$25
weeklyWhat's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1-2 hours per week. After the first few classes, students will be asked to research and present a current event they are interested in.Class Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
A weekly continuing class in which we examine a different current event topic and examine its historical origins. The class employs a student-centered approach, where I act as a facilitator asking questions and prompting discussions in order to promote critical thinking. Research projects and class participation will be encouraged, but not required. Each week students will be encouraged to bring an article and topic to discuss for the following week's session. Students will be encouraged to look past the headlines. Topics may include but are not limited to: Immigration The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century, and from the 1880s to 1920. Immigrants coming to America seeking greater economic opportunity or seeking to escape persecution is a rich part of US history. Examine early immigration, including the Pilgrims in the early 1600s, European immigration in the early 19th Century, Pandemics and Public Health What has the US done in prior pandemics to keep us all safe? What legal authority does the government have during a pandemic? We examine prior public health crises to discover the origins of government authority to issue mandates such as vaccines, wearing masks, and quarantines. The class will discuss prior public health emergencies, such as the smallpox outbreak of 1905, and the US Supreme Court decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts. In Jacobson, the Supreme Court ruled "a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members," allowing local authorities to mandate small-pox vaccination and fine those who refused. Free Speech and Protests Speech is a right enshrined in our U.S. Constitution. The class will discuss the right to free speech and the right to protest by examining influential protests like the Boston Tea Party, the 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade, and various civil rights protests. We will look at how the courts have applied the First Amendment to actions such as wearing armbands, marching, and civil disobedience. War Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought the issue of war home. We explore the laws of war, diplomacy, sanctions, and humanitarian issues related to the war. Sessions past this date will be learner-directed, with a student discussion at the end of the class to decide what the following class topic will be. Criteria will be that a topic is a current event/happening. I will choose the topic from among the student topics nominated. This ensures that it will be a topic within my area of expertise and appropriate.
Learning Goals
Students will learn to examine current events critically, looking at the historical context behind the latest news.
I employ the Socratic method and will have students in later classes research and present on topics they have an interest in.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Students will be expected and required to respect different views and experiences. To this end, we will look at current events from varying perspectives, with a focus on objective and provable facts. The class will focus on multiple perspectives about current events. Consequently, multiple news sources from varying perspectives will be used, to include most major news media sources (e.g. CNN, Fox, MSNBC, the Hill), as well as source material such as judicial decisions, legislative reports, and videos. Since this is primarily a history class there will be references to historical documents and articles from a variety of sources to include, but not limited to, reference materials from services such as Westalaw and Lexis/Nexis and the National Archives.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Juris Doctor in Political Science and Government from SUNY at Buffalo School of Law
Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Government from SUNY at Albany
⚖️ JURIS DOCTATE SUNY at BUFFALO
🧑⚖️ JUDGE
🌟LAW/COLLEGE Professor
As required by Outschool regarding I have significant expertise in conflict resolution and mediation. I have received mediation training as part of my legal degree and receive continuing education training in both mediation and conflict resolution to retain my legal licensure. I have participated in several mediations and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. I have provided training in conflict resolution and de-escalation at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. In 2020 I co-taught a class on mediation at the Univerity of Maryland, School of Social Work.
Reviews
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