engine of souls | forum 3

Directions: Complete one of each of the following six assignments (3 from the 1990’s and 3 from the 1980’s). If you have finished, see me for an extra credit assignment.

1990’s Website Reviews – Pick one and write a paragraph describing what you learned from this website concerning its topic.

1. http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm Race: Power of an Illusion is a website that explores where racism came from.

2. http://www.pbs.org/pov/twotownsofjasper/ Two Towns of Jasper is a story about one of America’s worst hate crimes by white supremacists.

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU President Obama (A More Perfect Union) is a speech about racism in America today.

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_riots_of_1992 LA Riots - This Wikipedia site is a detailed account of the LA Riots in April 1992.

5. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/ CNN, Black in America is a documentary series about race and racism in the US today.

6. http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp Hate Group Map is compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center and tracks racist groups.

7. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16337441 NPR, Is it time to end Affirmative Action? is an audio story on the debate.

8. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/books/review/25glazer.html Jonathan Kozol, Shame of the Nation is a book about racism and schools.

9. http://video.pbs.org/video/1226321968/ Race, Class and Katrina is a video clip examining racism and poverty in America’s worst hurricane.

10. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/ One of the most comprehensive websites on the Civil Rights Movement ever made.

1990’s RAFT Assignments – Pick one and answer the task from the perspective of the person given.

1. You are Hillary Clinton. In a Senate hearing, briefly explain your position on universal health care to those in the opposition.

2. You are a cofounder of Google. In a video interview with leading dotcom CEO’s, explain how the Internet will change the world.

3. You are a computer programmer. In a PowerPoint presentation to the NSA, explain the potential harms of the Y2K crisis.

4. You are a Russian political cartoonist. Draw a cartoon describing Yeltsin’s plans for the former Soviet Union and nation of Russia.

5. You are a Gulf War veteran. Write down your diary entries for the ground assault on Saddam’s forces in Kuwait. Be descriptive.

6. You are a Ross Perot supporter. In a televised debate, describe the arguments against both Bush and Clinton and for Perot.

7. You are Kurt Cobain’s best friend. In his home you find an unpublished song about the issues and country we live in. Publish it here.

8. You are a reporter interviewing Osama Bin Laden. Write an editorial concerning his philosophy on radical Islam and the US.

9. You are a 9 year old survivor of the Waco Branch Davidians. In therapy, draw images that describe your feelings during the attacks.

10. You are a Richard Holbrooke’s aide. In your notes, describe the atmosphere and the dialogue of the Dayton Peace Accords.

1990’s Essay Questions – Pick one and answer the question in a paragraph (5x5, if you choose)

1. How did the 1992 presidential election demonstrate changes in the political tactics and ideologies of all three main presidential candidates?

2. Describe how the Internet transformed American society from a sociological, ideological, economic and interpersonal perspective.

3. Define the message and impact of the protests against the World Trade Organization Summit in Seattle in 1999.  Were they valid?

4. How did NAFTA affect the economy of the United States specifically?  Provide statistical information to support your answer.

5. How should the federal investigation and Clinton Impeachment be analyzed today and in the context of US presidential history?

6. How are the conflicts and US interventions in Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo symptomatic or indicative of a post-Cold War world?

7. Provide a brief history of class division in the United States from 1789 to the present.  What patterns and relationships can you find?

8. To what extent and how should the US use its diplomatic, economic and military power overseas in a post-Cold War world?  Be specific.

9. What lessons can be learned from the political division and electoral confusion created by the presidential election of 2000?  Explain.

10. How did the Republican Revolution reshape American politics from 1994 to the present?  Provide 10 policy examples.

1980’s Website Reviews – Pick one and write a paragraph describing what you learned from this website concerning its topic.

1. http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/gorbachev.html Time’s biography of Mikhail Gorbachev, the USSR’s great reformer.

2. http://www.reaganlibrary.com/ The official site for President Ronald Reagan’s library and archives (1980-1988) containing many documents.

3. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB210/index.htm The story of the Iran-Contra Scandal and the cover-up, 20 years later.

4. http://www.liketotally80s.com/ This website is a comprehensive collection of 1980’s memories, facts, statistics, and more.

5. http://www.rubiks.com/ This site contains one of the most popular fads and games from the 1980’s. Hundreds of millions were sold.

6. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/ This documentary is the story of the unknown man who defied Chinese tanks in 1989.

7. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/ This documentary is the history of 25 years of the AIDS/HIV epidemic affecting millions.

8. http://www.oyez.org/justices/sandra_day_oconnor The official biography of the 1st woman to sit on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor.

9. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr1TMyxArXk on the space shuttle Challenger explosion.

10. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/ A complete story regarding the Persian Gulf War in 1991 against Saddam Hussein.

1980’s RAFT Assignments – Pick one and answer the task from the perspective of the person given.

1. You are CIA Director Bill Casey. In a conversation with President Reagan, explain why the US should support the Mujahedeen.

2. You are the daughter of Geraldine Ferraro. Write your college thesis on your mother’s historic role in the 1984 presidential election.

3. You are Lt. Colonel Oliver North. Before a joint session of Congress, explain your motivation and role in the Iran-Contra scandal.

4. You are the commander of NORAD. Brief your new deputy commander on the protocols for a full nuclear launch sequence.

5. You are Nancy Reagan. Speaking with Rasia Gorbachev, describe your husbands’ plans for a possible end to the Cold War.

6. You are pop star Michael Jackson’s architect. Explain to Jackson your design for the blueprints of the Neverland Ranch in California.

7. You are Mikhail Gorbachev. In a closed door session of the Soviet Politburo, explain why glasnost and perestroika are needed now.

8. You are an American businessman in South Africa. Explain to the CEO’s of Coca Cola and IBM why they must stop all business in SA.

9. You are Saddam Hussein. In a private session with American military officials, determine the conditions of your alliance with the US.

10. You are astronaut Sally Ride. At an awards dinner, explain how your childhood and education prepared you to be a NASA astronaut.

1980’s Essay Questions – Pick one and answer the question in a paragraph (5x5, if you choose)

1. Discuss and debate Gorbachev's domestic and Reagan's foreign policy in effectively ending communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR.

2. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative would protect the US from nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union.  Support or oppose.

3. Explain how the economic theories behind Reagan's policies of reducing inflation, taxes and social spending.  Were they effective?

4. Describe the US foreign policy goals and methods within Central and Latin America from 1980-1992 from an indigenous perspective.

5. Evaluate the nuclear policy of each administration from Truman to Reagan.  Was Reagan consistent or inconsistent regarding his policies?

6. Describe the Iran-Contra Scandal and assess its historical significance during Reagan's administration and the present day.

7. How did Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union move from communist regime to democratic ones?  What patterns are evident?

8. From the evidence available, determine the American political objectives and military tactics of the Persian Gulf War.  Did it succeed?

9. Provide ten examples of the historic impact of personal computers on American society.  Include political, economic and social effects.

10. To what extent did the LA Riots create or reflect existing racial tensions?  How was the crisis addressed?  How is it remembered today?