Gender Essay Introduction

Directions: On a separate, typed page write an introduction for an essay responding to the following question.


Background: Over the course of the last 50 years, there have been a number of changes in the status of women in the United States.



Question: In your opinion, have women in America overall gained or lost ground during the last 50 years? In your answer, include at least 2 examples of ways in which women have made progress and at least 2 areas in which things have stayed the same or gotten worse for women.


As always, be sure that your introduction includes:
• Background information
• A thesis
• Preview points



Due in class on: Thursday December 13th (extra credit if turned in beforehand)

Pharmacists and the Morning After Pill

For Tuesday December 11:

Read the following article (click on the link) and answer the questions listed below.

“Pharmacists’ rights at front of new debate: Because of beliefs, some refuse to fill birth control
prescriptions” The Washington Post (DC)

“Pharmacists’ Rights” Questions

Directions: Answer the following questions in 3-7 sentences on a separate typed page.

1a. Why do some pharmacists object to filling birth control or morning-after pill prescriptions?

1b. What civil liberty do you think best supports their position?

2. How have different states begun to approach this issue? Discuss some of the proposed laws.

3. Which organizations are supporting the pharmacists right to refuse such prescriptions? Why?

4. What position does the American Pharmacist Association take on the issue?

5. How have pharmacy chains been dealing with the issue?

6a. What are some of the reasons women’s rights groups object to such policies?

6b. What civil liberty do you think best supports their position?

7. What do you think should be done about this issue?

Wage Gap Article

Due: Thursday, Dec 6th

Directions: Read the following article and answer the questions below in full sentences on a separate typed page. Be sure to include a correctly formatted CITATION in at least ONE of your answers.

The Wage Gap: A History of Pay Inequity
by Borgna Brunner

The wage gap is a statistic used to compare the status of women's earnings relative to men's. It is also used to compare the earnings of other races and ethnicities to those of white males, a group generally not subject to race- or sex-based discrimination. The wage gap is expressed as a percentage (e.g., in 2004, women earned 77% as much as men) and is calculated by dividing the median annual earnings for women by the median annual earnings for men.

Rosie the Riveter: Patriotic and Underpaid
Because of the large number of American women taking jobs in the war industries during World War II, the National War Labor Board urged employers in 1942 to voluntarily make "adjustments which equalize wage or salary rates paid to females with the rates paid to males for comparable quality and quantity of work on the same or similar operations."

Not only did employers fail to heed this "voluntary" request, but at the war's end most women were pushed out of their new jobs to make room for returning veterans.

Help wanted—Separate and Unequal

Until the early 1960s, newspapers published separate job listings for men and women. Jobs were categorized according to sex, with the higher level jobs listed almost exclusively under "Help Wanted—Male." In some cases the ads ran identical jobs under male and female listings—but with separate pay scales. Separate, of course, meant unequal: between 1950 and 1960, women with full time jobs earned on average between 59–64 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earned in the same job.

It wasn't until the passage of the Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 that it became illegal to pay women lower rates for the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. Demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations might merit different pay, but gender could no longer be viewed as a drawback on one's resumé.
The act was gradually expanded over the next decade to include a larger segment of the workforce, and between June 1964 and Jan. 1971 back wages totaling more than $26 million were paid to 71,000 women.

Lingering Inequality

The workplace has changed radically in the decades since the passage of the Equal Pay Act.
But what has not changed radically, however, is women's pay. The wage gap has narrowed, but it is still significant. Women earned 59% of the wages men earned in 1963; in 2002 they
earned 76% of men's wages—an improvement of less than half a penny a year. Even worse, African-American women earn just 68 cents to every dollar earned by white men, and for Hispanic women that figure drops to merely 57 cents per dollar.

The wage gap between women and men cuts across a wide spectrum of occupations. In 2004 female physicians and surgeons earned 52.2% of male physicians’ weekly wages, and women in sales occupations earned just 62.1% of men's wages in equivalent positions.

If working women earned the same as men (those who work the same number of hours; have the same education, age, and union status; and live in the same region of the country), their annual family incomes would rise by $4,000 and poverty rates would be cut in half. Why is there still such a disparity?

Why Such a Wide Wage Gap After Nearly Four Decades?

A variety of explanations for the persistent wage gap have been offered. One is that older women are factored into the wage gap equation, and many of these women from an older generation work in jobs still subject to the attitudes and conditions of the past. In contrast, the rates for young women coming of age in the 1990s reflect women's social and legal advances. In 1997, for example, women under 25 working full-time earned 92.1% of men's salaries compared to older women (25–54), who earned 74.4% of what men made.

Equal Pay in the Millennium?

Does this imply that once the oldest generation of women has retired the wage gap will shrink considerably? Perhaps. But even the narrow wage gap of 92.1% that applies to women under 25 looks less rosy when you consider commentator Katha Pollitt's take on it:

Young men and women have always had earnings more compatible than those of their elders: starting salaries are generally low, and do not accurately reflect the advantages that accrue, or fail to accrue, over time as men advance and women stay in place, or as women in mostly female kinds of jobs reach the end of characteristically short career paths. (The Nation, April 14, 1997)

Women have made enormous progress in the workforce since the Equal Pay Act, but the stubborn fact remains that four-and-a-half decades later the basic goal of the act has not been realized.

QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions in full sentences on a separate, typed page.

NOTE: One of your answers must include a correctly formatted citation in parenthesis.

1. What is the wage gap and how is it calculated?

2. How were jobs advertised until the 1960s?

3. Describe the Equal Pay Act and its effect on women.

4. What is the wage gap today and how does it differ from before the Equal Pay Act?

5. At what rate has the wage gap been changing?

6. How does the wage gap differ by occupation?

7. What would happen to poverty rates if the wage gap were eliminated?

8. How does the wage gap differ by age?

9. According to the final section, what are two possible ways of interpreting the difference in the small wage gap among younger women?

Economics of Gender Stereotyping

Read the article entitled The Economics of Gender Stereotyping and then download and complete the newest version of the response chart.

Be sure to identify the central thesis (the overall argument of the article) and at least 4 main ideas that support the thesis.

Advertising Analysis

For Thursday 10/28:

Print, copy, or cut out 3 advertisements that contain images of men and/or women. For each one, download and complete a typed advertising analysis worksheet.

So, for full credit you will turn in:

• 3 ads showing men and/or women
  
• 3 advertising analysis worksheet

If you have any trouble downloading the worksheet, you can copy and paste the questions below into another document.

ADVERTISING ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

Directions: Answer the following questions in full sentences.

1. What brand/company is being advertised?

2. What product is being sold by the ad? How can you tell?

3. Who is the target market audience for this ad? How do you know? (Include age range, culture, gender, race, socio-economic level)

4. Describe what is going on in the ad. Be sure to mention activities, facial expressions, body language, dress, who/what is in the foreground, who/what is in the background, who seems to be in control, etc.

5. What stereotypes does this ad reinforce or challenge?

Male stereotypes:

Female stereotypes:

6. What fears or anxieties does the ad play upon to get us to buy the product? Explain:

Dreamworlds Questions

Directions: Now that you have seen Dreamworlds 3, answer the following questions in full sentences on a separate typed page.

1. Describe the version of femininity depicted in music videos. Be sure to discuss some of the most common roles and activities for women in videos.

2. What does the filmmaker say about how black males are depicted in hip-hop videos? To what does he compare these images?

3. According to the film, what are some of the reasons that femininity is depicted so narrowly in music videos? Do you agree? Explain.

4. What does the filmmaker mean when he says that the real issue is not that there is too much discussion of sex in music videos, but that there is not enough?

5. How is masculinity depicted in music videos?

6. What are the different aspects of male attitudes towards women commonly demonstrated in music videos?

7. According to the film, how might the gender roles shown in music videos affect women? Do you agree? Explain.

8. According to the film, how might the gender roles shown in music videos affect men? Do you agree? Explain.

Race Quiz - Tuesday Nov. 20th

On Tuesday Nov. 20th, there will be a quiz based on material covered during our unit on race.

Students will be allowed to bring in one 3x5 index card of notes to use during the exam. You should use your class notes, homework, and handouts to prepare. The post below this one provides key terms and definitions for this unit (in case you missed any from class notes).

I am giving you all the possible questions in advance for you to study. On the actual quiz, I will select a certain number of the questions below.


Directions: Answer the following questions in 3-7 sentences (unless otherwise indicated).

1. Describe the concept of “white privilege” and provide two examples:


2. How does racial segregation today differ from before 1965? Use 3 terms from term the bank in your answer.


3. What evidence is there of redlining today?


4. What is the Community Reinvestment Act and what are some ways that banks try to get around it today?


5. What is the definition of wealth?


6. List 4 different types of assets. Be sure to circle the average person’s most valuable asset.


7. What is white flight and how does it affect minorities?


8. Describe the origins of the FHA (What is it? When was it created? Why?) and how it impacted minority communities?

9. What is gentrification and how does it affect low-income minorities?

10. Fill in the blanks: Today, the average ____________ family is ___ times wealthier than the average _____________ family.

11. Explain how white flight became a self-fulfilling prophecy

Term Bank:

White privilege, Racial Segregation, de jure, de facto, Mortgage, Assets, Liabilities, Wealth, Redlining, Federal Housing Administration, Community Reinvestment Act, White flight, Gentrification, Blockbusting

Race Terms

White privilege: the idea that all whites benefit on some level from living in a society in which whites hold most of the power

Racial Segregation: when racial groups are separated in terms of where they live, work, shop, or go to school

de jure: by law (segregation under Jim Crow)

de facto: by fact / in practice (segregation today: inner city vs. suburbs)

Mortgage: a large loan used to purchase a home or property (usually takes 30-40 years to pay off)

Assets: anything of value that is owned

Liabilities: outstanding debts

Wealth: the total value of everything you own (assets) minus anything owed (liabilities)

Redlining: the discriminatory practice of refusing to grant loans, mortgages, or insurance to people in a particular area, usually a minority neighborhood.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA): a federal agency created by FDR, which forced banks to offer fairer mortgage terms to homebuyers in exchange for federal insurance of such loans. However, it also legalized redlining of minority neighborhoods.

Community Reinvestment Act: a 1977 law requiring banks to make loans to neighborhoods in which they accept deposits (designed to fight redlining)

White flight: when whites move away from an area out of fear that an increase in minority residents will lead to lower property values and neighborhood decline

Gentrification: when the middle or upper class move into a cheaper neighborhood, resulting in the displacement of low-income residents.

Blockbusting: when real-estate agents use racial scare tactics to convince whites to sell their homes cheaply to a speculator who then resells or rents it to African Americans at a higher rate.

Robert Jensen - White Privilege

Read the following piece about white privilege by Robert Jensen. Click here to access the article.

As you read, number each example of white privilege given by the author.

After you have finished reading, complete a response chart for the article. However, instead of main ideas, you should list the 2 examples of white privilege you find most convincing and the 2 examples of white privilege you find least convincing.

Be sure to label your lists and you should also write at least 2 sentences explaining your choices.

RACIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Directions: Write a minimum 250-word autobiography of your racial identity based on the following questions.

• When and how did you become aware of your racial identity?
• What role has your race played in your life? In what ways do you benefit? In what ways do you suffer or miss out?
• How does it affect you in terms of your social activities?
• How does it affect you at school?
• Have you ever personally experienced or witnessed racism? How often? Give an example
• Have you ever done or said something racist or that may have been perceived as racist?
• Have you ever done something to stop racism?

DUE DATE: Wednesday November 7th

IR Essay Outline

Click here to download the IR Essay Outline chart which you should use to plan out your final IR essay. You don't need to use the chart provided as long as you include the same information in a typed document.

Your typed outline will be due in class this Friday (November 9th).

Talking Points Worksheet

Unless your group is doing a PowerPoint presentation, each member must complete a typed version of this Talking Points worksheet before the presentation. These worksheets will be collected after you present and will impact your final grade for the project.

Civil Liberties Research Project

Overview: Students will be working in groups to research one court case that impacted laws related to one particular civil liberty. Groups will use their findings to prepare a poster and a short 10-minute presentation to the rest of the class.


STEP 1: Groups will choose to focus on one area of civil liberties

• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of the press
• Freedom of religion
• Freedom of assembly
• Right to bear arms
• Right to privacy
• Right to equal protection
• Right to due process

STEP 2: Groups will identify and research one major supreme court case from the last 20 years related to this civil liberty

Your presentation must provide explanations of the following:

1. Background details of the case (see: Essential Questions Worksheet)
2. The key issues being decided by the court
3. How the court ruled
4. How the court justified its decision
5. How the court’s decision affected laws related to this civil liberty
6. Your group’s reaction to the court’s decision

Groups should divide responsibilities by assigning 2 of the above research subtopics to each member.

Each member of the group must turn in one page of paraphrased notes that cites a minimum of two websites used while researching their subtopics.

Suggested Websites for Research:
http://www.aclu.org/
http://www.aclu-wi.org/youth/rights/lawlibrary.html
http://www.oyez.org/issues/
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=167
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/topicssummary.aspx


Some recent court cases groups may wish to consider:

* Alexander v. Sandoval (2001)
In this ruling, the Supreme Court said that people stopped for a minor traffic infraction are subject to searches and arrest.

* Barber v. Dearborn Public Schools (2003)
A federal district judge in Michigan ruled in favor of a student's right to wear an antiwar t-shirt to school.

* Cheema v. Chandless (2005)
A Sikh Indian man imprisoned in San Francisco while seeking asylum in the United States sought the right to wear a religious head covering.

* Flaherty v. Keystone Oaks School District (2002)
A Pennsylvania high school was ordered to pay $60,000 to a student who was punished for a private message sent on the Internet.

* Jones v. City of Los Angeles (2006)
The ruling in this California case prohibits criminalization of the homeless.


STEP 3: Each group will prepare a poster that incorporates the following elements

• 2 photographs
• 1 primary source
• 1 graphic
• 1 original political cartoon (student-created)
• At least some information related to each research subtopic

Note: Groups are encouraged but not obligated to enhance their presentations by incorporating other elements such as video clips or PowerPoint.


STEP 4: Each group will prepare a 10-minute presentation on their court case, in which each student presents on their two research sub-topics.



GRADING: students will receive two grades for the project

1. Test Grade: This grade will reflect the quality of the materials turned in by the students including the poster, notes, and Essential Questions Worksheet. Students will be graded in terms of quality, accuracy, and thoroughness of these materials.

2. Participation Grade: The participation grade will be determined by a combination of teacher and student assessment of their contributions to the project during all phases of the project (research, preparation, and presentation).

IR Assignment #2

For Tuesday October 9, 2007:

Keep reading your I.R. book. For Tuesday, I am asking all students to complete Option #4 Bias for their reading assignment. This asks you to:

Discuss whether the author of your book lets his/her personal opinions affect the way they write about their subject. Where do you think they fit on the political spectrum? Use specific examples from the book to support your ideas.

By the end of this weekend, you should have read at least 50-75 pages (unless your book is longer than 300 pages, in which case you should be closer to 100 pages in).

Candidate Article

For Friday 10/5/07:

Finish reading your article about your candidate and complete a typed response chart. Make sure you have 5 main ideas (in full sentences) and at least 3 terms/new words with definitions.

and also

and also where do you see what homework we have.... i'm looking at this thing and just like... theirs a fire hydrant.... but no homework.... i think i'm gonna huff.... and then puff.... and then blow this blog off the flippin internet.... cuz i'm the big bad wolf.... hollar...

just wanna say hey hey

the big bad wolf just sayin waddup....

IR Weekly Reading Assignments

You should read your book every day. If you read 10 pages a day, you should have no problem finishing your book by the October 29th due date.

Every Monday until you finish the book, you will turn in a 1-2 page assignment based on one of the following options:

1. Quote: Find a significant passage from the book and respond to it. Be sure to copy the passage (use quotation marks!) and include the page number. Explain briefly the context of the quote, and then describe its significance. Why did you choose it? What does it mean to you? How is it important in the book?

2. Personal Connection: Write about something in the book that relates to something you’ve experienced or felt. Describe the moment in the book. Then, discuss how you can relate to it.

3. The Curious Mind: Research something that catches your attention in the book that you want to understand a little better. Explain what you find out, and be sure cite where you found it.

4. Bias: Discuss whether the author of your book lets his/her personal opinions affect the way they write about their subject. Where do you think they fit on the political spectrum? Use specific examples from the book to support your ideas.

5. Vocabulary: Find at least 5 challenging vocabulary words in your book. For each word, quote the sentence from the book that contains that word (include the page number), and write the dictionary definition. After you have defined your words, write a summary of the week’s reading using all five words.

In the header for your weekly assignment, be sure to include the following:

• Author's name
• Title of the book
• Date the assignment is due
• Pages read that week

NOTE: You must finish your book by Monday, October 29^th. During that week, we’ll meet with you individually to discuss your book and help plan the Final Book Report.

IR Book Suggestions

In no particular order, here are some suggestions for those of you looking for books that will satisfy the requirements for your independent reading assignment.

I will have hard copies of this list available in class on Monday, but this weekend I strongly encourage you to write down some titles that seem interesting to you, head down to a bookstore, and browse through them in person to get a better sense of what you may want to read.

THE WAR ON TERROR

Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

Anderson, Jon Lee. The Lion's Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan

Mortenson, Greg and Relin, David Oliver. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.

Darwish, Nonie. Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror

Ratner, Michael. Guantanamo: What the World Should Know

Baer, Robert. See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism

Weiner, Tim. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA

Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

IRAQ

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq.

Karpinski, Janis. ONE WOMAN'S ARMY: THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF ABU GHRAIB TELLS HER STORY

Clarke, Richard A. Against All Enemies

RACE RELATIONS

Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Obama, Barack. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.

Browne, Claude. Manchild in the Promised Land

McCall, Nathan. Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America

Souljah, Sister. No Disrespect.

Shakur, Assata. Assata: An Autobiography.

Cleaver, Eldridge. Soul on Ice.

Brown, Elaine. A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story

Jackson, George. Blood in My Eye

Seale, Bobby. Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton

OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM / THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM

Obama, Barack. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.

Stewart, Jon. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America

Humes, Edward. Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation.Clinton, Bill. Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World

Moore, Michael. Stupid White Men

Moore, Michael. Dude, Where's My Country?

Franken, Al. Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

Franken, Al. Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot

Glassner, Barry. The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things

Hightower, Jim. Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take It Back

Hightower, Jim. If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote, They'd Have Given Us Candidates

Coulter, Ann. Godless: The Church of Liberalism

Huff, Darrell. How to Lie with Statistics.

O’Reilly, Bill. Culture Warrior

Buchanan, Patrick. State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America

Dobbs, Lou. War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back

Ivins, Molly. Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America

Boortz, Neal. Somebody's Gotta Say It

Giuliani, Rudolph. Leadership.

McCain, John. Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life

McCain, John. Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember

McCain, John. Worth the Fighting For: A Memoir

Brownell, Kelly and Horgen, Katherine Battle. Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It.

Richardson, Bill. Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life

Edwards, John and Auchard, John. Four Trials

Clinton, Hillary Rodham. Living History

Huckabee, Mike. From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America's Greatness

Biden, Joe. Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics

HUMAN RIGHTS

Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Cheadle, Don and Prendergast, John. NOT ON OUR WATCH: THE MISSION TO END GENOCIDE IN DARFUR AND BEYOND

Steidle, Brian and Wallace, Gratchen Steidle. The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur

Flint, Julie, and de Waal, Alexis. Darfur: A Short History of a Long War

Jean Hatzfeld, Susan Sontag, and Linda Coverdale. Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak

Dallaire, Romeo. Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Gourevitch, Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda

Kidder, Tracy. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Steyn, Mark. America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

Ansari, Ali. Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy And the Next Great Crisis in the Middle East

Ritter, Scott. Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change

Jafarzadeh, Alireza. The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis

Carter, Jimmy. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

GENDER RELATIONS

Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique

De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex.

Faludi, Susan. Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women

Kilbourne, Jean. Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel

hooks, bell. Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics

Rosen, Ruth. The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America.

Page, Christina. How the Pro-choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics, And the War on Sex

Pollitt, Katha. Virginity or Death!: And Other Social and Political Issues of Our Time

Press, Eyal. Absolute Convictions: My Father, a City, and the Conflict That Divided America

Brumberg, Joan Jacobs. Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Smith, Jennifer (editor). The Gay Rights Movement

Eisenbach, David. Gay Power: An American Revolution

Bull, Chris and Gallagher, John. Perfect Enemies: The Religious Right, the Gay Movement, and the Politics of the 1990s

Duberman, Martin. Stonewall.

Carter, David. Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution

THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Davis, Angela Y. Are Prisons Obsolete?

Parenti, Christian. Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis.

Dyer, Michael. The Perpetual Prisoner Machine: How America Profits from Crime

Humes, Edward. NO MATTER HOW LOUD I SHOUT: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court

Fire Hyrdrents

Visa/ Mastercards

Lisence Plates

mail

this is for carrying the mail to different houses/places

School Bus

a school bus which is part of public transportation

cleaning

this shows a sign to clean the streets

security

this shows security, the law enforcement uses these to "protect and to serve"

Fire House

The government requires a certain amount of fire stations in different districts of NYC. The government she be involved with his because it keeps people and the city safe from fires that break out

Evan and Miranda's Government Pic's

The government sets up Fire Departments to protect people, buildings, environment, and more by preventing fires from spreading. This is helpful because it saves lives, and lessens any damage that could be caused.



These are organization that the government sets up so that the people of America can be safe. This is useful because any criminal acts that people do, others will be protected.



This sign shows that the government is trying to keep school areas safe from drug abusers, and drugs in general. This is helpful because people under the influence of drugs could possibly be dangerous.



Pay phones are for any type of emergencies. This shows that the government places these phones for safety reasons if anyone is in need of help. Having these phones protects citizens in they are ever in danger and no body is around they can call for help.



ATM’s show that government is thinking about the peoples needs. This indicates that because if someone is in need of cash and isn’t near a bank they always have a way to get money.

Abstract Sanitation

Dido to the picture of the trash can
enjoy the artistic photography of josh and ross

A Trash Can

This is an image of a trash can that is marked with the sanitation department insignia. The image shows goverenment involvment because the government provides for all of the sanitation in the city which is a very large job!

A School

In public schools, the government pays for the education of the students. This is important because many people cannot afford a expensive education so this enables people to learn for free. The government should be involved with the education of our country because it gives financially disabled people the chance to learn.

These people stand in the middle of the cross walk when the light is red; usually at the corners of school to make sure the kids crossing wont get hit by a car.  The government created this to keep students at school safe when they leave the building, or around school grounds.

NYPD

The NYPD's job is to protect the streets of the city and make sure that all the laws are followed and that the citizens are safe.  This is the way the government makes sure that their city is protected.

Health Department

This shows that the government wants the stores to be kept clean and sanitary.  Department of Health put this up to make sure that no dogs come in so none of the products can get ruined.

Health Inspection

This shows the governments involvement by showing how they don't want stores to be unsanitary, but clean.  It's important to have health inspections to keep people from getting sick or hurt from stores.

Stop Signs

The department of transportation put these signs to let people able to cross the street without getting hit by a car if one is approaching.  The government wanted to keep the people on the city blocks safe when crossing without a traffic light.

Fire Department

The picture shows that the government plays a role of keeping the city safe from fires.  It is important to have because fires can burn down whole city blocks and damage peoples lives.

Churchill Civics & Economics Photography

A Traffic Light

This Shows government involvement by preventing accidents and/or organizing the roads.

Street alarms

Checks Cashed

Department of Transportation

Business Licensing

Ready, Willing, and Able

Photography Assignment #1: Sample Post

This picture shows that government plays a big role in our lives in terms of keeping us safe from fires. I think it is important for government to provide fire departments, because fires can burn down whole city blocks if they are not dealt with quickly and efficiently.


In this photo, we can see the government's role in helping to organize society. This is an important role because without traffic lights, there would be a lot of deaths and injuries from accidents.

Current Events #2: Katrina

Assignment: Find and read an article related to current events. After reading the article, download and complete a response chart.

For today's assignment, you can earn extra credit by reading an article about Katrina or its aftermath. The following websites may help you get started:

USA Today – Katrina Coverage
http://www.usatoday.com/news/hurricane.htm

New York Times – Katrina Coverage
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/national/nationalspecial/

The Times Picayune (New Orleans) - Katrina Coverage
http://www.nola.com/katrina/

The Houston Chronicle - Katrina Coverage
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/05/katrina/index.html

CNN – Katrina Coverage
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/news/katrina/

Identify Key Politicians

Directions: Identify the people who currently hold these key political offices. For each person listed below…

• Provide the person’s name
• Indicate what political office they hold
• Indicate their political party (R) or (D)
• Provide a photograph of the person

For example:

George W. Bush (R)
President of the United States

NOTE: You may wish to use http://www.vote-smart.org to help you find these politicians, but you need your 9-digit zip code to find your US Representative. If you don’t know it, enter your street address at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp.

1. The President of the United States
2. The Vice-President of the United States
3. The Senior United States Senator for your home state
4. The Junior United States Senator for your home state
5. The United States Representative for your home congressional district
6. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
7. The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
8. The United States Secretary of Defense
9. The United States Secretary of State
10. The United States Attorney General
11. The Governor of your state
12. The Mayor of your home city

Photography Assignment #1: How is the Government Involved in our Lives?

In this assignment, students took pictures of the cityscape in the streets surrounding the Churchill School in order to reveal ways in which the government is involved in our everyday lives.

In the posts that follow, each pair of students added captions to 7-10 of their photographs in order to answer the following questions:

1. How does it show government involvement?

2. Do you think that government should be involved in this way? Why or why not?

Current Events Response Chart

Click here to download the Response Chart

Civics Syllabus

MR. HAMILTON / MS. CHUMLEY
CHURCHILL GRADE 12 CIVICS
COURSE SYLLABUS

EMAIL: mhamilton@churchillschool.com
achumley@churchillschool.com
BLOG: http://misterhamilton.blogspot.com/

COURSE THEMES:

CURIOSITY: Encouraging students to become curious about their world through independent research and reading

EXPRESSION: Helping students express themselves in writing and speaking

RESPONSIBILITY: Entering voting age, students have a responsibility to grapple with the pressing issues facing our nation; to weigh different perspectives and form their own opinions; and to take action on the basis of informed opinions.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

1 Notebook: Must have blank paper for notes and somewhere to put class handouts.
Pencil/Pen
Assignment Notebook

PARTICIPATION (30%):

• Students will begin the course with a B+ (88%) for participation, but will have opportunities to gain (or lose) points over the course of the year.
• Class work: actively participating in class activities, discussions, and group projects.
• Behaving respectfully at all times towards classmates and teachers.
• Coming to class on time and with required materials
• Absences: whenever you miss class, it is your responsibility to check in with us and set up a timetable for completing any missed work.

HOMEWORK (35%):

• Homework will be given regularly including weekly current events assignments
• Students’ 2 lowest grades will be dropped at the end of each quarter
• All assignments must be typed, 12” font, and double-spaced
• Assignments turned in 1 day late receive 25% deduction
• Assignments turned in later than 1 day will receive no credit

TESTS, ESSAYS, AND PROJECTS (35%):

• Independent Reading – 1 book/semester
• Unit Tests and Quizzes
• Final Research Project (5-7 page paper and presentation)

BASIC WEEKLY SCHEDULE: (subject to change)

MOVIE MONDAYS: Viewing films related to the course material

VOCABULARY TUESDAYS: Reviewing and learning new terms/vocabulary

CAFÉ WEDNESDAYS: In-class reading assignments (with light refreshments)

CURRENT EVENTS FRIDAYS: Discussions of current events. Twice a month, these discussions will focus on the 2008 presidential election.

SEMESTER SCHEDULE:

Unit I: Our Political System
1. Citizenship
2. The Political Spectrum / Political Parties
3. Forms of Political Action

Unit 2: Domestic Policy
1. Race Relations
2. Gender Relations
3. Sexual Orientation
4. Civil Liberties

Unit 3: Foreign Policy
1. The War on Terror
2. Iraq
3. Human Rights
4. The United Nations