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  • SHS Theatre Program
    • Program Testimonials
  • 2021 - 2022 Season
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    • Thespian Troupe 5890
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Contemporary Issues

Congratulations!

6/15/2020

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Best wishes on your post graduate plans! Please email if you have any questions about your final grades.
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May 26 - June 10

5/26/2020

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For the remaining course time (and as your final exam), you will prepare a 5-minute recorded presentation as you pitch your solution for a contemporary issue and take the stance of a social entrepreneur. This content meets the following standards, which have been identified as our remaining “essential learning requirements” for the semester:

  • SSS4.9-12.1 Evaluate multiple reasons or factors to develop a presentation. 
  • SSS4.9-12.2 Construct an argument using precise and knowledgeable claims, with evidence from multiple and reliable sources, while acknowledging counterclaims and evidentiary weaknesses. 
  • SSS4.9-12.3 Present adaptations of arguments and explanations that feature evocative ideas and perspectives on issues and topics to reach a range of audiences.

​The total time you should be spending on this assignment is 5 hours between May 26th and June 10th. This is an optional final and should you choose not to complete it, it will be marked as Excused in the grade book. This is a great opportunity to raise your grade!

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Identify a contemporary issue that you feel you can develop a reasonable solution or improvement on the situation. Think about the examples given last week, in both the readings and videos.
- Explain how you were drawn to this particular issue. 
- Research your selected issue using multiple, reliable sources: databases, books (not self-published), credible online sources with qualified authors. 
- Research the potential counterclaims against your issue or solution. Refute these counterclaims in your argument.
- Present the issue, your position, your solution/means of alleviating the problem, and counterclaims (include a refutation). 

NUTS & BOLTS:
- The presentation should be between 5 and 7 minutes long and be one unedited segment (do not splice/cut away).
- You may use note cards to help you present.
- You must use a minimum of four sources total. All sources should be from the past 5 years (i.e. May 2014-present). 
- Include a Works Cited at the end of your presentation if you are not verbally attributing them. For example, "According to so-and-so in such-and-such,..." A Works Cited slide is not necessary if you are verbally attributing your sources.
- You may use PPT and either film the PPT with your voice/"small box" in the recording or you may film yourself standing in front of a computer or television with the PPT displayed.
- PPT is not required, but encouraged.
- Film your presentation horizontally and post in the applicable Google Drive below:

 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LEHYMBqjPuweEispUqB7VI1Ua7Lh5NKn?usp=sharing 

This is your very last assignment! Congratulations on making it to the end of your senior year!
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May 18 - May 22

5/18/2020

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Hang in there! We only have three more weeks of content and “instruction” for seniors!

You’ve spent the past few weeks of online learning focusing on activists and experts as claimsmakers while you look more in depth at a few social problems. For the remaining time we have together, I wanted to shift and have us look at some more hopeful, active key players in the social problems process called “social entrepreneurs.” Through this, we will recognize that we can influence, for the better, social problems we see in the world.

MONDAY & TUESDAY:
Critically read Chapter 1 from the book How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideasby David Bornstein. If you do not have access to a printer at home, take electronic notes and upload those as well. It is available in the downloads section.
  • This is an absolutely wonderful text; here is a snippet to get you interested – 
    • “Now published in more than twenty countries, David Bornstein’s How to Change the World has become the bible for social entrepreneurship, in which men and women around the globe are finding innovative solutions to a wide variety of social and economic problems. Whether delivering solar energy to Brazilian villagers, expanding work opportunities for disabled people across India, creating a network of home-care agencies to serve poor people with AIDS in South Africa, or bridging the college-access gap in the United States, social entrepreneurs are pioneering problem-solving models that will reshape the 21st century.”
  • The critically read document is due to turnitin.com by midnight on Friday. Type twenty words of text within the document so it uploads and include pictures of your critical read. 
    • If you do not have access to a printer at home, take electronic notes and upload those as well.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY:
Select one of the following chapters/individuals to read. (They will be posted by Wednesday…scanning takes time.)
  • Rural Electrification: Fabio Rosa, Brazil
  • Nursing: Florence Nightingale, England
  • The Bubble: Bill Drayton, United States
  • Child Protection: Jeroo Billimoria, India

Read your selected chapter and write a brief paragraph about your thoughts, impressions, and questions. Post this to turnitin.com by midnight on Friday.

FRIDAY:
Watch the two videos about social entrepreneurs and issue of plastic pollution.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WAWSaSKvjQ  
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKKFalZPOM
​
Brainstorm what social issues you see in the world and potential ways you could engage in social entrepreneurship. (Don’t stop thinking about this, because it is your final project for the last two weeks.)
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May 11 - May 15

5/11/2020

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This week we will explore the articles/case studies from Chapter 4 of last week’s reading. This will help you to better understand the concepts discussed in Chapter 4 and consider different contemporary social issues. This week’s assignment is the final assignment associated with the Social Problems textbook; we will be moving into a new routine of learning starting next week.

Reminder: Should you need to access a journal database, username and passwords are available on Ms. Bacon’s website at http://www.msbacon.com. Click on the black star. If you have trouble accessing databases from home, please email her directly at bacone@issaquah.wednet.edu. 

MONDAY – FRIDAY:
  • Choose one of the boxes from your reading that interested or challenged you. Reference the PDF of the reading from last week (in downloads) if necessary. 
    • The only boxes that are available as journals/dissertations or news articles are 4.2 and 4.4. 
  • Read the associated study/journal via the links provided below. The italicized title is the title of the Box from your reading; not the title of the article. 
    • Box 4.1 – Legitimizing Migraine
      • This box focuses on a book; if you are interested in reading it in your spare time I can send you the book information. 
    • Box 4.2 – Disputing Autism Classifications
      • For this box, read the abstract for the scholarly journal - https://academic.oup.com/socpro/article-abstract/62/1/120/2461363?redirectedFrom=fulltext
      • Then, critically read the New York Times (2012) report that was also referenced in the box. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/health/research/new-autism-definition-would-exclude-many-study-suggests.html
        • Available in my Downloads section!
    • Box 4.3 – When Experts Succeed Too Well
      • This is another box that focuses on a book; if you are interested in reading it I can send you the book information. 
    • Box 4.4 – Conservatives Losing Confidence in Science
      • https://search.proquest.com/docview/896624529 (just read the introduction - unless you would like to continue reading)
    • Box 4.5 – Making Happiness an Expert Problem
      • This is yet another box that focuses on a book; if you are interested in reading it I can send you the book information. 
    • Box 4.6 – Constraints on What Think Tanks Think
      • And alas, another book; if you are interested in reading it I can send you the book information.
  • After you have selected a reading and accessed it, read it and consider your notes from last week’s textbook reading.
    • You can either:
      • Print it out and critically read it by hand; then scan/photograph the reading and post that to turnitin.com. You must type out a minimum of 20 words (tell me something funny or the most interesting thing you’ve done lately – classroom appropriate) and then include the images within the document.
      • Type your reading notes into a Word document and upload that document to turnitin.com.
    • Consider how the journal you selected adds to/clarifies or confuses your understanding of the topics. Include your own opinions and observations, but also focus on the main claim of each text and the evidence they supply to support it.
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May 4 - May 8

5/4/2020

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This week we will continue looking at the claims making process as you continue reading with Chapter 4 "Experts as Claimsmakers." The last two weeks you have been focused on activists as claims makers  and the shift to looking at experts in the process will connect you with a lot of the topics you have mentioned during our surveys and class discussions. This assignment should take approximately two hours this week total. This is the last chapter reading I will have you do from this text. Do not skip Boxes as they help connect the reading to pertinent case studies.
 
MONDAY: Read pages 99 - 109 (Introduction, Medicalization). Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
TUESDAY: Read pages 109 - 115 (The Role of Science). Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
WEDNESDAY: Read pages 116 - 123 (Evidence, Interests, and Advocacy; Officials as Expert Claimsmakers). Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
THURSDAY: Read pages 123 - 129 (Expert Claimsmakers in the Social Problems Process; Case Study - Forecasting the Future). Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
FRIDAY: Answer the three questions at the end of the case study and upload your electronic responses to the applicable www.turnitin.com folder. You may include insights about the current events/social issues. Each question should be answered with one thoughtful, developed paragraph at minimum.
 
Next week we will dissect this chapter in more depth including more research into some of the case studies mentioned in the boxes in the text.
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April 27 - May 1

4/27/2020

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This week we will explore the articles/case studies from Chapter 3 of last week’s reading. This will help you to better understand the concepts discussed in Chapter 3 and consider different contemporary social issues.

Reminder: Should you need to access a journal database, username and passwords are available on Ms. Bacon’s website at http://www.msbacon.com. Click on the black star. If you have trouble accessing databases from home, please email her directly at bacone@issaquah.wednet.edu.

MONDAY – FRIDAY:
  • The total time spent on this assignment this week should be approximately one hour.
  • Choose one of the boxes from your reading that interested or challenged you. Reference the PDF of the reading from last week if necessary. 
  • Read the associated study/journal via the links provided below. The italicized title is the title of the Box from your reading; not the title of the article. 
    • Box 3.1 – The Name Mirrors the Frame
      • https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1536504214522003
    • Box 3.2 – Competing Ecological Frames
      • https://static1.squarespace.com/static/597fe5223e00be8e7b406ac1/t/5c4dd4da8a922d088105bff5/1548604635339/Pellow+%26+Nyseth+Brehm+2015.pdf
    • Box 3.3 – Someone Has to Ask
      • https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/676853?seq=1
    • Box 3.4 – A Scandal Creates Opportunity
      • I had difficulty locating this journal online, but here is the citation. Let me know if you have any luck. 
        • Badano, S. E., Burgermeister, S. J., Henne, S., Murphy, S. T., & Cole, B. M. (2014). Legitimacy concerns in animal advocacy organizations during the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal. Society & Animals, 22(2), 111-134.
    • Box 3.5 – Choosing Corporate Targets
      • https://www.jstor.org/stable/43187558?seq=1
    • Box 3.6 – Consolidating a Cause
      • https://www.jstor.org/stable/43654151?seq=1
  • After you have selected a reading and accessed it, critically read it and consider your notes from last week’s textbook reading.
    • You can either:
      • Print it out and critically read it by hand; then scan/photograph the reading and post that to turnitin.com as a PDF. 
      • Type your reading notes into a Word document and upload that document to turnitin.com.
    • Consider how the journal you selected adds to/clarifies or confuses your understanding of the topics. Include your own opinions and observations, but also focus on the main claim of each text and the evidence they supply to support it.
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April 20 - April 24

4/20/2020

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​This week we will be picking up where we left off in the curriculum. I have been using the textbook Social Problems3rd Edition by Joel Best to guide my lectures and thus far we have covered Chapters 1 and 2.  This week you will read Chapter 3 “Activists as Claimsmakers”, which includes some topics that you had shown interest in during our note card surveys/voting. Note that you should be taking 25 minutes (maximum) per day for this course; however, you may work ahead if you need/want. I suggest minimizing distractions while you read the text as your home environments can be much more distracting than a classroom. 
 
MONDAY: Read pages 66 – 75 (Outside/Inside Claimsmaking, Social Movements, and Framing). Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
TUESDAY: Read pages 75 – 81 (Resource Mobilization and Beneficiaries). Do not skip Boxes 3.2 and 3.3.  Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
WEDNESDAY: Read pages 81 – 87 (Opportunity Structures and Summary). Do not skip Boxes 3.4 and 3.5.  Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
THURSDAY: Read pages 87 – 94 (Advantages of Ownership and Activists: Principles and Practicalities). Do not skip Box 3.6.  Take notes (paying specific attention to bolded items) in your class notes.
 
FRIDAY: Read pages 95 – 98 (Case Study: Mobilizing Over Income Inequality). Answer the three questions at the end of the case study and upload your electronic responses to the applicable turnitin.com folder. You may include insights about the current economic state if you feel it is relevant. 
 
Next week we will dissect this chapter in more depth including more research into some of the case studies mentioned in the boxes in the text.
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April 6 - April 10

4/7/2020

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There are still multiple students who are missing work in this course; this missing work is severely disadvantageous to your success this semester/receiving credit. 

Please visit Skyward and take note of your missing assignments; email scanned documents or photos of your assignments to fryj@issaquah.wednet.edu to receive credit. April 10th will be the last day that I accept missing work from before the school closure!
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March 30 - April 3

3/31/2020

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  • Use this week to continue focusing on missing assignments and projects in your classes. If you are an IB student, use this week to focus on your IAs and TOK Essays for your IB diploma.

In connection with our first unit in Contemporary Issues, research and locate any recent (past 3 months) homelessness data in comparison with data from the last two years. Discuss with family and classmates how you feel this contemporary issue is evolving/not evolving with COVID-19 and recent circumstances.
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March 23 - March 27

3/23/2020

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Communication: If you have any missing assignments, please use this week to complete them and email them to me for late credit. This week I will grade assignments which were completed prior to school closure and put them in the grade book.

For enrichment activities (optional) and connecting to our learning from right before the closure, read some contemporary news stories and analyze/identify their use of claims, grounds, and warrants. As an added/extra challenge, find the very first article which reported coronavirus in China – analyze the original claim and how the claim has evolved over time.

An email/Skyward message has been sent regarding the above information. 

​Best wishes.
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