Current Events
Worthington Christian High School
Fall 2011
This Page Last Edited: 01/10/2012
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In 1963 Time Magazine
quoted German theologian Karl Barth as saying “I
always pray for the sick, the poor, journalists, authorities of the
state and the church - in that order.”
We are Christians who are citizens, while at the same time the
apostle Peter reminds us that we are resident aliens (I Peter 2:11).
Jesus says that the nations will be judged based on their
treatment of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those in need of
clothing, the sick, and the prisoner.
Since we live in a democratic republic, students will one day be responsible
to elect leaders who will make public policy that impacts these six
classes of people. Students
will one day be leaders in churches that should be ministering to these
six classes of people. In
our society the tone of debate is often shrill, and the data is often
presented in a deceptive way. This
course will examine current events and issues in light of Biblical
teaching. There will be a
special emphasis on thinking clearly and Biblically about public policy
in general and poverty, crime, immigration and war in particular.
Students will discover that neither MSNBC or Fox News speaks for
God. Participants in the
class will learn that people of faith and good will may disagree in what
policy should be pursued, but they should never be willingly ignorant of
the complexity of the problems. |
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Course Objectives 1. Learn skills necessary to “keep up” with the news. 2. Learn to be somewhat sophisticated consumers of news. 3. Develop positions on significant issues that are self-conscious vis-à-vis our faith. 4. Develop an expertise on one particular area.
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Course Requirements 1. Keep a journal of your news-reading/listening/watching, and make entries in it three times per week. Record what you read, and your thoughts, reactions and questions. This will be inspected and graded from time to time. You must include print media in your consumption (Newspaper, magazines – either hard copy or on-line versions) 2. Make class presentations from time to time 3. Write mini-position papers on the major topics of the economy, poverty, crime, immigration and war. 4. Become an expert on one of the above topics and write and present a major position paper. The due dates will vary. 5. Use each class session consistent with its intended purpose.
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In-Depth Fridays 9/2 Frankie and Colin 9/16 Nate and Micaela 9/23 Carey and Rachel 9/30 Nichole and Connor 10/7 Molly and Seth 10/28 Joel and Kendra 11/4 Courtney and Christina 11/11 Camilla and Stacy 12/9 Luke and Quentin 1/9 Riley and Jeannie
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Final Project (Due January 9) Become an expert on the topic that you have selected, and write a position
paper on some specific aspect of that topic. A position paper is
not a report. In a position paper, you will present the relevant
data, take a position based on that data, and then suggest a legitimate
course of action. Your paper should be informed by information from news articles and
reports, books, magazine articles. Since our faith always influences our
worldview, your positions should be informed by Biblical data. The paper must conform to the style requirements stated in the
guidelines. The paper should be well documented in accordance with the
guidelines. It should include a Bibliography that contains all
references cited and consulted in preparation for the paper. When
you list the Bible, make certain to include the version or translation that
you use. The paper should be greater than four (4) pages in length but no more than
eight (8) pages in length. Failure to conform to this is an automatic C
(80%). The paper is due January 9. It must be ready to be handed in when the
bell rings to being class. Do not come to class expecting to print
it. Late penalties begin the moment the bell rings.
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Blogs |
Broadcast |
Programs |
"Print" |
"Fact Checking" |
| Morning Joe | Columbus Dispatch | Snopes.com | ||
| NBC4i | New York Times | Poltifacts.com | ||
| Daily Beast | Ohio News Network | London Telegraph | factcheck.org | |
| Politico | NPR | US News and World Report | ||
| RealClear Politics | 10TV | Time | ||
| WSYX | ||||
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Stuff Posted from Time to Time Global Village -- If the world was reduced to a village of 100 people. Touching video, but check the facts! Ruby Paynes points on poverty. Readings on "Just War" by Augustine and Aquinas Undocumented TV An interesting compilation of material, supporting comprehensive immigration reform. |
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Current Events Vocabulary Words -- if you don't know them, then look them up. This list keeps growing. Mastery of this list will constitute your exam. For the exam, you will write an essay that incorporates each of the voabulary words in proper context.
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