Topic outline

  • Current Issues Q2

    Current Issues Q2

    Current Issues is a Social Studies elective. The class takes a close look at the media surrounding us. We analyze the unique place in history occupied by the United States that allowed media to develop and flourish. From there we investigate the origins of Newspaper, Television, Internet, and Advertising. After looking at the past history of various mediums of mass communication, students then take a look at current efforts and future endeavors of each communication tool. Finally students end the course in a disruptive innovation on the research paper–with collaborative research done in a Wiki Space. Students stay connected with current events as they are happening and learn perspective about the media that we interact with on a day to day basis.


    Creative Commons License
    Current Issues course materials created by the Open High School of Utah are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. This course contains open educational resources produced by other organizations which may use a different open license. Please confirm the license status of these third-party resources before reusing them. See OpenCourseWare for additional information about licensing.

    • Current Issues Q2 Moodle Course File

  • Topic 1

    • VIEW: Week in Rap #1 Page
    • READ: The Rise of Infotainment Page
    • READ: Hard vs. Soft News Page
    • READ: Infotainers Page
    • READ: Weekend Update = News Downgrade? Page
    • READ: Enter the Pundit Book
    • VIEW: 30 Years of Weekend Update Page

  • Topic 2

    • Unit 4: The Internet

    • VIEW: The Week in Rap #2 Page
    • READ: The Internet Page
    • READ: The Internet is Born ARPANET Page
    • READ: The Internet Grows Page

  • Topic 3

    • VIEW: The Week in Rap #3 Page
    • READ: The Internet Explodes Page
    • READ: Explosive Growth Examined Page
    • READ: The Internet Today Page
    • READ: The World Wide Web Page
    • READ: Why Openness Matters Page
    • READ: The New Free Culture Page

  • Topic 4

    • The Internet: Part II

    • VIEW: Week in Rap 4 Page
    • READ: Connecting Page
    • READ: Digital Communication Page
    • VIEW: The Pitfalls of Online Communication Page
    • READ: The Internet Becomes Social Page
    • WATCH: The Social Media Revolution Page
    • READ: The Napster Revolution Page
    • VIEW: The Rise of Blogging Page
    • VIEW: Why RSS Matters Page
    • READ: The Podcast Revolution Page
    • VIEW: World Wide Collaboration Page
    • READ: Twitter. What are you doing now? Page

  • Topic 5

    • The Internet Part III

    • VIEW: Week in Rap #5 Page
    • WATCH: The News Aggregator Page
    • VIEW: The Internet Meme Page
    • VIEW: Revolution Page
    • VIEW: The Future Page
    • READ: Web 3.0 Page
    • READ: Geocontent Page
    • READ: There is an App for That Page
    • VIEW: The iPad Page
    • PREPARE: Study Guide Unit 4 --The Internet Exam URL
    • CHECK OUT: Google News Timeline URL

  • Topic 6

    • Unit 5: Advertising

    • Week in Rap #6 Page
    • READ: The History of Advertising Page
    • READ: The Lemon Ad Page
    • READ: The Importance of Persuasion Page
    • READ: The Birth of Psychology and Advertising Page
    • READ: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Page
    • READ: Advertising Techniques Book

  • Topic 7

    • Advertising II

    • Week in Rap #7 Page
    • READ: The Appeal of Slogans Page
    • VIEW: Slogans and Pass-a-long Advertising Page
    • READ: History of Branding Page
    • READ: Brand Names Page
    • VIEW: A Brand Alphabet Page
    • VIEW: The World's Biggest Brands Page
    • READ: Iconic Brands Page

  • Topic 8

    • Advertising III

    • Week in Rap #8 Page
    • VIEW: Shift in Advertising Page
    • VIEW: Predictions for Advertising Page
    • READ: Interactive Advertising Page
    • VIEW: Sprint's Interactive Ad Page
    • CASE STUDY: Lincoln and Music “The Stars Did Align Page
    • READ: Customer Engagement Page
    • VIEW: Levels of Customer Engagement Chart Page

  • Topic 9

    • VIEW: A Town Called Google Page
    • READ: Contextual Advertising Page
    • READ: Outdoor Advertising Page
    • EXPLORE: Creative Outdoor Advertising URL
    • PREPARE: Study Guide Unit 5 Exam--Advertising URL

  • Topic 10