This Week in World News

This ongoing class will provides commentary on current events by introducing learners to the concepts they need to understand what is happening in politics, including domestic politics in various countries and international news. Each meeting starts with a discussion on current events in politics from around the world, and then we delve deeper into a political system or aspect of politics, as determined by the headlines. For example, we heard news recently about increasing tensions between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. How can we understand those news by exploring the different political systems used by these two entities, as well as the economics and history between them, and the potential economical consequences for the world.

The proposed order of topics will be:

Class of March 1st
* The Situation in Ukraine

Class of March 7th
* Brexit

Class of March 14th
* International Relations - the UN and the EU

Class of March 21st
* International Relations - China's new role in the world.

Further topics include:
* Case studies of the systems of various countries, including France, Germany, Japan, and Canada
* Constitutions in various countries - the function of the Supreme Court
* How governments govern - how public agencies deliver services to the voters.
* The role of the media in a democracy

This is a proposed schedule. Students can drop in for a single week and will have no problem keeping up with the discussion as the classes do no assume that students have any particular pre-knowledge. Learners are welcome to vote for the topic of their preference for the class. If the class has enough learners, we will explore the topic in question using a simulation.