November 27

Social 30-1

We did a class discussion today where everyone was given two Post It notes to write out their answers to two of the following questions:

• Should the voting age be lowered?
• Should voting be mandatory?
• Should everyone over the age of 18 be allowed to vote?
• Is the first past the post system democratic?

Next, I split you into four groups to summarize some of the viewpoints in the classroom, and then we had a whole class discussion about the issues related to these questions. I think that it was a really great discussion period. I would like to extend the classroom discussion to here on the blog. Here is your homework assignment: I would like you to post your answer to any one (or two or three) of the discussion questions that we did in class. I'd like you to also include the initials of your first and last name after your post (for example, "K.G. in Social 30-1"). I'd also like you to comment on someone else's post. This is for double homework check marks. You must post and respond to someone else's post before Tuesday of next week (remember you have a long weekend; the next time that I see you it will be December). Please be civil in your posting. Please remember that your American-Canadian Political Systems Comparison Charts are due on Wednesday, December 2nd.

Social 10-1

I finished up the PowerPoint presentation called "Globalization and Sustainability" today. I will be sending this to you by e-mail this afternoon. I also did a homework check on some previous PowerPoint presentations as well. Your Chapter 14 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday. Enjoy your long weekend!

November 26

Social 10-1

We finished watching "Shipbreakers" today. I would like to take a little bit of time to properly finish off the "Globalization and Sustainability" PowerPoint presentation, so I will be doing that tomorrow, and as a result, I will not be sending this out by e-mail tonight.

Social 30-1

After looking at the blog feed last night it was apparent that a lot of you didn't get a chance to watch the U.S. electoral college video that I posted a link to yesterday, so that's what I started with today. I then also went over some other concepts related to the electoral college system, and how it is possible to win the popular vote but not win enough electoral college votes to become president. Your textbook uses the 2000 U.S. Presidential election as an example of this. In that particular case the key state was Florida. I talked a little bit about the differences between the types of ballots used in Canada and in the United States. In many counties in Florida during the 2000 election they used what's called a butterfly ballot where you punch holes in the ballot to indicate which candidate you are voting for. I tried to draw it on the board, but I think the following graphic illustrates nicely what I was trying to draw on the board.

I think you can see how this might have caused some confusion. If you can't see the ballot clearly, just click on it and you should see a larger view. If you want to look at past U.S. Presidential elections and see the U.S. electoral college maps for the past ten elections, have a look at Real Clear Politics. Have a look at the 1984 election, that was extremely one-sided!

I'm adding some links under the Social 30-1 Links on this page to help you out with your USA-Canada Political System Comparison Chart assignment (which is due next Wednesday). Here some websites that I think will help (permanent links will appear on the right-hand side of the blog under Social 30-1 Links):

• Ben's Guide to U.S. Government
• Elections Canada
• Real Clear Politics
• Canadian Parliament
• Canadian Senate
• Government of Canada: Democratic Reform
• The White House
• The United States Senate
• The House of Representatives
• The Electoral College System
• USA: How a Bill Becomes a Law

November 25

Social 10-1

I started a PowerPoint presentation today called "Globalization and Sustainability" which I will finish off in tomorrow's class. We also started watching a documentary called "shipbreakers" which tied into many of the themes in today's PowerPoint. We'll finish the film off tomorrow as well. Your TNC Dossier Assignment was due today as well. If you haven't handed it in yet, you will be facing a 10% penalty per day that it is late.

Social 30-1

I tied up some loose ends related to the Canadian political system, including the type of electoral system used in Canada and elsewhere in the world. We also looked at another version of re-casting a federal election (thanks for catching the mistakes in the Math people!) and then we finally looked over how a bill becomes a law in Canada. We then moved on to look at the structure of the American political system. We will continue this tomorrow. Here's a link to the video on the American electoral college system.

November 24

Social 30-1

Today's class was spent writing your Unit 2 Written Response Assignment II in the Blenheim Room. Tomorrow we'll tie up some loose ends in looking at the Canadian political system and then we'll move into the American system.

Social 10-1

We finished off watching "Globalisation is Good" today. I went through a PowerPoint presentation that corresponds to material in Chapter 13 called "The Impacts of Economic Globalization on Environments". I will send this presentation to you this afternoon. Please print it off and add it to your notes. Your Chapter 13 Key Terms and Questions are due on Thursday. Please remember that your TNC Dossier Assignment is due tomorrow.

November 23

Social 30-1

I did a homework check today on your Chapter 10 Key Terms and Questions. I gave you a handout today that looks something like this:

You were to take notes on some specifics of the Canadian government structure as I lectured. You were introduced to a lot of new concepts today, but most it should have been review for you since it was in Chapter 10. We talked about re-casting the November 2008 Canadian Federal election with a proportional representation system, and what political parties might be in favour of P.R. and what parties might be opposed to the idea of introducing this system to Canada. We also talked about general problems of P.R. in the Canadian political landscape, namely the difficulty of winning a majority government, and the susceptibility of minority governments to votes of non-confidence. I gave you the remaining time to do some small group brainstorming on tomorrow's Unit 2 Written Response Assignment II. I gave you the essay question sheet today. Remember, you are allowed to prepare for the essay, but you can't write it ahead of time. You're allowed to bring in point form notes on the essay question sheet as long as they are hand-written notes, and all of the notes are on the front side of the sheet under the line. DO NOT write on the back side of the essay question sheet. This is the last time that you get the text-based source in advance. You will be writing your Unit 2 WRA II in the Blenheim Room tomorrow.

Social 10-1

We went over the Word document that I sent you by e-mail over the weekend which gives you some idea of what the Written Response Assignment II will be like on your 30-1 Diploma Exam. You will be writing a Unit 2 WRA II on December 7th in the Blenheim Room. We started watching "Globalisation is Good" today and completing a film study. We'll finish this off tomorrow. Please remember that your TNC Dossier Assignment is due on Wednesday.

November 20

Social 30-1

I gave you back the results for your Unit 2 Final Exam today. I also assigned your Chapter 10 Key Terms and Questions for homework. I will be doing a homework check on this on Monday. I will also give you your text-based source on Monday in preparation of your Unit 2 Written Response Assignment II (in-class position paper) and I'll give you some time to do in-class brainstorming of potential arguments and examples/evidence for your essays.

Social 10-1

We finished watching "The Other Side of Outsourcing" today. I started talking about writing in-class position papers (we call this Written Response Assignment II), I will be sending you an e-mail message today. Please print off the handout that will be attached to this e-mail message. The handout deals with how to write and prepare for the WRA II. Please remember that your TNC Dossier Assignment is due on Wednesday, November 25th, this is your last weekend to work on this project and get together with your partner.

November 19

Social 10-1

You watched "Impacts of Globalization" today and started watching "The Other Side of Outsourcing", with both of these videos you had a film study to complete. We'll finish off "The Other Side of Outsourcing" tomorrow and start talking about writing in-class essays. Your TNC Dossier Assignment is due on Wednesday, November 25th.

Social 30-1

You wrote your Unit 2 Final Exam today, which took the entire class period. You will be writing an in-class essay (Unit 2 WRA II) on Tuesday, November 24th in the Blenheim Room. You will get the text-based source in Monday's class. We'll continue working on Unit 3 material tomorrow.

November 18

Social 10-1

I went through a PowerPoint presentation today called "The Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Globalization". I have sent this presentation to your e-mail accounts already. Your Chapter 12 Questions are due tomorrow.

Social 30-1

We talked a little about the results of the Political Compass survey that you completed for homework last night. I also did a homework check on the "10 Questions About Democracy" video guide. I gave you some handouts on terms associated with politics and government as well. Make sure that you study these terms, you'll get a pop quiz on them soon enough. I also gave you some notes on the two main types of democratic systems, the parliamentary democracy model and the presidential democracy model. Please remember that you have your Unit 2 Final Exam tomorrow. Here is the study guide (scroll down to find it).

November 17

Social 30-1

We started looking at Unit 3 material today. We started by looking at what democracy is, what are some forms of democratic systems and the different types of democratic systems. 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 here 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 tomorrow. We'll be able to talk about this tomorrow. Please remember that you have your Unit 2 Final Exam on Thursday, please check out the study guide here (scroll down to find it). 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).

Social 10-1

Most of today's class was spent writing your Chapter 10-11 Quiz. Please remember that your Chapter 12 Key Terms are due tomorrow.

November 16

Social 30-1

You wrote your Chapter 7 Test today in class. You'll get the results of this test tomorrow. Your Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. We will be starting Unit 3 material tomorrow. Please remember your Unit 2 Final Exam is on Thursday, November 19th, you can find the study here for this exam (scroll down to find it).

Social 10-1

We finished watching "The Age of Wal-Mart" in class today and completed the film study that went along with it. You have your Chapter 10-11 Quiz tomorrow, please see the study guide here. Your Chapter 12 Key Terms are due Wednesday, November 18th.

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November 13

Social 30-1

We finished watching "Good Night, and Good Luck" today in class. This film explores a lot of issues that are relevant to today. 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. Please remember that you have your Chapter 7 Test (Cold War period) on Monday, November 16th and your Unit 2 Final Exam on Thursday, November 19th. Please see both study guides here.

Social 10-1

I went through the TNC Dossier Assignment with you today, I talked about expectations and showed you some outstanding examples of this assignment from former students. I will be sending you the rubric for this assignment today, so please check your e-mail. I gave you some advice for completing the TNC Dossier Assignment. Please check under the Social 10-1 Links on the right-hand side of the blog for a link to your corporation's corporate website. Be sure that you check out the link to the Multinational Monitor, and search for your TNC on their website for related articles. It's also not a bad idea to search for "worst corporations" on the Multinational Monitor website. We started to look at the advantages and disadvantages of Wal-Mart today as well, so we went back to Chapter 1 in the textbook to look at this case study in greater detail. We started a film study today on the CNBC documentary called "The Age of Wal-Mart". We will finish this documentary next week. Please remember that you have your Chapter 10-11 Quiz is on Tuesday, November 17th, please see the study guide here.

November 12

Social 10-1

We finished watching "The Corporation" today in class. You drew lots today as well to pick a TNC that you will be profiling in the major Unit 3 project. We'll be looking at this assignment in greater detail tomorrow, and I will show you some excellent examples of finalized projects from former students. Please remember that you have your Chapter 10-11 Test on Tuesday, please see the study guide here.

Social 30-1

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, 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). 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 period) on Monday, November 16th and your Unit 2 Final Exam on Thursday, November 19th. Please see the study guides for both exams here.

November 10

Social 30-1

I went through some disarmament talks and agreements today by writing some notes up on the board. If you missed class today, make sure that you get these notes from a classmate. Make sure that you know the difference between a bilateral and a multilateral agreement. I also gave you a note package on arms reduction agreements as well as a one page set of notes on the end of the Cold War. Be sure that you read these notes! On Thursday, 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 Thursday and Friday, 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. Please check your e-mail, I'm sending you a political cartoon that deals nicely with neoconservatism and Ronald Reagan and the impact that he had on American foreign policy (a nice tie-in to Chapter 8 material). Please make sure that you are studying for the Chapter 7 Test which is on Monday, November 16th, please see the study guide here. Also, your Unit 2 Final Exam is next Thursday (November 19th), please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it).

Social 10-1

We watched another section of "The Corporation" today. I did a homework check on your Chapter 11 Questions today. One week from today, you will have your Chapter 10-11 Quiz. Please see the study guide below.

Chapter 10-11 Quiz Study Guide:

This quiz has a matching section and a short answer section. Please make sure that you review Chapters 10 and 11. Please review your answers to questions/activities from your Unit 3 worksheet, as well as the key terms (from Chapter 10-11 and from the PowerPoint presentations).

Please review the following two PowerPoint presentations:

1. "Foundations of Economic Globalization"

2. "Expansion of Economic Globalization"


You should know these key terms really well:

• Bretton Woods Agreement
• international monetary system
• fixed exchange rate
• gold standard
• floating exchange rate
• World Bank
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• centrally planned economy
• free market economy
• recession
• John Maynard Keynes
• Friedrich Hayek
• Milton Friedman
• totalitarian
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• tariff
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
  

You should also be able to answer the following questions:

• What is economic globalization?
• How did 20th century world events shape contemporary economic globalization?
• What factors laid the foundations of contemporary global economics?
• What were the major global institutions that were created at the Bretton Woods Agreement?
• What are the major differences between the ideas of John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek?
• What factors contribute to expanding globalization?
• How do international agreements and organizations contribute to expanding globalization?
• How do transnational corporations contribute to expanding globalization?
• How do communication technologies contribute to expanding globalization?
• What are the benefits of the WTO system?
• What are some criticisms of the WTO?
  

November 9

Social 30-1

We watched the film "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam" today, which took most of the period. You were to hand in your answers to the Vietnam War booklet questions today as well. Please make sure that you are studying for the Chapter 7 Test which is on Monday, November 16th, please see the study guide here. Also, your Unit 2 Final Exam is next Thursday (November 19th), please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). We'll be looking at some arms reduction treaties and agreements, and the end of the Cold War. Starting on Thursday, we'll be back-tracking a bit and looking at McCarthyism in the United States.

Social 10-1

We started a film study of the documentary "The Corporation" today. We'll be watching sections of this film over the course of the next few class periods. Your Chapter 11 Questions are due tomorrow. Next Tuesday, you will have your Chapter 10-11 Test, I will be posting the study guide tomorrow on the blog. By the way, don't worry about your milk, it's safe. I'll explain tomorrow to 10-3 students.

November 6

Social 30-1

You wrote your Cold War Concepts Quiz today, which took most of the class period. Please be on time for Monday's class since we will be watching "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam" which is an excellent 80 minute film. Your Vietnam War booklet is due on Monday (sections A-C). I have sent you some notes on the Vietnam War that I want you to print off, read and highlight. Reading over these notes will help you complete your homework assignment and prepare you for Monday's film. 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.

Chapter 7 Test Study Guide:

The Chapter 7 Test is on Monday, November 16th. 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'm sending you on the Vietnam War on Friday, November 6th)
• 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 Monday, November 9th)
• 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 on Monday, November 9th.
• 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
  
  

Unit 2 Final Exam Study Guide:

The Unit 2 Final Exam is on Thursday, November 19th. 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; I gave this booklet to you on Friday, October 23rd)
• do a brief review of the political spectrum and economic spectrum and the quadrant model

Social 10-1

We finished off the film "Life + Debt" today. As you were watching this film, you were to complete the film study sheet. I also did a homework check on your WTO chart today, you'll get these charts back on Monday. On Monday you will go to your homerooms to get your Term 1 Report Cards.

November 5

Social 10-1

I gave you a package today that covered the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank. Your homework assignment tonight is to put together a detailed chart of the advantages and disadvantages of the WTO system. We also started watching a documentary today called "Life + Debt" which we will finish off tomorrow.

Social 30-1

We continued our look at the Vietnam War today by watching an excerpt from "Born of the Fourth of July". Please remember that you have your Cold War Concepts Quiz tomorrow, please see the study guide here. 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.

November 4

Social 10-1

I went through a PowerPoint presentation today called "The Expansion of Economic Globalization". I have sent this presentation to you already, so please print it off (4-6 slides per page) and bring it to class tomorrow. I will be doing a homework check on it and the Chapter 11 Key Terms.

Social 30-1

We finished off the "Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Khrushchev" video today, and then we started looking at the Vietnam War. I gave you a Southeast Asia package that you were to work on and finish in class. After you finished the Southeast Asia package, you were to get the Vietnam War reading, and then after that Vietnam War assignment (I will be taking this last one in on Monday). You have a Cold War Concepts Quiz on Friday, please see the study guide below. Also, please have a look at some upcoming important dates.

Cold War Concepts Quiz Study Guide:

This short answer quiz will be on Friday, November 6th. Be able to define each of the following key terms, and be able to provide real-world examples of each of these concepts in action:

• deterrence
• disarmament
• isolationism
• appeasement
• collective security
• direct confrontation
• brinkmanship
• containment
• detente
• collective intervention

Be able to define the following key concepts:

• superpower
• sphere of influence
• arms race
• brinkmanship
• Korean War
• Cold War
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• detente
• NATO
• collective security
• Warsaw Pact

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 30-1 Students:

• Cold War Concepts Quiz is on Friday, November 6th
• Chapter 7 Test (70-75 multiple choice questions) is on Monday, November 16th
• Unit 2 Final Exam (70-75 multiple choice questions) is on Thursday, November 19th
• Unit 2 WRA II (in class essay) is on Tuesday, November 24th

November 3

Social 30-1

We continued our examination of the Cold War. We looked at the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 (the video we watched even covered escape tunnels, and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism, and German re-unification). We also did some reading on the Cuban Missile Crisis, and started watching a video from the BBC 20th Century History series called "Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Khrushchev", which we will finish tomorrow.

Social 10-1

Most of today's class was spent watching "China Rises: Getting Rich" and completing a film study sheet. I talked to a few people about their Imperialism Research Projects (if I talked to you, please send me your projects by e-mail tonight!). I also gave you back your Unit 2 Final Exam test results.

November 2

Social 30-1

We covered the Korean War today. I went through a PowerPoint presentation called "The Korean War" that had a corresponding handout, so you didn't have to take notes. I won't be sending this PowerPoint by e-mail because the notes package that I gave you cover the Korean War already. I also gave you a one page handout that had a reading on one side and a map of the Korean War on the other side. Please make sure that you read all of today's handouts. I did a homework check on your Cold War Events booklet, and took back the class set of books that I had lent out over the weekend. I also did some homework checks on PowerPoint presentations that you should have printed off by now. Please remember that your Chapter 7 Key Terms are due tomorrow.

Social 10-1

You wrote your Unit 2 Final Exam in today's class. I also did a homework check on your Chapter 10 Questions today.