Unit Project - 20th Century World History
The 20th century was a time of both progress and decline for humanity. Your task here will be to look at this topic from the perspective of one individual in the year 2000. You will be given the template for a profile which you will explain the topic from the perspective of that person. Before you begin, it is best to read through the entire assignment.
Step 1
For this project, you will need to include some ideas from the video below, which was recorded by BBC News and which includes Swedish physician and statistician Hans Rosling. The video is only four minutes long, but Rosling packs a lot of information into it. You might notice that the video actually covers both the 19th and 20th centuries. It is helpful as it gives some context. You, however, only have to include information from the 20th century.
Step 2
Choose one of these profiles.
- A 20 year old university student in Seoul, South Korea
- A 40 year old illiterate migrant to Mexico City who grew up as an ethnic minority in a rural area of Mexico.
- A 60 year old recently retired civil servant who lives in the town of Tabor in the Czech Republic.
Step 3
Develop your profile by writing a one paragraph, first-person backstory explaining your character. Include a photograph which represents your character.
Step 4
Do some research on this topic. The course mentions World War I and II, however, much of this unit focuses on human progress. You will want to find out what difficulties your character and his or her family and friends may have experienced during the 20th century. Keep track of your sources as you will need to cite them.
Step 5
Write your composition according to this template.
- Introduce the topic by explaining how the 20th century was a time of both progress and decline from the point of view of your character in four or five sentences.
- Explain how humanity made progress during the 20th century, giving details from the course materials.
- Explain how the 20th century experienced decline from your character’s point of view. Be sure to specifically reference your character’s country or region of the world here. For example, the Korean student would know about the Korean War. The Mexican migrant would have experienced the effects of the War on Drugs. The Czech retiree would have lived through the Cold War behind the Iron Curtain.
- Conclude by summarizing main points and by explaining how this person was affected by the events of the 20th century.
You must submit your profile in writing along with the photograph and a written outline for your report. You may submit your composition as a written report or as an audio recording.