1. 1
http://contemporaryworld-­‐allsaintsacademy.blogspot.com
That
was
Then,
This
is
Now:
History
and
the
Contemporary
World
All
Saints’
Academy
2013-­‐2014
Geoffrey
M.
Smith,
Instructor
(863)
293-­‐5980,
Ext.
2360
(School)
gsmith@allsaintsacademy.com
(256)
479-­‐8784
(Mobile)
I
–
Course
Description
and
Objectives
Because
students
in
the
twenty-­‐first
century
must
grapple
with
unresolved
problems
from
the
recent
past,
students
in
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now”
will
examine
selected
topics,
issues,
and
themes
in
the
contemporary
world
with
consideration
to
their
historical
antecedents.
A
unit
of
study
on
the
crisis
in
the
Middle
East,
for
example,
will
prompt
a
closer
look
at
comparative
religion
(commonalities
and
differences
among
Judaism,
Christianity,
and
Islam),
the
Balfour
declaration,
the
Zionist
movement,
and
American
foreign
policy
since
the
creation
of
the
state
of
Israel.
Other
units
of
study
will
include
the
pending
resolution
to
the
conflicts
in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan,
the
future
of
the
international
debt
crisis
and
its
impact
on
the
European
Union,
and
the
role
of
China
as
a
world
power,
among
other
topics.

2. 2
As
an
integral
part
of
this
course,
students
will
simulate
the
responsibilities
of
“intelligence
officers”
and
“brief”
their
classmates
on
new
or
emerging
developments
in
the
contemporary
world
as
they
follow
media
reports
from
national
and
international
sources,
such
as
The
New
York
Times,
the
BBC
World
Service,
and
Al
Jazeera.
Consistent
with
the
best
practices
of
education
in
the
digital
age,
students
will
use
“blogging”
as
a
tool
to
encourage
the
exchange
of
ideas
while
refining
essential
skills
in
critical
reading,
clear
writing,
and
persuasive
speaking
through
individual
and
group
assignments.
This
course
also
includes
a
brief
survey
of
current
scholarship
from
the
diverse
field
of
global
and
international
studies.
This
course
is
open
to
students
in
Grades
11
and
12,
and
it
is
offered
with
teacher
recommendation
as
a
Lyceum
option.
II
–
Course
Requirements
and
Grades
For
Quarter
1,
grades
will
be
based
on
the
following
requirements:
§ 20%
A
critical
review
of
Sayed
Kashua’s
Let
It
Be
Morning,
§ 20%
Progress
on
a
collaborative
project
that
supports
the
NAIS
“20/20
challenge”
on
global
problems,
§ 30%
An
essay
that
analyzes
a
topic,
issue,
or
theme
in
the
contemporary
world
with
consideration
to
its
historical
antecedents,
§ 30%
Homework
and
class
participation,
including
simulations
and
“blogging”
on
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now.”
For
Quarter
2,
grades
will
be
based
on
the
following
requirements:
§ 20%
A
“foundations”
test
on
geography
and
world
history
since
1945,
§ 20%
Progress
on
a
collaborative
project
that
supports
the
NAIS
“20/20
challenge”
on
global
problems,
§ 30%
An
essay
that
analyzes
a
topic,
issue,
or
theme
in
the
contemporary
world
with
consideration
to
its
historical
antecedents,
§ 30%
Homework
and
class
participation,
including
simulations
and
“blogging”
on
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now.”
For
the
first
semester,
grades
will
be
based
on
the
following
scheme:
§ 80%
An
average
of
grades
for
Quarters
1
and
2,
§ 20%
A
midterm
examination.
For
Quarter
3,
grades
will
be
based
on
the
following
requirements:
§ 20%
A
“theory”
test
on
political
philosophy
and
international
relations,
§ 20%
The
final
report
on
a
collaborative
project
that
supports
the
NAIS
“20/20
challenge”
on
global
problems,
§ 30%
An
essay
that
analyzes
a
topic,
issue,
or
theme
in
the
contemporary
world
with
consideration
to
its
historical
antecedents,
§ 30%
Homework
and
class
participation,
including
simulations
and
“blogging”
on
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now.”

3. 3
For
Quarter
4,
grades
will
be
based
on
the
following
requirements:
§ 20%
A
critical
review
of
Samuel
P.
Huntington’s
“Clash
of
Civilizations,”
§ 20%
A
collaborative
project,
including
an
oral
presentation,
on
emerging
developments
in
the
contemporary
world
(with
possible
responses
and
outcomes),
§ 30%
An
essay
that
analyzes
a
topic,
issue,
or
theme
in
the
contemporary
world
with
consideration
to
its
historical
antecedents,
§ 30%
Homework
and
class
participation,
including
simulations
and
“blogging”
on
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now.”
For
the
second
semester,
grades
will
be
based
on
the
following
scheme:
§ 80%
An
average
of
grades
for
Quarters
3
and
4,
§ 20%
A
final
examination.
NB:
Seniors
are
NOT
exempt
from
the
final
examination.
III
–
Lyceum
Credit
Students
taking
this
course
for
Lyceum
credit
will
follow
a
similar
scope
and
sequence
as
other
students,
but
they
also
will
follow
supplementary
instructions,
requirements,
and
rubrics
for
major
assignments,
including
but
not
limited
to
(a)
mandatory
revisions
of
the
essays
and
(b)
additional
sets
of
take-­‐home
exercises
for
the
“foundations”
and
“theory”
tests.
Students
taking
this
course
for
Lyceum
credit
also
are
expected
to
model
leadership
behaviors
for
class
discussions,
simulations,
and
“blogging.”
IV
–
Paperless
Classroom
This
course
aspires
to
operate
as
a
“paperless
classroom”—or,
at
least,
to
reduce
our
carbon
footprint
by
minimizing
the
use
of
needless
paper
in
the
classroom.
In
lieu
of
class
handouts,
information
and
assignment
sheets
will
be
posted
online,
and
student
essays
and
other
work
will
be
submitted
in
electronic
format.
V
–
Resources
There
is
no
textbook
per
se
for
this
course;
instead,
students
will
access
electronic
subscriptions
to
The
New
York
Times.
In
addition,
students
will
make
extensive
use
of
primary
and
secondary
sources
from
the
following
representative
(but
not
exhaustive)
list
of
Internet
sites.
Group
A
–
Media
and
Current
Events
http://www.aljazeera.com/#
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

4. 4
http://www.nytimes.com
http://www.theworld.org
Group
B
–
Archives
and
Historical
Research
http://www.archives.gov
http://chnm.gmu.edu
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/default.htm
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/cold-­‐war-­‐international-­‐history-­‐project
Group
C
–
Advocacy
and
Public
Interest
http://www.amnestyusa.org
http://www.cartercenter.org/index.html
http://www.episcopalrelief.org
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
VI
–
NAIS
20/20
Challenge
on
Global
Problems
The
National
Association
of
Independent
Schools
(NAIS)
“20/20
challenge”
is
an
Internet-­‐based
program
that
pairs
classes
from
schools
in
the
United
States
with
counterpart
classes
in
schools
in
other
countries;
together
teams
find
local
solutions
to
one
of
twenty
global
problems
described
by
J.
F.
Rischard
in
High
Noon:
20
Global
Problems,
20
Years
to
Solve
Them.
For
more
information
about
the
NAIS
“20/20
challenge,”
check
out
the
following
link.
http://www.nais.org/Articles/Pages/Challenge-­‐20-­‐20.aspx
VII
–
“Blogging”
on
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now”
As
members
of
table
groups
that
simulate
the
responsibilities
of
bureaus
within
the
US
Department
of
State,
students
(as
“intelligence
officers”)
will
“brief”
peers
on
their
areas
of
accountability
(i.e.,
Europe,
the
Middle
East,
etc.).
As
they
post
questions
and
responses
on
the
class
blog,
students
will
make
their
own
informed
connections
between
past
and
current
events.
For
a
look
at
the
class
blog,
see
the
following
link.
http://contemporaryworld-­‐allsaintsacademy.blogspot.com

5. 5
VIII
–
Outline
of
Study
“Real-­‐time”
developments
in
the
contemporary
world
will
dictate
much
of
the
daily
dynamics
for
this
class.
In
addition,
the
following
organizing
themes
and
essential
questions
will
provide
structure
and
ensure
academic
excellence
across
the
school
year.
Preview
–
Past
Present
“The
past
is
never
dead.
It’s
not
even
past.”—William
Faulkner
Quarter
1
–
That
was
Then,
This
is
Now:
History
and
the
Contemporary
World
“What
is
the
relationship
between
past
events
and
current
events?”
§ Logic,
historical
reasoning,
argument
and
use
of
evidence
§ Fallacies
of
a
priori
assumptions
and
post
hoc
ergo
propter
hoc
causalities
§ Stunde
Null
(“Zero
Hour”),
collective
memory
§ United
Nations
and
international
organizations
§ Common
focus:
the
crises
in
the
Middle
East
Quarter
2
–
Geography
and
World
History
since
1945
“How
do
‘latitudes,
not
attitudes,’
explain—in
the
long
view—human
development?”
“How
do
ideologies
and
actions
related
to
the
Cold
War
and
the
War
on
Terror
explain
developments
since
World
War
II?”
§ A
sense
of
place
and
time
§ Independence
and
nationalist
movements
§ From
the
Cold
War
to
the
War
on
Terror
§ “X”
article,
9/11
commission
§ Common
focus:
the
conflicts
in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
Quarter
3
–
Political
Philosophy
and
International
Relations
“What
are
the
philosophical,
religious,
and
ethical
frameworks
for
politics
and
international
relations?”
§ Family,
kin,
tribe;
country,
nation,
state;
“imagined
communities”
§ Plato,
Hegel,
inside/outside,
universal/particular,
the
dialectical
process
§ Augustine,
Aquinas,
“just
war”
theory
§ Westphalian
sovereignty;
INGOs,
IGOs
§ Common
focus:
the
international
debt
crisis
and
the
European
Union
Quarter
4
–
Emerging
Developments:
Possible
Responses
and
Outcomes
“Though
we
cannot
change
the
past,
can
we
shape
the
future?
What
kind
of
world
will
we
make?”
§ Tikkun
Olam:
Repairing
a
broken
world
§ Millennium
development
goals
§ Technology,
disease,
the
environment
§ Weapons,
human
rights,
new
markets
(India,
Brazil,
“Rising
Tigers”)
§ Common
focus:
the
future
of
China
as
a
world
power

6. 6
Postscript
–
Future
Present
“The
End
of
History
and
the
Last
Man”—Francis
Fukuyama
IX
–
Technology
Responsible
Use
Policy
Students
are
expected
to
abide
by
ASA’s
technology
responsible
use
policy.
In
addition,
students
should
be
mindful
of
the
following
statements.
§ The
class
blog,
“That
was
Then,
This
is
Now,”
is
part
of
the
Internet
(not
simply
part
of
an
ASA-­‐specific
“intranet”),
and
student
comments
(“blogs”)
are
available
for
all
the
world—quite
literally—to
read
on
the
World
Wide
Web.
§ Student
comments
(“blogs”)
are
an
essential
part
of
this
course.
§ The
responsible
use
of
the
Internet,
including
the
use
of
social
media
and
“blogging,”
is
a
valuable
twenty-­‐first-­‐century
skill.
§ Misuse
of
“blogging”
(for
example,
use
of
inappropriate
or
disrespectful
language)
can
result
with
adverse
academic
consequences
and
disciplinary
action.
§ While
online
(as
in
the
classroom),
be
considerate
and
constructive.
M
Bad:
“You’re
wrong,
and
you’re
an
idiot.”
L
Good:
“I
don’t
agree,
and
here’s
why.”
X
–
Student
Conduct
and
the
Honor
Code
Students
are
expected
to
abide
by
the
standards
of
conduct
in
the
student
handbook
and
to
uphold
the
principles
of
the
Honor
Code.
For
major
assignments,
such
as
tests
and
essays,
students
will
affirm
their
academic
integrity
with
the
following
“pledged”
statement.
This work is my own. I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on
this assignment. Pledged by [Name of Student] [Date].
Keep
this
syllabus
in
your
notebook
for
Contemporary
World.

7. 7
XI
–
Acknowledgement
_______________________________________________________________________
Name
of
Student
¨ I
acknowledge
that
I
have
reviewed
the
syllabus
for
Contemporary
World,
and
I
support
the
objectives
of
this
course.
¨ I
acknowledge
that
I
have
reviewed
the
syllabus
for
Contemporary
World,
but
I
would
like
to
discuss
my
concerns
with
you.
_______________________________________________________________________
Signature
of
Parent/Guardian
Date
Return
this
signed
acknowledgement
to
the
instructor.