Cause and Consequence

1. Define ​Cause​: a person/thing that initiates an action

​Consequence:​ the result/effect of an action or condition

2. Discuss the difference between direct (immediate) and indirect (underlying) causes

3. How do we know when something is a cause, consequence, or coincidence?

4. Think of an event in your own life and map it on the cause-consequence map (below)

5. Number the causes in order of importance by considering the (1) evidence of a

connection, (2) influence, and (3) lack of other explanations. Then determine the
importance of consequences by considering the depth, breadth, and duration of each’s
impact.

6. Pick an event such as the following to map the causes and consequences in groups. Make
your maps on chart paper and be prepared to share these with the class in discussion.

Event: 2016 Trump Election

Causes Consequences
- ​increasing diversity - ​rise of the right
- propaganda - era of "alternate facts" and questionable truth
- unemployment - increase in outspokenness against diversity
- education (religious, racial)
- Russian intervention (money, cyber-hacking) - muslim ban
- sexism and racism - zero-tolerance policy (prosecution of illegal
- refugee crisis immigrants, increased deportation, forced
- 2-party system separation of asylum seekers)
- people voted for him (though he won thru - decreased funding to EPA and environmental
electoral college, not pop. vote) - "trade war" and increased tariffs

7. Discuss t​ogether what is/is not a cause and why, maybe choosing some more ethereal
underlying ones like sexism, education, or employment to examine how exactly they relate

8. End with reflecting on how and why this is a historical event. Why does it affect us?

CC BY-SA 4.0 2018

Sarah Matheson
 Historical Perspectives

1. Who makes HIStory?

- Discuss terms like HERstory and OURstory in comparison and what the “historical
perspective” of each might be

2. What is bias?
- “Prejudice in favour or against one thing, person, or group over another.
- What are some of your biases and where do they come from (think-pair-share)

3. Thinking of yesterday’s event, what perspectives (or sides) exist?

4. Look closer at a related issue: immigration in America. Watch two videos, discussing in
groups or as a class after each one.

- Video: Fox News, ​Ingraham: Illegal immigrants and the jobs we can’t do​ (7 min)
- What are the biases in this perspective? How (what techniques) does the
video use to get you on its side?
- Focuses on “Us,” the problems immigration causes Americans, uses
personal stories, anchor speaks colloquially and belittles the other
side, offers past comments as evidence, uses emotion to make you
angry, etc.
- What are the causes and consequences of this perspective?

- Video: VICE HBO, ​Listen to a judge tell an immigrant father he doesn’t know where
his child is​ (6 min)
- What are the biases in this perspective? How (what techniques) does the
video use to get you on its side?
- Focuses on “Them,” the the dehumanization of immigrants, genuine
audio “obtained” from a courtroom, interview with a defender, uses
emotion to make you sad/disgusted, etc.
- What are the causes and consequences of this perspective?

5. Mention “media echo chambers” and discuss (as class or TPS)

- We live in a society where internet and social media now allows you to choose what
information you see, or determines that through algorithms, and this means it’s very
difficult to hear opposing viewpoints unless you go out of your way to do so.
- How do you think this affects the way we talk about or understand politics and
events?

6. What similar perspectives have you heard in Canada? Which perspective do you think will
become the dominant historical narrative and why? Discuss.

CC BY-SA 4.0 2018

Sarah Matheson
Cool video if there’s extra time either day:
Vox, ​Japan’s Rising Right-Wing Nationalism ​(8 min)
- The video begins with a textbook. Does this affect how you think about our
textbooks?
- Who should determine what history is taught in schools?

CC BY-SA 4.0 2018

Sarah Matheson