LECTURE #1: “The Myth of the Surge”
This lecture was launched by the article “The Myth of the Surge” in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
Our Theme Teams went to work, and here’s what they came up with.
CIVIL RIGHTS TEAM
http://www.asil.org/insights/insigh134.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/01/abughraib.plea.deal/index.html
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/91.htm
http://www.abanet.org/irr/hr/winter03/unlawful.html
SOCIETY AND CULTURE TEAM
Discussion on segregation/isolation in schools (2/21/08)
Ruby Bridges picture
Discussion on the way war images can and have affected American opinion (2/26/08)
The Myth of the Surge
Eugene Armstrong Beheading (graphic–link on request)
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT TEAM
Richard Nixon Campaign Commercial, 1968
ECONOMY AND TECHNOLOGY TEAM
1. This article estimates that the cost of the Iraq war will reach $2.4
trillion. I thought the current cost of the war was estimated at
~$1.3 trillion, but the figure is a little unclear. I’ve found some
varying sources here and here.
I’m not sure if it is a projected cost or a current estimated cost.
If you’re interested:
I think it would be interesting to examine, from both a economical and
a cultural standpoint, how the media uses different tactics to
estimate the cost of war. They use figures like “$100,000 per minute,”
“$250 million per day,” and “$8,000 per man.”
- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002780385_spending03.html
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11880954/
- http://nationalexpositor.com/News/556.html
After our discussion, I did some research on the civil war. I’ll
mention this is class on Thursday. It is estimated that the Civil War
cost about $10.3 billion in 1860. Adjusting this for inflation, it
cost about $236 billion.
- http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/ransom.civil.war.us (there is a
chart about halfway down the page with some figures)
- http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi (an inflation calculator)
FOREIGN POLICY TEAM
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/lm12.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33900-2004Sep19?language=printer
