Introduction

Clark Masterson

Facing History Blog

Period 3

FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES INTRODUCTION

            Facing History and Ourselves is a course that is taught with the intention of making its students think. Although the teacher is a necessary commodity, they are simply present to show material to the students. There is almost no writing or class work, and the only homework is blogging about what the student thinks about a certain movie or book. Many of the movies shown are quite graphic; they are used to show the students the evils that are people are capable of inflicting. For this reason, the Armenian Genocide and Holocaust are major focuses of the class. The student watches these movies and is given time to ponder things such as how fortunate they are, how cruel others can be, and what they will do differently as a result of what they have seen. Some choose to learn more about these atrocities while others may simply leave the class and never bother to worry about what they have seen ever again. Regardless of what the student does after class, it is the goal of the teacher to have their students thinking while they are in the classroom and viewing the movies being shown. The class is based entirely on opinion and everybody is entitled to their own and can share if they so choose. Some may choose to speak and be vocal while others simply do not talk at all. Since a personal opinion cannot be graded, participation is not taken into consideration when students are being graded. The grade a student receives is based entirely on whether or not they choose to do the blogs when they are assigned. Overall, Facing History and Ourselves is a thought provoking class that allows the student to reflect on the ills of that past, allowing them to realize the world was a very different place not too long ago. While some students will be affected by this knowledge and change their perception on how they treat people such as Jews and Armenians, others will simply watch the movies and leave the class as an unchanged person.