Depressed About the Future of Democracy? Study History

Depressed About the Future of Democracy? Study History    https://nyti.ms/2QiA555?smid=nytcore-ios-share

China’s Leaders Confront an Unlikely Foe: Ardent Young Communists

China’s Leaders Confront an Unlikely Foe: Ardent Young Communists   https://nyti.ms/2NPExM6?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Art History Writing Experiment

On Monday, we will be providing all students with class time to work on the writing experiment our art historian Ms. Rousseva assigned. A reminder that you need to pick an object from your home or wander by the Smart Museum and pick an artwork there. Your writing experiment may take many forms: poem, narration, descriptive and analytical museum label, critique, etc. Please see the handout she gave you for more information. Thanks! It is due on Thursday, October 4.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Loses No-Confidence Vote

Sweden’s Prime Minister Loses No-Confidence Vote   https://nyti.ms/2xFvEdK?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Think About Your Top Three Countries for the Mock EU Council

Go to the EU Mock Council 2019 page on the blog, scroll down to the bottom, and use steps 1-4 to explore countries of interest to you. Factors to consider:

• your own language proficiency 
• the region inside or outside of Europe you are most interested in 
• the issues you are interested in (political, economic, or social). This year, we are featuring themes of (1) liberal democracy and the rule of law; (2) trade, competitiveness and globalization; and (3) language, immigration and identity.
• the partner(s) you want (larger countries are generally assigned three students, smaller countries two students, and partners are typically assigned within a class period so that you may work together on current event assignments) 
• you and your partner will split up the themes above within your country, so you should not sign up with a partner where both of you are dead-set on the same theme 

Questions may be referred to Mr. Janus or Ms. Gerst.  Sign-ups will begin in very early October. 

September 26 European Day of Languages Lesson

Happy European Day of Languages day! 

French Turn on Macron, as They Grow Impatient for Results

French Turn on Macron, as They Grow Impatient for Results   https://nyti.ms/2zqe4Ml?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Hungary and Poland pose worse threat to EU than Brexit

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/hungary-and-poland-pose-worse-threat-to-eu-than-brexit-1.3628355 

EU Is Unreceptive To Britain's Plan To Stay In Europe's Single Market

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/21/650341634/eu-is-unreceptive-to-britain-s-plan-to-stay-in-europe-s-single-market?sc=17&f=&utm_source=iosnewsapp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=app

European Leaders talk Brexit in Austria

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/19/649432639/european-leaders-talk-brexit-in-austria?sc=17&f=&utm_source=iosnewsapp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=app

Renaissance Study Guide

Unit I: Introduction to Historical Thinking and the Renaissance Study Guide
Your test is on Monday, September 24.

Art History Renaissance Lecture Slides from 9/20

Art History Lecture 1: "The Renaissance and its Margins"

Spain now receives more,migrants than any other European country

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/20/647526020/spain-now-sees-more-migrant-arrivals-than-any-other-european-country?sc=17&f=1001&utm_source=iosnewsapp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=app

Gerst Long Period #2: Sweden Current Events

Update: 9/25/18: Swedish parliament Votes to Oust Prime Minister

Sweden Was Long Seen as a ‘Moral Superpower.’ That May Be Changing.

Sweden’s Centrists Prevail Even as Far Right Has Its Best Showing Ever  

Would Sweden Leave the EU? 

Junk News, Swedish style. 


Miscellaneous:

A ‘Mansplaining’ Hotline? Yes, Actually, Sweden Has One   https://nyti.ms/2f0TF2J?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Janus Post, Share of U.S. Population Born Abroad Is Highest Since 1910, With More From Asia

Share of U.S. Population Born Abroad Is Highest Since 1910, With More From Asia   https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/13/us/census-foreign-population.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Janus Post, E.U.’s Leadership Seeks to Contain Hungary’s Orban

E.U.’s Leadership Seeks to Contain Hungary’s Orban   https://nyti.ms/2Ml0RHG?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Democracy’s Crisis of Identity

https://youtu.be/hHK58UPucRI

Gerst Post, Long Period #1: Flipped curriculum introduced

This course has been designed to incorporate current events into the curriculum on a weekly basis. Ms. Gerst's class will start this week with the attacks of September 11, 2001 and how they affected EU policy. 

President Bush's Speech to the Joint Session of Congress on September 20, 2001. How may Manchester's concepts of context, kaleidoscope, catena/web of action, and periodization help us analyze this speech as a historical document? 

"This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight, this is civilization's fight, this is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance, and freedom. We ask every nation to join us. We will ask and we will need the help of police forces, intelligence service, and banking systems around the world . . .  Perhaps the NATO charter reflects best the attitude of the world: an attack on one is an attack on all.  The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens, may be next.  Terror unanswered can not only bright down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments." (p. 390) 

What was Europe's policy in the aftermath? 

"The European Councils in Brussels, Ghent and Laeken reaffirmed the EU's solidarity with the United States to build a global coalition against terrorism and fight its root causes. In the six months following September 11th, the EU and the US have worked intensively on joint initiatives designed to counter and defeat international terrorism. The EU confirmed its staunchest support for the military operations, which began on the 7 October 2001 in Afghanistan in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1368 and the right to self-defence as enshrined in the UN Charter. The European Union has consistently underlined the central role of the United Nations in building an effective global framework against terrorism." Europa.eu link here. 

As we begin to look at current events -- controversies and policies -- on a weekly basis, students will increasingly lead these discussions, choosing news articles, videos, and primary source material.  Notice above that I posted two videos - one short secondary that provides an access point for our class and one video source that matches with a written source.  I looked up references to other documents mentioned in the EU text. This is called CORROBORATION. What do the other documents say?

A final note. Michael Rose argued Tony Blair, then Prime Minister of Britain, should be impeached for the war in Iraq and that the U.S. should end the war. It does seem possible that the New York Times could have held the Op-Ed until July 4 because a similar article appeared on the BBC in May  2007.

Janus post, What Poland says about losing Democracy

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-dish-on-global-affairs/id1169079758?mt=2&i=1000419246789

Janus Post: Overtourism worries Europe

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/technology/technology-overtourism-europe.html