Modern Issues- Your lifetime, for the most part

1980-today.
A few of the most notable military and political conflicts include: the end of the Cold War, Bosnia, Somalia, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War on Terror. The rise of the personal computer, cell phones, and the Internet have made communication and information two of our most important resources. Madonna, Michael Jackson, the power of Hip-Hop music, American Idol, video games, Michael Jordan, the Simpsons, Seinfeld, and Fox News have all been important factors in pop culture which also significantly influence economics. Cultural and social issues such as immigration, globalization, conservatism vs. liberalism, AIDS, and elicit drug use (think crack and methamphetmaines) have been major players in our society. There are also many more important issues not mentioned above.

Here are your prompts:

Pick one of the issues above and describe its influence on society.

Pick a modern issue that is not on the list above, but is important to your life, and tell us why.

1960's and 70's

This is a time of great change where we moved away from the Ozzie and Harriet perception and into a more untraditional daily life, think hippies and disco balls. The women's, hispanic, civil rights, and counterculture movements led to vast progressive change. Famous leaders were assassinated, such as John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X. An infamous president resigned from office early (Nixon) and the Vietnam and Cold Wars influenced our daily lives.

Here are your prompts:

Please do a short interview of someone you know that was alive during these decades and ask them what they remember the most about the time period? Summarize.

Do you find anything similar in your life today compared with what your interview or the readings and videos told you in Lesson 1? Why or why not?

Korean and Vietnam Wars

The Korean War was fought for about three years in the early 1950's and is sometimes referred to as the Forgotten War. It is often viewed as a struggle of Communism vs. Democracy. This war was fought in the shadow of the Cold War and the fear of the spread of Communism was a major factor for the U.S. joining in. Vietnam was also a struggle over the spread of Communism in which the North Vietnamese communist forces attempted to take over the entire country and the U.S. and South Vietnamese tried to stop them. With the Fall of Saigon in 1975, a southern stronghold, the North Vietnamese took over the country and formed the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Here are your prompts:

Why did we fight these wars and did we win?

Please connect any wars in your lifetime to either Korea or Vietnam? How are they related?

Civil Rights Movement

In this unit you will explore the Civil Rights Movement which lasted approximately 15 years during the second half of the 20th century. It was largely concentrated in the South and led by iconic leaders such as Martin Luther King. The movement attempted to abolish (get rid of) discrimination against African-Americans. There were 3 key events in the early 1950's that increased national awareness and provided fuel for a potential movement. Brown v. Board of Education, a Supreme Court case in 1954, ordered the end of segregation in public schools. Emmitt Till, a 14 year old African American boy visiting in Mississippi whistled at a white girl in a store and was subsequently beaten, shot and dumped into a local river. The case, although not entirely unique in the south, made national news and support for the movement increased. Thirdly, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted over a year, led to the desegregation of public buses in the city and helped the Civil Rights movement grow dramatically.

Here are your prompts:

What other events played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement according to the Readings and Videos in Lesson 1?

Please share your view on whether or not the movement has been a success. Explain.

The Cold War

The Cold War began immediately after WWII, was fought between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.), and was an idelogical battle between Communism and Democracy. The war was "fought" without any traditional battles, hence the term cold war. The fear of nuclear devastation directed the cold war, and many of the "battles" were symbolic, such as the race to the moon. It lasted until 1991, when the Soviet Union fell.

Here are your prompts:

Please list some of the key events of the Cold War? Briefly explain their significance.

Pick one of those events and describe how it is related to the world you live in now.

The 1950's

The 1950's changed everything. Well, that's a little exaggerated because every change changes everything in the long run. But I really like the 1950's because its when we started rebelling. People sacrificed SO much during WWII that when all the soldiers came back and settled down people began to think about how short life really was. They started letting lose after that. Then the TV came and things really changed. We often think of the 1960's as the decade of change but the 1950's planted all the seeds for the dramatic decade that followed.

Here are your prompts:

Based on the readings and videos, what was the significance of the television becoming available to every home? Please give specific examples and research on Google if needed.

What is the one thing in your lifetime that has opened up your eyes to a whole new world? How?

WWII Europe

My grandpa Bob was an engineer gunner on a bombardier flying missions out of Italy during WWII. He survived, but like most survivors during that time, he never told us any stories. I have heard many stories of Air Corp soldiers who flew missions and it sounds like it had a huge mental impact on the rest of their lives. During WWII 72 million people died. A majority were civilians but there were over 25 million soldiers killed including over 400,000 Americans.

Here are your prompts I would like you to comment on:

Can you imagine a war today in which 70 million people died? Why or why not? Use the info from the Lesson 1 videos to provide an in depth explanation.

What did you learn about in the Lesson 1 videos that you had never learned before? Explain.