Reading the News: Understanding Current Events in the Modern Era

Our goal will be for students to grasp a greater understanding of current events and the various circumstances that precipitated them. Students will not only learn about the occurrence of each event but will learn to think critically about the causes and implications of each event. Additionally, students will refine their ability to analyze the diction of each article to greater understand the purpose and biases behind each article discussed.

Ralston M. has been educating students in social studies, current events, and analytical thinking up to the collegiate level for over a decade. Since 2011, Ralston has helped several students contextualize and gain a better understanding of historical events through teaching several AP topics such as AP Government and AP US History and World History. In addition to these topics, Ralston has also tutored students in English/Language Arts, Economics, Writing, and Research. He diligently follows news and events from over 20 publications on a weekly basis and is adept and dedicated to finding credible sources and research in addition to helping students develop this vital skill.

Any homework will be to further engage with the news and pick an article, event, or circumstance based on what we discussed in class that day. This may be consumed in audio, visual, text, or other format(s). Students may be expected to provide a short analysis of these events between classes.

There is no formal assessment for this class.

55 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 0 - 1 hours per week outside of class.

We will primarily rely on original reporting from renowned news organizations including, but not limited to:
The Associated Press
Reuters
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
BBC
NPR
The Hill
Fox Business
CNBC
Axios
Forbes
The Economist
Foreign Policy
Al Jazeera
PBS

Other sources may be occassionally used, especially when discussing opinion writing and bias.