Syllabus

“Be proud of everything you do, for what you do and how you do it tells others who you are.”

Class Description:  Holocaust and Genocide is a semester-long course offering 2.5 credits. This course is offered to students in grades 11 and 12. Holocaust and Genocide covers many of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies.

Holocaust and Genocide students need a more global understanding of society. One component of this is to help students understand the consequences of hate. Through an elective course that offers Holocaust and Genocide education, students can gain exposure to past and present atrocities and learn how society can avoid atrocities in the future.  The class will use the following outline of topics:

·         Human behavior

·         Prejudice and stereotypes

·         The rise of Nazism

·         Persecution to mass murder

·         Resistance and rescue

·         Identified Genocides

The mission of the Holocaust and Genocide course to is to ensure that the students understand the significant pull of social forces on individuals and groups, and to use that information as fully formed individuals in a modern society. The ultimate goal of this course is to educate students, to become informed citizens of the United States, in the Global Age. This will be accomplished by:

·         Examining past events, as well as current struggles

·         The use of primary and secondary source materials

·         Infusing technology to assist in the learning process

·         Exploring alternate points of view

·         Participating in presentations

Expectations:   Success will depend on your eagerness to learn, the strength of your curiosity, and your initiative and discipline.  I expect my students to come to class each day prepared to deal with the subject matter at hand.  Generally the assignment will be to have read the chapter; sometimes research will be necessary; and other times written homework must be done.  As this class relies heavily on student discussion and interaction (rather than strictly on teacher lecture), it is essential that each student come to class ready to contribute toward the daily goals.  With that said, I EXPECT the following:

1.       Assignments to be completed by the day they are due (this includes all READING assignments).

2.       Be on time and prepared for class (i.e. your textbook, binder, and a writing implement).

3.       No talking at inappropriate times.

4.       Be ready to participate by making eye contact and being fearless when it comes to your opinion.

5.       Make up all missed assignments in a timely manner as per the student handbook.

Remember the 3 R’s:  Responsibility is the key to success, and the remedy for failure.  No excuses!  Respect the person and property of those around you.  Right action, right effort, right speech, and right thought.  After all, “you shall profit as you invest.”

Grading:  All assignments, whether homework, current events, quizzes, essays, tests, blogs, or projects will be graded on a cumulative basis.  I will add the total amount of points for every assignment during each respective quarter and then divide by the number of points you have earned on those particular assignments.  Keep track of your grade the whole year.

Required supplies: A binder with dividers and a writing implement.

Required subscriptions: There will be a few assignments that will require you to listen to podcasts online.  So if you do not already have a subscription to ITunes, then please sign up and download the program on your computer at home.  You will also need to join the following site:  http://www.glhandg.blogspot.com/ for our class blog.