S. State Department. Hearings were held, charges were found to be unfounded. McCarthy continued accusing communist infiltration in the Democratic Party. McCarthy became the chairman of the House Subcommittee on the investigation of un-American activity (HUAC). On December 2, 1954, McCarthy’s actions were called into question and his accusations were deemed unfounded. Murrow makes a show on McCarthy attacking him. A very public feud develops when McCarthy responds by accusing Murrow of being a communist. Murrow is accused of having been a member of the leftist union Industrial Workers of the World, which Murrow claimed was false.
In this climate of fear and reprisal (which we now refer to as McCarthyism), the CBS crew carries on and their tenacity ultimately strikes a historic blow against McCarthy. Historical footage in the movie also shows the questioning of Annie Lee Moss, a Pentagon communication worker accused of being a communist based on her name appearing on a list seen by an FBI infiltrator of the American Communist Party. In the first half of the film Murrow talks about how McCarthy didn't create the political climate and anti-Communist hysteria sweeping the country, but that he capitalized on it for political gain very effectively. As David Strathairn (playing Murrow in the film says, "We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason if we dig deep in our history and doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes which were, for the moment, unpopular. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of the Republic to abdicate responsibility." The film is framed by the performance of the speech given by Murrow to the Radio and Television News Directors Association in 1958, in which Murrow harshly admonishes his audience not to squander the potential of television to inform and educate the public. I found this short video on YouTube that spliced together Edward R. Murrow's speech that appears at the beginning of the film and continues at the end of the film. I find that this speech has relevance even today when you talk about the level of discourse in the media. Your film study for "Good Night and Good Luck" is due on Friday. We also did a quick review of Cold War concepts, if you missed class today, please get these notes from a classmate. Please remember that you have your Chapter 7 Test (Cold War period) tomorrow and your Unit 2 Final Exam on Tuesday. Please see both study guides here.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

November 16


We started looking at the film "Good Night, and Good Luck" today in class. This film explores McCarthyism in the early 1950s. The film study that I provided you with also has a film review (if you are having a hard time understanding the film so far, it might be a good idea to read this over tonight), and some study questions and some discussion questions. This film definitely has relevance in today's world (which we'll be talking about more tomorrow and in Unit 3 of the course). Hopefully, we'll finish off the film tomorrow, and be able to have a short discussion period of some of the issues the film raises. In all likelihood, the study questions from the film study will be due on Monday. Please remember that you have your Chapter 7 Exam (Cold War Exam) on Thursday, November 18th and your Unit 2 Final Exam on Tuesday, November 23rd. You can find both study guides here (scroll down to find them).



We finished watching "Shake Hands with the Devil" today in class. The pre-viewing and post-viewing questions from the "Shake Hands with the Devil" film study are due tomorrow. Here is some additional information on Theoneste Bagosora (especially useful if your Unit 2 Research Project is on the Rwandan genocide). We will look at other contemporary examples of genocide tomorrow, and look at an article written by Samantha Power on the subject. Later this week, we'll start looking at India, the Indian independence movement, and the civil disobedience and non-violence movement advocated by Gandhi.

Monday, November 15, 2010

November 15


We watched a video called "Inside North Korea" to look at one of the legacies of the Cold War. The Korean peninsula is still divided to this day, and it's important to see how Kim Jong-Il maintains power in North Korea. Hopefully you could see the techniques of dictatorship at work in the video. Please make sure that you study for the Cold War Exam (Chapter 7), please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). You also have your Unit 2 Final Exam coming up as well, here's the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Tomorrow, we'll be starting a film study on "Good Night and Good Luck". We will be looking at McCarthyism in the United States in the 1950s (so we're backtracking a bit). To fully understand what we're doing in class on Tuesday and Wednesday, it will be beneficial to re-read the section in Perspectives on Ideology on McCarthyism and to read up on Edward R. Murrow as well.




We finished watching "Scream Bloody Murder" today, and as you watched this video you were to take notes on the various genocides depicted. We also moved on to our film study of "Shake Hands with the Devil" today. We will finish this movie tomorrow, and then I will talk about when the film study is due. Your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday, November 22nd. Your Unit 2 Project is due on Tuesday, November 23rd.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

November 10


Today was a shorter period due to the Remembrance Day ceremony, but we started watching CNN Presents "Scream Bloody Murder". We'll finish this video on Monday. Over this weekend, you should be working on your Unit 2 Research Projects. This project is due on Tuesday, November 23rd. Here is a link to CNN Presents: Scream Bloody Murder (this video is on YouTube, but it's split into 14 parts! You can check it out here.) Here is a profile of Romeo Dallaire as well: In-Depth Profile of Romeo Dallaire from CBC News. We'll be looking at the Rwandan Genocide next week, so it might help get an idea of the man at the center of UN mission in Rwanda.

Social 20-1 Students: Check Your E-Mail!




Today was a very short 50 minute period. We looked briefly at disarmament talks during the Cold War. I put notes up on the board on bilateral and multilateral agreements aimed at disarmament. If you missed class today, you need to get these notes from a classmate. We also looked at the end of the Cold War era and global trends since the end of the Cold War. Here is the link to the Chapter 7 Test Study Guide (it's on Thursday, November 18th) and a link to the Unit 2 Final Exam (which is on Tuesday, November 23rd). Also, you have your Unit 2 WRA II (Essay) on Monday, November 29th. I did a homework check on your Vietnam War Assignment today as well. I'm almost forgot to post this video of nuclear bomb testing around the world that I promised in class on Friday, have a look it's only 5 minutes long. It's a bit shocking to see all of these tests! It also only covers 1945 to 1998, and there have been more countries that have joined the "nuclear club" since then.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

November 9


We watched "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam" today in class. I also gave you a package on the causes of the Vietnam War and key phases of the war. Make sure that you read it! Your Vietnam War assignment is due tomorrow. Please see yesterday's post for the study guides for the Chapter 7 Test (Cold War) and the Unit 2 Final Exam. Tomorrow, your Vietnam War Assignment is due (sections A-C). If you missed the handout, here are the topics that need to be covered in the Vietnam War Assignment:


A. PEOPLE
Identify and explain the role each played in the Vietnam War
1. Ho Chi Minh
2. Ngo Dinh Diem
3. Lyndon B. Johnson
4. Richard M. Nixon
5. Viet Minh
6. Viet Cong
7. Le Duc Tho
8. Henry Kissinger
9. William Westmoreland
10. "Draft Dodger"

B. CONCEPTS/TERMS
Explain the significance of the following with regards to the Vietnam War (identify participants or individuals if appropriate)
1. Ho Chi Minh Trail
2. defoliation
3. "search and destroy" mission
4. "Vietnamization of the war"
5. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
6. My Lai Massacre
7. domino theory
8. Kent State University protest (May 4, 1970)
9. Tet Offensive (January 1968)
10. Geneva Agreement (1954)

C. ISSUES
Provide the information requested
1. The predominant religion of Vietnam
2. The battle which marked the end of French colonial rule in Indo-China
3. The scandal which led to the only resignation of an American President
4. The Vice President who replaced the President after his resignation
5. Why was November 1963 a "bad month" for the governments of South Vietnam and the United States?



You had today to work on your Unit 2 Research Projects. This will be the only library class time that you will get. This project is due on Tuesday, November 23rd. This gives you two weeks and, more importantly, two weekends to put the project together.

Monday, November 08, 2010

November 8


We continued our look at the Vietnam War today by watching an excerpt from "Born of the Fourth of July". Please Here is a link to the NPR that explains the story behind this photograph, definitely worth the time to read or listen to the podcast, and make sure that you look at the photo gallery of Eddie Adams' photographs of the Vietnam War.



There are certain iconic images associated with the Vietnam War. Here is another:

The above photograph is of Phan Thị Kim Phúc, O.Ont (born in 1963), she is a Vietnamese-Canadian best known as the child subject of a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph taken during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972. The iconic photo taken in Trang Bang by AP photographer Nick Ut shows her at about age nine running naked on the street after being severely burned on her back by a South Vietnamese napalm attack. Contrary to popular myth, the US Air Force were not involved in the attack, and only two US troops were within 60 miles (97 km) of the scene, neither of whom had any say in the bombings. Still, it is a powerful image associated with the war.

Your Vietnam War Assignment is due on Wednesday.

I'm posting study guides for your Chapter 7 Test (Cold War Exam) and your Unit 2 Final Exam below. You have a lot of review and studying to do, that's why I'm posting these study guides so far in advance.




It is a multiple choice test with 70-75 multiple choice questions. Please make sure that you have read Chapter 7. Here are some other study tips:

  • study "The Origins of the Cold War (ppt)"
  • study all notes on the Origins and Causes of the Cold War
  • study notes on the Korean War
  • study notes on the Cuban Missile Crisis
  • study notes on the Vietnam War (see notes package and Vietnam War booklet, and the notes that I sent to you on the Vietnam War)
  • make sure that you know all the Cold War Concepts (please see the Cold War Concepts Quiz Study Guide)
  • know the chronology of events of the Cold War (study the Cold War timeline and the Vietnam War timeline, and the end of the Cold War timeline that I will be giving you on subsequent class)
  • know key events that we've emphasized in class (for example: Berlin Airlift,Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War) plus other key events from the timeline
  • know major arms reduction agreements (bilateral agreements and multilateral agreements), please study the notes that I will give you on this week on this topic.
  • know about the formation of alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact) and the formation of "spheres of influence"
  • anything that I gave you as a handout is testable material and should be reviewed!!
  • know how the Cold War ends and its results/consequences


It will be a 75 multiple choice question test. In your textbook, this is material from Chapters 3-8. Please look at the studying hints below:

  • study "The Development of Classical Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "Responding to Classical Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Evolution of Modern Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Techniques of Dictatorship" (ppt)
  • study "20th Century Rejections of Modern Liberalism" (ppt)
  • study "The Origins of the Cold War" (ppt)
  • study the key concepts from the Chapters 3-8 worksheets
  • please see the summary notes from the Ideologies textbook: Chapter 7 (Private Enterprise)
  • supply-side economics
  • boom and bust cycle/business cycle
  • laws of supply and demand, Adam Smith, invisible hand, market forces
    self-interest, consumer sovereignty, competition, private ownership, profit motive
  • basic economic problems/questions
  • advantages/disadvantages of the market economy
  • causes of the Great Depression
  • FDR and the New Deal
  • please see summary notes from the Ideologies textbook on the Mixed Economy Case Studies #14 (Sweden) and #15 (Canada), #16 (Japan), #17 (Fascism and Nazism)
  • also see the Democratic Socialism booklet on Sweden (indicative planning, "cradle to the grave" economics)
  • characteristics of a mixed economy
  • nationalization
  • privatization
  • democratic socialism
  • welfare capitalism
  • Keynesian economics
  • the business cycle and fiscal and monetary policies (study all of the notes I gave you and the booklet that I gave you)
  • demand-side economics
  • neo-conservatives
  • monetarism
  • trickle down economics
  • supply-side economics
  • Thatcherism and Reaganomics
  • Milton Friedman
  • Friedrich Hayek
  • how Keynesian economics deals with a recession (remember "the percolator": increase circulation of money reducing taxes, increase government spending on "make work" projects, and reduce interest rates, which according to Keynesian economics is going increase demand for goods and services and lead to more money circulating in the economy)
  • how supply-side economics deals with a recession (remember "trickle down coffee maker": government should stimulate the goods and services sector of the economy by reducing corporate and personal taxes, eventually benefits will "trickle down" to the middle class and working class, make connections between supply-side economics and laissez faire economics/classical liberalism)
  • advantages and disadvantages of a mixed economy
  • neo-conservative criticism of government intervention
  • characteristics of a centrally planned economy
  • advantages and disadvantages of a centrally planned economy
  • Marx notes (sent by e-mail)
  • Lenin notes (sent by e-mail)
  • establishment of the Soviet Union
  • Soviet economic system (top-down decision-making process)
  • Lenin's War Communism and the New Economic Policy
  • "Stalin and the Modernization of Russia" (see film notes)
  • Stalin notes (sent by e-mail)
  • "Changes to Soviet Society After Stalin" notes (this bridges the gap between Stalin and Gorbachev)
  • Gorbachev to Collapse Notes
  • Economic Planning in the USSR booklet
  • techniques of dictatorships (USSR and Nazi Germany case studies)
  • modern liberalism
  • features of the Nazi state
  • Hitler's rise to power
  • Characteristics of Democracy
  • Characteristics of Dictatorship
  • Democratic Systems notes
  • Non-Democratic Systems notes
  • Types of Dictatorships notes (includes Techniques of Dictatorships as well)
  • A Comparison of Communism and Fascism notes
  • Totalitarianism notes
  • Fascism/Nazism booklet (has techniques of dictatorship in Nazi Germany and USSR)
  • do a brief review of the political spectrum and economic spectrum and the quadrant model


I showed you some video I shot when I visited Hiroshima, in particular the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park. We looked at the eight stages of genocide and how governments and individuals deny genocide. Please check out this link to Genocide Watch to download today's PowerPoint presentation or to view other documents on their website. We're starting our Unit 2 Research Project tomorrow, so please come to the classroom first, then we'll head down to the library together. We drew lots to determine the draft order for the projects. I'll set a due date for this project in the days to come. If you're interested in checking out Prezi, please follow this link. Make sure you check out the beginner instructional videos on the site, and have a look at the manual as well. It is really easy to learn how to use Prezi. Check out what is possible by looking at the 15 minute Prezi at this link.

Friday, November 05, 2010

November 5


I gave you some handouts on the Cold War today. I gave you some handouts on the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as an activity booklet on Southeast Asia. We watched a short video from the BBC 20th Century History series called "Mr. Khrushchev and Mr. Kennedy", looking at the Cuban Missile Crisis. I then gave you time to work on your Cold War Events Notes, these booklets are due on Monday, as is the Southeast Asia booklet. Your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday.


We finished our film study of "White Light/Black Rain" today. If I can remember I'll try to bring in my home videos of Hiroshima on Monday to show you. We'll also move on to stages of genocide on Monday. Also on Monday, we'll be drawing lots to pick Unit 2 Research Project topics.

Thursday, November 04, 2010

November 4


We watched a video today from the "History's Turning Points" series on the atomic bomb building project in WWII. We then started a film study of the HBO documentary "White Light/Black Rain" which we will finish tomorrow. There are some pages in your textbook related to the use of the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please see pages 158-161 and 168-169 in Chapter 7 in Exploring Nationalism.

I gave you about 35 minutes to work with a great little resource called "The Cold War and After". With these books you were to take notes on key events in the Cold War in your Cold War Events Booklets. These booklets will be due on Monday, November 8th. You will get some class time tomorrow to work on this booklet as well. Please remember that your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday, November 9th.

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

November 3


We watched some excerpts today from "Schindler's List" to help illustrate life in the ghetto and the concentration camps. We also started talking about the aftermath of WWII in Europe and the trial of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg. We watched a short video on the war crimes trials at Nuremberg and I also gave you a handout with all the defendants and the results of the Nuremberg trial. Tomorrow, we'll be moving on to look at the end of WWII in the Pacific.

I finished delivering a PowerPoint presentation today called "The Origins of the Cold War", which I have already sent to you. Make sure that you read the other handouts that I gave you on the Cold War today. I know that I gave them out at the end of the period, but they are important. The handout that covers the WWII conferences and agreements is especially valuable in my opinion. I would like you to go to the World War II Behind Closed Doors website tonight, and read the sections on the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference. This is an excellent site, with tons of information, maps, video clips, timelines and archival footage and re-enactments as well. You do need to really make sure that you understand the Yalta Agreements and the Potsdam Declaration (among other things) and this is a great site to do this. Episode 3 is the one that contains most of the information that you would need to read and watch. There's a great little video clip on this website called "Stalin's Distrust of the West" that might help you see WWII from the Soviet perspective and why the Soviets might wish to extend control over Eastern Europe and be so distrustful of their wartime allies. You can find this video clip in Episode 3 (Dividing the World), scroll down and click on the video clip on the right called "Stalin's Distrust of the West". It's a short little clip, but you'll get the idea. We also watched a couple of videos from the BBC 20th Century History series called "The Road to Berlin" (last few years of WWII) and "Cold War Confrontation". We'll continue our look at the Cold War tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

November 2


You wrote your Nazi Germany Quiz today. Then we started our examination of the origins of the Cold War. I gave you a handout entitled "Origins of the Cold War" and gave you some supplementary information to go along with it. I then started a PowerPoint on "The Origins of the Cold War" which I will finish tomorrow. I also gave you a booklet on the timeline of the Cold War events (this will be very useful for studying for your Diploma Exam). I also gave you the Chapter 7 Worksheet. Your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions are due in one week's time (November 9th). It's probably a good idea to read Chapter 7 and start chipping away at this assignment because it will take some time and effort to complete it.


We watched a 50 minute video called "Genocide" today. Given the graphic nature of this video, I figured that you had seen enough for today, and gave you the remainder of class time to read "36 Questions About the Holocaust". Tomorrow we'll be looking at excerpts from the Academy Award-winning film "Schindler's List" and then examining what became of the remaining Nazi Party leadership at the Nuremberg trials.

Monday, November 01, 2010

November 1


You wrote your Chapter 5 Test today, and you'll get results back tomorrow. This test will go into Term 2 results though and will not affect your Midterm Report Card mark. Please make sure that you read Chapter 7 prior to tomorrow's class. Also, you have a Nazi Germany Quiz tomorrow, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it).


We started our examination of the Holocaust today with a presentation/lecture on the topic and a reading called "36 Questions About the Holocaust". It will be helpful to read this over prior to tomorrow's class.