Final Project: What should be the U.S. foreign policy doctrine for the War on Terror?

Remember, the final project for our unit is due this Thursday, March 31st. We will spend time working on the project in class on Thursday so please bring what you have worked on, whether it is finished or not.

Here is the link to the assignment if you've missed class. As always, I would love to answer any and all questions you have about it.

Week of March 28th-April 1st

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope your time away from school was restful and fun!

This week we will wrap up our exploration of U.S. expansionism at the turn of the 20th century. Our goals for this week are:

• Compare and contrast the major U.S. foreign policies of the era, including: the Monroe Doctrine, Open Door Policy, Benevolent Assimilation, The Roosevelt Corollary,  Big Stick Diplomacy, and Dollar Diplomacy.
• Complete our final project: "What should be the doctrine that defines U.S. foreign policy today?"

We will also spend time discussing the Belgium Terror Attacks with these resources:

President Obama's remarks 
Associated Press article (adapted) 

Here is where you can find the slides for class:

 

Final Project!

Calling HOTA scholars! To wrap up our unit about U.S. imperialism at the turn of the 20th century, you are asked to write your own foreign policy doctrine. 

Here is the assignment. 
It is due Thursday, March 31st.

United States foreign policy is arguably as contentious of a topic today as it was nearly a century ago. The U.S. led War in Afghanistan, the War against ISIS, and the War on Terror dominate the news headlines, yet the United States is also intimately involved in the political and economic affairs of dozens of countries throughout the world. The United States continued influence on the affairs of other countries have led some to charge that U.S. foreign policies represents a new form of American Imperialism.

You, Cleveland High School 6th period IB HOTA experts, have an opportunity to weigh in on this contentious debate. Our Representative to the United States House of Representatives, Earl Blumenauer, is asking you for your advice before the current session of the United States Congress adjourns. He has powerful connections in Washington, D.C. and wants to make sure that U.S. foreign policy is guided by the sound thinking of IB HOTA students at Cleveland.

As always, reach out to me with any questions or ideas. I am confident you will do well if you review your notes, graphic organizers, and readings from the unit.

Week of March 14th-18th

One more week until Spring Break, what a great time for a break from school. You've been working hard in and out of school, whether that means taking part in Fiddler on the Roof, Choir concerts, basketball, baseball, track, working after school or on the weekends, and of course, homework for other classes.

This week we will wrap up our exploration of U.S. expansionism at the turn of the 20th century. Our goals for this week are:

• (Wrap up) Analyze the causes and consequences of the Spanish-American War
• Compare and contrast the major U.S. foreign policies of the era, including: the Monroe Doctrine, Open Door Policy, Benevolent Assimilation, The Roosevelt Corollary,  Big Stick Diplomacy, and Dollar Diplomacy.
• Analyze the role U.S. foreign policy in the construction of the Panama Canal.

Also, be sure to complete any outstanding homework. For many of you, this means finishing your:

• Unsung (S)heros project
• Clarion Op-Ed about U.S. expansionism
• Political and Economic Motivations Graphic Organizer

Here are the slides from class:

  

Homework

Here is a friendly reminder about the homework you should work on this week.

• Unsung (S)heros Project
• The Political Motivations for U.S. intervention graphic organizer
• The Economic Motivations for U.S. intervention graphic organizer
• The Clarion Op-Ed

All these assignments are available on the blog (check the right side of the blog). As always, I am available for any questions or clarifications!

Week of March 7th-11th

It's Versus Week! Be sure to show your Cleveland spirit, I definitely will.

This week is dedicated to applying what we know about the political and economic motivations behind U.S. foreign policy. To do this we'll take a deeper look into the Spanish-American war (1898).


Our objective this week is:

• Analyze the cause and consequences of the Spanish-American war. 

Also, be sure to turn all outstanding homework. This includes the Unsung (S)hero project and the political and economic motivations graphic organizers (reading packets available in class).


Here are the slides for the week:

Homework: Op-Ed to the Clarion!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Here is a summary of the homework:

The Assignment:
Write an argumentative (take a side) op-ed (opinion essay) to the school newspaper, the Clarion, arguing for or against contemporary (current) interventionist (expansionist) foreign policies dilemmas that considers past political, ideological, and economic motives. 

Your op-ed should include the following components:

• An introduction that summarizes the current foreign policy dilemma and why students should care;
• Your argument for or against foreign policy intervention (expansionism) and explanation of your motives (values and beliefs) why;
• Draw connections between the dilemma you choose and consider (reflect deeply about) at least two political, ideological, or economic motives we've studied thus far in our unit ("where have we learned this lesson before?");
• A conclusion that summarizes what you learned about the current foreign policy dilemma, and  what you want students to do after they read your op-ed.

Here is the link to the assignment and rubric with an example.

As always, this is your opportunity to show what you've learned about U.S. Imperialism between 1890-1914 but also learn about important current policy dilemmas the United States faces today. Feel free to contact me with any questions.  

Savage Acts

Today in class we will be watching clips from "Savage Acts: Wars, Fairs, and Empire." Below is the trailer. Unfortunately the video is hard to find. If you missed class, let me know and I will find a solution that works!

New Homework Policy!

Building on our recent homework conversations in class, here below is our new class policy:

For major assignments (assessments, tests, projects):

• If missing or incomplete after 3 weeks, you'll receive a score of 50% until it is completed.

For daily practice assignments (homework):

• If missing or incomplete after 3 weeks, you'll receive a score of 1 (out of 4) until it is complete.

As always, this can be adjusted case by case depending on need. Let me know if you need an accommodation, or have any questions.