Purpose

“Whenever the people are well-informed,

They can be trusted with their own government."

– Thomas Jefferson

The goal of this course is to learn to analyze current events – foreign and domestic  – through the lens of history with a distinctly Christian worldview. This course is designed to inspire the student’s interest in current events and politics as well as give the student an appreciation for the freedom that is unique to the United States. Raising awareness of global issues has never been more important than in our globalized, Post-9/11 world.

Students will:

• Study current events as they unfold

• Learn to differentiate between fake news and reliable news sources

• Research the background of current news events

• Explore governments, politics & societies around the world

• Analyze the causes and effects of current events

• Give Power Point presentations to demonstrate what they have learned

This is an interactive course. During class time students will engage in lively discussions and participate in debates. We will spend approximately one month studying each broad focus area at a time. Weekly homework assignments will alternate between reading and summarizing news articles on a particular topic, researching the background, and developing an analysis of the event. Students will also prepare regular response papers and Power Point presentations to demonstrate what they have learned.

Expectations:

Students should plan to spend three hours per week preparing for the course and will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss the readings.