Fall of the USA?
For several decades there has been great debate among scholars and historians about this question:
Is the United States following in the footsteps of ancient Rome? There have been many comparisons made between the Roman Empire and the modern United States of America. Both were the most powerful and wealthiest civilizations of their time.
You have studied the reasons behind the decline and "the fall of the Roman Empire". You know there were political, military, social, and economic factors involved in the demise of that ancient civilization.
The question is, will the United States suffer the same fate as Rome? Are the similarities such that historians will some day speak of "The Fall of the USA"?
Assignment:
Your task is to write a minimum five paragraph essay discussing the likelihood of the fall of the USA. Your essay must address at least three of the four factors mentioned above.
This essay will be broken into two separate assignments.
Click here for important instructions about writing a five-paragraph essay.
Part A: The Rough Draft
Using the graphic organizer (provided in F-2-F), create a rough draft of your essay. In this rough draft, you will be creating the "skeleton" of your five-paragraph essay. Use the graphic organizer to create a logical, orderly, and thoughtful outline of your essay. In this rough draft, you can ignore spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc. This is where you put your thoughts in order. Submit this rough draft for a grade.
Part B: The Finished Product
When you have received your graded rough draft back from the course instructor, write your final essay. This is where you fix any errors or gaps in order, logic, or evidence, and present a polished product which demonstrates your learning. For this draft, you WILL be graded on spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc. Submit your final draft for a grade.
Important note: In order to compare Rome and the USA, it is important to gain an understanding of American society. Students will complete a modified GPERSIA (using the four factors above) for the USA. This assignment will be done IN CLASS in a Face-to-Face session.
How will this assignment be graded?
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See this Rubric for requirements for the rough draft.
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See this Rubric for requirements for final draft.
