October - Master

In Master class we're going to take what we learned in Journeyman a step further.

This month's inspirements (this is gonna be cake compared to reading 'The Fourth Turning' last month!):

• Read or listen to Elder Marion G. Romney's talk, Socialism and the United Order Compared.  We'll discuss the similarities and differences in class.
• Make a list of things you've noticed happening in the world around you that indicate that America is becoming more and more socialistic. Refer to the definition of socialism in Elder Romney's talk.  Bring your list to class so we can talk about them. 
• Prepare a presentation to teach the class about what you learned while studying a communistic society. I want you to present in front of the group in the most polished manner you can. Practice at home before you get to class, preferably with a few people you trust! Good statesmen/women need to be able to present their ideas to a group in a coherent, succinct way. Your presentation should be 5-10 minutes long (Time yourself as you practice). You can bring a visual aid if it will truly enhance what you are saying, but part of the purpose of this inspirement is to help you learn to convey your thoughts orally, so that should be your primary focus. 

Geography Inspirements (Thanks, Tova!!):

• Skim through this article, reading mostly the first couple paragraphs of the different sections. (after that, it mostly gives some great books to read if you want to study these religions further)
• Research a religion of your choice, and prepare a report about it. Also feel free to bring something to help teach us about that religion.

October - Journeyman

For the month of October our focus will be Virtue.  In Geo-Conquest, we will specifically be learning...

• A virtuous society is necessary for liberty to be preserved
• About various forms of government and how they impact the nations' citizens
• About communism, socialism, and capitalism - in depth.

To be prepared for class, please complete the following:

• Why is capitalism better than socialism?  Watch a 14-year-old boy explain.  (5 min)
• Listen to Tibor Aranyosi tell what it was like to live in Hungary under communistic rule in the 1950s.   (20 min)
• Watch Kitty Werthmann explain the transition to socialism in Austria in the 1930s.   (30 min)
• Read pages 91-119 in Just and Holy Principles. Find at least one TREASURE from each of the 3 talks that you feel inspired to share with the class.  
• Read principles 9-12 in The 5,000 Year Leap
• Review the forms of government (posted earlier on this blog).  We're playing a game with these, so study up! 
• Find an example of a communistic society in history. Try to find one you didn't know about before now. Learn as much as you can about this! List realities for the average citizen in the areas of home ownership, small business ownership, education level, income level, and medical care. It's fascinating to study how the form of government impacts society and contrast it with the society in which we live. Here are a few examples you could look at (but there are MANY more):

Kampuchea (Cambodia) - 1970s

Hungary - 1950s
Laos - 1970s
Cuba - 1960s
North Korea - 1940s
China
Egypt
Soviet Union
Poland (first to break free from Soviet Union)
East Germany (under Soviet Union)

Some examples of things to pay attention to as you study:

• Time period - the idea of communism has persisted throughout the ages.
• What was life like for the people before it became communistic?
• What was life like for people while it was communistic?
• What was life like for people after communism ended (if applicable)?
• If there was a revolution, why were the people inspired to revolt?
• Did communism solve the problems the society was facing when it accepted communism?

Places to look for information:

• Books (ask around for suggestions)
• Documentaries
• Interview someone who has lived under a communistic form of government
  

Geography Inspirements (Thanks, Tova, for coming up with these!!!):

"Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastranism, as well as many other beliefs." I'd never thought of that before! Let's get into Asia through their religions.

• Watch this video then read the article about what the Church is doing in Asia 
• Label all the countries on this map of Asia, and look up each of their national religions (We'll be playing a game with them in class).

NOTE: As I mentioned in class, I am biased! I will be teaching what I believe to be right and true.  I do not consider it my job to give the opposing views, but rather, to teach truth - as revealed by apostles, prophets, and historical evidence.  If you are interested in being sure my view of truth is in line with yours, I invite parents and youth to ask! And parents are always welcome to sit in on my class (although I'd prefer that you leave the discussion to the youth). 

What You May Have Missed

If you didn't make it to Journeyman and Master class in September, you missed out!  I had such a good time discussing with our brilliant youth how the turnings in history correlate with the pride cycle in the Book of Mormon.  I made this chart to help make it more clear.  The inner circle has the Four Turnings from The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe.  The outer circle is the pride cycle we learn about over and over in the scriptures.

We also played Geo-Conquest Jeopardy to review the things we learned in our readings and in class.  

Forms of Government

In Journeyman class in October we're going to play a game with the following vocabulary words.  If you review them throughout the month you'll remember them really easily - or you can cram at the last minute if you prefer.  ;)  The reason we're learning these is so that as we study different societies we can identify which form of government they were/are operating under.

ANARCHY - A state of society without government or law. 

ARISTOCRACY - A government or state ruled by the elite, or privileged, upper class (i.e. wealthy rule, inherited name or title, or high educational status. Family names mean a lot.)

CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC - a state in which the head of state and other officials are representatives of the people. They must govern to an existing constitution.  (The United states was set up this way originally, but it is now functioning more like a republic - or an Oligarchy - depending on who you ask!)

DEMOCRACY - Government by the people; power vested in people and exercised directly by them or their elected agents.  (majority wins, even when slight; works well when people are righteous.) 

DICTATORSHIP - Absolute, overbearing power or control exercised by a dictator.

DESPOTISM - The exercise of absolute authority; absolute power or tyranny; authority unlimited and uncontrolled by men, constitution or laws, depending alone on the will of the 'prince'. 

MOB RULE - Control or government by a gang, often of violent criminals. 

MONARCHY - Supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.  (Rule by one; i.e. emperor, czar, king, etc.

OLIGARCHY - All power is vested in a few persons; rule by the few (a small percentage of the whole).

  

PLUTOCRACY - Rule or power by the wealthy.

REPUBLIC - Supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them; rule by law (doesn't matter who is in charge, the laws govern).

TYRANNY - A state ruled by a tyrant or absolute ruler.  (Someone rules over everyone else; same as dictatorship.) 

THEOCRACY- Religious leaders who seek to rule in the name of God (someone claiming divine commission, acting as a liaison between the people & God).

September - Master Level

I am SO excited to talk about turnings in history with you!  It's a fascinating subject that will help you make sense of your world and tie it into the cycles in the scriptures.  Another goal I have for class time is to help each of you understand how needed YOU are to successfully transform the difficulties of this fourth turning into the regeneration and renewal of a first generation!  YOU are the HERO GENERATION! (If you don't understand what I'm talking about here, read the book!) 

Master Level Inspirements:

1.  Watch Declaration of Independence signers' sacrifices HERE. (5 minutes)

2.  Read pages 1-22, 49-90, 95-105, 119-122, 254-334 (147 pages) in The Fourth Turning. The bulk of our time together will be spent discussing these readings and how they apply to you and your generation.  Be thinking how you fit into the current 'turning'. (I narrowed down the reading so it is more manageable, but you're more than welcome to read the whole book!

Choose ONE of the following inspirements to complete:

1.  Come prepared to teach your peers about the sacrifices made by one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.  You could include what their life was like before and after they took a stand (home, family, job, etc.).  Don't spend a lot of time on this unless you want to.  This will take up only a brief part of our time together.  See this link for a list of signers to choose from.

2.  Find an example in the scriptures of a Hero generation (or an example of multiple turnings). 

In class we will also be discussing the importance of good mothers for a good society and the need for moral, capable statesmen/women. 

 

September - Journeyman

This month's principle is HUMILITY.  How does being HUMBLE tie into history, government & geography? Be thinking as you work on your inspirements how humility factors into the things we're studying so we can discuss it together.

Inspirements to Prepare for Class:

1. Read, watch or listen to The Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson (click on words 'read', 'watch' or 'listen' for links).
2. Let Natalie know by September 4 which of the first 10 Principles of good government you'd like to teach the class about (from The 5,000 Year Leap). Call or text 801-347-9468 or email bountifulmomof4@yahoo.com.
3. Prepare a 3-5 minute presentation that will give the class the most important information about the principle you chose to present. Practice presenting in front of a trusted person and use their constructive criticism to make it better.  You can use note cards to remind you of key points, but please don't just read your presentation.
4. Read pages 1-129 in The 5,000 Year Leap (the introduction and the first 8 principles).  
5. Read the Introduction and Prologue in Just and Holy Principles (only 12 pages), then 'Treasure Hunt' for at least 3 gems you found thought-provoking.  Mark them and jot down your thoughts so we can discuss them in class.  
6.  Complete ONE of the following inspirements:
• Write a paper on the three branches of the U.S. Government.  Include how the branches work together to serve and protect citizens of America.  Refer to the 5,000 Year Leap pages 24-27 or do research elsewhere. Please have someone you trust proof-read your paper and help with paragraph organization, spelling, grammar.  Can be typed or hand-written but do your best!
• Find an example of the pride cycle in the Book of Mormon or Bible and be prepared to discuss in class.  Ask a parent or grandparent for help if you have trouble locating one on your own.
• Come up with an artistic representation of a way that the government can overstep its bounds and practice an IMPROPER role of government.  You could create a comic strip, a drawing, a poem, or a 3-minute skit with a friend. 
7. Read or listen to the quote segments below from Dallin H. Oaks' talk, "Freedom and Agency". You can find the mp3 link or the talk in its entirety at HERE (link). Come to class prepared to discuss what you learned. It may be helpful to do this inspirement with a trusted adult (great time to involve Grandma or Grandpa!).   
   
   Quote to read:

"Many losses of freedom are imposed by others. The science of government is a consideration of the procedures by which and the extent to which the official representatives of one group of citizens can impose restrictions on the freedom of another group. Decisions on the extent to which government power should restrict the freedom of individuals are among the most difficult decisions we face in an organized society. How much should zoning laws restrict a person’s right to use his own property? How many taxes should we extract, and what compulsory functions should government perform with them? How much harm can society allow a person to do himself, such as by self-mutilation or drug use? These are all questions of freedom."

"We have to accept some government limitations on freedom if we who live in communities are to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A condition of uninhibited individual freedom would allow the strong to oppress the weak. It would allow the eccentric desires of one person to restrict the freedom of many."

"Interferences with our freedom do not deprive us of our free agency. When Pharaoh put Joseph in prison, he restricted Joseph’s freedom, but he did not take away his free agency. When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, he interfered with their freedom to engage in a particular activity at a particular time in a particular place, but he did not take away their free agency."

"The Lord has told us in modern revelation that He established the Constitution of the United States to assure “that every man may act . . . according to the moral agency which I have given unto him” (D&C 101:78). In other words, God established our Constitution to give us the vital political freedom necessary for us to act upon our personal choices in civil government. This revelation shows the distinction between agency (the power of choice), which is God-given, and freedom, the right to act upon our choices, which is protected by the Constitution and laws of the land."

Source of exerpts: Elder Dallin H. Oaks, http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=573

I know that Geo-Conquest requires a lot of reading.  Hopefully you won't give up and will trust that it will be worth it!  If it's any consolation, in class we're going to play a game, watch epic video clips of various battle speeches, look at political memes, and have fun learning from each other and sharing the gems of knowledge we've gained.  :)  

I'm super excited to work with you and exchange knowledge in a way that will allow the Holy Ghost to testify to us of truth and prompt us to find how we can use our knowledge to fulfill the missions God has given each one of us. 

 

2014-15 Geo-Conquest Introduction

I am so excited to be learning about history and geography with you this year!  I believe strongly in the principles upon which the United States was founded by our great Founding Fathers and passionately want to keep (and in some cases restore) the system of government they designed. In order to know for yourself that the system of government they designed is the best form of government (until the second coming of the Savior), you must study why it was designed the way it was and contrast it with other governmental structures and how they have played out historically.  I know that the Constitution of the United States of America has been approved by God as the right form of government for us and I hope you will come to know this too!

We will be studying the period of the Revolutionary War (1770s) through the Civil War (1860s) in America and will cover other world events within that time period as well. 

In September and October we will be laying a foundation of knowledge that will help us look at history for the remainder of the year.  These months will be pretty analytical and the reading may prove more difficult than the following months, but it is important because it will allow us to have the underlying knowledge and vocabulary needed to analyze historical events in future months.

We will also be looking at cycles in history because the most valuable thing we can learn from history is how to impact the future.  We are so blessed to have the Book of Mormon.  It is a historical account that allows us to learn from the past so we can do better in the future.  Take a minute to look at the following cycle of righteousness.  Try to identify where we are as a country in this cycle. Does this help you identify what's coming next or what we can do individually and collectively to return to righteousness, blessings and prosperity? 

 

I can't wait to discuss important things with some of the best and brightest and most capable youth who will soon be our country's leaders!