December 22

Social 30-1

I went through a study guide for the 30-1 course for most of the period. I'll make some minor revisions to this booklet before I send it out to you. You MUST study for your two part Diploma Exam over your Winter Break. The study materials that I will be sending to you today will definitely help! Enjoy your holidays, see you in January. Here's a link to the HBO documentary "Shouting Fires: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech".

Social 20-1

You worked with a partner today in class going through sample multiple choice questions from Unit 4 material. Part B of your Final Exam, which has 100 multiple choice questions on it has 10 questions from Unit 4, so you are responsible for this material. You must review and study over the Winter Break as you have your Final Exam Part A on Tuesday, January 10th (in Room 241) and Part B in the Main Gym on Thursday, January from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Be prepared!! See you in January!!

IB 30

We finished watching "The Grapes of Wrath" today. Make sure that you work on your IA over the Winter Break. You can hand it in on Monday January 9th or Tuesday, January 10th. Please check the wiki for more information on writing the Internal Assessment (there's a whole section devoted to it).

December 20

IB 30

We continued to look at the causes of the Great Depression and FDR and the New Deal today. We finished watching the video "The Great Depression and the New Deal" today as well as a video from the BBC 20th Century History series called "FDR and the New Deal". Please go directly to Room 121 tomorrow so we can start watching "The Grapes of Wrath".

Social 30-1

We watched "Shouting Fire" today in class which looks at controversies in the United States centering around the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to peaceable assembly, in other words, the First Amendment in the U.S. Bill of Rights. Your Trial Final is tomorrow.

Social 20-1

You wrote your Unit 3 Final Exam today, and you'll get the results back tomorrow. Your chapter 14 and 15 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow.

December 19

IB 30

We did a short discussion of current events today, namely the death of Kim Jong-il and its implications for security and stability in East Asia and the Korean peninsula. I am starting to return some rough drafts of the Internal Assessment this week. Every day there will be about 5-7 IAs returned to their owners. We need to discuss how to cite sources properly! I started talking about the causes of the Great Depression (and I'll start with this tomorrow) and then we'll get into the FDR and the New Deal tomorrow. We'll watch "The Grapes of Wrath" on Wednesday and Thursday in Room 121. Please complete the homework assignment on Hoover and FDR tonight.

Social 20-1

I gave you back your Unit 3 WRA II Essays today. I also gave you some advice as well today: if your final mark in Social 20-1 falls between 50% and 65%, you should take Social 30-2 next year. If you have failed any of the essays or unit finals this semester, you should take 30-2 next year. Social 30-1 is a more demanding course than what this year has been. It moves at a fast pace (for example, you might be writing your first essay in 30-1 within the first week in class) and the it is academically demanding.

I went through a lecture today on Unit 4 material, specifically "A History of French-English Relations". I have sent this PowerPoint to you already as well all of the PowerPoint presentations from Unit 3. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is tomorrow, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Your Chapter 13 Key Terms and Questions were due today. Your Chapter 14 and 15 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday, and your Chapter 16 Key Terms and Questions are due on Thursday.

Social 30-1

You wrote your Unit 3 Final Exam today, and you'll get the results of this test back tomorrow. You'll also have to make a decision tomorrow as to which test you want to wipe out with your Trial Final which is happening on Wednesday. Remember, you wipe out your lowest mark from the term with the Trial Final. I gave you back your Unit 3 WRA II Essays today.

December 16

IB 30

You wrote a short matching quiz on Prescribed Subject 1 today for part of the period.We then did a quick review of the boom and bust cycle before applying Keynesian economics to the business cycle. You need to know not only the various parts of the business cycle, but also the "economic snapshots" (what's going on in the economy at that stage) and how monetary and fiscal policy try to address those stages.

Social 20-1

I did a homework check on your Chapter 12 Key Terms and Questions today at the beginning of class. The rest of the class period was given over to you to get some work done on your Unit 4 Worksheet. You have all of your key terms and questions from this unit due next week. Next week we will be looking at a history of French and English relations in Canada and regional disparity in Canada as well, two major themes in Unit 4 that I haven't covered yet. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is on Tuesday, December 20th, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it).

Social 30-1

We looked at the issue of the invasion of privacy today for part of the period particularly emphasizing increased airport security in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and other subsequent attempted attacks and the response being increased pat-downs and full body scanners at airports in addition to the no-fly lists. You should be making connections between these concepts and the ideas of Thomas Hobbes. We also looked at the issue of CCTV cameras in the UK and Austria by watching a couple of short YouTube videos on the subject. Your Chapter 12 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is on Monday, December 19th, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Your Social 30-1 Trial Final is on Wednesday, December 21st.

December 15

Social 30-1

You wrote your Unit 3 WRA II Essay today in the Blenheim Room. It will be interesting to see how many of you agreed with Benito Mussolini. You have your Unit 3 Final Exam on Monday December 19th, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Your Trial Final is on Wednesday December 21st, and it will cover the entire course.

Social 20-1

You had the entire period to get caught up on some work. Like I said in class, we will be pushing very hard to finish Unit 4 material next week. Your Chapter 12 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is on Tuesday, December 20th, please see the study guide here.

IB 30

We reviewed a lot of the concepts that I taught to you yesterday for the first part of the class. The only new concept today was the business cycle (the boom and bust cycle) which we will be building upon when we look at Keynesian economics tomorrow. We also watched a short video from the BBC 20th Century History series called "Boom and Bust" which should have reviewed some of the concepts that we've already looked at including "buying on margin". Please remember that you have your quiz tomorrow on Prescribed Subject 1, it will be a matching quiz with another surprise or two.

December 14

Social 20-1

You wrote your Unit 3 WRA II Essay today in class, and it took all of the period to write. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is on Tuesday, December 20th, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). Your Chapter 12 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday.

Social 30-1

We watched the video "Unconstitutional" today in class, and as you watched this film you were to complete a film study sheet. Tomorrow you are writing your Unit 3 WRA II Essay in the Blenheim Room. Please go there for tutorial tomorrow, I'll let you start the essay early because there is apparently a fire drill during our class. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is on Monday, December 19th, please see the study guide here(scroll down to find it).

IB 30

I took in your 1920s Study Guide at the beginning of class today. We finished off the "Roaring Twenties" video as well. Then I launched into a long-winded lecture on economics. A lot of the material that was covered connects to the Social Studies 30-1 curriculum, but in order to understand the economic crisis that emerges in 1929 you have to have some understanding of basic economics. We looked at the principles of individualism and collectivism (if you want more details on these please visit the Social 30-1 Unit 1 section of the wiki), classical liberalism and its political/democratic and economic foundations, the 20th century political spectrum, basic economic systems, basic economic values, the political-economic grid, basic economic values (GESSEF), the basic problem economic problem facing all societies (scarcity) and the basic economic questions. It was, I'm sure, a lot to take in. Tomorrow we will forge ahead with looking at the market economy in greater detail, including the boom and bust cycle. Please check the Great Depression section of the wiki as well, as we've posted some YouTube videos there.

December 13

IB 30

We started looking at the 1920s today as a precursor to our next unit of study in IB 30, the Great Depression. I went through a lecture on conservatism in the 1920s and talked briefly about the Harding and Coolidge administrations. I have put a 1920s Study Guide on the wiki under the Great Depression unit. The answers may be found in your United States and its People textbook. This homework is due tomorrow. We also started watching a video from the United States History series called "The Roaring Twenties". We'll pick this video up tomorrow where we left off, "The Jazz Age". Please remember that you have a quiz on Prescribed Subject 1 material (Paris Peace Conference to the Abyssinian Crisis) on Friday.

Social 30-1

You wrote your Chapter 10 Test today in class, as per usual you will get the results back tomorrow. You have your Unit 3 Final Exam on Monday, December 19th, please see the study guide below. Your Unit 3 WRA II Essay is on Thursday, you will be writing it in the Blenheim Room.

Social 30-1 Unit 3 Final Exam Study Guide:

This exam will be entirely multiple choice format. It will be on Monday, December 19th. Please study the following material:

• make sure that you have read Chapters 9-12 in Perspectives on Ideology
• study all key concepts from the Chapters 9-12 Worksheets (see below)
• study all questions/answers from the Chapters 9-12 Worksheets
• "Political Challenges to Liberalism" (PowerPoint presentation)

Review the following notes/packages:

• Democratic Systems
• Non-Democratic Systems
• types of dictatorships
• techniques of dictatorships
• Civil Rights Movement
• authoritarian systems (China notes)
• review the economic and political spectrum (again!)
• re-read the notes on rights that I put on the board (Charter of Rights and Freedoms to War Measures Act)
• FLQ Crisis 1970

Know the following key concepts/key events/key terms/key people:

• assimilation
• self-interest
• humanitarianism
• Indian Act
• residential school system
• enfranchisement
• the White Paper
• the Red Paper
• “war on terror"
• authoritarianism
• consensus decision-making
• direct democracy
• military dictatorship
• oligarchy
• one-party state
• party solidarity
• representation by population
• proportional representation
• representative democracy
• responsible government
• democracy
• single-member constituency (first past the post)
• the Senate
• the House of Commons
• the House of Representatives
• the Senate
• mixed-member proportional system
• lobby groups
• American Bill of Rights
• Anti-Terrorism Act
• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• emergency and security legislation
• illiberal
• language legislation
• Bill 101
• Bill 178
• Bill 86
• Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
• respect for law and order
• terrorism
• rendition
• the War Measures Act
• enemy aliens
• internment
• the Emergencies Act
• USA PATRIOT Act
• consumerism
• environmental change
• extremism
• pandemics
• postmodernism
• global warming
• Kyoto Protocol
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• drought

Social 20-1

We watched a video on the genocide in Darfur called "Darfur: On Our Watch" for part of the period. You could use information in this video for your Unit 3 WRA II Essay. Remember, genocide is considered a contemporary global issues. You could argue that internationalism is effective, if not for nation-states pursuing their own national interests. In the case of Darfur, blame could be leveled at Chinese oil interests in Sudan and the Chinese government's usage of their veto power in the UN Security Council to block resolutions on Darfur being passed. You could also use information in the video for the other side of the argument as well.
Here are some other useful links on Darfur:

• sudanrreves.org (website on Darfur maintained by Eric Reeves, mentioned in today's video)
• PBS Frontline/World: Who's Who in Darfur: Geopolitics of a Tragedy
• Amnesty International: Eyes on Darfur

Please remember that you have your Unit 3 WRA II Essay is tomorrow in Room 107. Please go directly to the computer lab tomorrow. Your Unit 3 Final Exam is on December 20th, please see the study guide below.

Social 20-1 Unit 3 Final Exam Study Guide:

Please review all of the Unit 3 PowerPoint presentations that I have sent to you:

• "Nations, Nation-States and Internationalism"
• "Canada's Foreign Policy"
• "Nationalism and Internationalism"

Please review all of the Unit 3 Key Terms from the Unit 3 Worksheet in addition to the key concepts that were introduced in the PowerPoint presentations. In addition to this, I would like to emphasize the following points with you:

• know the difference between multilateralism, unilateralism and bilateralism and know examples of each
• know the spectrum of foreign policy: internationalism, nationalism, ultranationalism, and supranationalism
• know the different foreign policy options
• know the 6 themes of Canadian foreign policy/Canada's foreign policy goals
• what influences foreign policy decisions?
• methods of foreign policy
• motivations for nations involvement or non-involvement in international affairs
• how can foreign policy promote internationalism?
• tied aid, bilateral aid, multilateral aid
• examples of INGOs and IGOs
• the United Nations (organization/structure, bodies, etc.)
• peacemaking vs. peacekeeping (and examples)
• different understandings of internationalism (types of internationalism)
• why do international organizations exist? purposes and examples

December 9

IB 30

We watched an A & E Biography of Benito Mussolini today, which took most of the period. this sets the stage for the last topic in our study of Prescribed Subject 1 next week, the Italian invasion of Abyssinia.

Social 20-1

Most of today's class was spent in small groups discussing how international organizations address contemporary global issues and their effectiveness in doing so. Please make sure that you check the upcoming important dates below.

Social 20-1 Important Upcoming Dates:

• Unit 3 WRA II (Essay) is on Wednesday, December 14th (you will get the essay question sheet on Monday)
• Unit 3 Final Exam is on December 20th (the study guide will be posted next week on the blog)
• Social 20-1 Final Exam Part A (In-Class Essay) is on Tuesday, January 10th (you will of course, not receive the essay question sheet in advance)

Social 30-1

For most of today we looked back on the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2011. I typically do this to set the stage for discussing anti-terrorism legislation that is passed post-9/11 in Canada and the United States. This is a topic that we will be exploring next week. Please check out the upcoming important dates below.

Social 30-1 Important Upcoming Dates:

• Chapter 10 Test is on Tuesday, December 13th (please see the study guide here)
• Civil Rights Movement Assignment outline is due on Friday, December 8th
• Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday, December 12th
• Unit 3 WRA II (Essay) is on Thursday, December 15th (you will not get the essay question sheet in advance)

December 8

Social 30-1

We watched a video from the Turning Points in History series on the FLQ Crisis of 1970. PLEASE make sure that you finish off the FLQ Crisis booklet. There is a useful document based analysis on the FLQ in there, and make sure you read about the Emergencies Act as well.  In today's video we looked at the FLQ crisis, this is the interview on the steps of Parliament that features Trudeau's "just watch me" speech. It's an interesting little debate that is waged being Trudeau and the reporters over the issue on giving up or losing civil liberties in order to ensure security.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 30-1 Students:

• Chapter 10 Test is on Tuesday, December 13th (please see the study guide here)
• Civil Rights Movement Assignment outline is due on Friday, December 8th
• Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday, December 12th
• Unit 3 WRA II (Essay) is on Thursday, December 15th (you will not get the essay question sheet in advance)

Social 20-1

I gave you class time to work on a booklet that outlined various key concepts associated with internationalism and foreign policy. This booklet required you to define the key terms and also provide real-world examples of these concepts. Concepts covered in this booklet included: foreign aid, supranationalism, multilateralism, peacekeeping, peacemaking, international law, international agreements, unilateralism, bilateralism, NGOs. Your Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 20-1 Students:

• Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow
• Unit 3 WRA II (Essay) is on Wednesday, December 14th (you will get the essay question sheet on Monday)
• Unit 3 Final Exam is on December 20th (the study guide will be posted next week on the blog)
• Social 20-1 Final Exam Part A (In-Class Essay) is on Tuesday, January 10th (you will of course, not receive the essay question sheet in advance)

IB 30

You had the entire period today to write your Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs Unit Test as well as the Paper 1 on Prescribed Subject 1. Tomorrow we will be looking at the A & E Biography of Benito Mussolini, which will provide you with biographical information on this dictator, his rise to power, his brand of fascism, his invasion of Abyssinia, and his ultimate demise. Next week, we'll look at the Abyssinia crisis.

December 7

Social 20-1

We finished off the "Internationalism and Nationalism" PowerPoint lecture today in class. I will be sending this to you by e-mail soon. I gave you the remainder of class time to work on your Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions.

Social 30-1

You completed an in class writing assignment on a propaganda poster today in class. I also did a homework check on your Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions. Please remember that your US Civil Rights Movement Assignment is due tomorrow, but the essay outline that goes along with this assignment is due on Friday now. The Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are now due on Monday. You have your Chapter 10 Test on Tuesday, December 13th, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it).

IB 30

We finished off our examination of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 today in class. I will be posting some study notes on the wiki covering the Manchurian incident and the Lytton Report as well. Tomorrow you have your Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs Unit Test, please check on the study guide on the wiki, or here on the blog. You will also be writing a Paper 1 on Prescribed Subject 1 tomorrow as well. Today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, so if you are so inclined, have a look at this collection of photos from the Boston Globe feature "The Big Picture".

December 6

IB 30

We looked at international relations in the Inter-War Years today by focusing on a reading that covered the Ruhr Crisis, the Dawes Plan, the Young Plan, and the Kellogg-Briand Pact. We also started looking at the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, which we will continue tomorrow. I also gave you back your Paper 2 essays today on WWI. This Thursday you have a test on the Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs unit. This test will be multiple-choice format. Also on Thursday, you will be writing a Paper 1 on Prescribed Subject 1 right after the multiple choice test. Please see the study guide below.

The Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs Unit Test

This is a 38 question multiple choice test. It will be administered in class on Thursday, December 8th. It covers the Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs unit. Here are some points to review:

• Teddy Roosevelt "big stick diplomacy"
• Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
• Alfred A. Mahan (naval sea power theory)
• What is the "Open Door Policy"?
• What is "dollar diplomacy"?
• Spanish-American War (causes, practices, effects/results)
• Venezuela crisis and jingoism
• Portsmouth Peace Conference (Russo-Japanese War; what role does Teddy Roosevelt play); results?
• President McKinley's accomplishments re: expansion/annexation
• MAIN causes of WWI
• nature of warfare in WWI
• World War I (causes, practices, effects/results: a word of caution here-don't spend any time studying the battles in WWI)
• Canadian participation in WWI (contributions, issues on the home front)
• key players/leaders in WWI (ex. Kaiser Wilhelm II, Nicholas II, etc.)
• Sedition Act and Espionage Act (USA)
• George Creel

After you complete the multiple choice test, you will be writing a Paper 1 on Prescribed Subject 1 (Peacemaking, Peacekeeping and International Relations). Review how to write a Paper 1 by visiting key links on the wiki, especially the OPVL document analysis link. Remember to try and write 4 similarities and 4 differences between the sources (NOT in chart format), and to create an OPVL chart. I have put up an example Paper 1 on the wiki with examiner's comments that covers the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (obviously Thursday's Paper 1 will NOT be on that topic). Other topics in Prescribed Subject 1 that we have covered a fair game, so have a look at this section of the wiki.

Social 30-1

I went through some notes today on rights, responsibilities, human rights, civil rights, the entrenchment of rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the notwithstanding clause. I also mentioned the usage of the War Measures Act (we will discuss this in greater detail when we look at the FLQ Crisis of 1970). Check out the following upcoming important dates:

• Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow.
• Civil Rights Movement assignment is due on Thursday, December 8th
• Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday, December 9th
• Chapter 10 Test is on Tuesday, December 13th (please see study guide below)
• Unit 3 WRA II Essay is on December 15th
• Social 30-1 Trial Final is on December 21st

Chapter 10 Test Study Guide:

This test is multiple choice format, with 55 questions. Please review the PowerPoint "Political Challenges to Liberalism". You're responsible for all key terms and questions from the Chapter 10 Worksheet. Please review the following as well:

• Democratic Systems (handout notes)
• Non-Democratic Systems (handout notes)
• Structure of Canadian Government
• Structure of American Government
• similarities/differences between the parliamentary system and presidential system
• types of dictatorships
• techniques of dictatorships
• authoritarian systems
• proportional representation concept
• first past the post system
• review political and economic spectrum (again!)

Social 20-1

I started a PowerPoint lecture today on "Internationalism and Nationalism" which I will finish tomorrow in class. For the remainder of the period I gave you time to work on your Chapter 10 Key Terms and Questions, which are due tomorrow. I did a homework check on the Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions today. Check out the following important dates:

• Chapter 10 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday, December 7th
• Unit 3 WRA II Essay is on Wednesday, December 14th
• Unit 3 Final Exam is on Tuesday, December 20th
• Social 20-1 Final Exam Part A is on Tuesday, January 10th

December 5

IB 30

You handed in your IA rough drafts today. I had a cursory look at them at the end of the day, and there are missing elements in many of the IAs, such as title pages, table of contents, word counts, poor wording of IA essay questions, etc. Also, don't pictures on the cover of your IAs. Remember, we are not marking the IAs at this point, we are simply giving you some feedback on what you have so far. Some of you won't have as much to do to revise your IA over the Winter Break. Some of you will have a lot of work to do because you have taken shortcuts in your analysis of the sources. We will be getting these IAs back to you prior to Winter Break (last week of classes is what we are targeting). We continued looking at the League of Nations today, in particular successes and failures. We will look at some other diplomatic developments in the 1920s tomorrow before we look at the Manchurian Crisis. You will be writing a test this Thursday, that covers the unit The Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs (this is multiple choice). On the same day you will be writing a Paper 1 on Prescribed Subject 1 material.

Social 20-1

You wrote your Unit 2 Final Exam today, and you will get the results back tomorrow. Your Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow.

Social 30-1

We watched a short video from the CBC News in Review series on the election in Afghanistan in 2009. This is important information as it pertains to democratization, spreading democracy. Can liberal democratic values be exported? This ties into the main theme for Unit 3, the viability of liberalism. Please check out the important dates below.

Important Dates for Social 30-1:

• Canada-USA Government Comparison Chart is due on Tuesday, December 6th
• Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions are due on Wednesday, December 7th
• US Civil Rights Movement Assignment (plus essay outline) is due on Thursday. December 8th
• Chapter 11 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday, December 9th
• Chapter 10 Test is on December 13th (study guide goes up on the blog tomorrow)
• Unit 3 WRA II Essay is on December 15th

December 1

Social 30-1

We look at a case study for authoritarianism today in class by watching a couple of videos from the BBC 20th Century History series called "One Man's Revolution" and "China Since Mao". I also gave you a booklet with lots of information and articles on the modern history of China. Read this material!! You have your USA-Canada Government Comparison Chart Assignment due on Tuesday. Enjoy your long weekend!

Social 20-1

You wrote your Unit 2 WRA II Essay today. You have your Unit 2 Final Exam on Monday, please see the study guide here.

IB 30

We continued working through Prescribed Subject 1 material today by looking at the organization and structure of the League of Nations. Please remember that the rough draft of your IA is due on Monday.