Current Events in Context: Understanding the Big Picture of Today's Headlines
Learners meet weekly to delve into the news from around the world. We investigate the historical, economic, political and social context of todays headlines to understand connections between past and present.
Darby Kennedy, MA
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(166)
Popular
Rising Star
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Do you wish you understood the backstory to today’s headlines? Then this is the class for you! Each week, we will consider different news events, taken from media sources like The New York Times, The Economist, BBC, Foreign Policy, Reuters, the Associated Press, and others. After an overview of each event, we will discuss the bigger picture. We look at maps, graphs, and charts. We ask questions like what may have led to the event? Are there additional diplomatic, social, economic, or political aspects to the event? What are possible connections? This lecture and discussion-based class is a fascinating combination of history, politics, economics, sociology, critical thinking, media analysis and more. Student interaction in encouraged; the more a student puts into the class, the more they will take away. Students will regularly be provided with additional information after class to allow additional in-depth exploration of issues touched on in class.
Learning Goals
Students will learn critical thinking and media analysis skills.Students will develop historical thinking skills.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
In this class, we will discuss a wide variety of current news events. The very nature of current news topics may, on occasion, lead us to discuss difficult topics like war, climate change, migration and refugees, religious or ethnic persecution, LGBTQ+ issues, etc.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
News websites used regularly in this class include the following: Reuters, Associated Press, Euronews, Africanews, DW.com, France24, ElPais, National Public Radio, PBSNewshour, Semaphor, BBC, ProPublica, Politifact, NewsNation, Pew Research, AlJazeera, CNN, and Vox. Media bias is checked using the AdFontes media bias chart.
Joined April, 2020
4.9
166reviews
Popular
Rising Star
Teacher expertise and credentials
3 Degrees
Master's Degree in American Studies from The University of Alabama
Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Government from Birmingham-Southern College
Bachelor's Degree in History from Birmingham-Southern College
I have a BA in Political Science, History, and Secondary Education and a MA in American Studies. I have over 10 years of experience teaching high school and college students social studies and critical thinking skills, and have been developing curriculum for homeschooled students for the last 7 years. I am currently serving as a Teacher Ambassador for Retro Report. and served as an Education Ambassador for the Council on Foreign Relations for 3 years. My expertise in teaching is in helping students see the many ways that history, geography, politics, and economics intersect. Reviews
Live Group Class
$14
weekly1x per week
55 min
Completed by 676 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
1-14 learners per class
