WEEK ONE

Agenda for Tuesday, April 4th:

• Computer Sign-out Sheet
• Names
• Syllabus
• Expectations

Agenda for Wednesday, April 5th:

• Computer Sign-out Sheet
• Syllabus and Expectations Final Discussion
• Article
  • Read and be ready to comment.
• The Island

Agenda for Thursday, April 6th:

• Continue watching The Island
  • Take Notes:
    • Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Agenda for Friday, April 7th:

• First week check-in
  • Chemical Weapons
    • The Father of Chemical Warfare
    • A Brief History of Chemical Warfare
  • Military Strikes
  • What are ethics?
    • Dictionary Definition
• Finish Film
  • Continue notes

WEEK TWO

Agenda for Tuesday, April 11th:

• Please make a list (in your notes) of all of the ethically challenging issues you saw in the movie. Questions to consider:
  • What are ethically challenging issues?
  • What makes an issue challenging when it comes to determining good/evil, or should/shouldn’t?
• ALTERNATIVE: If you have already taken this course and wish to work on another assignment, please read, Drugs That Work In Mice Often Fail When Tried In People. Read the article and listen (independently) to the attached podcast. Take notes on the issue. Follow the Who/What/Where/When/Why/How model of summarizing and write a paper demonstrating your understanding of the issues presented. Take a position on the issue.
• When you finish, begin reading the article below and take notes:
  • Artificial, Womb-Free Births Just Got a Lot More Real
• Summary Papers: When you finish writing a summary of ethical issues in the film (or the alternative assignment) and reading the article about artificial wombs, please begin the assignment below.
• Slavery Footprint Assignment
• Resources and Links for Independent Research on Slavery in the 21st Century:
  • TED Talks about Slavery

Agenda for Wednesday, April 12th:

• Two-week Check-in
• Discussion About Humanity In The 21st Century:
  • Tesla Model X w/ Autopilot!
  • How Many Gigafactories Would It Take To Power The World?

Agenda for Thursday, April 13th:

• Greatest Threats to Humanity in the 21st Century

WEEK THREE

Agenda for Monday, April 17th:

• Complete assignments from first two weeks.
• Work On GOING BEYOND Assignment:
  • History of the Home: The Bathroom – If you complete this assignment, you can earn up to 9 participation points and boost your overall grade. Take notes, write down interesting facts you learn, and be prepared to complete the prompts below when the film ends. Here are the details:
    • Identify three or four recurring issues that have plagued humanity for hundreds of years and how they are tied to present day problems. What are issues facing humans today that are similar to issues faced 600-years-ago?
    • Make a list of the most interesting things you heard/saw in the film. This series is loaded with interesting facts about the history of common expressions, sayings, and traditions that survive to this day.

Agenda for Tuesday, April 18th:

• History of the Kitchen
  • Take notes on the evolution of the kitchen over the past 700-years.
  • OR, work on catching up on missing work.

Agenda for Wednesday, April 19th:

• Before The Flood
  • Take notes on claims, evidence and facts.
  • Pay attention to issues presented. Are they serious? Should we be concerned?
  • Focus on possible solutions.

Agenda for Thursday, April 20th:

• Finish watching The Flood.
  • Continue taking excellent notes on claims, evidence and facts.
  • Focus on the potential problems

Agenda for Friday, April 21st:

• What Is The Future of Earth’s Climate – Web Activity

WEEK FOUR

Agenda for Thursday, April 27th:

• Read through the articles below and take notes on each. Focus on the following aspects and write responses to each:
  • Who are the authors/organizations responsible for writing and publishing the article?
  • What are scientists and doctors claiming that they can do?
  • What are the companies and organizations involved?
  • What benefits do scientists and doctors claim can come out of the following procedures and technologies?
  • What are some of the potential problems and ethical issues that may result from these experiments?
  • Do you think these technologies/procedures should be legal? Why?
• ARTICLES:
  • Scientists Create Artificial Womb That Could Help Prematurely Born Babies
  • Cryogenically Frozen Brains Will Be ‘Woken Up’ and Transplanted Into Donor Bodies Within Three Years, Claims Surgeon

Agenda for Friday, April 28th:

• Check your grade in Synergy. Make a list of your missing assignments in your notes.
  • Please do your week four check-in. We will give a check-in sheet to students about 40 minutes into the class. Write thoughtfully and use complete sentences.
• When you finish the check-in, please make sure that you continue taking notes on the ‘Artificial Womb’ article.
• When finished with the ‘Womb’ article, please begin reading the article below and take notes on the content of the article:
  • Archaeologists Have Uncovered Ancient Bones That May Rewrite American History

WEEK FIVE

Agenda for Monday & Tuesday, May 1st & 2nd:

• Archaeologists Have Uncovered Ancient Bones That May Rewrite American History
  • Nature – Peer Reviewed Journal
    • Identify terms that you don’t understand. Write them down in your notes, or mark the text.
    • Use the internet to define the terms you don’t understand to the best of your ability.
    • Be sure to write down where you got your information so you can cite your sources later on.

Agenda for Wednesday & Thursday, May 3rd & 4th:

• Armageddon: 10 Items Assignment
  • SCENARIO: Imagine that the topics on our list of greatest threats to humanity in the 21st century are becoming reality. You may focus on a few or all of the threats.
  • LIST: Make a list of ten items or objects you would want to have/own to give yourself the highest chance of survival and comfort in this new world, where anything could happen. Really think about what you would want to have to give yourself a chance at both surviving and thriving not fully knowing which threats will manifest first, or at all.
    • Remember that you can only choose ten items TOTAL, so really think this through.
    • Approach preparation for these threats from a realistic standpoint. Which things should we actively prepare for? Which threats seem unlikely?
    • Remember that you will be asked to explain your reasons for carefully selecting your ten items and writing a paragraph defending each choice.
  • PRESENTATION: When you finish making your list, create a Powerpoint, Google, or Keynote presentation. Create a slide for each of the items on your list. Be sure to include the following on each slide:
    • The name of the object.
    • A short explanation as to why you put the chosen item on your list.
    • A photo of your chosen item.
    • The situations that the object will help you survive.
  • OUR LIST OF THREATS TO HUMANITY IN THE 21st CENTURY:
    • Natural Disasters
    • Global Warming
    • Electrical Shutdown
    • Over Population
    • Water and Food Shortages
    • Ignorance
    • Laws
    • Heart Disease
    • Disease and Plague
    • Political Leaders
• If you finish your list, please continue working on:
  • Definitions of terms from the Nature article, or
  • Complete missing assignments.
• Article for next week:
  • A Long, Complicated Battle Over 9,000-Year-Old Bones Is Finally Over 

WEEK 6

Agenda for Monday, May 8th:

• Get caught up on work, OR
• Take notes on Great Human Odyssey. Focus on:
  • Technology through the ages (what remains the same?)
  • Human ancestral accomplishments

Agenda for Tuesday, May 9th:

• Continue Great Human Odyssey. Take notes.
• Continue getting caught up on assignments
• 6-Week Check-In

Agenda for Wednesday, May 10th: Presentations & Articles 

• Make sure to complete your 6-week check-in
• 10-Item Presentations (3)
• Finish missing assignments
• Begin work for next 6-weeks

Agenda for Thursday, May 11th: 

• Presentations, Continued
  • Remember that EVERYONE needs to submit an electronic presentation of their ten preparedness items.