Current Issues

The People's Climate March in New York City on September 21, 2014 was the largest climate march in history. In this lesson students learn about the march and the current scientific consensus on climate change, and consider what we and political leaders should do about it. 

What is justice? What is peace? And how are they related?  Students consider these questions and the meaning of the chant "no justice, no peace," used by people protesting the police killing of Michael Brown - and by many past protesters.

Should apartment buildings that have both luxury and affordable units have separate entrances for wealthy and non-wealthy residents? Students learn about a controversy over "poor doors" in New York and London, analyze different perspectives, and write a persuasive essay on the issue.

Labor Day isn't just a holiday, it's a teachable moment. In this lesson, students learn about the history of Labor Day and some of the labor movement’s past accomplishments, then consider unions' current challenges and the growing "alt-labor" movement.

Students explore the mainstream media's portrayal of Michael Brown (an unarmed teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO) and the conversation it has touched off about racial stereotyping. 

Students discuss the police killing of Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson, MO, and consider the racial and economic backdrop to the killing and the protests that have followed. 

Would free higher education be possible in America? How did people in other parts of the world win and defend their right to affordable higher education? In this lesson, students examine the issue of rising student debt and proposals to deal with it, including free higher education. 

While homelessness has declined over the past three years, it's still a serious problem, especially for young adults. In two readings and discussion, students consider this problem - and one promising approach for remedying it. 

In two readings and a media analysis exercise, students examine the campaign to change the Washington Redskins’ name and to end the use of stereotypical depictions of Native Americans in U.S. sports. 

Students learn about Chester Nez, the World War 2 Navajo code talker, who died on June 4, 2014. They consider why he was willing to help the U.S. war effort despite the terrible bigotry that he had endured. Through small group activities, students put themselves in Nez's place to encourage them to...