Blog #6: 2nd Marking Period Research Project - Modern Problems and Politics in your Nation of Study

For the final blog assignment of the second marking period you will advance your understanding of the nation you researched for your paper by analyzing recent news articles related to a specific political or human rights issue in that country. The issue or event you select will ultimately shape the film/documentary trailer you will be working on next marking period, so be sure you are genuinely interested in the topic. In addition, it is an EXCELLENT idea to use the issue you've selected for your capstone project if possible. Your research will enhance the international component of that assessment.

You will select and analyze three news articles summarizing the impact of a single poltical or human rights issue in your nation of study.

The articles selected for this assignment must reflect international perspectives (they must be from the media of at least TWO different nations.)

Questions you MUST answer in your summary include:

-WHat are the roots of this problem/conflict?
-Who is being most directly affected?
-Who is responsible or being held responsible?
-How are leaders and organizations working to alleviate this problem?
-How does the structure of power in this nation contribute to or alleviate this problem?

Note: if you haven't completed the first part of this project, please select a nation and move forward with this assignment anyway. I'll be happy to help you chose one - just ask!

Some topics you might like to research include:

-Effects and events of specific wars in your nation of study

-Race based conflict and discrimination

-Women’s suffrage/ voting rights

-Universal suffrage/ voting rights

-Impact of specific leaders and/ or dictators

-Gender parity (difference) and/or discrimination

-Labor issues, strikes, and unions

-Genocide

-Imperial rule and colonialism

-Indigenous/ native rights

-Terrorism

-Health crises

-Human trafficking (may be labor or sex work related)

-Pollution, water and waste management

-Poverty

-Industrialization

-Child rights issues (soldiers, labor, slavery, orphan crises, health crises, education and infanticide (killing of unwanted babies) are some issues you might chose to focus on)


For the purposes of this assignment you must Cite your THREE internet or printed articles in MLA format( http://www.easybib.com/ ) will format citations for you in MLA if you have the necessary information.

No fewer than 200 words - articles must be recent (last 5 years)

This is not a pair or group assignment. Even students who are researching the same issues in the same nation should end up with original articles and ideas.

Due: Tuesday, Dec. 7

Iran Test Review Sheet

REVEW SHEET FOR EXAM #2 : Iran

Be prepared to discuss and distinguish the roles of lall of the following in Iranian government:

Supreme Leader
Parlaiment
majils
Assembly of Experts
Guardian Council
Expediency Council
electorate
constituency
President
Revolutionary Guard
Basiji

Be familiar with the following terms:
imam
cleric
hijab
chador
purdah
sharia law
Islamism
fundamentalism
enlightened despot
modernization
autocracy
republic
theocracy
socialism
communism
imperialism
containment
pan-Arabism

Know the signifigance of each of the following figures/ groups in Iranian history:
Quajar Dynasty
Shah
Mohamed Reza Shah Pahlavi (1941-1978)
Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925-1941)
Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Mahmoud Ahmadinejdad
Neda Agha Soltan

Be familiar with how each of these events/ interests have affected Iranian politics
Cold War
satellite wars/ proxy wars
Iran-Iraq War
OPEC
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
NATO
Kabul War

Can theocracy be democratic? Analyzing government in modern-day Iran

Article 1 of the Iranian Constitution reads:
The form of government of Iran is that of an Islamic Republic, endorsed by the people of Iran on the basis of their longstanding belief in the sovereignty of truth and Koranic justice, in the referendum of 29 and 30, March 1979, through the affirmative vote of a majority of 98.2% of eligible voters, held after the victorious Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khumayni.

Iran's population is 89% Shia Muslim, 9% Sunni Muslim, and 2% split among Judaism and Zoroastrian (the oldest monotheistic religion). As we learned in class, Iran is a theocratic regime that has democratic elements. (See BBC's "Iran, who holds the power?" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/default.stm

This week's blog requires you to analyze some primary and secondary source documents on the experiences of religious minorities in Iran.

Directions:
1. Summarize the photo essay "Faces of Iran" that documents religion, tradition and modernization in Iran available at: http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2007/paolo_woods_iran/


What do the photos and narration tell you about the experiences of religious minorities in Iran? To what extent are Iranians expressing their individual identities and beliefs in Iran? How is the government postured on civil liberties (individual rights)?

2. Consider the demographics of modern Iran. In a nation where over 90% of the population is Muslim can one argue that a constitution based on the Qu'ran IS democratic? Further, when a nation overwhelmingly favors one belief system, are democracy and theocracy one in the same? (In other words, does it make sense to have religious law when a vast majority of citizens share the same beliefs?)

This blog is due before class on Friday, November 12.

Or does the tail wag the dog? A case study in media and American politics

This week our work will focus on the role of the media in US government and the upcoming 2010 election.
Consider the media analysis activities we completed this week and respond to the following questions with no fewer than TWO specific refences to modern media:

Does media reflect or shape/ inform politics in the modern world?
What role does media play in shaping American political and current events?
How is the media affecting the current US presidential race?

Cite/ link any outside sources you use to compose your response. This assignment may be blogged, typed, written or turned into a video or poster project. It must include 250 words and reflect new understandings from our current unit of study.

Comparative Government Through Film First Marking Period Project
Government Research and Comparison Research Paper

Your final assessment for the first marking period is also the first component of your culminating (term-long) project. There will be no more blogs for the first marking period other than extra credit, so please catch up if you are behind.
Task: Compose a 3-5 page (12 point font, double spaced) research paper analyzing the political history and current government in a nation of your choice excluding Iran, UK (Britain, Ireland, Wales and Scotland), Rwanda and China. The excluded nations are topics we will cover later on in class.

Your paper must include all of the following elements

• A summary of the nation’s political history (has it ever been colonized? Involved in international or civil wars, etc?)
• An explanation of the origins of it’s current political system (including founding documents)
• A description of the nation’s decision and law making process (include checks and balances, crime and punishment, party politics, etc.)
• A brief summary of modern politics in this nation (who is in charge, what are some major issues causing conflict in this nation? Are they engaged in any wars or diplomatic alliances, etc.)?
• A direct quote and reference to the nation’s founding document (constitution)
• An evaluation of people’s rights in this nation (include women’s’ and minority rights in this section)
• A comparison between this nation’s government and the structure of power and state of human rights in the United States (your comparison should incorporate content we’ve covered in class this term- i.e. Bill of Rights, state v. federal power, electoral college, checks and balances, etc.)
• A bibliography (see below)

Include MLA citations of no fewer than 3 specific sources AND the founding document (constitution) of the nation you are researching.

I find www.cia.gov and www.bbc.co.uk particularly helpful. This paper should not be a laundry list of statistics. Remember to use original language that is a synthesis of several sources (not a patchwork quilt of language from other websites – that’s plagiarism.)

The proper format for citing a website or online article is

Author last, First name (or publishing group), "Title of Article." Title of website (or online magazine/ newspaper.) Date posted.

Example:
Francis, Bridgette "The Bill of Rights: In Action or Not?" Comparative Government Through Film Fall 2010 Blogsite. September 19, 2010. http://www.franciscompgov.blogspot.com/

If you can’t find all that information, you should NOT use the site. Wikipedia and About.com are fine sources for background research, but will not count as one of your three credible sources.

You may use www.easybib.com to help you create a bibliography from most sources. Remember to have all the publication information handy when you complete this task.

DUE DATES
You are expected to show me the beginnings (one page is fine) of notes or your paper itself no later than Wed. Oct. 14.
The research paper itself is due Wed. Oct 20 at the beginning of class.
The end of the marking period is Thurs. Oct. 21 – be sure to turn in your paper by then to ensure a successful grade.
Work will not be accepted later than Thurs. Oct. 21 – if you turn in the paper Friday or after, the grade will count for the second marking period only.

State vs. Federal Power: Case studies in our modern context

Locate TWO news articles related to one of the issues testing the relationship between state and federal powers listed below:

a) immigration law (Arizona is an excellent case)
b) same sex marriage (try searching for California/ Proposition 8, though many states will work for this topic - Hawaii, Vermont, Massachussets, New York, Maine and New Hampshire have all recently taken on this issue)
c) medical marijuana
d) abortion

or an issue of your choice, but ask for permission ahead.

1) Summarize and cite two news articles related to your research topic.
Be sure to explain any discreptencies or differences in opionion that may arise in these news sources. Proper formatting for web citations is: (Author's Last, First Name, "Title of Article", Title of Webpage. Date Posted. ) DO NOT USE AN ARTICLE THAT YOU CAN NOT ACCESS FULL PUBICATION INFORMATION FOR.

2) Explain how this case study tests the authority of the federal government.

3) What laws and Constitutional clauses are relevant to this case?

4) In your opinion, are the laws of the state in question compatible with federal law? If not, why do you believe the state has been able to legislate (pass laws) in this manner?

Minimum 250 words. Posts not including citation information will not be eligible for a grade higher than N on this post.

Due Friday, October 1 by the begining of class.

The Bill of Rights: In Action or Not?

Directions: Actively read the following article, "Artist Depicts the Bill of Rights in a World Out of Joint" - New York Times, 2002. (also available for view at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906E2D91438F933A15756C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print)

1. Based on the following NY Times article, "Artist Depicts the Bill of Rights in a World Out of Joint", summarize Richard Minsky’s (the artists’) view on the Bill of Rights and it’s role in modern US society.

2. Analyze two of his criticisms based on your knowledge of US government and the Bill of Rights. (Do you agree/ disagree/ relate to his opinion? Explain.)

3. Finally, respond to the following question: Is the Bill of Rights reflected in or distorted in modern US society. Refer to anecdotal (personal stories) or academic evidence to support your answer.

Your blog must be a miniminum of 250 words and include a response to at least one other student's post.

For your reference, a copy of the Bill of Rights is available HERE: http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html