Course Syllabus
"Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization."
Winston Churchill
Our city of Elkhart has been hit harder by the recession than most other cities in America, so much so that President Obama came to our city to evaluate our needs in person.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Politics/story?id=6835247&page=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3oTEFLTaOg&feature=relmfu
A book by John S. Cohat titled No Thank You, Mr. President was also released.
"This book is filled with inspiring stories from Elkhart County, Indiana (dubbed Unemployment Ground Zero by the national pundits). You will discover how real businesses stood up and decided to fight on their own to thrive in spite of our economic turmoil."
Here is the link to Cohat's book, which we will read excerpts from in class.
http://nothankyoumrpresident.com/about/
Elkhart is a part of the 99% in this country, and many families are struggling just to get by on a daily basis (maybe yours is one of them). In the 2010-2011 school year, Central had approximately 69% of its student body on free or reduced meals. (See all of Central's data by clicking on the link below.) Families are simply not able to keep up with the financial demands of everyday life.
http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx?&id=1749
My goal for this course is to introduce you to the Occupy Movement, discuss democracy in America, and help you discover ways in which you can become an active, questioning member of this society.
Required Reading:
Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin of Chapel Hill, 1994. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/In-Time-Butterflies-Julia-Alvarez/dp/1565129768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335024902&sr=8-1
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Gone-Memoirs-Soldier/dp/0374531269/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335024927&sr=1-1
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Additional reading:
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Boxed/dp/0545265355
Orwell, George. 1984. Madrid: J.A. Mestas, 2003. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-George-Orwell/dp/0452284236/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335024951&sr=1-1
You can also watch this plot overview prior to reading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JIKngJnCU
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/First-They-Killed-Father-Remembers/dp/0060856262/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335025469&sr=1-1
Additional Selections:
Film
In the Valley of Elah. Dir. Paul Haggis. Prod. Paul Haggis, Patrick Wachsberger, Steven Samuels, Darlene Caamano Loquet, and Laurence Becsey. By Paul Haggis. Perf. Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Jason Patric. Warner Independent Pictures, 2007.
The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. 1999.
Shorter Pieces
Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant, and Other Essays. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1950. Print.
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/shooting-an-elephant.htm
Plato. The Allegory of the Cave. [Brea, CA]: P & L Publication, 2010. Print.
Assignments:
Class Participation-20%
Occupy Movement Presentation-10%
Essays-30%
Self-Reflection (final exam)-20%
Reading Response Journal-20%
Week One: What is the Occupy Movement?
Before we can begin a course born from the Occupy Movement, we must first educate ourselves as to what the Occupy Movement is. Over the course of this week, you will be researching the Occupy Movement in a facet that interests you. See below for possible topic ideas:
*Goals and demands of the movement
*Corporate greed and its cost to Americans
*Global interest in the movement
*Media effect on the movement
Weeks Two-Five: “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”
Read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Why is everyone so "hungry?"
http://www.hungergamestrilogy.net/category/books/
Short essay response:
What are some possible connections you can draw between Panem and the United States? Use textual support to defend your analysis.
http://teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/249255/The-Hunger-Games-Comparing-and-Contrasting/
Sense of Reality
Let's look at Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html
Short essay response:
What connections can you draw between Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and Peeta's remarks about not wanting to loose himself?
Film Analysis:
"The Matrix"
Overarching question: Is it better to know life is a sham or just going along with the lie?
Weeks Six & Seven: "Big Brother" is always watching you!
Who is George Orwell?
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/george-orwell-biography.htm
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/chrono.htm
Historical context of 1984.
Who is Joseph Stalin?
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/stalin.html
"Shooting an Elephant"
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/shooting-an-elephant.htm
Background about Imperialism
http://www.michaelparenti.org/Imperialism101.html
Read George Orwell's 1984.
Short essay topics to explore:
*How is "Big Brother" a part of your life?
*How does the point of view affect the novel?
"Thoughtcrime" virtual world activity
Propoganda Project
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/col-propaganda.htm
In-Class Discussion Questions:
*What is a civilization?
*What is Totalitarianism?
*What is Imperialism?
*What are the pros and cons of living in a society like the one in Orwell's novel?
Short essay topic: What connections can be made between Panem and George Orwell's depiction of London in 1984?
Weeks Eight & Nine: What happens when one person has all the power?
The Dominican Republic's own Rafael Trujillo.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKtrujillo.htm
An interview with Julia Alvarez.
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/time_of_the_butterflies.html
Read selections from Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.
In-Class Discussion Questions:
*Why were the people of the Dominican Repulic so capitivated by the Mirabal sisters?
*In what ways were the sisters hindered in their pursuits?
*Why were the Mirabals' symbolically represented with the Butterfly?
*What is good and evil?
Read selections from Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father.
Poetry study: looking through the Occupy lens.
Sylvia Plath's poem "Mushrooms"
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/sylvia-plath/mushrooms
Assignment: 200-poetry analysis
Feminist lens analysis:
Write a 500-word essay where you explore the protagonist female characters from The Hunger Games, In the Time of the Butterflies, and At First They Killed My Father.
Weeks Ten-Twelve: Consequences of War
Memior of a boy soldier. Read Ismael Beah's A Long Way Gone.
In-Class Discussion Questions:
*What effects does war have on children?
*What happens when children are forced to take on adult roles?
*Who is responsible for war?
*What happens to a person psychologically before, during, and after war?
Film analysis: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
"In the Valley of Elah"
Literature and Film analysis essay:
Prompt: Analyze the ways war affects American soldiers to how characters such as Haymitch, Katniss, or other characters from The Hunger Games experience PTSD.
Winston Churchill
Our city of Elkhart has been hit harder by the recession than most other cities in America, so much so that President Obama came to our city to evaluate our needs in person.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Politics/story?id=6835247&page=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3oTEFLTaOg&feature=relmfu
A book by John S. Cohat titled No Thank You, Mr. President was also released.
"This book is filled with inspiring stories from Elkhart County, Indiana (dubbed Unemployment Ground Zero by the national pundits). You will discover how real businesses stood up and decided to fight on their own to thrive in spite of our economic turmoil."
Here is the link to Cohat's book, which we will read excerpts from in class.
http://nothankyoumrpresident.com/about/
Elkhart is a part of the 99% in this country, and many families are struggling just to get by on a daily basis (maybe yours is one of them). In the 2010-2011 school year, Central had approximately 69% of its student body on free or reduced meals. (See all of Central's data by clicking on the link below.) Families are simply not able to keep up with the financial demands of everyday life.
http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx?&id=1749
My goal for this course is to introduce you to the Occupy Movement, discuss democracy in America, and help you discover ways in which you can become an active, questioning member of this society.
Required Reading:
Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin of Chapel Hill, 1994. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/In-Time-Butterflies-Julia-Alvarez/dp/1565129768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335024902&sr=8-1
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Gone-Memoirs-Soldier/dp/0374531269/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335024927&sr=1-1
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Additional reading:
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Boxed/dp/0545265355
Orwell, George. 1984. Madrid: J.A. Mestas, 2003. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-George-Orwell/dp/0452284236/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335024951&sr=1-1
You can also watch this plot overview prior to reading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JIKngJnCU
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000. Print.
http://www.amazon.com/First-They-Killed-Father-Remembers/dp/0060856262/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335025469&sr=1-1
Additional Selections:
Film
In the Valley of Elah. Dir. Paul Haggis. Prod. Paul Haggis, Patrick Wachsberger, Steven Samuels, Darlene Caamano Loquet, and Laurence Becsey. By Paul Haggis. Perf. Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Jason Patric. Warner Independent Pictures, 2007.
The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. 1999.
Shorter Pieces
Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant, and Other Essays. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1950. Print.
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/shooting-an-elephant.htm
Plato. The Allegory of the Cave. [Brea, CA]: P & L Publication, 2010. Print.
Assignments:
Class Participation-20%
Occupy Movement Presentation-10%
Essays-30%
Self-Reflection (final exam)-20%
Reading Response Journal-20%
Week One: What is the Occupy Movement?
Before we can begin a course born from the Occupy Movement, we must first educate ourselves as to what the Occupy Movement is. Over the course of this week, you will be researching the Occupy Movement in a facet that interests you. See below for possible topic ideas:
*Goals and demands of the movement
*Corporate greed and its cost to Americans
*Global interest in the movement
*Media effect on the movement
Weeks Two-Five: “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”
Read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Why is everyone so "hungry?"
http://www.hungergamestrilogy.net/category/books/
Short essay response:
What are some possible connections you can draw between Panem and the United States? Use textual support to defend your analysis.
http://teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/249255/The-Hunger-Games-Comparing-and-Contrasting/
Sense of Reality
Let's look at Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html
Short essay response:
What connections can you draw between Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and Peeta's remarks about not wanting to loose himself?
Film Analysis:
"The Matrix"
Overarching question: Is it better to know life is a sham or just going along with the lie?
Weeks Six & Seven: "Big Brother" is always watching you!
Who is George Orwell?
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/george-orwell-biography.htm
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/chrono.htm
Historical context of 1984.
Who is Joseph Stalin?
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/stalin.html
"Shooting an Elephant"
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/shooting-an-elephant.htm
Background about Imperialism
http://www.michaelparenti.org/Imperialism101.html
Read George Orwell's 1984.
Short essay topics to explore:
*How is "Big Brother" a part of your life?
*How does the point of view affect the novel?
"Thoughtcrime" virtual world activity
Propoganda Project
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/col-propaganda.htm
In-Class Discussion Questions:
*What is a civilization?
*What is Totalitarianism?
*What is Imperialism?
*What are the pros and cons of living in a society like the one in Orwell's novel?
Short essay topic: What connections can be made between Panem and George Orwell's depiction of London in 1984?
Weeks Eight & Nine: What happens when one person has all the power?
The Dominican Republic's own Rafael Trujillo.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKtrujillo.htm
An interview with Julia Alvarez.
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/time_of_the_butterflies.html
Read selections from Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.
In-Class Discussion Questions:
*Why were the people of the Dominican Repulic so capitivated by the Mirabal sisters?
*In what ways were the sisters hindered in their pursuits?
*Why were the Mirabals' symbolically represented with the Butterfly?
*What is good and evil?
Read selections from Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father.
Poetry study: looking through the Occupy lens.
Sylvia Plath's poem "Mushrooms"
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/sylvia-plath/mushrooms
Assignment: 200-poetry analysis
Feminist lens analysis:
Write a 500-word essay where you explore the protagonist female characters from The Hunger Games, In the Time of the Butterflies, and At First They Killed My Father.
Weeks Ten-Twelve: Consequences of War
Memior of a boy soldier. Read Ismael Beah's A Long Way Gone.
In-Class Discussion Questions:
*What effects does war have on children?
*What happens when children are forced to take on adult roles?
*Who is responsible for war?
*What happens to a person psychologically before, during, and after war?
Film analysis: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
"In the Valley of Elah"
Literature and Film analysis essay:
Prompt: Analyze the ways war affects American soldiers to how characters such as Haymitch, Katniss, or other characters from The Hunger Games experience PTSD.