Monday, November 23rd,2014

Administrivia:
-Pass out any quizzes, etc.

New Unit Overview
Today, we'll be starting a unit answering the question, "What do you need to understand before going to war." Specifically, using a limited amount if information, we will be determining whether of not we should engage in war with ISIS.

Learning Target:
By the end of the class, you will be able to watch a video and write down important information while researching a large issue.

Day in a Nutshell
Today, to begin the unit, we will first take a macro look at the issue of war and what you need to understand before getting involved by getting some information about the history of the Middle East and some information about ISIS. First, though:

Things They Carried Essay -- Select a Paragraph
Open up your essay and make bold the paragraph you want feedback on.

Vocab

imperialism
interdependence
perspective
ethnocentrism

globalization
colonization
macro view
micro view

Why Is The Middle East Seem So Messed Up?
To understand the Middle East, you must understand something about how its borders were formed. We'll watch this video of the history of its borders, then take notes afterwards.

Next, we will watch two humorous videos to further understand how what's going on in the Middle East is connected to English imperialism:
Daily Show Video #1
Daily Show Video #2

What Is Isis?
Before going to war with a group, it's nice to understand what is is and whether they pose a threat:
What is ISIS?
Is ISIS a threat to the United States?

Transitioning from Macro to Micro
Now that we understand the "big" picture, we now need to look at things from a micro perspective:  whenever we go to way, people are affected, and we need to understand what they experience.  We will look at three different media to figure that out:
1) Literature -- stories from The Things They Carried
2) Documentary -- Restrepo
3) Video Games -- Call of Duty

Restreppo
We'll be watching this documentary taking notes as we go, focusing on the what war is like from the soldier's perspective.  We will expect notes that keep track of names and important quotations as well as important scenes.

For the Future
Big Question: Why is art important?
To consider:
-How does art affect you?
-How does art affect the brain?
-How has art changed the world/history?
-How is art good for you?
-Where does art exist that you may not have though about?
-Are there benefits of art that most people don't think about?
-Are there educational benefits to art?
-How is art connected to science?