Interstellar Relations, Monday, 6th Period
Laura stood at the front of the classroom, clad in her favorite blue suit. She smiled as students entered the room, slipping her glasses off. An impish gleam danced in her eyes as she regarded them. "We're only meeting for a few minutes today, so come in and take a seat so we can get going."
A few moments later, the clock ticked to the appointed time, and she brought the class to order. "Okay, my apologies for not being here for our last meeting, but I was out of town. I hope that Elizabeth gave you an overview of the European system, and a run down of the events of World
War I. One of the key things I'd like you to take away from that and our lessons thus far is the idea that, regardless of all the systems we've studied - Terran and alien - the same themes seem to repeat themselves: economy, diplomacy; alliances and rivalries; war. These are the constants. This is what humanity does, time and time again."
She paused, and her lips curved into a rueful smile. "I know not all of you are human. But you come from a place where society exists, where your people interact on a daily basis in similar ways. This class about to embark on the final section of the term, where we take everything we've learned about all the systems, and find out - on a very small scale - what it takes to function in the international - or interstellar -- community. So, over the course of the next week, I'd like you to pay close attention to newspaper headlines; go to the library, read books on major issues; watch the news networks. In short, do some research. See what other leaders do in times of crisis; see what other leaders do when there's not a crisis. Both will be important for the coming weeks.
"And, on that somewhat heavy note, you're dismissed." The smile returned. "Feel free to sit and chat if you want; if you have any questions, or want to discuss the topic further, I'll be available for a little while, and I'll have regular office hours this Wednesday."
With that, she slipped her glasses back on and turned her attention to the items on the desk.
[OOC: Home sick, so I'll be around intermittently. Sign-in and discussion thread coming up.]
A few moments later, the clock ticked to the appointed time, and she brought the class to order. "Okay, my apologies for not being here for our last meeting, but I was out of town. I hope that Elizabeth gave you an overview of the European system, and a run down of the events of World
War I. One of the key things I'd like you to take away from that and our lessons thus far is the idea that, regardless of all the systems we've studied - Terran and alien - the same themes seem to repeat themselves: economy, diplomacy; alliances and rivalries; war. These are the constants. This is what humanity does, time and time again."
She paused, and her lips curved into a rueful smile. "I know not all of you are human. But you come from a place where society exists, where your people interact on a daily basis in similar ways. This class about to embark on the final section of the term, where we take everything we've learned about all the systems, and find out - on a very small scale - what it takes to function in the international - or interstellar -- community. So, over the course of the next week, I'd like you to pay close attention to newspaper headlines; go to the library, read books on major issues; watch the news networks. In short, do some research. See what other leaders do in times of crisis; see what other leaders do when there's not a crisis. Both will be important for the coming weeks.
"And, on that somewhat heavy note, you're dismissed." The smile returned. "Feel free to sit and chat if you want; if you have any questions, or want to discuss the topic further, I'll be available for a little while, and I'll have regular office hours this Wednesday."
With that, she slipped her glasses back on and turned her attention to the items on the desk.
[OOC: Home sick, so I'll be around intermittently. Sign-in and discussion thread coming up.]