Week of 01/11
January 11 – Facebook Page
January 14 – Obituary
January 19 – Resume/Cover Letter
January 21 – Character Sketch
January 25 – Collage
January 27 – Meeting of the Minds
Meeting of the Minds
For this in-class discussion you have been assigned the role of a character from the Cold War. You will be asked to participate in a MEETING OF THE MINDS and converse intelligently with your fellow leaders. You are expected to participate from the perspective of your character. The success of this activity depends upon your creativity as well as your preparedness. Please take note of the expectations listed below.
o Your character was influential during the Cold War and it is your task to know and understand your character completely.
o You will provide background information & excerpts from original written works by your character.
o You will need to locate some actual quotes of your Cold War character.
o You may use note-cards on the day of the Meeting.
o On the day of our Meeting, you will need to provide 3 questions (on a 3x5 card) that you feel prepared to answer or discuss. These questions should be written in such a way as to promote your character’s ideas and beliefs. These questions should also be ones that promote further discussion &/or that address areas of controversy. You will turn in these questions.
o Dress up as the person you are playing (nothing elaborate, just make a good effort to do something that indicates who the person was). For example if I was Stalin, I could get a military hat and place a red star on the front of it.
o bring food
Remember to keep it civil--or as civil as a conversation between such volatile people could be--don't go all Dr. Phil or Jerry Springer on us. If you must insult someone, insult them in an intellectual way--satire or sarcasm!--, not in a juvenile way. Keep it clean--but feel free to use humor appropriately. It will keep us entertained, but don't let the humor distract from the content.
I will be looking for the following during the Meeting:
Ability to stay in character & correct use of character’s point of view
Use of relevant information
Use of actual quotes from your character
Contributing to the discussion in a positive manner by building off of other’s ideas
Ability to allow others to speak & not dominate the conversation
Imagine you were hired by President Barack Obama to advise him on what mistakes NOT to make as President.
What is the biggest mistake that you made? How did it negatively impact you, your time in power, or your country? Could you have fixed it—or was it inevitable?
Of all of your goals, what has been your MOST IMPORTANT goal, in your opinion? Why? Were you able to achieve it?
You are in the Arabian Desert. You come across a lamp in the sand. You rub that lamp, and out pops a Genie. You wish for a Contemporary that you might hang from the gallows. Which Contemporary are you MOST likely to request the Genie bring to you? Why?
What positive things have you contributed to your country?
Who have been your biggest rivals for power (either within, or outside of) your country? How have you handled these rivalries—executions? Compromise? War?
Did you have to “share power” with anyone? What was the circumstance? How did that work out?
What did your people think of you? Do you think that their perception of you is fair?
Of your fellow rulers, is there someone you HATE the most? Who is it? Why?
What is your legacy—in what modern institutions or ideas might we find your ideas in action?
What—or who—inspired your ideas?
In your opinion, what is the ideal form of government? Can it be achieved? How?
Which ruler really irritates you the most? Why?
Did you know any of the rulers who are here today personally? If so, what did you think of them? What did they think of you?
What is the greatest disaster that could befall humankind?
Complete this sentence: In a perfect world…
What rights do people who “break the law” have? What types of actions should be punished? Why? What types of punishments are effective, in your opinion?
What role do women play in society? Explain.
Is there any aspect of your life which may show up in People Magazine or the National Enquirer? What would the headline be? Were the scandals in your life influential in your life?
What is the most wicked thing that you’ve done in your life? Do you regret it?
Describe your childhood. Did it influence either the way that you ruled or the ideas that you had?
Which modern day 20th or 21st century ruler do you admire? Why?
Who was the one person/what is the one thing in your life you could NOT live without? Explain!
If you had to pick a modern day song as a theme song that summed up your life, what would it be? Explain your answer---and include lyrics if you can!
Imagine your tombstone. You need to select a quote to put on that tombstone. What quote—by you or about you—best summarizes you, your character, your rule, or your ideas? Why?
If a modern day person were to create a Facebook group about you, what would it look like? What type of person might join the group? Would it be favorable or unfavorable toward you? What would the group’s name be?
If you were the Principal of an urban high school in 21st century America, how would you handle discipline issues?