IMaryland Capitol Forum

 

Class Statements 2007

 

Broadneck High School - Annapolis

Class: AP World History

Teacher: Mrs. Houstian

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

• War in the Middle East/Iraq
• Nuclear Proliferation - North Korea
• Security vs. Freedom at home
• China and US Trade Policy

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?

 

As a class, we came to the conclusion that many of the issues are interconnected. One theme that recurred was the concern that the US is sacrificing interests at home (domestic spending, such as healthcare) to our role as the global “police.

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

Many agreed that global trade issues were not as pressing as those regarding national security.

 

Class Statement

 

As a World History class, we feel that the key to understanding our role in current events is to look to the past. The same issues that concern us today, like ethnic and religious violence, have revisited us many times before in different ways.

 

Our goals as a nation should be a robust economy, a healthy environment and national security policies that balance with our traditions of freedom and democracy.  Our nation needs to institute policies that ensure the well-being and safety of human beings worldwide, not just in the United States. We need to balance the need for global trade with an understanding of human rights and equality. The US also needs to enact policies that can protect the environment.

 

 

 

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Largo High School - Upper Marlboro

Class:  Academy of Law and Public Policy

Teacher:  Scotch M. Ndlovu

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

 

• Proliferation
• Terrorism
• Trade
• Immigration
• Environment

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?

 

Environment is the most important issue agreed by the class; however, proliferation and terrorism are important as well. This is the most important issue because it involves natural causes that cannot be controlled by humanity. By not preserving our environment, it will not be suitable for our survival.

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

Although we believe that all of these issues are important, we agreed that our least important issue is immigration because it is not a significant threat to our society as a whole.

 

Class Statement

 

As a class, our objective is to recognize the importance of environment, proliferation, terrorism, trade, and immigration in an effort to build to a more productive society. The leading issue is environment which stands as the primary balance for every living organism. There is a global imperative to minimize the possibility of extinction while promoting a long and healthy life. We also believe that global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a serious threat facing our world today. To that end, all countries should disarm their nuclear weapons programs in an effort to make our world safer. Additionally, terrorism has affected our nation on a personal level. Despite the perception that terrorism cannot be controlled, we believe that we can eliminate this threat by targeting the sources and breeding grounds of this phenomenon. Control of terrorism will foster an environment where global trade can flourish. We believe that trade has a significant effect on world economies. By addressing the global economic system and trade policy issues, we will be able to appreciate the impact of trade. Lastly, immigration is an issue that should be controlled. Immigration guidelines should become flexible to all and provide a complete thorough background check of each individual coming into the States. In summation, it is essential that we focus on these issues to better not only our society, but our world.

 

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Patterson High School - Baltimore

Class: American Government Honors

Teacher: Kelly Sentinek

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

 

global warming, terrorism, famine, AIDS, homeland security, proliferation, poverty, trade, role of the United Nations, North Korea, Russia, democracy, genocide, education, disease, outsourcing

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?

 

global warming, terrorism, homeland security, proliferation, education, genocide

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

democracy, outsourcing, trade

 

Class Statement and Plan

 

Several different issues affect citizens of the United States and the world in various ways. As citizens of the United States, it is our obligation to focus on the problems of greatest concern that affect the most people. These issues are human rights abuses, homeland security, proliferation, and global warming.

 

Human rights are rights that protect you as a human. Education is a primary human right that is being denied to people throughout the world and this must stop. Also, genocide is a huge problem and must be stopped. The United States must show its support is stopping these abuses.

 

With terrorism and proliferation at a high, we must increase our homeland security. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, safety has become a large issue. People no longer feel as safe in their homes because of the threat of nuclear war and the proliferation of other weapons. We must develop new technology and provide radar and satellites to track terrorists and protect ourselves

 

Finally, global warming affects us all tremendously. The polar ice caps are melting and causing severe disturbances in the climate. These climate shifts are creating natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina which is harming our nation and contributing to the spread of diseases since the cleanup is a slow process. Our coasts are affected. Our resources are depleting, but we are still consuming too much bad energy. We must promote worldwide the use of alternate energy like solar power. Without cooperation with other countries, we cannot save our world.

 

Therefore, the United States federal government should establish a policy to: work with the United Nations to protect human rights worldwide, but not to the extent of war; provide new technology and intelligence to track terrorists and weapons of mass destruction; and promote using alternate energy by providing incentives to consumers and businesses all over the world.

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Patterson High School

Class: American Government

Teacher: Ms. Trisha Van Wagner

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

 

Global warming, terrorism, AIDS, poverty, urban sprawl, nuclear weapons, North Korea, poverty, dictators, United Nations

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?

 

poverty, global warming, democracy, terrorism, education, diseases             

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

Trade

 

Class Statement:

 

Our class recognizes that the United States is part of a larger world and that we cannot stand alone. The class discussed and decided that poverty, democracy, environment, education, and international diseases are the most important issues for this country. Poverty is an important issue because many people in this world do not have homes or enough to eat. Compared to other countries, we are fortunate because we have the resources to support the needs of everyday life while other countries lack many resources and cannot support their populations. We feel the need to not to only help our country, but to help other countries such as in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and Eastern Europe so that they will each be able to achieve a standard of living closer to our own.

 

We are concerned about the environment because global warming is happening now. Also, we are concerned about the waste of space. Governments, such as ours, are taking individuals out of their homes for future plans that they will never accomplish. Poverty comes from urban sprawl because people are separated by wealth. There are not enough resources in the world to allow urban sprawl to continue so we need to promote smart growth for the benefit of everyone. There are still many beautiful places in this world that must be protected.

 

We decided, as a class, that the democracy should be spread because it gives people a hold on sovereign power. It puts power in the hands, not of the few, but of all the individuals so that they can take charge of their lives with regard to the Constitution, particularly abiding by the first amendment.  We support the invasion of Iraq because the people of Iraq can now experience a democratic government. If the government in Iran denies people rights and builds nuclear weapons, we will support an invasion of that country.

 

Money is important for reasons dealing with a government’s responsibility to provide education, food and health care as well as to promote trade and encourage technological advancements. We need to improve our county and other countries so that everyone can have access to education and so that we can end the spread of diseases such as AIDS. Also, we should not have waited for a storm to flood parts of our country to take action. 

 

In conclusion, while we believe that the United States should take steps to help ourselves and our own people, we also think that we should help other countries to develop. We want the world will be a better and a safer place for everyone. 

 

 

Severna Park High School – Severna Park

Class:  AP Comparative Government

Teacher:  Barbara Segnatelli

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

 

Poverty, ignorance, developed vs. developing countries, exploitation, international trade, global environment, unconventional warfare, US as a superpower (or not!), immigration

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?

 

Change from traditional warfare, bi-polar international structure to modern untraditional, non-state actors and unconventional guerilla warfare.

 

Misuse of natural and global resources by developed countries.

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

Not really – all are linked.

 

Class Statement:

 

The United State’s post-World War II internationalism is becoming increasingly antiquated.  Our policies need to reflect the effects of globalization and regionalized power on the transition from a bipolar world to a more even distribution of power.  The concept of the ‘isolated incident’ is obsolete; players in today’s major theatres of international policy—especially major powers such as the US—must be prepared to accept the dissolution of the Cold War’s hierarchical structure of national power flow and adapt to the development of a universally interactive global community. The United States must balance our historical role as a country of immigrants and the reality of being unable to support an unlimited number of incoming citizens. The challenges posed by finite natural resources, overpopulation, and poverty around the globe will test the limits of the United State’s abilities to balance its’ economic growth with compassion for people and respect for the Earth.

 

 

 

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