October 29 - November 2, 2012

In honor of the state championships won in soccer and jv/varsity volleyball, and the upcoming state championship in cross country and national championships to be won this week, I think this is a good week to take a break from the regular homework grind.  This will stand in the place of a homework pass previously mentioned in regard to the volleyball state tournament.  Instead, if you'd like to write an essay about the Reformation and post it this week, it will take the place of any future assignment this quarter that you choose.  Remember, it was on October 31, Reformation Day, that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the cathedral in Wittenburg, Germany.  Your essay can be about Luther or any other reformer; it must be 250 words but requires no responses to anyone else's essay.  God bless!

Homework 2, Due October 26, 2012

Because I'll be participating in the Jr/Sr Retreat this weekend I need to post this assignment a little early.  Last week's homework assignment was very well done by so many of you! Congratulations on your research and on taking a stand. Remember, there's no reason why politics should intimidate you; it's your RIGHT to have an opinion and to express it freely. If someone else wants to get angry and act childishly that shouldn't convince you to not participate! By backing down you give up your right to participate in the democratic process.

This week's assignment will focus on a less-controversial subject, though. When you think of Ancient Rome it is likely that you picture the incredible architecture and artwork that continues to exist and inspire us today. Your assignment is to follow one of the following links and choose a Roman piece of artwork or architecture to share with us. What was the initial purpose of your topic? Does it exist today? What is special/unusual about it? Why did you choose this specific example?

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/
http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-architecture/index.htm

Take time to choose your selection carefully and share what you've learned!

Homework 1, Due October 19, 2012

As we continue our discussion of the history of Rome I want you to consider the enormous amount of dedication and sacrifice it must have taken for the democratic system to have been adopted - and then notice how quickly the Romans lost it with the dawn of the age of emperors. The right to choose our representatives in government is sacred and includes an incredible responsibility. Voters absolutely must make an honest effort to understand the issues and carefully consider the longterm effects of the proposed plans in order to make a reasonable choice. For example, polls conducted this week on college campuses in states where key elections are being held found that many of the students were unaware of the positions of the candidates - on issues the students said they cared about! (I suppose we can all be thankful that the youth voter turnout is consistently low).

This week's assignment is an exercise in democracy. I want you to visit the site http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Elections/fullpage?id=17012629 to view an analysis of the upcoming election. Then I want you to choose any election on the ABC News site and report back on it. Who is the incumbent, who is the challenger (include the party affiliation) and who does ABC News think will win? Then find a news story about the campaign and share what you learn (cite your source). Finally, tell us who you think should be elected (or good/bad points about both candidates if you wish to keep your politics a secret).

Remember that the minimum requirement is 250 words - you don't have to write a book! Your responses to your classmates have been good; keep up the good work!

Homework 8, Due Oct 5, 2012

For much of last week and during the upcoming week we will be studying the greatest western empire of all time - the empire of ancient Rome. So much of western culture is derived from Rome - our languages, laws and politics, and even forms of recreation. Of course, as you've already noted, Rome was built on the heritage of other cultures that came earlier, but nowhere else do we see all these special western traits come together quite like the Roman empire. You might know, for example, that the Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian languages are all derived from the old Latin (called "vulgar Latin" because it was the language of the common people). You might even know that half of the modern English language is directly descended from the vulgar Latin (we'll discuss why when we talk about the history of England). But did you know that most of the major European cities today are built on the locations of Roman military forts? At the peak of the Roman Empire, not only did Rome control the Mediterranean world and the Middle East, but also North Africa and almost all of western Europe.

If you are a native of Kentucky it is likely that you have very little Roman ancestry, however. It is more likely that your ancestors (and mine) were uncivilized people like the Gaelic (or Celtic) or Germanic tribes. So how did the culture of Rome become the basis for the culture for all the rest of the European people groups? Well, that's an important topic we'll discuss in lecture over the next few days.

Your assignment for this week is to research life in ancient Rome and identify ways that Romans were SIMILAR TO residents of modern Somerset. Go to www.worldbookonline.com (choose the student section) and find the article "Rome, ancient" (found at the link http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar474350&st=life+in+ancient+rome ). You will have to sign in to World Book: your id is "scs" and your password is "cougars". Identify and discuss two topics of similarities that you find.

Remember that your essay must be at least 250 words and you must leave comments on the essays of at least two others (totally 150 words). Your essays are due Friday evening by midnight; the responses are due Sunday evening by midnight. Give it your best effort!

Homework 7, Due September 28, 2012

As we study the history of western culture, you should notice that there are two kinds of governments - limited and unlimited.  A limited government is obliged to obey laws established by a constitution and to recognise that some powers belong to people and organizations outside the government.  An unlimited government, by comparison, has no obligation to obey laws (laws are only for citizens) and controls all rights and authority.  The government of the US is definitely limited - our constitution is the supreme source of authority, and it guarantees certain rights for all citizens.  However, that doesn't mean that there aren't "gray areas" - times when the government and some citizens disagree about who is in charge.  In those instances the disagreement is usually settled in the court system.  (While the courts are technically part of the government, they are designed to work independently, meaning that no one, not even the president or congress, can tell the courts how to do their business or what their decisions should be).  The relationship between the government and the governed (that's us) is constantly evolving, making the decisions of the court system extremely important to all of us.

This week's assignment is to do some research about current events in the Middle East and specifically about a disagreement that has arisen between the US government and the news organization CNN.  First go to the link http://www.npr.org/2012/09/20/161491148/libyan-militiaman-says-he-warned-u-s-of-dangers to read about recent protests and attacks against Americans in the Middle East, and then go to the link   http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/09/22/cnn-posts-report-on-diary-slain-ambassador-stevens-us-state-dept-says-family/ to read about the dispute.  In your essay, answer the following questions:

1) According to the US government, what has caused the recent violence?  Are there other common opinions about the causes?
2)  How do you think the US should respond to these attacks?  Why?
3)  Was CNN right in releasing the information from the diary of US Envoy Christopher Stevens?  What were the issues you think they considered before they made the decision to publish the information?  What ultimately led to the publication?

This is an opportunity for you to gain further understanding of current events and to weigh the important balance between freedom of the press and the trouble "too much information" can cause.  Give this some thought and provide meaningful feedback to your classmates.  The requirements for this assignment are exactly the same as all those that preceded it.

Homework 6, Due September 21, 2012

Perhaps the most important contribution of ancient Greece to modern western culture is the concept of government "by the people." Throughout history in many cultures the ability to govern has belonged to powerful minorities (not necessarily ethnic minorities, just small groups of people) that maintained their position by dominating society with overwhelming power. This concept led to abuses and inequalities that could usually only be corrected by revolution and violence. The Athenians imagined a new power structure - one that can best be described as an "employee government". Government officials are "hired" by the citizens and can be "fired" just as easily.

The practice of democracy in Greece was not exactly like the democracies of today. Because the citizens of a city-state like Athens lived in a relatively small geographic region it was possible for the decision makers to meet in a public forum to discuss the pressing concerns of the day. Imagine if you will what it would be like if all the decisions concerning taxes, war, and building projects for Pulaski County were made in public votes held at the Center for Rural Development. Can you imagine the community involvement and the passionate advocacy that would take place? By comparison, in the modern US democratic system the citizens are so spread out and so numerous that it is impossible for everyone to meet (that's why we choose representatives to speak for us in Frankfort and Washington, D.C.), and often people feel that decisions made in government only barely affect them.
This week's assignment is to visit the following British Broadcasting Company website and read about government in ancient Greece:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml

Answer the questions: Should democracy be updated to better serve US citizens? With the invention of the internet, how could our political system be modernized to become more accessible to citizens?

Your work this past week was especially good - keep it up! Have a good week.

Homework 5, Due September 14, 2012

This week we will begin our study of ancient Greece. The assignment will take us away from ancient history, however, and cover current events in Greece, giving us the opportunity to become familiar with modern news sources. You should remember that the media, while providing our primary source of information about the world around us, is made up of people just like any of the rest of us - usually having beliefs and causes we'd like others to follow as well. You should read every article with the question in mind: "What is the author's argument (point) and should I agree?" For instance, research has shown that members of the modern US media tend to be somewhat more liberal than the rest of the US population, and often those liberal beliefs are subtly reflected in their writing. Rember, there is no law against having an opinion, and the media is under no obligation to refrain from trying to influence you. It is up to you to read carefully and apply the lessons of critical thinking before you form your own opinions.

Go to the link http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1987368,00.html and read the 2010 Time Magazine article dealing with current events in Greece. After reading the article search the web for other quality news sources that will give you and update on these events. In your essay, summarize the events of the article and state your opinion as to why these events are happening. Answer the question: Could this happen in the US? Why or why not?

Remeber that falling behind in your homework will have a detrimental impact on your grade! For those of you who have stayed on top of your assignments, congratulations on your efforts and learning to manage your time successfully. Have a good week!