This semester, PAAC offered online After School Global Studies Classes at Kapaʻa High on Kauai; Waiakea High and Kealakehe High on Hawaii Island; and ʻAiea, Kaimuki, Roosevelt, Waialua, and Waipahu High Schools on Oʻahu. They explored Pandemics, International Democratic Elections, and Climate Refugees.
A Deeper Look into The Curriculum
The International Democratic Elections unit gave students a broad overview of different election processes worldwide. Students compared the benefits and challenges of compulsory and voluntary voting as well as different methods for counting votes. Students learned the skills of deliberation and practiced them in a debate.
A highlight of the Climate Refugees unit was students analyzing the case history of a village in Alaska that has already developed a plan for migration of the entire village. The Kiribati nation has also begun to plan with the concept of “Migration with Dignity.” Each student wrote a pledge as to how they could help with climate change on a personal level and as a class studied how international policies could be adapted to include climate refugees.
In the Pandemics unit, students researched pandemics in history; the science of spread and vaccinations; and the international and local economic consequences.