Genocide: Has "Never Again" become a catchy slogan or will the world ever really learn?

NOTE: IF YOU CHOOSE TO COMPLETE THIS POSTING, IT MUST BE DONE BY 7AM ON OCTOBER 31 SO THAT IT CAN BE MARKED IN A TIMELY FASHION.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit the Friends of Simon Weisenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies. I think we can all agree that the discussion was entirely thought-provoking and we all share a sense of confusion how it is that events surrounding genocide continue to happen in spite of the lessons learned from the Holocaust.

1. Give an example of genocide that has taken place after the Holocaust (e.g. The rape of Nanking, Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzogovina, Armenia, etc.). Provide a summary of the issue, who was involved and what happened. How was this event similar to the Holocaust? (20 marks - knowledge)

2. Read the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide at this website: http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/genocide-convention.htm. The Convention was adopted in 1948 and yet, many instances of genocide have occurred since. Why do you think this is the case? Can the UN be the only voice in the world taking a stance on this issue? Do other nations of the world need to get involved? Who? What do they need to do? (20 marks - thinking)

3. Respond to something posted by a classmate that particularly struck you. (10 marks - application)

The Bedrooms of the Nation

Once you have responded to the previous posting, click on this link and watch the video of a very young Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who made famous the quote, "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."

http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/rights_freedoms/topics/538-2671/
-watch the clip
-read "The Story"
-click and read "Did You Know?"

Consider the context... The year is 1967. Canada is undergoing a sexual revolution. Birth control is a hot political topic, especially for young feminists. (For more information, perform a Google search and find out more about this particularly turbulent time in our nation's history. It is because of times like this that if people ever say Canadian history is boring, it's because they don't know ANYTHING about Canadian history...) Was Trudeau right? Or did Trudeau open a big can of worms? (15 marks, inquiry)

Please post your response by Tuesday, October 14, 2008.

Can You be Religious AND Political?

These postings should be interesting... I'm sure that at one point in your young lives, your parents or any adult told you, "You should never mix religion and politics in a conversation..." When I was your age, especially at family gatherings, I waited for this moment when the two topics would erupt into yelling and screaming across the table, not too long after we all expressed how thankful we were to be able to get together as a family to share the meal. Ah, the memories... To date, you have all proven yourselves to be extremely political and you are quickly approaching the voting age, if you aren't already. You may find yourself having a conflict of conscience or faith when faced with choosing leaders to represent you, especially when they are proponents of certain actions not supported by your religion. Can you be political and religious?

Your Task:

1. (15 marks, inquiry) Look at the pie chart. It is the result of a 2003 American poll. People were asked, "Should churches express views on political matters?" What is your opinion? Do you think result would have been different if conducted in Canada? Consider the following example...

When the same-sex marriage legislation was recently passed, the Catholic Church in Canada was very vocal about its position on the matter. Some politicians who supported the bill felt the immediate repercussions in their own parishes -some were refused the Eucharist and others were asked to leave. The Church's position on same-sex marriage is very clear. The intent is not to perpetuate hate of homosexuals but rather, it seeks to establish the teaching that marriage between a man and a woman is natural law. Same-sex marriages defy natural law and do not allow for the couple to share in the creative process with God. Historically, the laws of this land have been based on Judeo-Christian principles. This law completely disregarded this tradition. Was the Church realistic to believe that it could influence the actions at least of Catholic politicians? Once elected, does one check their faith at the door and replace it with secular views because they are charged with representing a diverse constituency?

2. (15 marks, inquiry) What are your reactions to Father Mario's presentation? What were some of the things you had trouble with? With what did you agree? Ultimately, what point was he trying to make? Do you agree? Be specific...

3. (10 mark, inquiry) Click on the following link:

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0020.html

Read the article. Do you agree with the "Practical Suggestions" being made? Why/why not?

4. (10 marks, application). React/respond to any comment made by your classmates.

You should post your responses by Friday, October 10, 2008. This should be very interesting... Looking forward to reading what you have to say!

What's Your Prediction?

To respond to this post properly, you need to be watching television, reading the newpaper and preferably Maclean's magazine in order to give a complete response.

Your Task:

1. Respond to the following question. You must make specific references to newspaper articles, official websites, magazine articles, television commercials/interviews/debates, etc. You should be referencing your material. If you are citing something you saw on television, ensure that you provide the date, time and station. (20 marks thinking; 5 marks communication)

2. Engage a fellow classmate in a debate about something said that you do not agree with. Explain what your issue is with their point of view. (10 marks application; 5 marks communication)

The question: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR THE UP-COMING FEDERAL ELECTION?

That is, a Conservative majority? Conservative minority? Liberal majority? Liberal minority? Or are we going to be pleasantly surprised by a come-from-behind victory from another party?

This is a broad question and it has been purposely given to allow you freedom to approach your response from several different directions. Also, feel free to make additional comments about what your think about elections in Canada. We will be addressing this topic in class at a later date...

This assignment must be posted by Wednesday, September 24th. This will give you the opportunity to wait and see what your classmates say. Don't forget to respond to someone else's predictions. I am really looking forward to what you have to say!

Some Feedback So Far...

For those of you who are keeping up with the course work, congratulations on your first official posts - they were well-done! I do have a couple of suggestions that may assist in future assignments:

1. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE FROM WIKIPEDIA (OR ANYWHERE ELSE) AND CLAIM THE IDEAS FOR YOUR OWN!!!!! I have have been known to randomly "Google" the odd line or two from student assignments, just for kicks...

2. Do not be afraid to engage your classmates in an idea of theirs that you disagree with, for fear of being "rude". All postings were done cordially, and you can engage your fellow classmates in the same manner. It just heightens the quality of your response.

3. If you are being asked for your opinion or assessment, please do not provide a summary unless it is asked for. If you don't answer the question immediately, your mark is immediately affected.

That all said, I'm very pleased with the quality of work thus far!

Mrs. C

The Communist Manifesto

Your task:

1. (Communication/Thinking/Application)
Respond to the question. Be sure to include your name either at the top or the bottom of the posting. Your posting should be approximately 250 words. (20 marks)

2. (Communication/Thinking)
Respond to one of your classmates' postings. Remember to be respectful of divergent opinions... (5 marks)

What is your assessment of The Communist Manifesto? To answer this question, perform Google searches (or use other search engines) to quickly establish a context for the book. Was Marx a thinker ahead of his time or was he too much of an idealist? Could his ideas ever work.

Welcome!

I am so glad to have you all taking this course. I LOVE politics and I am so excited to be teaching this course for the first time at Brebeuf. The purpose of this blog is to review daily what was discussed in class and to list any homework or assignments. You are encouraged to visit this site regularly and to bookmark it or add it to your Favourites list. It is not, however, an online tutorial. Students are encouraged to add any comments or contribute to the discussion that was started in class. Ocassionally, you will be asked to respond to postings, for which you will be evaluated. You will be notified in class when an online response is due. The marking scheme will be included in the posting.

Welcome back to a new school year - your last one! Through this course, it is my intention to prepare you as best as I can for post-secondary studies. You are expected to be at the top of your game in this course. Of course, I'm here to help, so seek me out whenever you need me. Have a fantastic semester!

YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Figure out how this site works! Respond to this posting by looking for the "Comments" link in the lower right-hand corner of the posting. Click on it. Type "I figured it out!" plus your first and last name. To post, you will need a Google Account. This can be any email you currently use. The email is your Username and determine a password that you won't forget. Follow the prompts.