Mr. Matt Moriarty
Business and Social Studies Department
Woodlawn High School Dartmouth, NS B2W 2R7
Telephone: 902 435 8452 ext 4101214
mmoriarty@hrce.ca / mmoriarty@gnspes.ca
GLOBAL POLITICS 12
Welcome to Global Politics 12! Here is the description of this course from the PA course calendar:
“This course examines national and international political issues from a variety of perspectives. Students will learn about the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups, and countries within the international community; analyse the different ways in which Canada tries to settle its conflicts with other nations; and evaluate the role of nationalist and internationalist ideologies in shaping relations among countries.
The Nature of Politics
Canadian System
Comparative Politics
Decision Making and Participation
The Politics of Internationalism
The Global Community”
The course is divided into 3 units:
UNIT 1: POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Basic concepts in political science
Global political ideologies (e.g. communism, fascism, capitalism, feminism, environmentalism, socialism, democracy) and the organization and operation of various political systems (structure and function of governments—various)
UNIT 2: CANADIAN SYSTEM AND COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Historical roots of the Canadian political system (British parliamentary, parties, common law, French civil code, BNA – Constitutional development)
Structure and roles of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Canadian governments and related institutions
Divisions of power in Canada among federal, provincial, territorial, First Nations, and municipal governments (jurisdictional powers)
Electoral systems and processes for the Canadian federal, provincial, territorial, First Nations, and municipal governments (political parties/ideologies)
Contemporary global governing systems (U.S. and others, dictatorial vs democratic, etc)
Comparing and contrasting the Canadian and U.S. governing systems and electoral
systems
UNIT 3: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The foundations of global interconnectedness
Organizations that govern relations among nations (United Nations, Nato, IMF, World
Trade, World Bank)
The changing role of media/technology on global politics
Addressing global issues (climate change, immigration and refugees, war)
This is a grade 12 university preparation course that fulfils the Global Studies requirement for the Nova Scotia Public School Program. Although the instructor will use a variety of methods for teaching and learning (e.g. group discussions, small group work, guest speakers, field trips, videos) there will still be emphasis on “hard skills” such as note-taking, reading both popular and academic texts, and essay-writing. Students are expected to attend class every day ready to participate, and to review their notes frequently.
Students will develop skills required for the study of Political Science, becoming adept at analyzing many different sources of information, and presenting an argument in a clear, concise and organized manner. All students of Global Politics 12 will have the opportunity to speak and present an argument through our Model Parliament which will be held later in the semester.
Expectations/Creating Opportunities for Success
First and foremost, it is essential that you bring commitment and an open mind to this course. We will be discussing controversial political and historical issues that require maturity and an attitude that is open to new ideas and perspectives. You are expected to contribute, help and encourage each other as we navigate through these complex and at times difficult subject matters.
Students are also responsible for:
Seeking assistance with assignments when required;
Completing assignments by specified due dates so that teacher can provide timely feedback;
Requesting an extension for assignments in a timely manner when required (notifying the teacher that an assignment will not be in on time and planning for a timely submission;
Responding to feedback provided during the learning process.
Students who do not adhere to the extended deadline will have missed that opportunity to demonstrate achievement towards the outcomes addressed in that assignment.
Resources and materials
Students will need a binder with lots of loose leaf paper and writing tools. Students must also have computer accounts with the school (gnspes account) in order to access on-line resources posted to Google classroom. Any student who has trouble getting regular Internet access is asked to speak with the instructor. Students also will use the Canadian and World Politics textbook.
Assessment & Evaluation (HRCE policy)
When determining a student’s final grade:
No single assessment tool (i.e. presentations, labs, demonstrations, portfolios, debates, written tests/quizzes) will account for more than half of the value of each Gradebook category
Learning trends over time will be considered, more recent student work and the teacher’s professional judgment
Students will participate in a final cumulative assessment opportunity that allows them to demonstrate an appropriate range of the learning outcomes and process skills involved in the course. This final assessment, whether a written examination or alternative assessment opportunity, will be worth no more than 20%.
Students will be provided with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their progress toward achievement of outcomes.
Assessment for Learning/Formative Assessment…the ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about student learning for the purpose of determining where students are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there; instructional strategy that takes place while the student is still learning and served to promote learning
Assessment of Learning/Summative Assessment… process of analyzing, reflecting upon, and summarizing assessment information and making a judgment and/or decision based upon the information gathered.
Assessment Types… On-line tutorials and assignments, peer work, observations, conversations, reflection, products
Assessment Tools…include, but are not limited to work samples, presentations, tests/quizzes, debates, projects, checklists, portfolios, experiments, demonstrations, anecdotal notes, graphic/visual representations, models, oral and/or written reports, journals, logs, performances
Evaluation (subject to change with notice):
Unit 1 25%
Unit 2 20%
Unit 3 20%
Independent Study 15%
Final exam (including units 1-4) 20%
We have read the above information and understand the expectations of Global Politics 12 at Woodlawn High School in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.
DATE STUDENT SIGNATURE PARENT/GUARDIAN