QUESTION 1
Prepare: Read Chapters 10, 11 and 12 in the textbook, and watch the video, The House We Live In
Reflect: The post-war era of the United States is often looked back on as a “Golden Era” yet this was also a period of tension, both at home and abroad. Consider the major events of the Cold War, consider the impact of the Cold War on the world, particularly in places like Germany, Cuba, Vietnam, Korea, Chile, and Afghanistan.
Also consider the impact that the Cold War had at home, particularly on American culture and society. Reflect deeper on the state of American society in this time period; on the social, economic, and technological gains, but also on the inequalities that existed, particularly those discussed in site. Think about how this period, which was a golden era for some, created the need for movements such as the Civil Rights Movement, the American Indian Movement, the Women’s Movement, and movements for immigrants’ rights such as the National Farm Workers Association and Chicano Movement.
Consult The Anatomy of a Discussion Board (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. as well as Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. as you formulate your response.
Write: Based on information from your textbook and the required video, assess the changes of the Cold War era at home and abroad:
- At Home: Select one of the following movements, your chosen movement should be included in the title of your discussion post:
- American Indian Movement
- Answer the following questions:
- What conditions existed which created the need for this movement.
- What did this movement accomplish?
- What was the United States Government’s response to this movement?
oWhat is an issue that remains to this day?
Abroad: How did the United States’ relationship to the world change during the Cold War, and to what extent did this pave the way for the events that we are witnessing in the world today? Provide at least one specific example of a foreign policy event which took place during the Cold War to support your position.
Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Your post should make reference to the required materials with in-text citations. Your references and citations must be formatted according to APA style as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center. You may use additional scholarly sources to support your points if you choose.
QUESTION 2
Prepare: Explore The Political Compass (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. website and take the quiz. Take the time to notice where your responses landed you on the Political Compass grid and where that point is in relation to world leaders. Then, read Chapters 13 and 14 in your textbook and the article, “The Rise of Conservatism Since World War II.
Reflect: Consider the information on The Political Compass (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. website. How well did the information on the website conform to your own views of what “liberal” and “conservative” mean? How well did the information conform to the media’s portrayals of “liberal” and “conservative”? Think about the information that you read in the textbook and in the article “The Rise of Conservatism Since World War II.” Reflect on the reasons that conservatism gained more popular support in the last part of the 20th century and what effect conservative policies have had on different groups. Think about the many developments that we have explored over the past five weeks and how they have contributed to the political, social, and economic issues that the United States faces today. Think about how history can help us understand the issues of today.
Consult The Anatomy of a Discussion Board (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. as well as Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. as you formulate your response
Write: Based on your textbook and the required article, address the following items:
- Explain at least three reasons for the rise of conservatism in the last part of the 20th century.
- Explain at least one way in which the rise of conservatism had a positive or negative impact for a specific group of Americans.
Then, select an issue that you feel is important today. How does a knowledge of history help us gain a better understanding of this issue?
Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Your post should make reference to the required materials with in-text citations. Your references and citations must be formatted according to APA style as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center. You may use additional scholarly sources to support your points if you choose.
QUESTION 3
For your Final Project, you may write a paper.
- Write a paper, it must be four to five pages in length, plus a title page and reference list, formatted according to APA style.
- You must properly cite your sources according to APA style.
To complete this project
- Choose from one of the topics below and analyze its history from 1877 to the present.
- Select four specific events or developments that span the years covered by this course, based on their impact on the topic. Two of the events must be from before 1945 and two events must be from after 1945. You must assess how the events in relationship to the topic changed over time and explain how the changes occurred. Please refer back to your Week Three Assignment, consider your instructor’s comments and make any necessary revisions.
- Write an introduction with a thesis. Your thesis should summarize the main conclusions that you discovered while researching your topic and that you will support with a logical argument based on evidence (sources). Please refer back to your Week Three Assignment, consider your instructor’s comments, and make any necessary revisions to your thesis statement.
- Connect each of the events or developments you have chosen back to your main thesis. The information presented must be organized and in chronological order.
- You must use at least four sources in your paper other than the textbook, with at least two primary sources and at least two secondary sources. Please refer back to your Week Three Assignment, consider your instructor’s comments, and make any necessary revisions.
Choose one of the following topics:
- Native Americans/American Indians
For example, a student writing a paper about the topic African Americans might choose the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Power Movement as two of their events. In that case, the paper would provide a description of the two movements. It would explain what each one revealed about the role of African Americans in broader American society in, respectively, the 1920s and the late 1960s, explain how and why the roles of African Americans in the 1920s differed from their roles in the late 1960s, and explain how events in the 1920s may have contributed to developments in the later decade.
Writing the Final Project
The Final Project
- Must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of project
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
- Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
- Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
- Must use at least four scholarly resources other than the textbook, including a minimum of two primary sources. Your secondary sources must come from the Ashford University Library. For help locating primary sources refer to the HIS206: Primary Sources Research Guide
- Must document all sources, including images, in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
If you choose to create a PowerPoint presentation: You should use visual elements to contribute to your explanation of the topic. PowerPoint presentations should avoid plagiarism and have proper APA citations for all source material either in the note section at the bottom of each slide, or on the last slide of the show indicating sources for each slide. The final slide must be a correctly formatted reference list containing all of your sources. You may use non-scholarly sources for your images, but not for the text of the presentation. Make sure to pay attention to color and style. You will need to save your PowerPoint presentation as a PDF before you submit it to Waypoint. Use the Converting a PowerPoint to PDF (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. tutorial.
Before submitting your Final Project, you may want to view the Sample Paper and/or the Sample Presentation and/or visit the Ashford Writing Center for feedback.
Do you have questions? Check out the FAQs on Assignments page.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.