Instructions for
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U.S. Government -
Class #2074324 - Password: student
ALL ASSIGNMENTS uploaded must be in Word (.doc, .docx) or
.rtf format!
Any other format will NOT be accepted.
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Assignment |
Due Date |
| Research your preferred presidential candidate. What is the media saying about him/her? Do you agree/disagree with these assessments? Why do you support this candidate? Look at his/her policy positions (each candidate has a website) and be specific! (1-2 paragraphs) | Wednesday, 1/9 |
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Research media treatment of your candidate: How are the media treating him/her? Do you think they are being fair? Is your candidate's message getting out? If so, are the media portraying it accurately? If not, what are they saying? |
Friday, 1/11 |
| Complete your "Bill of Rights" worksheet. | Tuesday, 1/15 |
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Read over the 1983 letter
from the White House, and write a short reflection in which you consider
the following: What was President Reagan's rationale for the size of
the defense budget? What were the issues/conflicts outlined by his
staff person? Compare and contrast the issues then with today.
Upload to Turn It In! |
Thursday, 1/17 |
| Complete your "Bill of Rights Today" worksheet. | Tuesday, 1/22 |
| Work on your assigned court case to be presented to the class. | Monday, 1/28 |
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**Extra Credit** Read and listen to Dr. Martin Luther King's
Riverside Church speech
here. Keep in mind that MLK gave this speech on the day he was
assassinated. Compare and contrast what MLK was saying then with
current events. Do you see similarities? Differences?
Are MLK's words limited to the 1960s or do they transcend time? Do
we have any activists today who speak as powerfully as MLK did in his day?
Who are they? If we don't have such voices today, why do you think
that is? Write 1-2 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font and upload your reflection to Turn It In. |
Wednesday, 1/30 |
| Read the case of U.S. v. Nixon on page 322 in your textbook and answer questions 1 and 3 at the end of the case. Upload to Turn It In! | Wednesday, 1/30 |
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*** Senior Retreat *** Monday, 1/28*** |
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| Read Chapter 13, section 1 in your textbook and answer questions 1-5 on page 321. Upload to Turn It In! | Friday, 2/1 |
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Read the interview with Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers) at http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2006/04/17/ellsberg/ Read down to the end of the paragraph, "But it wasn't what Nixon had in mind for me. What he had in mind was 115 years in prison, or even before that, beating me up. Slandering me. But he didn't succeed in any of that." Compare and contrast what Mr. Ellsberg states about his involvement with the Pentagon Papers case vs. what is portrayed in the movie. What are the main disagreements Mr. Ellsberg has with the way he was portrayed? How does he set the record straight? |
Monday, 2/11 |
| Find a "social commentary" song. It doesn't have to be a "protest song" in particular, but it should contain some form of social commentary. It can be from any time period. (Hint: The 1960s is probably the easiest era in which to find songs containing social commentary!) Do a brief write-up: Why did you choose this song? What is the issue? How does the songwriter/singer treat the subject, e.g., is the message "in your face" or more subtle? How does the musical style relate to the message? Bring your write-up and a copy of the song (if you'd like to present it!) to class on Friday. | Friday, 2/15 |
| Visit the website of "The Living Room Candidate" and select your assigned election year. Look at the campaign ads for that year and take notes: Who was running? What were the main issues that year? Who ultimately won? Why do you think that person won? Upload your notes to Turn It In! | Friday, 2/15 |
| Using a newspaper of record (New York Times, Washington Post), research the current docket of the Supreme Court. You can also visit the website of the Supreme Court for information. What kinds of cases are being heard? How do you predict the court will rule in these cases? On what do you base your predictions? Bring your notes to class. | Wednesday, 2/20 |
| Read Chapter 18, section 3 in your text and answer questions 1-5 on page 476. | Friday, 2/22 |
| Who represents you in Congress? What are your representatives'/senators' positions on key issues? Do you agree/disagree with them? Will they get your vote in the next election? | Thursday, 3/6 |
| Keep working on your Congress projects! | Friday, 3/14 |
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**HAPPY EASTER!** |
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| Follow the media coverage of the presidential campaigns. Compare and contrast what you observe with what we've been learning in the movie "The Candidate". Take notes (bullet points are fine). | Monday, 4/7 |
| Interview someone you know who lived through the turbulent years of the 1970s in San Francisco. What does this person remember about Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk? What about the events that followed their deaths (the trial and conviction of Supervisor White)? | Wednesday, 4/9 |
| Reflection: How has San Francisco changed since the time portrayed in the film? | Friday, 4/11 |
| Do some research on the current issues facing the City of San Francisco. How has the current mayor handled these issues? Do you think he has been effective? Why/why not? | Tuesday, 4/15 |
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Go to the website http://www.nytimes.com and do a search on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Governor Rick Perry of Texas. Then, answer the following questions:
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Thurs., 4/17 |
| Read through the lyrics of the song, "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley, which can be found here. What do you think of the song's message? Which points do you agree with, disagree with? Be specific! | Tuesday, 4/22 |
| Read the review of the book, "I Lost My Love in Baghdad" here. Who is Michael Hastings? How does he compare/contrast with the "typical" broadcast media we've been discussing in class? | Thursday, 4/24 |
| Read the article "Our Godless Constitution" from the opinion journal The Nation, and write a 1-2 paragraph reflection: What is Ms. Allen arguing? What do you think of her arguments? Which points do you agree with? Disagree with? Why? Note that the article is THREE pages long -- you have to click at the bottom to get to the next page. Bullet points are fine. Upload your reflection to turnitin.com | Monday, 5/4 |
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What are the candidates saying about your economic concerns? Look
over the records and proposals of each candidate and assess how well they
are responding to the issues that most concern you. Upload to
turnitin.com! *** Bring your books to class on Wednesday! *** |
Wednesday, 5/6 |
| Start working on your final projects! Projects are due on Wednesday, 5/21 -- no exceptions. Please make certain that all technological glitches are worked out ahead of time as technology failures are not an excuse! | Wednesday, 5/21 |