Epic News Week & Afghanistan

News

CNN - "Some Lawmakers Withdraw Support for SOPA after online protest"
Washington Post - "The Colbert Effect"

The Campaign


Daily Show - Southern Discomfort
Daily Show - Still Not Coordinating
Colbert Report - Attack Ads


Afghanistan

Frontline - Behind Taliban Lines  (~30 min)
Frontline - The Secret War  (~20 min)

News, Debates, and Afghanistan

Internet News:
  WaPo - "What Happens When The Internet Gets Mad"
  SOPA / PIPA - Where They Are Now

Sweatshops & South Carolina:

  Colbert on SC Election (Monday Night)
  Stewart on Foxconn

Debates:
   - View selected clips & discuss
    - Mitt Romney's Tax Rate Estimate  (read after tax return debate question)


Afghanistan:
   - Frontline World Video (~30 minutes)

Kite Runner / Presidential Race

• Finish Kite Runner
• Read:   Romney & GOP Nomination
• Discussion
• Is this nomination over?
• Primary system
• pro/con
• Reliance of polls
• Debate Clips
• Discuss candidates repleis

Objective

• Explain major events in the history of Afghanistan
• Analyze how Afghanistan's history has impacted the country today

Agenda

• In The News...
• Ron Paul Star Wars
• Iran Nuke Assassination
• Introduction
• What do you know about Afghanistan's history?
• Watch The Kite Runner

Arab Israeli Conflict Finale

Agenda

• Complete the Arab-Israeli Conflict Game
• Eat Food!
• Revise old posts for quality.  This can be done at the same time as the reflection if you need to 'divide and conquer'
• Reflection Assignment (10 points)
• The reflection is graded based on - accuracy and completeness.  BE HONEST! 
• Part 1 - Success/Fail
• Describe your great achievements in a bulleted list.  For each achievement, explain why you think it was such a positive action.
• Describe your mistakes or failures in a bulleted list.  For each situation, what could you have done differently.
• Part 2 - Commentary
• Challenges
• Looking at your historical events, what kinds of challenges do you think your country's government has had to face in "real history"?
• What were your biggest challenges in our alternate history?
• Performance
• Based on the following criteria, rate groups from "1st place" to "6th place"
• How well did they do given their initial limitations?
• How clever was their diplomacy?  
• Did they make good military decisions?
• BE HONEST!  Your decision won't affect my grading.
• Explain why you chose your top group as #1 - what did they do well?  Be specific.
• Teaching
• How did "Blood and Soil" compare as a learning experience compared to a more traditional set of lessons?  (Keep in mind, we've got some notes & review left to do after break!)
• Any suggestions to improve it for future students?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/arab-spring-yields-different-outcomes-in-bahrain-egypt-and-libya/2011/12/15/gIQAY6h57O_story.html?hpid=z2

Arab Israeli Conflict

News:  "Palestinians Are An Invented People"
1.  What is the Arab Israeli Conflict?
     http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7mjyo_its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-is_fun
2.  Groups Handout
3.  Blood and Soil
   - Rules
   - Set-Up (website & profiles)
   - Turn Zero
   - Budget

Terrorism Quiz

Objective

• Develop a definition of terrorism
• Evaluate the "War on Terrorism"

Agenda

• In The News:  
• Research Firm Breaks Down Politics of TV
• Herman Cain Suspends Campaign (Daily Show Clip)
• Terrorism Quiz - Answer one of the following in about about three paragraphs
• War on Terror
• Define terrorism and provide three examples of terrorist acts that have occurred in history.  These should include acts performed by individuals. groups, and states.
• Describe the three ways that terrorist (and other) groups are organized, and the challenges in dealing with these different forms.
• Do you agree or disagree with the "War on Terror" approach to this problem?  What powers should the government be granted and what rights may need to be curtailed, and what limits should we place on this?
• V For Vendetta
• Give four examples of ways in which the government in V for Vendetta used fear to expand its power.
• Is this a realistic scenario for the United States to face?  How can we ensure we avoid this future?
• The hero of the film, V, uses terrorism to stop a government like this.  Are there any situations where you would consider the use of terrorism justified? Explain what your criteria are.
• Arab-Israeli Conflict Research  (10 points, due Friday @ end of class)
• Prepare a document, in your own words, that researches events you will face in "Blood and Soil" (The Arab-Israeli Conflict Simulation)
• For each event, you should describe what happened and what worked or went wrong.  You may want to make notes about how you could do something different if your country was involved.
• You should focus on two major categories
• Important Events in the Arab-Israeli Conflict
• The most significant events from 1947-present
• Pay close attention to major wars, they tend to have the most dramatic impact
• Country-Specific Events
• What kind of internal issues does your country face?
• What international events may your country play a significant or special role in?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/12/05/the-national-defense-authorization-act-is-the-greatest-threat-to-civil-liberties-americans-face/

V For Vendetta (Day 1)

Objective

• Develop a definition of terrorism
• Evaluate the "War on Terrorism"

Agenda

• In The News:  
• Herman Cain Suspends Campaign (Onion!)
• Operation Cupcake  (Old News, But Good News)
• Terrorism
• The War on Terror
• How do we deal with a network?
• Is this a good framework?
• What powers ought government have?
• Torture?
• Wiretapping?
• Burden of Proof?
• The "Torture" Question
• What is torture?
• The Waterboarding Question
• Videos
• V For Vendetta

Terrorism

Objective

• Develop a definition of terrorism
• Evaluate the "War on Terrorism"

Agenda

• In The News:  
• NY Bomb Plot 11/20
• Terrorism
• Who performs terrorist acts?
• Individuals
• Groups
• Governments
• Evaluate Motivating Factors
• Politics
• Religion
• Types of Organizations (General)
• Traditional
• Guerrilla
• Network
• The War on Terror
• How do we deal with a network?
• Is this a good framework?
• What powers ought government have?
• The "Torture" Question
• What is torture?
• The Waterboarding Question
• Videos
• V For Vendetta

Introduction to Terrorism

Objective

• Develop a definition of terrorism
• Evaluate the "War on Terrorism"

Agenda

• In The News:  
• NY Bomb Plot 11/20
• Discussion
• What is Terrorism?
• Small Groups
• Develop a definition
• Share with the class
• Develop a list - examples of terrorism  (history/present)
• Share with the class
• Notes
• Definition
• A Brief History of Terrorism
• Forms of Terrorism
• Intelligence Squared
• http://intelligencesquaredus.org/index.php/past-debates/time-to-end-the-war-on-terror/

Human Rights

Objective

• Evaluate the effects of the Citizens United vs. FEC decision
• Analyze the strategies used in crafting political advertisements

Agenda

• On The Interwebs:
• A Sunday Afternoon
• Not the Wookie
• For England!
• Spray-On Seasoning
• In The News
• "Walk of Shame"
• Terrorism & Human Rights Unit
• We start with Human Rights (terrorism after break)
• What are Human Rights?
• Make your own list
• Confer with group
• Discussion
• Human Rights Video Clips / Discussion
• Reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Campaign Finance Reform Quiz

Objective

• Evaluate the effects of the Citizens United vs. FEC decision
• Analyze the strategies used in crafting political advertisements

Agenda

• In The News:  
• UC David Pepperspray Incident
• 2012 Fundraising Stats
• Campaign Finance Reform Quiz
• Terrorism
• News:  NY Bomb Plot 11/20
• What is Terrorism?
• Definition / Problems with defining it
• A Brief History of Terrorism

Political Ads (3)

Objective

• Evaluate the effects of the Citizens United vs. FEC decision
• Analyze the strategies used in crafting political advertisements

Agenda

• News - Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) Controversy
• Political Advertisements
• 10 Strategies
• Campaign Finance Reform - Key Debates
• Review Citizens United - 5 to 4 Decision
• Arguments For
• Arguments Against
• Discuss Proposals
• "Voting With Dollars"  ($100 / Anonymous)
• "Matching Funds For Small Donations"
• "Clean Elections"
• Constitutional Amendment
• Revisit Categorical vs. Consequentialist
• Key questions
• Are corporations people?
• Is money speech?
• Research Project
• Topic
• Any "global" topic that extends beyond the traditional "domestic issues" of the United States.  Think foreign policy.  Includes issues, events, people, or places that dominate the news.
• Good examples:  North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, the United Nations, Debt Crisis in Europe, Microloans, Al Qaeda, Iran, Free/Fair Trade, Human Trafficking, etc
• Bad examples:  Heathcare Policy, Tax Policy, Death Penalty, Illegal Immigration, Legalization of Marijuana, Education Policy, etc...
• Option #1 - Presentation  (Partners)
• Create a 10-15 minute presentation to teach a subject in an effective, concise, and interesting manner.
• Must include:  visuals, audience participation, and a "one page" handout, works cited
• Option #2 - Paper  (Individual)
• Write a four page paper (double spaced) that describes the subject in a concise, accurate, and detailed manner.
• Works Cited

Political Ads (2)

Objective

• Evaluate the effects of the Citizens United vs. FEC decision
• Analyze the strategies used in crafting political advertisements

Agenda

• News - US To Establish Permanent Base in Australia
• Political Advertisements
• 10 Strategies
• Campaign Finance Reform - Key Debates
• Review Citizens United - 5 to 4 Decision
• Arguments For
• Arguments Against
• Discuss Proposals
• "Voting With Dollars"  ($100 / Anonymous)
• "Matching Funds For Small Donations"
• "Clean Elections"
• Constitutional Amendment
• Revisit Categorical vs. Consequentialist
• Key questions
• Are corporations people?
• Is money speech?

Political Ads

Objective

• Evaluate the effects of the Citizens United vs. FEC decision
• Analyze the strategies used in crafting political advertisements

Agenda

• News - Occupy Wall Street Ousted From Zucotti   "Reset Button" For OWS
• Using the Colbert SuperPAC
• 9/29 - Stephen's Shell Corporation w/ Trevor Potter (5:00)
• 8/16 - Frank Luntz Agrees to An Ad (7:00)
• 8/24 - Frank Luntz (6:00)
• 8/25 - Frank Luntz Focus Group (5:00)
• Political Advertisements
• 10 Strategies

SuperPAC

Objective

• Explain the difference between a PAC and a SuperPAC
• Evaluate the effects of the Citizens United vs. FEC decision

Agenda

• News - Newt Surges Ahead In The Polls
• Questions To Consider:
• Are the distinctions between a PAC and SuperPAC reasonable?
• What are the appropriate distinctions to be made for media personalities promoting and covering their own PACs?
• Ought there be any restrictions placed upon SuperPAC money?
• Amounts?
• What it is spent on?
• Are campaign contributions just "legalized bribery?"
• Creating the Colbert SuperPAC  (~46 min)
• 3/30 - Colbert PAC w/ Trevor Potter  (5:00)
• 4/14 - Viacom Ruins Colbert's PAC Dreams (3:00)
• 4/14 - Colbert SuperPAC w/ Trevor Potter (5:00)
• 5/11 - Corp Constituency (4:00)
• 5/11 - Corp Constituency w/ Trevor Potter (5:00)
• 5/16 - Stephen Files SuperPAC Request (7:00)
• 5/31 - Sarah Palin's Bus Tour (3:00)
• 5/31 - FEC Questions w/ Trevor Potter (5:00)
• 6/30 - I Can Haz SuperPAC! (4:00)
• 6/30 - Stephen Addresses Colbert Super Nation (5:00)
• Using the Colbert SuperPAC  (~44 min)
• 7/28 - Buddy Roemer Part 1 (5:00)
• 7/28 - Buddy Roemer Part 2 (3:00)
• 8/4 - Wisconsin Recall Election (3:00)
• 8/11 - Perry With An A Ad (5:00)
• 11/7 - Issue Ads (5:00)
• 11/7 - Issue Ads w/ Trevor Potter (5:00)
• 9/29 - Stephen's Shell Corporation w/ Trevor Potter (5:00)
• 8/16 - Frank Luntz Agrees to An Ad (7:00)
• 8/24 - Frank Luntz (6:00)
• 8/25 - Frank Luntz Focus Group (5:00)

Campaign Finance Reform (2)

Objective

• Explain key terms associated with campaign finance reform
• Analyze the arguments associated with campaign finance reform

Agenda

• News - Iran, Nukes, and Republican Primary Debate
• BBC
• MSNBC
• Fox News
• Small group-based discussion.  We'll follow each topic up with a class discussion;  take them one issue at a time. For each of the following questions, try and reach a consensus.  Failing that, establish a "majority opinion."   Write a response to each one in Word.
• Impact of Money on Politics
• In what ways specific does money affect politics?
• Does this have a substantial effect?
• Free Speech
• Are political donations a form of free speech?
• If so, should this right be granted to both individuals and corporations?
• Restrictions
• Should there be a limit on how much individuals, corporations, or other organizations can contribute to political campaigns?
• Should these contributions be made public?
• Issue Ads
• What about limits on an "issue ad" that doesn't promote a specific candidate?
• How do you distinguish an issue ad from a campaign ad? 

• Your group should provide a definition and describe the significance the following ideas, laws, or events:
• Buckley vs. Valeo
• 527
• PAC
• Super PAC
• Push Polls
• Hard Money
• Soft Money
• McCain Feingold Act
• Citizens United vs. FEC
• Print Answers, Review Terms as Class
• The West Wing on Campaign Finance

Campaign Finance Reform

Objective

• Explain key terms associated with campaign finance reform
• Analyze the arguments associated with campaign finance reform

Agenda

• News:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15677595
• Can Perry's campaign recover from this?
• Small group-based discussion.  We'll follow each topic up with a class discussion;  take them one issue at a time. For each of the following questions, try and reach a consensus.  Failing that, establish a "majority opinion."   Write a response to each one in Word.
• Impact of Money on Politics
• In what ways specific does money affect politics?
• Does this have a substantial effect?
• Free Speech
• Are political donations a form of free speech?
• If so, should this right be granted to both individuals and corporations?
• Restrictions
• Should there be a limit on how much individuals, corporations, or other organizations can contribute to political campaigns?
• Should these contributions be made public?
• Issue Ads
• What about limits on an "issue ad" that doesn't promote a specific candidate?
• How do you distinguish an issue ad from a campaign ad? 

• Your group should provide a definition and describe the significance the following ideas, laws, or events:
• Buckley vs. Valeo
• 527
• PAC
• Super PAC
• Push Polls
• Hard Money
• Soft Money
• McCain Feingold Act
• Citizens United vs. FEC
• TED Friday
• Why Are We Happy?
• What's The Problem With Rules & Incentives?
• Paterno and the Penn State Case
• Food Policy
• How Can Crowdsourcing Help Journalism?
• Relate to Occupy Wall Street Coverage