Period 1 - TJ Martynowicz

[CALIS]

Thank you for participating in TIRP service-learning outreach!

Your reports are the basis for academic credit.  Whether or not you are seeking a credit option, reports are required as a university record of service-learning efforts and impact in local schools.

Required Format:
Session 1 materials: [The first line of your report is the session number and full title of the database item(s).]
Focus Q: [On a new line, list your focus question from your TAP form. If you changed the question then add the new version after the TAP version.]
*** For the minimum of 3 student specifics, do not refer to students by name; instead call them Student A, B or C.
*** For the minimum of 500 words, guiding questions are here: https://www.forums.usc-calis.net/showthread.php?tid=297

Use clear paragraph structure. If you include too much focus on the step-by-step process of the lesson rather than substance, you may be asked to revise your report.
*** The webboard is public. If you include names, commentary or observations, you will need to revise your post.

To Post:
1. For each report, select Post Reply.  (Do not select New Topic)
2. Copy/paste from your Word file and save a copy until after the semester is over.
3. Before pasting, confirm that you have met the minimum of at least 500 words.
4. Each report must be submitted by midnight within 3 calendar days after each session.

A CALIS staff member will review your report each week and post a message below of the scoring for your performance evaluation.
We welcome any questions or concerns you have about scoring.
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Session 1 &2
Timing: 0/3
Substance: 6/6
Student Involvement: 6/6
Total: 12/15
Great Report! Please make sure you submit everything a little earlier from now.
-PS

Session 3
Time: 3/3
Substance 6/6
Student Involvement: 6/6
Total: 15/15
Good job with the role-playing activity! It seems to have made the concepts easier to understand.
-PS

Session#4
Time: 3/3
Substance: 6/6
Student Involvement: 6/6
Total: 15/15
Great report! The class really seems to have understood what the four worlds framework entails. Good luck for your thesis!
-PS

[TJ Martynowicz]

Session 1: Name That Tune! Distinguish Levels of Analysis in US Foreign Policy Making; US-Mexico Case from NPR
Focus Question: What is foreign policy? What are the levels of analysis? How can security issues in US-Mexico relations help us understand these concepts?

In our first class all three of our members introduced ourselves, our background, as well as a brief overview as to what was happening in the coming weeks. We tried to emphasize that not only were we there to instruct them on the course material, but also offer any prospective guidance throughout the college process. Furthermore, the overall goal of the class was to get the students more comfortable with us in addition to gaining a basic understanding of how to analyze foreign policy. To do this, we presented the concept of foreign policy and its different methods of implementation from the Olympics to war. 

We then presented the three levels of analysis to the students first focusing on individual, then state, and lastly the system. We first explained each level before applying it to the US-Mexico case. Moreover, we put up a map of world leaders to introduce the individual level of analysis and when students were asked if they recognized any leaders, only student A was able to identify Kim Jung Un and Macron. Emphasizing the importance of their role, we explained how to use individual analysis in cases such as Ukraine and Russia before moving onto the national level analysis. We explained how looking at domestic policy in the EU shows their approach at large. Similarly for systemic level analysis we highlighted the power dynamic of the US, China, and Russia. 

With this background and understanding of how to analyze policy, we presented the US-Mexico case. First, by reading an article before later debriefing as a class. We covered the parties and stakeholders from the article as well as why it matters. Student B initially responded that he didn’t know why it mattered, until he was pushed a bit, he noted that they have an intrinsic relationship being direct neighbors. Student then worked with their tablemates to complete the matching activity that reinforced the different levels of analysis and how they can analyze policy going forward. During this group work activity, Student C iterated confidently why each of the levels was important and what the correct answer to the matching was. 

Subsequently with their same tables, we had the students connect to a Kahoot that reviewed the materials covered earlier in class. Each table had to connect with one device, and the winning group was to be rewarded with prizes. Each group did extremely well with almost every group getting each question right. The deciding factors between groups was actually speed, indicating that the groups acquired the material from earlier. 

Overall, the students demonstrated a strong knowledge of the subject matter by the end and indicated that they not only knew the material but also knew how to apply the lessons going forward. At the end of class, we tried to reiterate the material and key lessons as well as briefly discuss the lessons going forward. Unexpectedly, the lesson ended prior to the end of class. This was likely due to the lack of material included as the lesson was more conceptual and building the skill of analysis rather than learning about a specific event. Going forward, we need to better engage students as well as have additional material to use in case we end early.

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Session 2: Four Worlds of International Relations; Case on Salvadoran Civil War
Focus Question: How did the United States influence the Salvadoran Civil War?
 
The second lesson focused on the Salvadoran Civil War and the influence of the United States. We began class with a quick review making each of the tables do a “think-pair-share” for one question relating to last week and then two questions on the geography of El Salvador which the teacher taught them a few weeks prior. Students quickly answered the questions when called on. Student A volunteered to answer one of the questions about El Salvador and the body of water. Subsequently, we repeated the “think-pair-share” activity for a number of vocabulary terms that the students may or may not have been exposed to. Overall, only one student was very familiar with the ideas of “communism.” 

After this review and basis, we moved onto an article highlighting the different parties involved both directly and indirectly. We had students briefly answer the questions aloud individually. Student B answered both questions 1 and 3 but the rest of the tables demonstrated a strong grasp of the article through their note taking. 

We then provided an overview of the civil conflict and the role of external actors such as the United States. We emphasized the factors driving this participation in order to reiterate the influence of foreign policy in other countries. To highlight the impact of the conflict, we mentioned a number of the consequences before we challenged the students to complete a worksheet categorizing the impacts of the war. 

At this point Table 1 and 3 had a number of impacts for each categories, but the other tables struggled to identify consequences for the political and cultural worlds. As a class student A and B indicated the impacts of inflation both in El Salvador and presently in the US. Subsequently, tables 1 and 3 helped the class complete the rest of the worksheet by identifying the other impacts. 

To end class, with the rest of their table the students joined our Kahoot review that covered all of the various topics covered in class. Overall, the students were very successful at answering the questions. The only issue came regarding whether inflation is correlated to government spending. Going forward, I believe we can better connect overarching themes across the region and beyond to the lessons. For example, although the conflict in El Salvador in unique, the interstate violence and elements of guerrilla warfare are not. In the coming weeks we can highlight how these lessons and elements of analysis are applicable to other states as the US and other foreign policies hold interests in many states not just the one. Additionally, going forward I would aim to better connect the lessons from class to the students prior understanding of the issue and their own personal backgrounds. 

From teaching this topic, I learned the importance of addressing sensitive topics like conflict with empathy and compassion as one never knows how students will react or relate to the lesson. I believe that I also learned more about the conflict and the ideologies driving it in order to be able to best explain it to the students.

[TJ Martynowicz]

Session 3: Community Participation in the Lithium Triangle
Focus Question: How do foreign countries impact local Indigenous communities abroad? How does community participation shape outcomes?

Today’s session began with very low-energy, especially considering it was a Monday morning; however, fortunately we began the lesson with a Kahoot that got them engaged and ready for the rest of the lesson. During the Kahoot, surprisingly the students were unable to identify the mountain range between Chile and Argentina despite having a strong knowledge of the general location of countries across the region. The most difficult question during this Kahoot (based off number of incorrect answers) was when we asked “which of the following countries has more than one official language”; however, the responses indicated that students did not have a strong knowledge regarding Indigenous rights in Latin America and as a result we spent more time covering the different communities in the region in the beginning. 

After finishing the Kahoot we challenged the students to tell us anything they knew about “lithium” and it was at this point Student A responded “its an element” while Student B answered back “no it’s used in medicine.” This provided the perfect Segway for us to discuss the many different uses of lithium and its different applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to electric vehicles. We then emphasized the point that the recent increase in production, however, is likely directly correlated to the increase demand for electric car batteries.

We subsequently covered foreign investment in the region and the discrepancies of policies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. We aimed to highlight how Argentina is both open to investment and has little regulations for investors once the project was underway. This was supported by the notion of community participation in each of these countries when we covered when and how they adopted ILO 169. We showed the domestic policy and national attributes in relation to community participation and foreign investment to show the different approaches to foreign policy. 

This background knowledge then allowed the student to participate in a group role-playing activity which is a modified prisoner’s dilemma. We placed students in groups and they were tasked with accepting or denying a new mining project. The students were extremely engaged with this activity and passionately defended their answers. For example, in Group 3 while Student C wanted to accept the deal, Student D repeatedly emphasized the need to look longterm and preserve community values. Although there was no correct answers, all the groups did a very good job defending their position. This remained true during the second round of the activity which took place in Chile as opposed to Argentina. 

During the second round, students were much more cautious about accepting the project given the even more extreme climate of the Atacama project. Student E mentioned that with less than an inch of annual rainfall, accepting the project would lead to an accelerated drought. We concluded our lesson highlighting the main points of the lesson and we actually put our guiding questions back onto the screen making students answer them to ensure that our key takeaways were understood. 

Looking forward, I believe that we should aim to incorporate another role-playing game into next week lessons given their level of engagement. I also believe we should aim to review the key concepts and strategies of analysis covered so far.

[TJ Martynowicz]

Session 4: Migration in Latin America
Focus Question: Why does migration occur in Latin America?

For our final TIRP session we decided to cover migration as a means to demonstrate the interconnected nature of Latin American politics as well as the issues that we covered in the first three sessions. We began with a Kahoot to review the material as well as get students more engaged as we found that a Kahoot to start class on Monday morning was the best method of getting students to participate.

During the Kahoot the students did very well overall but struggled to answer a question about which “of the following was one of the 4 Worlds” as well as “which of the following was the least restrictive for foreign investment in the lithium triangle.” At the end of the Kahoot, group A won again as they had done the previous two Kahoots as well. 

After our initial activity we moved into describing the 4 worlds in relation to the issue of migration. We sought to highlight how the US influences these issues in each country creating the context where many migrants feel that there are better opportunities outside their host country than within it. 

When then discussed an article on the Darian Gap after which students answered questions regarding the most important point and the stakeholders in the article. During this part of the activity when walking table to table to see how students were answering the questions, Student A observed how religious persecution in places like Guatemala can count as factors for the cultural world. Student B later shared how the level of freedom can be a factor for the political world. Overall, students demonstrated that they not only understood the idea of the 4 Worlds, but also how migration patterns develop. 

To end our session, we originally designed a Jeopardy game to engage students and test their cumulative knowledge. Unfortunately, during this session the LAUSD wifi would not allow for us to connect to the game. As a result, we were forced to make up an interactive trivia game on the spot. During this game, Student C did an excellent job quickly answering each of the first 3 questions, we then had to select other students to encourage a wide range of student participation. 

Although not our initial activity, it was still successful in achieving our ultimate goal of review and testing student knowledge. It also showed us the level of growth within the students and their ability to dissect high level problems. 

Through preparing and teaching this class I was able to develop my own knowledge of Latin American politics as well as how to better communicate and construct lessons for a diverse audience. It also allowed me to explore my academic passion on a deeper level, particularly as I currently engage with research in the region for my honors thesis course. Furthermore, my interacting with the local community on a more intimate level, I have been able to grow my own perspective and sense of place within the greater South Central community and USC at large.