Dictatorships and Illiberal Democracies

As of this week, we have 12 class days of school left, one of which will be your written portion of your Diploma Exam.  In these last 2 weeks, we will be looking at the two major dictatorships of the 20th century and why democracies sometimes feel the need to limit your rights and freedoms. If those rights and freedoms are limited in an unjust way, a democracy can become an illiberal democracy.  After that, we will look at what you can do to make sure that your rights and freedoms are always upheld.

The Plan for the Week

Monday:

• Hand in Projects
• Vocabulary: Communism and Fascism
• Basics of dictatorships and how they manifested in USSR and Nazi Germany

Life under Stalin

Life under Hitler

• Similarities and Differences between the systems

Tuesday:

• Finish up with dictatorships
• Vocabulary: Individual Rights and Collective Rights
• Different Types of Rights and how they are protected

Wednesday:

• Protecting Democracies: Safety and Security vs. Rights and Freedoms
• Which is more is more important?
• Vocabulary: Dissent, Civil Disobedience
• Notes on Dissent and its role in a democracy
• Acceptable vs unacceptable
• The use of dissent in democracy and it's importance
• YOU WILL NEED A DATA SEEKING DEVICE, PREFERABLY A LAPTOP

Thursday:

• Rants by Danielle and Tyler
• The use of dissent in democracy and it's importance
• YOU WILL NEED A DATA SEEKING DEVICE, PREFERABLY A LAPTOP
• Categorizing the events

Friday: 

• Why governments limit rights:
• To uphold the democracy
• Imposition of Liberalism - Was it always a choice?

Imposing Liberalism in Afghanistan

Imposing Liberalism in Canada

• Red Paper and White Paper 
• Residential Schools

• What's more important: Safety and Security or Rights and Freedoms?

Dictatorships. Kinda like Social 30 Classes

This week, we will start looking at dictatorships, as a solution to the downfalls of democracy.

What is a Dictatorship?

Modern Dictatorship - Belarus

So this week, we will be starting to work on Dictatorships.  Generally, we are going to be looking at Stalin and Hitler's dictatorships, the policies they had and how and why they rejected liberalism as an ideology. However, it is important to understand that the techniques that have been used in multiple other dictatorships.

Monday

• Vocabulary words:Dictatorships
• Basics of Dictatorships
• Characteristics Activity
• http://www.cbv.ns.ca/dictator/default.html#one

Tuesday

• Rants by Kassidy and Daylan
• Stalin and Hitler's Dictatorships
• Work on project
• Communism/Fascism Study Guide

Wednesday

• Field Test     

Thursday

• Whole School Activity

Friday

• Last writing assignment with a rough draft - good copy will be due during the break.

Some articles to peruse before Friday's class:

• North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test
• North Korea Opens Pandora's Box
• North Korea - US Tensions Rise
• Kim Jong-Il

The Pitfalls of Democracy

Last week, we were looking at the basic aspects of democracies and how they functioned properly.  But, like all ideologies, democracies don't always work out EXACTLY like they claim to - and that is largely due to how and how much citizens get involved in their system.  For example, is Canada more or less democratic than Ukraine? Would Canadians protest for months if our government made a decision that most of us disliked like what happened in Ukraine last year? Or would we even notice or know about the government decisions? So, we will be analyzing what makes a democracy less functional.

Also, another good link to compare Canadian and American systems.

So what will we be covering exactly this week?

Monday:

• Casey's Rant
• Source Interpretation from last week's notes
• Pros and Cons of Democracy - Video and Article
• Vocabulary: Voter Apathy
• Dealing with the voting issue - notes and textbook

Tuesday:

• Vocab: Elite Theory of Democracy
• Notes
• Should everybody get to vote?
• Source Interpretation

Wednesday:

• Vocabulary: Interest groups, Tyranny of Majority, and Tyranny of minority
• What impacts the democratic process - notes
• Case Studies: Public opinion vs practicality

Thursday:

• Rants: Trevor and Carly
• Reform in a democracy - why is it essential
• One Page write up - Should the Senate be reformed or abolished in Canada?

Friday:

• How Democracy created a monster 
• Rejection of liberalism - dictatorships

How North American Democracies FUNction...because it's fun, get it?

Last week, we looked at key aspects of democracy that were fundamental parts to make it truly function.  This week, we will be looking at how political systems interpret those fundamental parts and apply them to their democratic system - not all governments view those parts exactly the same way, which is why we have different types of democracies.  We will be mainly focusing on Canadian and American democracies and how they function and were developed.

This week...

Monday:

• Vocabulary: Direct and Representative Democracies 
• Different types of democracies - Canada and the US
• Comparing Canada and the US - you will need a phone/iPod and headphones today for class

Tuesday:

• Writing those pesky essays you didn't write on Friday because of the snow day

Wednesday:

• Review Questions on Basics of democracy
• Vocab: First Past the Post and Winner Takes All 

First Past the Post - Canada

Winner Takes All - United States

• Electoral Systems - Canada vs. US

Thursday: 

• Rants by Sarah T and  Casey 
• Voting in Canada - What's Your Vote Worth
• Representation by Population
• Proportional Representation
• Review Questions on Electoral Processes
• Source Interpretation

Friday:

• Articles: Pros and Cons of Democracy and How Democracy Produced a Monster
• Does Democracy Really Work?
• The failings of the democratic System

Onto the next Unit - Political Systems!!!

So, we have officially wrapped up our talks about the economy and are now going to be looking at political systems.  Just as a refresher - when we are looking at political systems, typically we look at how much freedom is given to individual citizens and how much control is given to the government.  Your political system dictates how your country is run.  For this, we will be looking at several different types of democracies, as well as the opposite to democracy - dictatorships (which is NOT communism!!!).

This first week will be a nice and easy (not the hair dye) introduction into the very basics of democracy.  Review what we went through in our first unit - philosophers such as Locke, Hobbes, Montesquieu,Rousseau and Mill to refresh what they said about political systems and to review the basics of democracies and dictatorships and your spectrums.

So what will this week look like?

Tuesday:

• Geomeer Presentation in the the theatre at 9 am.  I'm not sure how long this will take us
• Why Democracy Matters

Wednesday:

• Anticipation Guide - How did democracy develop? - You will need your textbooks
• Introduction Notes
• Categorizing the characteristics - You will need scissors and glue

Thursday:

• Rants by Gage and Sarah T.
• Finish categorizing (if needed)
• Vocab: Presidential, Parliamentary and Direct democracies
• Notes on types of democracies
• Comparing Canada and the US democracies - You will need a phone or iPod with a QR scanner and headphones

Friday:

• Writing Assignment in the lab - You won't get this one ahead but can use your notes, and it will be a rough draft.  You can get feedback if you are going to change your work.
• Due at the end of class

Almost done with Economics!

This is our last week to be looking at economics, which means that you will be having your test on FRIDAY!!!! It will be covering everything we have learned about economics - capitalism pros and cons, communism pros and cons, shift to modern liberalism, Canada and Sweden's mixed economies and neo-conservative reaction - and is strictly a multiple choice test.  Somewhere between 35-45 questions I believe.  We will be reviewing in class this week, but it would be best if you started to review now rather than later.

There is very little new content that we will be covering this week, so we will have the opportunity to review material and go through interpreting sources and how to best use those techniques on your exam.  Be prepared to be finished writing when the bell rings - no extension into the next class, you will have until the end of break.

As well, all assignments/essays have been marked and updated, so you can check out your current marks on PowerSchool, it is all there.

So what's up with this week?

Monday:

• Vocabulary: Neoconservatism, Reagonomics, Monetarism
• Make sure you get the flow chart answers so you can finish that
• Video: Arguments against the Welfare State
• Notes - Supply Side Economics
• Interpreting Sources

Tuesday:

• Trickle Down Economics - Good or Bad?
• Finish Notes
• Comparing Keynesian Economics to Monetarism

• Interpreting Sources

Wednesday: 

• Comparing Government Actions
• New Deal vs. Obamanomics 2008
• Canada's new tax breaks - good or bad?
• Video review questions

Thursday:

• Rants by Kelsi-Leigh and Mikayla
• Review - please let me know how you guys would like to review.  Having only half the class play a game is not that fun or helpful to those who don't participate...

Friday:

• Test day!!!!

Almost Done with Economics

Last week, we were covering the shift to modern liberalism and why it was seen as necessary following the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression.  Not only did the economic atmosphere change following these two catastrophic events, but the social attitudes in the United States and Canada changed.  There was more of an emphasis on the need for greater government involvement in hopes of protecting citizens from anything like that happening again.

This week, we will be looking at Canada's version of the Welfare State, along with how it is used in Europe.

Monday: 

• Vocabulary: Monetary and Fiscal Policies
• Article on the Great Depression
• Vocabulary: Keynesian Economics, New Deal and Welfare State 
• Review Questions and Video

Tuesday: 

• Vocabulary: Progressive Taxation, Flat Tax and Mixed Economy
• Canada's Mixed Economy
• How Our Tax System Works
• Bring a calculator to class

Wednesday:

• Flat Tax - Good or Bad? Debate
• Sweden's Welfare State - Democratic Socialism

Thursday:

• Rants by  Shalan and Dylan
• Finish Sweden's Welfare State
• Interpreting Sources
• Is Paying Taxes so Bad?
• Review Questions and Video

Friday: 

• Swinging back to traditional capitalism
• Flow Chart Activity - you need your textbook, glue and scissors