Modern World History Events that Fostered Globalization History Essay

The Final Exam will be a cumulative, reflective take home essay in which students will be asked to formulate an argument about central themes of modern world history.
These will be formal papers:
A thesis will be presented and argued through use of primary historical sources
Proper citation of sources will be required (use Chicago manual of style).
This final reflection will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate the skills of document analysis, article analysis, synthesis, and argumentation that you have developed over the course .
It is tempting to think about world history as teleology – a story in which things are always moving in the direction of progress. But sometimes events happen – like the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupt our sense of progress. Some historians, however, have suggested it is useful to twentieth century world history as shaped by forces of integration (bringing people together) and fragmentation (driving people apart, sharpening local identities or religious, cultural, racial, national or other identities), punctuated by contingencies or ruptures, events such as war (or a pandemic) which sharpen or accelerate these dynamics. The textbook itself is organized along such lines, emphasizing events which have brought the world together or divided it by race, religion, class, gender, geography, politics, rights, and other phenomena.
WHAT TO DO: In 1500-1750 words, identify and analyze some of the ways that we might think of modern world history this way, as a set of phenomena and forces bringing people together and giving them common experiences, goals, etc. (integration), while at the same time fragmenting the world along other lines (nation, race, religion, left/right, rich/poor, etc.). Are any of these forces connected? If so, how? How do they change over time (are some forces slowing, speeding up, or spreading at some moments), and where? Are there events, or dynamics (such as globalization, technological transformations, revolutions in communication, transportation, etc.) that have served to accelerate or intensify these dynamics in one direction or another? You can choose to focus broadly on several dynamics that highlight these ideas, or to focus on one or two.
WHY: This is a chance for you to reflect on what you feel you have learned and how your thinking may have changed over the last 5 weeks. It is an opportunity to practice an important historical skill: synthesis - taking things you have learned from the textbook, articles, chapters, documents, and assembling them in support of an argument you make.
HOW: Go back and read the Geyer and Bright article from week 1. How has your thinking changed? Look through the chapters in WTWA, and other articles, chapters, documents we have and think about the themes they raise, and how they point to fragmenting or integrating dynamics in modern world history. Take notes. Build a timeline. Think about evidence that supports (or challenges) your argument. See if more than one author employs evidence in support of arguments you want to make (about the power of nationalism, communication technology, war, or whatever).
We would especially like to encourage you to spend a paragraph or two reflecting on how the coronavirus has shaped the way you think about these questions (certainly a few weeks ago your instructor would not have considered pandemic disease and global public health as important as he does now). How has the COVID-19 pandemic illuminated some of the forces of integration and fragmentation that we have read and talked about over the course of the semester?
Please do not use anything other than the course textbook, lectures, and other associated materials provided through Husky CT. You can use any material that has been provided through the learning modules and in class - articles, websites, documents, videos, lectures, powerpoint slides, images, etc. Do not, however, conduct any outside research for this final exam. The material we have used so far will be more than enough! This essay is an exercise in argument and interpretation, not recitation of facts, so make sure to advance one!
B. Evaluation Rubric: Excellent essays will do a few things:
-They will be comprehensive and synthetic, and cover events spanning the entire twentieth century (rather than just one part of it), and range widely geographically (rather than referring, for example, just to Europe or Asia). Excellent essays (earning an A- or better) will incorporate material from all 5 learning modules.
- Incorporate a range of sources from the course, including the textbook, journal articles, primary sources, course affiliated websites, lecture notes and videos, or other sources. Excellent essays (those earning an A- or better) will incorporate evidence from the textbook, journal articles/chapters, and primary sources (documents, etc.), rather than just relying on one or two sources.
- Provide citations for ideas, data, or interpretations supporting your argument (in other words, use evidence supported by footnotes or endnotes).
- Be written in polished prose, and demonstrating good writing, grammar, and punctuation.
- Make an argument! Please do not just recite a laundry list of events. Help the reader see how you assemble evidence and logic into an argument with a hypothesis and a conclusion. Do not just tell a story, but advance an interpretation of the events and phenomena that you think are most significant for your purposes. Why did you chose the dynamics or events that you did? How are these connected?