The Course Purpose

        Students want to learn about the world  order of today.  History classes are great, but they teach about the past.
        Students want to understand governments, economies, organizations that have control over our world now.
        Students want to understand current issues and  ultimately,  how they can contribute as world citizens. 

        The course is not for credit or associated with any school district.
        It is open to middle school students from Bay Area districts.
​        The course will prepare the highly motivated student for high school and beyond.

Instructor:
Rebecca O'Connor

25 years experience teaching middle school Ancient and Medieval World History and U.S. History courses.
20 years Speech & Debate team advisor and coach
CA teaching credentials:
   Social Sciences Gr. 6-12
   ELA Gr 6-12
   Multiple subject Gr K-12
Private tutor for high school courses:
​   AP World, AP Euro, AP US History, AP US       Government

Syllabus      Calendar       Registration


  • Syllabus
    Students will be using course content from the Council on Foreign Relations, iCivics and United Nations.
    Students will access all content on a Google Classroom site that will be made available upon registration.
    Students will read posted articles, view videos, take discussion notes and write a weekly short summary
  • or issue related essay.
    The instructor will review an comment on individual student writing submitted to Google Classroom.

    On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students will join others for an online WebX discussion seminar. 
    Each seminar will be one hour .
    The instructor will lead the seminar using the Socratic Seminar method.
    ​If students are unavailable a specific week, a make-up session will be scheduled between the student
  • and the instructor.
     Unit 1             FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
                              What is government?
                              What kinds of government exist?
                              Laws, norms, and democratic backsliding
                              Understanding revolutions
    Unit 2             GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
                              What is the world liberal order?
                              What is the United Nations and the UN Security Council?
                              What is international law?
                              What is the World Bank?
                              What is the World International Monetary Fund?
                              What is the World Trade Organization?
                              What is the World Health Organization?
  • Unit 3            TRADE
    •             What is trade?
    •             What gets in the way of trade?
      • ​ What is a trade deficit?
      •  How trade rules are written
      •   Trade as foreign policy
      •  What happened when China joined the World Trade Organization
      • Foreign investmentJourney of a sneaker
         Unit 4               MIGRATION
                                    What is migration?
                                    For migrants, labels matter
                                    Migration today
                                    History of U.S. immigration policy
​                                    The lasting effects of emigration​U NIT 4                                           MIGRATION      
         UNIT 5             MONETARY POLICY & CURRENCIES
                                   What is monetary policy?
                                   What is the Central Bank?
                                   The global role of the U.S. dollar
                                   Understanding currencies and exchange rates
          UNIT 6          U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
                                 Why does U.S. foreign policy matter?
                                 What roles do the Congress and Executive Branch play in U.S. foreign policy?
                                 What is the National Security Council?
                                 How do forces outside the government influence foreign policy?
                                 What is the relationship between domestic and foreign policy?
​                                 How do treaties get made?
                          

Calendar: 



Registration
To register email [email protected]
Payments will be made through Venmo or Zelle with that arrangement
made between the parent and instructor via phone conversation or email. 
Course Fee: $450