War and Conspiracy is a junior-senior level English course; because this is a course designed with upper-classmen in mind, I assume that you’re coming to me with proficient English skills. In other words, you understand how to critically think, critically read and analyze text, you’ve master the fundamentals of high school level writing, and you’re comfortable speaking your mind as well as working with your peers.
In War and Conspiracy, we do a lot of exploring (some have labeled this a “guy” class in which we all read “blood and guts” literature – not at all true). We will explore why human kind continues to resort to war, even though most people would prefer to live in a world free of war. We’ll look at war experiences from a variety of perspectives…yes, if you like the blood and guts aspect, you can pursue that direction, but I’d like to broaden your perspectives.
Some of the guiding questions we will explore include what it means to be a soldier in today’s military…a soldier is no longer just a male, Schwarzeneggar-esque persona. Women now have the right to serve on the front lines in active combat zones…how has this changed our military?
We’ll also consider our country’s (and perhaps the world’s) fascination with conspiracy theories. Within moments of a monumental event happening (9-11, Hurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook School Shooting, Oklahoma Tornadoes), online reports of conspirators who have caused these events immediately “pop up.” Social media contributes to our need to immediately share our thoughts and opinions about these events, perhaps forgetting that these are merely our thoughts and opinions – constituting neither evidence nor facts.
In this class, we continue to practice essential college-preparatory skills that will be useful to you whether your intend to pursue an advanced degree or a technical field. Reading is not just processing words or speaking words on paper in our heads, but truly digging into the meaning and purpose of the billions of texts that now exist in our on-line world. We also dive into the best ways to express our own personal understanding of concepts, movements, ideas and experiences by improving our writing, speaking, listening and presenting skills. And of course, a bit of ACT prep will be included.
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