How Did We Get Here? Exploring the History Behind the News

In this ongoing, discussion based current events and media literacy class, learners will explore topics of interest from the news and learn the history behind the major headlines of the week as well as how to evaluate news sources. This class is designed for learners who are seeking to dig deeper into the events of the day and work on their critical thinking skills. While learners will be given the opportunity to ask questions and share thoughts during the class, they are also welcome to quietly listen in the class. Everyone is welcome! 

Class topics will be determined by both the instructor and the learners. Each week, I will select a topic to discuss in the class based on what is in the news, previous topics of discussion, and learner interest. Learners have the option to post topic suggestions, links to news stories, etc. in the classroom prior to each week's class for discussion during our class time. Ideally, we will discuss our "big topic" for the week, which will be determined by the instructor, and learners will have an opportunity to share any additional news stories that are of interest to them. Topics will include events from the United States as well as international news stories. In addition to our discussion of the events themselves, we will also learn media literacy skills by analyzing the coverage of each topic within the media.

While this class is designed to foster discussion, it is not a debate class. Events and subjects will be explored with the goal of deeper understanding, not argument. While multiple points of view will be presented, misinformation and hate speech will not be allowed in the classroom. Due to the nature of this class, it is likely that controversial topics and difficult subjects such as war, racism, prejudice, etc. will be discussed. If you are unsure whether this class would be a good fit for your child, please check out the parental guidance section of this listing and feel free to reach out to me by email. This class is dyslexia friendly, meaning that no reading will be required during our class time or outside of class. All current event suggestions/stories will be available via print and video/audio. Any written material presented in the class will be read aloud by the instructor.