Reference no: EM133470491
Questions:
1. The Fourteen Points: What do you believe to be the most important of the Fourteen Points to Woodrow Wilson? Did the Treaty of Versailles incorporate these points? Why or why not?
2. The March of the Flag: How does Beveridge's justification for imperialism echo the "White Man's Burden?" But beyond spreading American civilization, does Beveridge offer an additional justification for American imperialism?
3. The White Man's Burden: Who is Rudyard Kipling and what message is he trying to convey in his poem? Is he celebrating American imperialism, warning of its perils, or both? And how did American imperialists use the "White Man's Burden" to justify their expansion? Does this justification sound like other explanations Americans have offered for expansion?
4. Media and Cultural values: What role do you think the media played in enforcing the notion that American women's proper role was as a housewife? Did media simply reflect American values about traditional gender norms or did it actively manipulate Americans into believing those values?
5. What are some of the not-so-subtle messages being conveyed in the flim "A Word to the Wives?" Who is responsible for conveying these messages? In the 1950s, why do you think Americans put such an emphasis on the "housewife" as the ideal role for women (hint: it may help to first watch the lecture entitled "Affluent Society")?
6. According the Geoge Kennan, how do Russian communists view American capitalism? Why does Kennan believe that the "long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies" is the best policy for dealing with the Soviet Union?
7. Non-violence vs. Black Nationalism: What are the end goals of these two approaches? Are they the same or different? Is there any historical evidence that would point to one side's vision for the future being more attainable than the other's?
8. Black Nationalism: What are the tactics that SNCC advocates for? How realistic is it that these tactics will bring about SNCC's ultimate goal?
9. Dr. King advocates for non-violence, but this approach often resulted in heightened tensions (and sometimes violence) in the communities that King's followers protested in. How does King justify this? Why not scale back the protests and let justice take its "natural" course? Furthermore, how does King justify breaking some laws with his acts of civil disobedience?
10. What was the holding in Roe v. Wade? When can a state regulate or prohibit abortions? When can they not? Is this decision based on moral values or medical evidence?
11. The Anti-ERA Movement: Phyllis Schlafly argued that American women did not have it so bad, and in fact, their condition would worsen if the Equal Rights Amendment was passed. According to her, how would the ERA harm women? Do you find her argument compelling?
12. The Women's Liberation Movement: According to Gloria Steinem, what were some of the sex-based myths that support discrimination against women and need to be eliminated? Which of her arguments do you find most compelling?
13. America First: How does President Trump's speech aim to change American foreign policy? How does it reflect Trump's view that the United States should prioritize its own interests over engagement in a globalized world?
14. A New Beginning: How did President Obama attempt to reset relations between the United States and the Islamic World? How does this speech reflect Obama's view of a globalized world?