Γεωγραφία course prospectus

Post date: Jan 19, 2016 6:12:33 PM

“There are two kinds of people in the world:

those who believe there are two kinds of people, and those who don’t.”

- Robert Benchley’s Law of Distinction

As graduates of Western Civilization and possibly American Government, you might appreciate the many contributions Europeans and Americans have brought to the world. At the same time, you probably know very little about this history of the world because Western Civilization and American Government do not explicitly include the culture of Asians, Africans, or Latin Americans. This course will ask you to fill in the gap, looking at the history and culture of the other 85% of humanity that doesn't live in Europe or the United States. You can think about it in another way, in what class would a score of 15% be a passing grade?

There has never been a time when understanding these issues is more important. In the 21^st century global trade and technologies are bringing the people of the world closer together, for better and for worse. In spite or our position as a superpower, American students are growing ever more ill-informed about their world and complacent in their ignorance, especially in comparison to those in other developed nations that put more emphasis into travel and multilingualism. Since much of the world’s fate is in our hands, it is our responsibility to become informed so that we may exercise our powers wisely.

I expect you to work hard to become informed.

By analyzing and interacting with text, images, events and ideas from other cultures you shall continue the life-long process that is the privilege of living in a democracy: imagining and building a world that is consistent with your conception of what is right. You will be continually challenged to master concepts and facts as a means to realize your vision. Your rewards will be the skills of academic self-reliance and an enhanced understanding of the world in which you live.

You can’t win if you don’t play!

Our society requires that I devise a method to measure the quality and quantity of work that you invest in this process. So here it is, the social studies department’s grading rationale:

TESTS, PAPERS & PROJECTS = 50%

Here is where you get to show the world what you can do with what you’ve learned. In this course you’ll have an oral history project that culminates in a paper.

HOMEWORK, PARTICIPATION, PREPARATION & CLASSWORK = 30%

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Come to class prepared to speak intelligently about the assignment and also make useful notes you can study from. Be sharp, but also be respectful of others.

QUIZZES/QUESTS = 20%

One way to find out if you’re grasping the material & keeping up with your reading.

THE EXAM: One question will do. You will probably be able to guess it when the time comes. It factors as 20% against the average of your two quarter grades.

Late work (all assignments) = 1/2 letter grade reduction per day (5 points)

Tardies - Refer to the student handbook for school policy